Public land treestands

[EastTNHunter]

This thread goes along with my thread about the public land that I am hunting. I access this land by boat, but it is backed by private land that a hunting club leases, and the lessees subsequently access the public land by road. My brother (Hunter0925) and I had one of the lessees try to run us off and tell us that this land was part of their lease, but I rechecked my map and contacted TVA to verify that we were in the right. These guys have set up treestands all over the field edges, and have even constructed a shooting house on the edge of the leased land overlooking the public land. They have effectively taken up many of the hunting spots with their stands, so should I use them if no one is in these stands and they are on public land? I usually prefer to hunt back in the woods, but have seen more deer in the fields coming out than I have seen back in the woods, so I am thinking about using one of their ladderstands that overlooks a field tomorrow afternoon.

Thoughts?

 

[Nealmeally]

Probably be an altercation if they see you or walk up on you in it. Even though it's on public ground and you'd be in the right I guess. I'd sit right under one of em or climb next to one. Ain't much they can say then...

 

[EastTNHunter]

That's the problem... They are positioned in such a way that you can't sit at the base (thick brush) nor sit in a climber next to them with a good wind and see any part of the field. There are very few climbable trees in this area

 

[Vermin93]

I believe they are supposed to have permission of the area manager to place those stands on public land and the stands are supposed to be marked with the hunter's TWRA number.

I like how Kansas is very clear about this. The Kansas regulations say this:

(e) Any individual may use a placed portable blind, floating blind, portable stand, or natural blind when the blind or stand is not occupied.

I would hunt from one of the stands, especially if there's no TWRA number marked on it.

 

[Labboy]

Help yourself. Just be ready for a confrontation, because some people think they own all the deer..

 

[gobblegrunt]

I would hunt the stand. Be ready for someone to be ticked. Maybe they will get the message to move it to their land..

 

[bigbyrd]

I have three ladder stands on public land all with my twra number on them, anyone is welcome to use them as long as I dont want to, usually if I go in and someone is in them I ask them to move and they do then direct them to another stand location never had a problem

 

[Smokyrider]

I don't think TVA land is managed by TWRA, so I don't know if you would have to get the same permission and TWRA number for a stand.
Might want to check with TVA about what they allow.

 

[MUP]

I do believe I would be impossible to run off now for sure. Id be back in there as often as I could, and have the gw on speed dial to solve any issues from any punk wannabe that thought he owned the place. Good luck Ryan, hope you straighten them out!

 

[Lost Lake]

This thread goes along with my thread about the public land that I am hunting. I access this land by boat, but it is backed by private land that a hunting club leases, and the lessees subsequently access the public land by road. My brother (Hunter0925) and I had one of the lessees try to run us off and tell us that this land was part of their lease, but I rechecked my map and contacted TVA to verify that we were in the right. These guys have set up treestands all over the field edges, and have even constructed a shooting house on the edge of the leased land overlooking the public land. They have effectively taken up many of the hunting spots with their stands, so should I use them if no one is in these stands and they are on public land? I usually prefer to hunt back in the woods, but have seen more deer in the fields coming out than I have seen back in the woods, so I am thinking about using one of their ladderstands that overlooks a field tomorrow afternoon.

Thoughts?

With what everybody else has already said about this, in this case it sounds like they need to be enlightened by the area Manager about hunter harassment.

In all honesty I've had great experiences over the years while hunting public lands with a few minor exceptions. A few years back a bordering landowner was harassing a hunter and his young son ( basically like you described by trying to control the public land bordering his land ) and he got in a lot of trouble. This was in middle Tennessee.

Like MUP said, I'd alert the Game Warden or area Manager and have them know when your gonna be going in to hunt and take it from there.

 

[knightrider]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

 

[EastTNHunter]

This is TVA land, not a WMA, so WMA regs don't apply here. I do have contact info in my phone for more than 1 contact that would handle this at TVA, but don't want to bother them around the holidays if there is not an imminent problem. Both of these people I know at least somewhat, and 1 of them lives in the area where I am hunting and told me to call him if I ever have another problem. I just don't like people trying to make public land their own. The vantage points that they have taken are very strategic, and really have to be utilized to cover this area effectively. I have always been told that an unwritten rule is that, basically: if a treestand is set on public land but is not being currently hunted in, it is first come, first served.

 

[Vermin93]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

So I can put stands on public land and claim those trees for myself? Sweet! I like the idea of having my own private trees on public land just by putting a stand there, especially if it allows me to claim the few good trees that might be in a certain area.

 

[knightrider]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

So I can put stands on public land and claim those trees for myself? Sweet! I like the idea of having my own private trees on public land just by putting a stand there, especially if it allows me to claim the few good trees that might be in a certain area.

nope didnt say the tree wasnt still public, but just because its public land doesnt mean your butt has one ounce of ownership or the right to sit in that stand!

 

[EastTNHunter]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

So I can put stands on public land and claim those trees for myself? Sweet! I like the idea of having my own private trees on public land just by putting a stand there, especially if it allows me to claim the few good trees that might be in a certain area.

nope didnt say the tree wasnt still public, but just because its public land doesnt mean your butt has one ounce of ownership or the right to sit in that stand!

Not trying to be argumentative, but if a ladder stand is set up on a tree then it is tying up that tree so that no one else can use it, effectively making a claim on that tree. This is one of the main reasons that I use climbers, so that I do not leave a ladder stand tying up a tree on public land.

 

[knightrider]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

So I can put stands on public land and claim those trees for myself? Sweet! I like the idea of having my own private trees on public land just by putting a stand there, especially if it allows me to claim the few good trees that might be in a certain area.

nope didnt say the tree wasnt still public, but just because its public land doesnt mean your butt has one ounce of ownership or the right to sit in that stand!

Not trying to be argumentative, but if a ladder stand is set up on a tree then it is tying up that tree so that no one else can use it, effectively making a claim on that tree. This is one of the main reasons that I use climbers, so that I do not leave a ladder stand tying up a tree on public land.

thats very true the point im trying to make is if a car is unlocked and keys in it on a public parking lot you still have nor right to get in it and drive? same principals? this im entitled to whatever i want because its public ground makes no sense to me a little respect and ethics goes a long ways in this world of no common sense! yes i agree these guys have claimed the spot but they didnt take anyones stands down to put theirs up so they beat em to the spot no biggie hunt some where else

 

[Lost Lake]

just because a stand is on public land doesnt make it a public stand, i personally dont care who gets in mine as long as they leave it when they go

So I can put stands on public land and claim those trees for myself? Sweet! I like the idea of having my own private trees on public land just by putting a stand there, especially if it allows me to claim the few good trees that might be in a certain area.

nope didnt say the tree wasnt still public, but just because its public land doesnt mean your butt has one ounce of ownership or the right to sit in that stand!

Not trying to be argumentative, but if a ladder stand is set up on a tree then it is tying up that tree so that no one else can use it, effectively making a claim on that tree. This is one of the main reasons that I use climbers, so that I do not leave a ladder stand tying up a tree on public land.

thats very true the point im trying to make is if a car is unlocked and keys in it on a public parking lot you still have nor right to get in it and drive? same principals? this im entitled to whatever i want because its public ground makes no sense to me a little respect and ethics goes a long ways in this world of no common sense! yes i agree these guys have claimed the spot but they didnt take anyones stands down to put theirs up so they beat em to the spot no biggie hunt some where else

This whole scenario is why I wish no one should be allowed to leave any stand on public land. Carry it in and carry it out. Then no one feels like they own the spot.

 

[Vermin93]

thats very true the point im trying to make is if a car is unlocked and keys in it on a public parking lot you still have nor right to get in it and drive? same principals? this im entitled to whatever i want because its public ground makes no sense to me a little respect and ethics goes a long ways in this world of no common sense! yes i agree these guys have claimed the spot but they didnt take anyones stands down to put theirs up so they beat em to the spot no biggie hunt some where else

Ha! Nope, I'd be hunting out of one of those ladder stands. You leave a ladder stand on public land and it's fair game if it's unoccupied. Kansas rules apply. Especially in the case of these lease owners who are showing little to no respect or ethics. They deceptively tried to run Ryan off of TVA land, they put unmarked ladder stands all over the place - most likely without approval to do so. It's obvious to anyone with common sense what they are trying to do - claim public land for themselves. Yet, you defend them. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. You want to park a ladder stand on public land, then prepare for it to be sat in and hunted by others. You can help yourself to my climber when it's in a tree and I'm not in it, which is never.

 

[DirtyBear0311]

hunt in them

 

[TNDeerGuy]

I have three ladder stands on public land all with my twra number on them, anyone is welcome to use them as long as I dont want to, usually if I go in and someone is in them I ask them to move and they do then direct them to another stand location never had a problem

So, your claiming ownership of the tree and area that the tree is located just because you have a stand in the location, and you're going to ask me to leave if you show up�isn't that nice! Why don't you direct yourself to one of the other locations? This is the exact reason why stands on public land shouldn't be allowed period!