public land hunters

[Steve Bartylla]

Sorry I don't have time to read the responses right now. So, maybe someone has something better and I'll feel foolish when I do have time to read the thread and someone has a better method than me (and I hope they do), but here is what I do on the county forest lands or state lands in other states where legal.

When ever possible, I prep the tree and location in spring/early summer, yank everything and bring in out with me.
The first time in to hunt, I pack the stand, independent piece climbing sticks (the ones that don't stack, stand alone sticks), sections of loggers' chain, locks and bow in with me. Set and hunt.
On the way down, I lock the stand and all but the bottom 2 sections of sticks to the tree.
I remove the bottom 2 sticks, so it would take a squirrel or someone that brought in supplies to get in the stand.
I either take the bottom 2 sticks out with me or stash them somewhere close by.
When I return to hunt it a second time, all I have to do is put the bottom 2 sticks in place and hunt.

You have to check to be sure leaving stands in place is legal on that specific ground (not on state or fed ground in WI, at least when I last checked some years back, but is legal on some county land in WI) and be sure they have nothing about locking stands. I've yet to see that be illegal, but I still suggest checking....Never had a stand lifted using that method.

 

[bueller]

Sorry I don't have time to read the responses right now. So, maybe someone has something better and I'll feel foolish when I do have time to read the thread and someone has a better method than me (and I hope they do), but here is what I do on the county forest lands or state lands in other states where legal.

When ever possible, I prep the tree and location in spring/early summer, yank everything and bring in out with me.
The first time in to hunt, I pack the stand, independent piece climbing sticks (the ones that don't stack, stand alone sticks), sections of loggers' chain, locks and bow in with me. Set and hunt.
On the way down, I lock the stand and all but the bottom 2 sections of sticks to the tree.
I remove the bottom 2 sticks, so it would take a squirrel or someone that brought in supplies to get in the stand.
I either take the bottom 2 sticks out with me or stash them somewhere close by.
When I return to hunt it a second time, all I have to do is put the bottom 2 sticks in place and hunt.

You have to check to be sure leaving stands in place is legal on that specific ground (not on state or fed ground in WI, at least when I last checked some years back, but is legal on some county land in WI) and be sure they have nothing about locking stands. I've yet to see that be illegal, but I still suggest checking....Never had a stand lifted using that method.

Steve have you seen any effect on deer sightings the longer the stand sits in the woods? I'm talking weeks, not a day or two. If you've ever left one that long.

 

[shawnv]

There is an advantage to not being able to leave stands up and I love it. If you find a good spot back in there that rule will eliminate 90% of the guys who think it's too much work to pack a stand in each time.

 

[wiscwhip]

There is an advantage to not being able to leave stands up and I love it. If you find a good spot back in there that rule will eliminate 90% of the guys who think it's too much work to pack a stand in each time.

While I would normally agree with this ^^^ completely shawn, since it is already legal in my county apparently, I'll be damned if I am the guy who is on the out because someone else sets a stand a week before and I have to carry one in every day. TT pointing this out is a game changer for me.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Steve have you seen any effect on deer sightings the longer the stand sits in the woods? I'm talking weeks, not a day or two. If you've ever left one that long.

I've left many stands in from early in the season until the very end, particularly when I used to live right next to Co forest land. No, I've never noticed a difference in how deer reacted to how long the stand was there. Not surprisingly, I have noticed declining sightings after multiple sits.

I try my damnedest to keep impact as low as possible, but heavily hunted public land deer just are sooooooooooo touchy. They are what convinced me that we educate way more deer after we leave the woods (disturbances and odors left behind) than we ever do while hunting.

P.S. I should note that I try to keep any stand I set on public land (all stands) free of threatening odors (no storing them in the garage or tossing them in the back of the truck with a chain saw or gas can).

 

[sandbur]

I know a person who used to go out the night before rifle season and scatter wolf urine around other's stands.