Ok I know public land is first come first serve. I went in this evening to my long time opening day spot just to gander a min. I find a lock on stand with screw in steps up the tree to it in a tree 5 ft from the tree I climb every year. It's illegal to leave overnight stands especially with screw in steps in the tree. (Wheeler NWR) Do I report it if so wonder if officials will remove it? Or do I report it and try to beat him in there and hunt anyway. I don't wanna cause a drama the first day of bow season.

First come first serve....Avoid the drama....shine him in the face.....02

Ya I'm just worried he's gonna try to act stupid and ruin it for everyone

If he does he does....you prolly logged in a lot of time in that place and I wouldn't give it up...sux but the early bird gets the worm and if he is gonna act like a idot that's on him....Happy hunting....

Ya he's gonna have to beat me to it is all I can say. I've killed a deer out of that tree every year opening day for the last 4 years.

I'd report his azz

Report him, crap like that pisses me off and in my experience they don’t tolerate it on Wheeler like they might on a regular state WMA.

Yeah I was sick when I found it this evening.

Take it down throw it in the dumpster

It is wrong for the guy to break the law and it’s public land , first come first serve regardless of who it is or how much time anyone has spent scouting it out. Unfortunately that’s just the way it works . I dealt with this many times. Hunters can Be very territorial and have a tendency to feel as though they have earned the right to hunt this spot or that spot every year. I can certainly understand their point of view . I seen guys go as far as climb right in the tree next to you due to this very fact. There has been fist fights and even killings over public land claimed spots. That’s why those who can afford it buy land others who can’t lease and those that can’t afford either deal with the hassle of public land. I had access to a 80 acre farm but the right away went through a several hundred acre farm. The guys that leased the large farm where mostly doctors and lawyers out of state. It neve failed that they would meet me at the gate every morning and dog cuss me for getting to the farm I had written permission to hunt. They want as far as greeting me with pistols in hand. I was determined not to allow them to ruin my hunting and even called the Police and game wardens a few times , however in the end they won because it was getting to the point something stupid was going to take place and imo deer hunting isnt worth it.

Report it, let WR folks handle that part. Get there before him. Then hope thats not his only stand. Experienced a guy said that was his only stand and climbed 40 yards away anyway.

I used to hunt Wheeler almost exclusively, I made a mad dash from work to hunt one afternoon and found 2 brand new climbers left on the bases of trees right were I was going to climb. One of those trees I had trimmed up myself and made it climbable and where I was going to hang my stand that afternoon. As has been already mentioned this is illegal on Wheeler. I had mixed feelings, I thought about owning 2 new stands and calling it an afternoon but I'm not a thief so I wound their pull-up ropes around the stands and probably tied a few knots in them. I also used my trail marking paper towels and tied a dozen or so white flags on the stands. You could spot those stands as far as you could see in the woods. I went on a hunted another place but I came out early disappointed I didn't get to hunt my hotspot. I eased by the earlier spot to see if anyone had shown up to hunt and ran a deer off that was eating the acorns near my tree. I guess the white flags didn't scare the deer but those stands were removed the next time I went to that area. I never knew if a thief or the owners had removed them.

To answer your question, report them!!

I am calling it in today!

Report to game warden and let them take care of it.

Hell just go hunt it. And leave em a big gut pile next to it.

Then report it.

There is no “my spot” on public land or wma its always fcfs, but some idiots should have respect. Whoever this stand belongs too has already broke the law and obviously is not worried about following laws in the first place. I’d report it and maybe the bastid will get a nice greeting the first time he’s in it. Also correct me if I’m wrong, don’t you have to have a tag with name and address on it permanently affixed to the stand.

Oh I know there's no my spot, I've just always made a point to be the first one there. if someone was there before me I would respectfully leave and go find somewhere else to hunt. First come first serve. Just the simple fact that the law is being broke I don't mean to sound like a sore loser it's just WHY do that on public land especially on wheeler. They don't take too kindly to it. It's not in a secret place or remote location in fact it's in a very obvious spot I've just been fortunate to have alot of luck there. I reported it called The Refuge they gave my number and information to an officer yet I still haven't heard anything back.

I walked into a favorite spot of mine at Wheeler one pre-season to do some scouting. Got about 100 yards from the tree I usually climbed and noticed about a literal 12" of orange flagging tape every 10 yards or so right up to my tree. I proceeded to do my scouting and yank every bit of it down on my way out.

Give me that LAT and LON and i'll have it outta there for ya tomorrow morning. PM me

Same thing happened to me this weekend when I was scouting. Canoe'd into a place and looking around there's a lock-on left on the tree. Looked like it'd been there since last year. Ticks me off when people feel like they have to break the rules on public land.

Wasn't in a hotspot or anything, but if it was, I'd just beat the guy or gal in there.

Even if you beat someone to the spot, if they come in later wont they just ruin your hunt? Lose - Lose

If a law has been broke, report it.

KInd of where I’m at now. I’ve been blessed enough to have had access to a great little spot for the last several years. A few years ago, some folks bought the property next to it and just can’t seem to stand seeing a property line. They ride all over the place I’ve been hunting, throwing out their beer cans, hunting, target shooting, etc... They have been getting more and more brave every year. Used too, it was nothing to see 5-8 deer per hunt. Now, I’m lucky to see 4 per season. This year, I have decided to give up the place. It’s just not worth the headache anymore.

Decent ppl and true sportsman can never win in these situations. Hate that’s happen to you ford150man

take it down and haul it home. it aint supposed to be left overnight must be abandoned. think of it like picking up trash thrown out on the road. he wont hang another stand there again and you wont have a game warden visiting your spot.

I just want to say one thing and it’s my personal opinion which doesn’t amount to a hill of beans but taking this persons stand and then hunting in the spot he’s going to come looking for it could result in a unfavorable conflict in the middle of no where. With no one around to witness it. I’d think twice before I did that myself. I know it’s tempting to retaliate but be ready to accept and deal with the same retaliation. There is some crazy ppl out there toting weapons. Many years ago a guy killed a whole hunting party up north because of this very issue . He walked up and shot everyone of them In the tree they was hunting from. When ask why it was because he’d been hunting there his whole life and they took his spot.

I would have reported him to. The rules are there for a reason and everybody needs to follow them. And I’d beat him in there opening day too! He may not hunt until the weekend anyway.

I don't want conflict I don't want his stand I just want it gone the right way it's not his nor my spot just somewhere I like to hunt. People just need to follow the rules.

You're pretty much screwed no matter what you do. If you report him(which is what I recommend) the law is gonna come and try to catch him in the stand opening day. If you beat him in, he's probably gonna cuss you out, ruining your hunt. I guess I'd recommend taking his stand down after taking photos of it on the tree. Then I'd leave him a note stating his stuff could be picked up at the rangers shack or some other officials office. Then I'd leave it there. That way maybe he'll just leave opening morning without confrontation. Yes, report it and show the photos so if something happens. No good sportsman would have done that. Good Luck Hunt safe

It would be stealing AND I bet if his stand goes missing, whoever hunts there will probably not have much luck seeing deer or be dealing with flat tires or something. Ain't his place to be removing the stand.

Just climb first and signal him you're there when he comes in. If he acts an ass calmly climb down, get his tag #, and go report him. Even add some hunter harassment to the complaint...

Ya, I wouldn’t do that either. Sometimes you gotta play the long game 😀

im pretty sure if you report it to the GW and they remove it he aint getting the stand back either so did the GW steal it then?

then just beat him there every chance you get he'll get tired of it and find a new spot hopefully personally i would avoid getting the law involved its public land everyone bends the rules a little GWs have better things to do than follow up on someone hanging a lockon overnight on your spot

Common sense would tell ya the game wardens doing a job vs. Joe-smo removing the stand...
It's not the hunters responsibility to enforce the rules.

didnt anyone of yalls parents ever tell you no one likes a tattle tale. deal with it personally leave the law out of it.

x2...

Not sure how you'd do it on a personal level...It's either ignore it or report it. You confront another guy in the woods acting like your the hunting police, someone's prolly gonna get hurt.

Yep. Besides, if I'm paying my tax dollars to fund this state's revenue that in turn salaries GW's, then I dang sure am gonna try and get my money's worth out of them.

I want to see 2 trees 5’ apart that are big enough to climb.

Compromise. Show up early. Put a note at your truck if it is only way in. Let him know you have hunted it for years. Climb a tree and hunt. You guys may both shoot a deer at the spot and help each other drag it out never know. You could move 20 yards closer to the deer entrance point if you feel more comfortable that way. Always good to help each other out and it is public land you may need help one day!
I climbed a stand one year well after daylight on public land no one was at. Shot a deer and met the guy who claimed it was his on the way out. He was dragging a buck and a doe on a cart while I was headed out to get my cart. Claimed he was going to take that stand down, but just hadn't done it yet. BS bet it wasn't his anyway. Appreciate the free sit! If he showed up and ask me to leave I would politely moved along out of site and hunted. Just be fair about the situation and you guys have something in common you both enjoy hunting. Later on that season I climbed a tree on a trail he walked by closer to the road and stuck a doe. If you get pushed out of an area move along and shoot a deer.

Why would you tie knots in someones pull up rope much less even mess with someones stand that you walked up on?

Because he's an Ahole

Almost 50 responses in and no "W.H.A.S.B." ???

Proud of ya'll... or disappointed. Not sure yet.

She gone.

To me this is the same situation as finding a trail cam in "your" spot. We aint suppose to leave anything behind in the woods. But it sounds like its ok to leave a camera, just not a climber. It dont make sense to me. Im confused lol

I read this whole thread and he didn’t have the common courtesy to update the thread with what happened on opening day. I feel cheated and disappointed. Boo

I hunted there opening day, I walked in and the stand was gone. Either somebody else found it, or he took it down himself. Almost got walked in on though. Sorry for the late response.

Lol, just messing with you. See any deer?