Ethics of using someone else's treestand?

[Odell]

This whole thing is weird. How about don’t leave stuff on public land? Using a stand or blind is not the same thing as using a bike or tent. By leaving a stand you are taking a spot someone else could be hunting. Sometimes there is only one good spot for a stand. Why should one person be able to claim it for themselves?


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[romaknows]

While I would not sit in a stand that was not mine, I also have thought it would be hard to justify if someone "claimed " a real active wallow, trail, saddle , waterhole for there own all season by hanging stands in those locations.I have never came across this ,but I would think it could happen in smaller areas open to hunt with most of the game being concentrated.

[donsk16]

To those comparing it to your tent, underpants, etc - this is far different if the property is abandoned.  Unless you leave your underpants in the woods for 2 weeks...

Using national forests laws and guidelines as a reference, a person or their property cannot remain on dispersed national forest land for more than 14 days in a 30 day period.

I think the people breaking the law by leaving the stand are the unethical people.  If you know the stand has been there for more than the legally allowed time, it isn’t their property anymore, it’s the national forest’s property (most likely the national forest rangers would dispose of their newly acquired property if they had the resources ...).  If you don’t know if the stand has been there for over the legally allowed time, don’t touch it, it might be private property still.

[KFhunter]

This whole thing is weird. How about don’t leave stuff on public land? Using a stand or blind is not the same thing as using a bike or tent. By leaving a stand you are taking a spot someone else could be hunting. Sometimes there is only one good spot for a stand. Why should one person be able to claim it for themselves?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To those comparing it to your tent, underpants, etc - this is far different if the property is abandoned.  Unless you leave your underpants in the woods for 2 weeks...

Using national forests laws and guidelines as a reference, a person or their property cannot remain on dispersed national forest land for more than 14 days in a 30 day period.

I think the people breaking the law by leaving the stand are the unethical people.  If you know the stand has been there for more than the legally allowed time, it isn’t their property anymore, it’s the national forest’s property (most likely the national forest rangers would dispose of their newly acquired property if they had the resources ...).  If you don’t know if the stand has been there for over the legally allowed time, don’t touch it, it might be private property still.

If I go camping and hang a stand for 1 or 2 weeks use and never leave to go home, is it any different than a bicycle parked near a gate?

[Odell]

This whole thing is weird. How about don’t leave stuff on public land? Using a stand or blind is not the same thing as using a bike or tent. By leaving a stand you are taking a spot someone else could be hunting. Sometimes there is only one good spot for a stand. Why should one person be able to claim it for themselves?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To those comparing it to your tent, underpants, etc - this is far different if the property is abandoned.  Unless you leave your underpants in the woods for 2 weeks...

Using national forests laws and guidelines as a reference, a person or their property cannot remain on dispersed national forest land for more than 14 days in a 30 day period.

I think the people breaking the law by leaving the stand are the unethical people.  If you know the stand has been there for more than the legally allowed time, it isn’t their property anymore, it’s the national forest’s property (most likely the national forest rangers would dispose of their newly acquired property if they had the resources ...).  If you don’t know if the stand has been there for over the legally allowed time, don’t touch it, it might be private property still.

If I go camping and hang a stand for 1 or 2 weeks use and never leave to go home, is it any different than a bicycle parked near a gate?

Yes. If no one else can use it your stand is keeping people from being able to hunt that spot.

Why it is so hard to take it down when you are done?

[KFhunter]

So I should uproot my camp each night and find a new spot each morning?  In case someone else wants that spot?

[Odell]

So I should uproot my camp each night and find a new spot each morning?  In case someone else wants that spot?

No. But if you sleep in your tree stand you won't have to worry about someone hunting it.

[KFhunter]

Or stay out of peoples tree stands

[donsk16]

This whole thing is weird. How about don’t leave stuff on public land? Using a stand or blind is not the same thing as using a bike or tent. By leaving a stand you are taking a spot someone else could be hunting. Sometimes there is only one good spot for a stand. Why should one person be able to claim it for themselves?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To those comparing it to your tent, underpants, etc - this is far different if the property is abandoned.  Unless you leave your underpants in the woods for 2 weeks...

Using national forests laws and guidelines as a reference, a person or their property cannot remain on dispersed national forest land for more than 14 days in a 30 day period.

I think the people breaking the law by leaving the stand are the unethical people.  If you know the stand has been there for more than the legally allowed time, it isn’t their property anymore, it’s the national forest’s property (most likely the national forest rangers would dispose of their newly acquired property if they had the resources ...).  If you don’t know if the stand has been there for over the legally allowed time, don’t touch it, it might be private property still.

If I go camping and hang a stand for 1 or 2 weeks use and never leave to go home, is it any different than a bicycle parked near a gate?

Not sure how your examples are relevant to what I said....if you leave your camp for 2+ weeks, your bike at a gate for 2+ weeks or your tree stand in a tree for 2+ weeks on NF land, it’s illegal and the NF will dispose of the property that was abandoned on their (or our) land.  To leave any of those in place for long periods is also very disrespectful to others who want to use that land, tree, camping spot etc. and you shouldn’t be upset if others want to use that camping spot, parking spot or tree stand.

[meatwhack]

I’d sit in a heartbeat and have. Just because you put a stand up five years ago doesn’t make that your spot. If someone comes chances are I’ll move depending how they treat me. This ethics discussion goes both ways.

[huntnfmly]

These type of threads always amaze but enlightens me to the ethics of alot of the members on here.
It's really simple if it's not yours don't mess with or use I don't care how long it's been out there except for obviously abandoned stands that are rusted away or fell down

[dwils233]

These type of threads always amaze but enlightens me to the ethics of alot of the members on here.
It's really simple if it's not yours don't mess with or use I don't care how long it's been out there except for obviously abandoned stands that are rusted away or fell down

Because ethics can be collective and individual you're always going to get a million perspectives. After all, the leave no trace ethic is a very common one and does apply to leaving your stuff in the woods...but different people would argue even that point.
 I don't think I'm likely to sit someone else's stand but I also don't think people should be leave something out for weeks or months at a time in public lands. At the very least, it should be like baiting bear in idaho- marked with a tag issued to the owner and required removal dates

[Odell]

These type of threads always amaze but enlightens me to the ethics of alot of the members on here.
It's really simple if it's not yours don't mess with or use I don't care how long it's been out there except for obviously abandoned stands that are rusted away or fell down

Let’s say you pack your stand into a wallow you have hunted before. There sits some other stand on the only tree that allows you to hunt this spot with the current wind direction.

You just leave because some other hunter was so lazy they can’t be bothered to pack their stand out?


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[huntnfmly]

These type of threads always amaze but enlightens me to the ethics of alot of the members on here.
It's really simple if it's not yours don't mess with or use I don't care how long it's been out there except for obviously abandoned stands that are rusted away or fell down

Because ethics can be collective and individual you're always going to get a million perspectives. After all, the leave no trace ethic is a very common one and does apply to leaving your stuff in the woods...but different people would argue even that point.
 I don't think I'm likely to sit someone else's stand but I also don't think people should be leave something out for weeks or months at a time in public lands. At the very least, it should be like baiting bear in idaho- marked with a tag issued to the owner and required removal dates

I have no problem with that and I've always had the mindset that if someone leaves a stand or pop up blind left up how about putting the times and dates that you would be using them and allowing people to use on the other days and I know people will say what would keep someone from putting the whole season for the dates they are using it but then you're just back to if it's not yours leave it alone

[KFhunter]

These type of threads always amaze but enlightens me to the ethics of alot of the members on here.
It's really simple if it's not yours don't mess with or use I don't care how long it's been out there except for obviously abandoned stands that are rusted away or fell down

Because ethics can be collective and individual you're always going to get a million perspectives. After all, the leave no trace ethic is a very common one and does apply to leaving your stuff in the woods...but different people would argue even that point.
 I don't think I'm likely to sit someone else's stand but I also don't think people should be leave something out for weeks or months at a time in public lands. At the very least, it should be like baiting bear in idaho- marked with a tag issued to the owner and required removal dates

What I see is a huge difference in E side vs W side hunter ethics.   I'm not faulting W/WA hunters its just that there's far more competition for space and animals, so hanging a stand and expecting it to not get used isn't the same.   

We're all a product of our experience and apply our ethics according to that experience, if you're used to combat hunting then your ethics will be very different than someone who rarely see's another hunter in a weeks hunt. 

If anyone gets anything out of this thread it's perhaps that your ethics should fit the area and hunt that you're in.  If you've combat hunted your whole life then go and hunt right on top of other hunters in an out of state or rural area its going to be frowned upon, likewise if you're a rural hunter that never see's anyone and you go on a combat hunt then you need to change your game plan and prepare to rub elbows and chase your game right after the shot.