ground blinds and/ or tree stands on feel free to hunt?

[RookieBow1967]

I was under the impression that blinds and tree stands were not allowed on feel free to hunt land. However i see them all over these hunting grounds. Allowed or not? I dont really see anything in the regs saying one way or another. To add to this question does setting up a blind or tree stand give a person first dibs on an area, I have been chased out of areas because, "Dont you see my treestand im hunting here" or "this is my bait pile go find your own spot"

[92xj]

First part is easy.  Go find the plot of land on the wdfw map and click the info, it will say if blinds are allowed.
Some say temporary blinds and tree stands are ok. others say no

 
Second part, legally, no. first come first serve. Bait and a stand do not hold a place in line.  Heck even if Joe is hunting, you can hunt the same tree and bait if you want.
Ethically, that is something you will have to answer on your own.

[CoryTDF]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own.   

[RookieBow1967]

First part is easy.  Go find the plot of land on the wdfw map and click the info, it will say if blinds are allowed.
Some say temporary blinds and tree stands are ok. others say no

 
Second part, legally, no. first come first serve. Bait and a stand do not hold a place in line.  Heck even if Joe is hunting, you can hunt the same tree and bait if you want.
Ethically, that is something you will have to answer on your own.

So the gohunt page shows no blinds or tree stands. Every property i hunt in the area says the same thing, I have yet to see one that says tree stands or blinds allowed. Yet each of these properties have two to three tree stands set up in them. All the choke points and such have someone set up in them. Which is why i seem to run into a lot of people because they set up in the best locations. So a guy that follows the rules has to hunt the areas which are less productive and without the aid of concealment, or move into the good locations but be harassed by territorial hunters.   

[RookieBow1967]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

[meatwhack]

Spots are absolutely first come first serve. If someone puts a stand up and thinks they’re going to run me out of the area just because they have a stand up if I was in there first there’d be a problem. For the feel free to hunt property have you contacted the landowners to see if they allow stands for hunting season?

[RookieBow1967]

Spots are absolutely first come first serve. If someone puts a stand up and thinks they’re going to run me out of the area just because they have a stand up if I was in there first there’d be a problem. For the feel free to hunt property have you contacted the landowners to see if they allow stands for hunting season?

No I have been going off the gohunt site. If the landowners allow blinds and such it should be reflected on the website you would think. I might have to give the landowner a call and see what he says.

[Angry Perch]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Nope,
But if there was nobody there, I'd set my lawn chair up next to it on the beach, toss out my line, and crack a beer.

I think a better analogy would be, if Ii go out to a spot I want to fish, and someone's left a marker buoy there, but they are not around,  do I fish that spot. The answer is, absolutely!

 

[RookieBow1967]

 

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

 
Nope,
But if there was nobody there, I'd set my lawn chair up next to it on the beach, toss out my line, and crack a beer.

I think a better analogy would be, if Ii go out to a spot I want to fish, and someone's left a marker buoy there, but they are not around,  do I fish that spot. The answer is, absolutely!

 

[h20hunter]

If I walk into a spot and there is a vacant stand or blind and I want to hunt the area then I'm hunting. expecting somebody to keep going just in case you show up and want to hunt is absurd. Im not going to sit in your stand or blind but I have no problem tucking in and hunting.  Someone shows up and now wants to hunt tough,  move on.

[92xj]

What about sitting in your stand over your bait and someone walks in and sits at the base of your tree after telling them you are up there and they acknowledge that, yet still sit and hunt over the bait you put out.
Had that happen last year.

[h20hunter]

Just as absurd. I'd tell them clearly to move on. I don't understand the mentality of either. 

[92xj]

Just as absurd. I'd tell them clearly to move on. I don't understand the mentality of either.

I don't either.
I had no idea people actually thought that doing what he did was normal.

[92xj]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

This is an interesting twist!
 What was said to make you move on after getting to the spot first?

[CAMPMEAT]

The one that used to be a mile from my house, you couldn't do anything except hunt. No camping, nothing.

[RookieBow1967]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

This is an interesting twist!
 What was said to make you move on after getting to the spot first?

I moved on because I was new to hunting at the time and thought maybe hes right, maybe its a violation of an unspoken code of ethics to hunt over someone elses bait/ spot. However this year i have had numerous run ins with people hunting over my bait pile even though i was there first, so  i had to pose this question. It seems for the most part we agree first come first serve.

The reason i went to his "spot" in the first place was its a natural deer highway from unpressured land across the road to bean fields on the hunting side. I saw his treestand there but hunted several days without ever seeing someone use it. Its about 60 yard walk to the spot so its right off the road easy to get to, a good spot for a beginning hunter. He comes up with his wife and gets mad at me for being there 10 yards from his tree. Yelled at me saying i scared the deer away, that i put a dent in his truck... etc Then said he wasnt going to leave and sat down in the middle of the spot. I waited 10 minutes or so thought it over, talked to him, after he calmed down, then left. Ended up taking my first deer, a doe, that year so it turned out good in the end. 

[wall of wood camp]

There are some interesting thought processes on this.  The biggest problem I see with this argument is the key word public land feel free to hunt.  the guys that put up stands and blinds are silly to think they are going to stake some sort of claim to an area because they put a stand out on public land, unfortunately in this day and age the only thing they are doing is risking loosing a stand because there seem to be way more thieves in the woods then we ever had to deal with in the past this society has no respect for anyone or anything anymore.   that really only works on "Private Property"  Ethically I would never sit in someone else's tree stand I didn't put it up so I'm not going to touch it but if they aren't there and the area is good of course I'm going to hunt it from the ground, who knows that could be a bow hunters stand and you are hunting rifle season.  There are no rules on hunting an area already covered this happens all the time its like a pumpkin patch on clear cuts during elk season.  You just have to be a quicker shot than the rest and be willing to risk your life going out into the firing line to claim your animal. me personally will never sit down next to another hunter already in a spot and if I am hunting along and cross another hunter I usually turn around adjust course and work around them trying not to disrupt the area they are watching but that being said there is no rules or laws against it and if they want to be *censored* enough to come in and sit on the same area you are clearly set up on there is nothing you can do about it to legally run them out of public land.   

[meatwhack]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Sorry CoryTDF but I think you’re absolutely wrong thinking you can lay claim to a piece of public land for hunting just because you dump some bait out. With that thought process I could just go start “establishing bait sites” all over the mountains and I guess it’ll all be mine because I baited it first.

[Naches Sportsman]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

You need to rethink hunting on public land if this is your attitude towards other hunters .

I've come across other hunters using my setups on public land. What do I do? Have a quick conversation and go on my way. My property is considered abandoned if left on public land more than a certain time frame and public is sure as heck allowed to utilize it as I placed it on public land.

Again, if you don't like the rules, don't hunt public land.

[huntnfmly]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

You need to rethink hunting on public land if this is your attitude towards other hunters .

I've come across other hunters using my setups on public land. What do I do? Have a quick conversation and go on my way. My property is considered abandoned if left on public land more than a certain time frame and public is sure as heck allowed to utilize it as I placed it on public land.

Again, if you don't like the rules, don't hunt public land.

I understand what you're saying naches and you're correct that's the rules when it comes to public land but I agree with Cory on this I think it's a matter of common courtesy  if you didn't set the stand or the bait up don't use it without permission. However if you're the one who set things up maybe put the days you plan on hunting that spot.
To me this is a tough one I see both sides

[builtfordtough]

This is definitely a tough subject. We found 2 tree stands so far in our new elk spot. I personally wouldn't go up and sit in it but my brother in law says why not its public land and now it's public property.  Someone stole my SD card outta my camera a few weeks ago and I was pissed. Glad they didn't take the camera. I left it on public land unlocked and took a chance. So we placed another camera Saturday while hunting with a cable lock. Some SOB put a leaf covering the camera lens. We saw him in the woods just minutes prior to this and he didn't look to happy.  Back to topic at hand. I wouldn't sit in a hunters tree stand but I will sit around your set up.  If u are the 1 who is messing with my cameras PM me, maybe we can have a civilized talk.

[RookieBow1967]

Im still wondering if it is legal to bait during the off season on feel free to hunt land? If scouting is not allowed then baiting shouldnt be allowed in the off season right?

[RookieBow1967]

This is definitely a tough subject. We found 2 tree stands so far in our new elk spot. I personally wouldn't go up and sit in it but my brother in law says why not its public land and now it's public property.  Someone stole my SD card outta my camera a few weeks ago and I was pissed. Glad they didn't take the camera. I left it on public land unlocked and took a chance. So we placed another camera Saturday while hunting with a cable lock. Some SOB put a leaf covering the camera lens. We saw him in the woods just minutes prior to this and he didn't look to happy.  Back to topic at hand. I wouldn't sit in a hunters tree stand but I will sit around your set up.  If u are the 1 who is messing with my cameras PM me, maybe we can have a civilized talk.

I agree i would not use someone elses blind or stand but the spot is up for grabs. That sucks about your trail cam. So far no has messed with my trail cams just some friendly waves and goofy faces.

[CedarPants]

If I see a stand I will generally move on as a common courtesy.  That's how grandpa taught me.

That said - if you feel hanging a stand makes a spot "yours" on public ground, I'd expect you to be in that stand sunup till sundown every single day of the hunting season to prove your point.

[huntnfmly]

If I see a stand I will generally move on as a common courtesy.  That's how grandpa taught me.

That said - if you feel hanging a stand makes a spot "yours" on public ground, I'd expect you to be in that stand sunup till sundown every single day of the hunting season to prove your point.

[Stein]

Im still wondering if it is legal to bait during the off season on feel free to hunt land? If scouting is not allowed then baiting shouldnt be allowed in the off season right?

FFTH is private land.  WDFW grants permission to trespass under the regulations it establishes along with the landowner.  If you do not follow those regulations, you are trespassing.  All of the ones I have used provide clear dates when it is open and the requirements for access.

The best way to have FFTH lands disappear is to abuse the system.  At some point, the landowner will decide that the amount of money WDFW pays is not enough to account for the activities that should not be going on.

[vandeman17]

Will I hunt someones actual tree stand or ground blind? Nope. If I see one and nobody is in it do I feel like I shouldn't hunt the area, 99% of the time no, I would hunt there if I wanted to. If the person showed up later or there was obvious sign it was hunted in the last day or two I have no problem moving along. I always have plan a,b,c etc. Now this is all on public land and would be slightly different on a feel free to hunt area so take it as you will.

[AROTTY]

Im still wondering if it is legal to bait during the off season on feel free to hunt land? If scouting is not allowed then baiting shouldnt be allowed in the off season right?

Correct. The land is closed out of season and you would be trespassing.

[CedarPants]

Will I hunt someones actual tree stand or ground blind? Nope. If I see one and nobody is in it do I feel like I shouldn't hunt the area, 99% of the time no, I would hunt there if I wanted to. If the person showed up later or there was obvious sign it was hunted in the last day or two I have no problem moving along. I always have plan a,b,c etc. Now this is all on public land and would be slightly different on a feel free to hunt area so take it as you will.

You articulated what I was trying to say way better than I put it 

[CoryTDF]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

Well, I am happy to hear that you took my advice. I am not happy to hear that you had other people blow out your stand area but i'm sure that you know understand my last years frustration. That is the nature of public land.

All I have to say is that if a person comes across another persons treestand or groundblind and believes it's OK to hunt exactly right there, right in that spot, they are in the wrong. It is not illegal and that is not my argument. It is just a inconsiderate and an unethical move in my opinion. How would you feel if a guy came and sat on the same rock as you while you were watching a field during rifle season?? That is my point.

Again this year I had a guy put his trail camera 40 yards away from my treestands. I left him a note and he text me about 3 weeks later. He gave me the whole this is public land talk too. Problem was that he also put out bait and it was only 40 yards away from an established site. So he was in the wrong on both legal and ethical accounts.   

[Timberstalker]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

Well, I am happy to hear that you took my advice. I am not happy to hear that you had other people blow out your stand area but i'm sure that you know understand my last years frustration. That is the nature of public land.

All I have to say is that if a person comes across another persons treestand or groundblind and believes it's OK to hunt exactly right there, right in that spot, they are in the wrong. It is not illegal and that is not my argument. It is just a inconsiderate and an unethical move in my opinion. How would you feel if a gay came and sat on the same rock as you while you were watching a field during rifle season?? That is my point.

Again this year I had a guy put his trail camera 40 yards away from my treestands. I left him a note and he text me about 3 weeks later. He gave me the whole this is public land talk too. Problem was that he also put out bait and it was only 40 yards away from an established site. So he was in the wrong on both legal and ethical accounts.   

Why do you bring the gay's into this discussion?

[CoryTDF]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

This is an interesting twist!
 What was said to make you move on after getting to the spot first?

I moved on because I was new to hunting at the time and thought maybe hes right, maybe its a violation of an unspoken code of ethics to hunt over someone elses bait/ spot. However this year i have had numerous run ins with people hunting over my bait pile even though i was there first, so  i had to pose this question. It seems for the most part we agree first come first serve.

The reason i went to his "spot" in the first place was its a natural deer highway from unpressured land across the road to bean fields on the hunting side. I saw his treestand there but hunted several days without ever seeing someone use it. Its about 60 yard walk to the spot so its right off the road easy to get to, a good spot for a beginning hunter. He comes up with his wife and gets mad at me for being there 10 yards from his tree. Yelled at me saying i scared the deer away, that i put a dent in his truck... etc Then said he wasnt going to leave and sat down in the middle of the spot. I waited 10 minutes or so thought it over, talked to him, after he calmed down, then left. Ended up taking my first deer, a doe, that year so it turned out good in the end.

Ok guy, you don't get to come on here an lie. You certainly don't get to come on here and lie about me without me addressing it.

You forgot to tell everybody that I gave you my phone number and told you to text me and I would tell you when my wife had killed here deer and you could them hunt out of my stand. I must be a real jerk right??

1) You placed bait on top of the bait I put out.
2) Our conversation started with you sarcastically saying to me "Thanks for scaring away my deer."
3) My truck was caved in the year before and I made mention of it. Asked if you were the guy that did it?
4) You admitted that you saw my stand, bait, trail camera, and had seen me hunting that spot but you just didn't care cause you got there first.
5) Dang strait I sat down in the spot, you think it's cool to just take advantage of all the prep I put into that spot and it's public land and all I guess we just had ourselves a hunting party! 
6)Walla Walla is a small little town bud, I promise your attitude is not the normal around here. Just like I told you last year when I was "talking" to you. That was probably about as good as you could expect that to go. Other people would not have been so patient.   

Check you PM bud.


To any of you that feel it is ok to just walk up to an "ACTIVE" site and just plop down and hunt it would say that ya'll must have had a different hunter education instructor or roll model than I did.

 

[RookieBow1967]

To counter your points

1) I added a salt block.

2) I waved at you to get your attention, then you started cussing after you saw me in your "spot". Of course i fired back with sarcasm. You were the first to start yelling partner not me.

3) You "asked" by accusing me of denting your truck.

4) I did see the cam and stand but had not seen you in it hence why i picked the spot. As already discussed placing gear at a spot does not make it yours.

5) You admitted your prep work was off season, which makes it illegal as it is a form of scouting. And hauling some beans maybe a hundred yards from the road hardly constitutes work. As for taking advantage of your work you are sitting on a deer highway. The spot would be good regardless if you put bait down or not.

6) Even when i had hunters blow my bait sites out I didnt cuss them out, yell at them, or throw a fit and sit in the middle of my bait.  It is PUBLIC LAND!!! Everyone has a right to use it. Yes it sucks when other people are in your spots but it is first come first serve.

Another piece of advice you gave me was to ask other hunters about the situation whether it was ethical or not. For the most part I was told public property, first come first serve. The others said it was a sticky topic and both sides have good points. My opinion is whoever is there first gets the spot. 


An "Active" site should have an "active" hunter in it. I was in that area for several days without seeing anybody hunting that spot. The year before it was the same story I did not see an active hunter in it. 

[Timberstalker]

I better throw someone popcorn in the microwave....

[RookieBow1967]

From Cory

Ok bud,

You made an ethical mistake last year. Heck you even got on here and kinda halfway said you understood it and experienced the same thing. I was pretty impressed that you took my advice and moved on to another area, as did I.

Where you went wrong was starting to lie about how our conversation went down. You went wrong by getting a few internet friends behind you and thinking that you had a little clan to empower your BS actions last year. I gave you my phone number last year and even told you that you could call me and i would let you sit in my stand after the season. You forgot to mention that part. You want to make me out to be the villain here but i'm not.

This is a small town, we will run into each other again I'm sure. How about you bring your tough guy talk to me when we are standing in the same room and we can talk about this like men. I'm not an internet warrior and have no interest in discussing this on here any further. Like you said, you're a new hunter. I was just trying to show you how not to be an A-Hole and get yourself into more fights in the future. You will see it my way someday of that I am absolutely sure. Someday a nice buck that you have been watching will get screwed by some idiot or your wife or child will get screwed by some idiot and you will know exactly in that moment that you, just like the idiot that screwed you, are wrong as a snot popsicle.
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Yes you gave me the option of hunting the spot after you got your deer. I did get my first deer a few days later so i never came back. Fast forward a year i set up in an area I think is good put bait out I had my eye on two 5x5's. Opening day comes i have hunters stalk the field edges spooking deer. I always made sure to get their attention so they knew I was hunting there. They still hovered around. A few days later im sitting in my spot and a little 3x2 comes to my bait pile. A few seconds later i hear a arrow whistle by. The same guy that I saw every morning and night for the last three days (and waved to him each day) is sitting 30 yards away. He must have gotten there a few minutes before me as I was hearing snorts as I was moving up to the spot. So i started asking a few hunter buddies of mine and the answer i got first come first serve. Those other bucks are now nocturnal got pics of them moving around 10 p.m. 

No, Im not a tough guy im 5'6" and 130 lbs im not looking for a fight. Just as i said that day, i just want to hunt. Like i said in my other post you were the first one to get a temper.  As for my "internet friends", coming from a non-hunting family i have few people to talk to about hunting hence why i joined this forum and why i need "internet friends".

[Buckmark]

Ok so wait a minute, i need to get caught up here as i a little confused (not hard to do)

So is this Public land or is it FFTH land?

To me public land is land that is open to the public year round and not owned privately and can be accessed whenever.
FFTH land is private land that the land owner has allowed access to during the hunting season to whomever wants to hunt on it.

If it is FFTH land and can only be accessed during an open season and not before, then wouldn't placing bait, stands and cameras before the season opened be in violation of the FFTH rules?
And if so would that not be a matter of ethics? 

Just asking for clarification as the ethics word has been thrown out and want to be clear on this.

Rules are rules

[CedarPants]

All I have to say is that if a person comes across another persons treestand or groundblind and believes it's OK to hunt exactly right there, right in that spot, they are in the wrong.

Even if you're not there and don't plan on being there for several days?  I'm not talking about climbing into the treestand or groundblind - but hunting the same spot.

[RookieBow1967]

Ok so wait a minute, i need to get caught up here as i a little confused (not hard to do)

So is this Public land or is it FFTH land?

To me public land is land that is open to the public year round and not owned privately and can be accessed whenever.
FFTH land is private land that the land owner has allowed access to during the hunting season to whomever wants to hunt on it.

If it is FFTH land and can only be accessed during an open season and not before, then wouldn't placing bait, stands and cameras before the season opened be in violation of the FFTH rules?
And if so would that not be a matter of ethics? 

Just asking for clarification as the ethics word has been thrown out and want to be clear on this.

Rules are rules

Yes FFTH and rules say no scouting, blinds or stands. That was my first question hence the name of the thread.

[wackmnstackm]

all of the FFTH spots i found on the map are water fowl only, havent seen any for deer or elk   

[Bob33]

Feel Free To Hunt properties may establish their own rules on certain issues. Some allow blinds, many don't.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Im still wondering if it is legal to bait during the off season on feel free to hunt land? If scouting is not allowed then baiting shouldnt be allowed in the off season right?

FFTH is private land.  WDFW grants permission to trespass under the regulations it establishes along with the landowner.  If you do not follow those regulations, you are trespassing.  All of the ones I have used provide clear dates when it is open and the requirements for access.

The best way to have FFTH lands disappear is to abuse the system.  At some point, the landowner will decide that the amount of money WDFW pays is not enough to account for the activities that should not be going on.

This.  Also, asking landowners to arbitrate  matches between hunters is a great way to get them to pull out of the program.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Ok so wait a minute, i need to get caught up here as i a little confused (not hard to do)

So is this Public land or is it FFTH land?

To me public land is land that is open to the public year round and not owned privately and can be accessed whenever.
FFTH land is private land that the land owner has allowed access to during the hunting season to whomever wants to hunt on it.

If it is FFTH land and can only be accessed during an open season and not before, then wouldn't placing bait, stands and cameras before the season opened be in violation of the FFTH rules?
And if so would that not be a matter of ethics? 

Just asking for clarification as the ethics word has been thrown out and want to be clear on this.

Rules are rules

Yes FFTH and rules say no scouting, blinds or stands. That was my first question hence the name of the thread.

Unless the landowner has given the hunter individual permission to do so, all of these actions constitute trespassing.

[ghosthunter]

On public land open year round.

Putting out bait and a stand is never going work.

While muzzy hunting the Nile I came across a dozen tree stands,some permanent,some climbers, no one around. Went by them several times during the season never saw a soul around.

Found several bait sites again no one around. How would anyone know what the  guy who put these out intentions were? Modern hunter, Bow hunter, muzzy hunter, special permit hunter???

Who knows . To think a stand or bait reserves a spot for a day or forever is crazy.

I would t climb into a blind that wasn’t mine. But I would hunt a spot if I wanted.

I put out a couple ground blinds for our group. If I found someone in one , I would just say sorry buddy I came to pick up my blind and chair and I would take it down and move on he can sit there if he wants without my equipment.

We live in a state with the fastest growing population in the nation. Any attempt to reserve a spot on public lands isn’t going to go well.

[huntnfmly]

@ghosthunter I didn't even think about that if someone is in your blind I like that😆

[CoryTDF]

From Cory

Ok bud,

You made an ethical mistake last year. Heck you even got on here and kinda halfway said you understood it and experienced the same thing. I was pretty impressed that you took my advice and moved on to another area, as did I.

Where you went wrong was starting to lie about how our conversation went down. You went wrong by getting a few internet friends behind you and thinking that you had a little clan to empower your BS actions last year. I gave you my phone number last year and even told you that you could call me and i would let you sit in my stand after the season. You forgot to mention that part. You want to make me out to be the villain here but i'm not.

This is a small town, we will run into each other again I'm sure. How about you bring your tough guy talk to me when we are standing in the same room and we can talk about this like men. I'm not an internet warrior and have no interest in discussing this on here any further. Like you said, you're a new hunter. I was just trying to show you how not to be an A-Hole and get yourself into more fights in the future. You will see it my way someday of that I am absolutely sure. Someday a nice buck that you have been watching will get screwed by some idiot or your wife or child will get screwed by some idiot and you will know exactly in that moment that you, just like the idiot that screwed you, are wrong as a snot popsicle.
-----------------------------------------
Yes you gave me the option of hunting the spot after you got your deer. I did get my first deer a few days later so i never came back. Fast forward a year i set up in an area I think is good put bait out I had my eye on two 5x5's. Opening day comes i have hunters stalk the field edges spooking deer. I always made sure to get their attention so they knew I was hunting there. They still hovered around. A few days later im sitting in my spot and a little 3x2 comes to my bait pile. A few seconds later i hear a arrow whistle by. The same guy that I saw every morning and night for the last three days (and waved to him each day) is sitting 30 yards away. He must have gotten there a few minutes before me as I was hearing snorts as I was moving up to the spot. So i started asking a few hunter buddies of mine and the answer i got first come first serve. Those other bucks are now nocturnal got pics of them moving around 10 p.m. 

No, Im not a tough guy im 5'6" and 130 lbs im not looking for a fight. Just as i said that day, i just want to hunt. Like i said in my other post you were the first one to get a temper.  As for my "internet friends", coming from a non-hunting family i have few people to talk to about hunting hence why i joined this forum and why i need "internet friends".

Lol guess I should have just posted this here. You have a curious approach to entering the hunting world. Good luck fella I’m done with ya.

[ghosthunter]

What?

I am only half way through my bowl of popcorn.

[emac]

This is coming from a guy that had to kick a guy out of my stand last year. He set up right under the tree my stands were in and told me the only reason he did go up there was that he was scared of heights. I will put it to you like this. If you went down to the river and saw boat sitting there would you get in it and go fishing because you got there first?

On public land I believe that if you get there and establish a bait site it is yours to hunt. It is illegal to have another bait site within 200 yards of an established bait site so if you try to get right up in somebody's grill you are in the wrong. You want the spot? Get there earlier in the year and develop it as your own. 

Also in the rules is no scouting allowed for these feel free to hunt areas so these guys that bait all summer are they breaking the rules? Cory we met last year, I was in your "spot" but left after talking to you.  I took your advice and set up my own spot which was blown out with four different hunters moving through it and spooking the deer. Which is why im on the move again and running into other hunters. As for arriving earlier I would but I did not think it was legal to access the properties out of season as it would be considered scouting. 

As for the boat analogy the river is public property, look at bouy 10 or other fishing spots fishermen congregate to where the fish are. I would not use someone elses stand or blind but the spot should be first come first serve.

This is an interesting twist!
 What was said to make you move on after getting to the spot first?

I moved on because I was new to hunting at the time and thought maybe hes right, maybe its a violation of an unspoken code of ethics to hunt over someone elses bait/ spot. However this year i have had numerous run ins with people hunting over my bait pile even though i was there first, so  i had to pose this question. It seems for the most part we agree first come first serve.

The reason i went to his "spot" in the first place was its a natural deer highway from unpressured land across the road to bean fields on the hunting side. I saw his treestand there but hunted several days without ever seeing someone use it. Its about 60 yard walk to the spot so its right off the road easy to get to, a good spot for a beginning hunter. He comes up with his wife and gets mad at me for being there 10 yards from his tree. Yelled at me saying i scared the deer away, that i put a dent in his truck... etc Then said he wasnt going to leave and sat down in the middle of the spot. I waited 10 minutes or so thought it over, talked to him, after he calmed down, then left. Ended up taking my first deer, a doe, that year so it turned out good in the end.

Ok guy, you don't get to come on here an lie. You certainly don't get to come on here and lie about me without me addressing it.

You forgot to tell everybody that I gave you my phone number and told you to text me and I would tell you when my wife had killed here deer and you could them hunt out of my stand. I must be a real jerk right??

1) You placed bait on top of the bait I put out.
2) Our conversation started with you sarcastically saying to me "Thanks for scaring away my deer."
3) My truck was caved in the year before and I made mention of it. Asked if you were the guy that did it?
4) You admitted that you saw my stand, bait, trail camera, and had seen me hunting that spot but you just didn't care cause you got there first.
5) Dang strait I sat down in the spot, you think it's cool to just take advantage of all the prep I put into that spot and it's public land and all I guess we just had ourselves a hunting party! 
6)Walla Walla is a small little town bud, I promise your attitude is not the normal around here. Just like I told you last year when I was "talking" to you. That was probably about as good as you could expect that to go. Other people would not have been so patient.   

Check you PM bud.


To any of you that feel it is ok to just walk up to an "ACTIVE" site and just plop down and hunt it would say that ya'll must have had a different hunter education instructor or roll model than I did.

100% agree and would back you up anyday.  Dont care if its public or private respect the hard work others put into a spot

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[emac]

Here is another thing to think about. I have some buddies that have there land in the ffth to hunt program. On on the website it says no baiting or stands. But even though it is in the program they still own the land and can do what they please with it. I can run cams and bait all i want during the off season and during hunting season cause they give me permission to. So when land is ffth and the rules on the website that doesn't pertain to everyone if you get the landowners permission. And my buddies that are enrolled in the program are getting out after this year because they are tired of the disrespectful people

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[1851navycolt]

I.cant believe some of these ethical disagreements. If im out hunting on the move and i walk into a clearing and see someone in a stand or blind i just give a little nod n wave and meander on my way. Unless i stepped out of the woods right near the hunter i usually just dont even bother or disturb them. And the only time i ever had a hunter come across my blind he came over to me and we talked about what kind of action we each had that season he apologized for walkin into my blinds clear cut. Told me the general direction he was headed and mosied on into the woods. Guess ive just been lucky in my experience when it comes to other hunters.