Peaches Ridge archery tag- How would you have handled this?

[tbrady]

Just curious how you guys would have handled this.  I drew the Peaches Ridge archery tag and spent several days scouting there this summer.  I found a very particular meadow which had elk in it every morning/evening sometimes midday.  I had one of cameras watching it since mid-June.  I go in a few days before the season opened and hang one of my climbing treestands not far from my camera.  I go in the day before the season opens and find that some guys have deployed 2 Cabelas ground blinds and elk decoys.  The one ground blind was literally less than 20 yards from my stand and camera.  The other was about 75 yards away on a different side of the meadow.

It made me absolutely sick.  I work hard to avoid hunters as best as I can  but these guys set right up where I planned to do the majority of my hunting.  I ended up pulling my treestand out and moving to another area but didn't have a whole lot of luck.

I know it's public land and all that but if someone were to do this to you how would handle it?  Honestly my first thought was to take the dang ground blinds and drag them out of the woods. 

[2labs]

And somebody else is saying... Hey some clown put a tree stand in the meadow I been scouting all summer.

You drew a peaches tag. Post a bull.

[The scout]

  public land can be tough. there are for sure places to get away from people in there, and the best part of your season is now till the end

[teanawayslayer]

I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. Yes it is public you take your chances where ever you are. Maybe they didn't see your set up. Who knows. It would have made me mad to. Honestly I would have picked up my stuff and went some where else. Because I would have had back up plans b-z just for a situation like that. I would not have let it ruin my hunt!

[Naches Sportsman]

If you are over here still hunting, pm me.

[ribka]

I learned years ago meadows are not a good area to place stands. Ok for early season trail cams but meadows are just too obvious to place stands and will receivebpressure from new hunters right before season.  Therefore typically meadows not ideal blind locations look to areas around meadows for stands particularly hard to reach areas, escape routes, areas near reprod etc

[notsosneaky]

I'd just steer clear of still hunting with a bull tag in my pocket.

[UBA]

I would find the thickest cover near by. That open stuff will be blown out in no time. Don't let that discourage you.

[Skyvalhunter]

Don't give up stick to it!!

[nw_bowhunter]

Knowing what I know now would have just went into the thicker parts past the meadows.  That's where a number of bulls were anyways. I had located a spot of above the main road which had multiple trails coming into a ridge. Looked to be a good setup.  Last weekend I went beck before the season there was a tree stand , salt lick and two trail cams. I just went somewhere else. No peaches bull for me but I had an excellent hunt regardless.