It finally happened!


billygoat

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I've been hunting for nearly 20 years... 20 years and most of that has been private property. I have only recently started hunting with stands (about the last five to six years)... but this morning, I headed out to the woods, just before light, made my way into my stand, only to become "greatly disoriented" in the woods. I got to where I thought my stand was... not there, so I circled back and tried to approach from a side that would "reorient" me to my surroundings. Go to where the stand was supposed to be... not there confused.gif So I take my light and shine it up in the tree: YOU GUESSED IT mad.gif

EVERYTHING: fixed rivers edge stand, climbing sticks, bow hanger, bow rope, and safety rope, not to mention a ratchet strap and 4 tiedown straps for the sticks frown.gif

What kind of maggots do this type of stuff??? Sad thing is, now I have to decide, do I pull all of my other stands, and hunt only with climbers, or do I riskit and leave them out?

What really stinks is I didn't even get to hunt, because I spent so much time looking for my "lost" stand, and checking to make sure all of my other one's were still in the woods.

I am half tempted to put another stand in the exact same spot, and put a trail camera on the stand location (of course, with my luck, they would probably steal the trail camera crazy.gif).

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Guest Andrea

Re: It finally happened!

I had my stand stolen a couple of years ago, so I don't leave anything out anymore. Regardless of what you do to try to prevent it......those theives will find a way.

I stick with climbers. And I don't hunt public land hardly at all anymore. Too many low-lifes out there to waste my precious hunting time worrying about. mad.gifmad.gifmad.gif

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Re: It finally happened!

What my friend did was put a camera about 5 yards away from his stand location. A couple boys in myn town stole his stand and he put another up right in the same spot.

These boys stole the 2nd stand in the early morning and my friend keep the flash on. Didn't want the kids seeing the flash and taking the trail cam to. The kids had community service for a 1 year.

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Re: It finally happened!

I'm real sorry to hear you were ripped off.

I'm sorry to hear when any of us get ripped off.

I thought just through the theory of supply and demand, that this type of activity would soon stop.

So many of us have been ripped off by thieves, it almost seems they would have all the equipment they need by now, and wouldn't need any more.

I'm beginning to think the thieves have more equipment than the hunters.

It is a sad day...

I'm afraid to buy anything hunting related at a flea market, for fear some hunter got ripped off.

frown.gif ....popgun

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Re: It finally happened!

Wow, what jerks! I hope they get found! I would suggest putting chain with a lock on it around your stands. That is what we do with our climbers and regular stands, chain and lock them to the tree. Although there probably aren't too many people in our area to steal anything, someone did use our climber because the lower half was moved.

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Re: It finally happened!

Sorry dude, that stinks.

I stole a stand once....or should I say reappropriated it? I had a hunter that was locked onto the one and only trees in a low-lying area near my home. The problem was that the tree was in a ravine and the stand location and elevation of the rest of the land had him shooting with mine and my neighbor's house as backdrops on one side and businesses in the town on the other. We are talking about a swath of land that is no more than 100 yards wide at its widest. If he shot a deer or missed, it is highly likely that his bullet would hit one of our houses or our kids playing in the yards.

He was hunting out of season, poaching, spotlighting, baiting, and using a rifle in the city limits.

I took the game wardens out and they even saw him high tailing it to his truck....they refused to stop him and said that they would 'come back later'. Yeah right.

Anyway, I took in my climber and removed all of his tree steps and took down his lockon stand. I left him a note that the game warden was alerted to his activities and that he was hunting with an illegal weapon. Never heard any more shots after that. Likewise, I told him that if I heard any more shots I was going to call 911 and then come looking for him myself.

Never heard any more shots or his four wheeler back there.

New

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Guest lostiniowa

Re: It finally happened!

sorry that is why I make my stands or use cheap hang ons just in case they get stolen and I think they don't even bother because it would be a lot of work to steal a $50 stand.

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Re: It finally happened!

Well, guys, I went out yesterday and put chains and padlocks on all of my stands! I decided against tearing all of my fixed stands down... I am not going to let some jerk run me out of MY lease! Least wise he'll have to walk in and out twice when he realizes he needs a bolt cutters to get the stands off!

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