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

[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.