Population Changes

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Call me guilty. I still go whitetail hunting a few times per year here in the east but sitting in a stand of pines or oaks is sure not like those wide open spaces of the west.

Agreed it does not compare to the west where i live now and elk hunting. But sitting in the woods hours on end listening to the sounds and watching the squirrels do squirrel things brings me peace and makes me a much more enjoyable person. Just ask my wife, she used to semi complain about how much time i spent in the woods and then i reduced it and she told me to go back into the woods.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

It just don’t compare to the wide open spaces of the Rockies.

Not sure on that one. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the eastern woodlands.

That being said, I assert you fellas are totally f-ing it up for yourselves.

There is SO MUCH GD CRAP IN THE WOODS out here, stands EVERYWHERE, CAMERAS EVERYWHERE.

Doesn't seem to matter if it's public or private. I get the efficacy of both, but honestly banning all stands and cameras IMHO would really improve the experience for everyone.

Because of the density of the forest relatively small parcels 100 acres, can seem like a vast forest to hunt. That's completely ruined if your running into crap all the time.

As far as stands go, I get it not everyone is going to hunt from ground blinds or tree saddles, but seriously there are stands every 50 yards on every pieces of ground I've hunted/scouted from the RI boarder to NY to Vermont and Maine.

Most of which are non-functional, but because of the "don't f- with my stuff, mentality" people don't get rid of them.

IMHO from March 1- August 30 any stand in the woods on public land should be fair game for anyone to remove. I have pins for 15 stands I found this year that I guarantee aren't being used... grown into trees, rusted to shit, etc. I talked to a guy in his late 60s at the parking lot one day who said "Yeah I'm giving it a go this year, I have 7 stands on this WMA, haven't hunted in here 8 years but I figured would let my property rest for a bit."

So you left 7 stands in the woods for a decade? One property I hunted this year I found 18 plus stands. I saw 2 other hunters, that guy ^ and one other the entire season, and both only one day. Never saw other foot prints in the snow or trucks in the lot. So basically a bunch of garbage in the woods.

But I bet if I set up my saddle in front of one of those stands the 1 day in 20 years Jerry drags his butt into the woods to hunt I would get an ass chewing.

 

[geetar]

Not sure on that one. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the eastern woodlands.

That being said, I assert you fellas are totally f-ing it up for yourselves.

There is SO MUCH GD CRAP IN THE WOODS out here, stands EVERYWHERE, CAMERAS EVERYWHERE.

Doesn't seem to matter if it's public or private. I get the efficacy of both, but honestly banning all stands and cameras IMHO would really improve the experience for everyone.

Because of the density of the forest relatively small parcels 100 acres, can seem like a vast forest to hunt. That's completely ruined if your running into crap all the time.

As far as stands go, I get it not everyone is going to hunt from ground blinds or tree saddles, but seriously there are stands every 50 yards on every pieces of ground I've hunted/scouted from the RI boarder to NY to Vermont and Maine.

Most of which are non-functional, but because of the "don't f- with my stuff, mentality" people don't get rid of them.

IMHO from March 1- August 30 any stand in the woods on public land should be fair game for anyone to remove. I have pins for 15 stands I found this year that I guarantee aren't being used... grown into trees, rusted to shit, etc. I talked to a guy in his late 60s at the parking lot one day who said "Yeah I'm giving it a go this year, I have 7 stands on this WMA, haven't hunted in here 8 years but I figured would let my property rest for a bit."

So you left 7 stands in the woods for a decade? One property I hunted this year I found 18 plus stands. I saw 2 other hunters, that guy ^ and one other the entire season, and both only one day. Never saw other foot prints in the snow or trucks in the lot. So basically a bunch of garbage in the woods.

But I bet if I set up my saddle in front of one of those stands the 1 day in 20 years Jerry drags his butt into the woods to hunt I would get an ass chewing.

All of that is illegal here in NC on public. You actually can’t even leave a stand from one weekend to the next. I think there is a 3 or 4 day rule. Most guys I know use climber stands and carry them out when they go. You also can’t do anything that permanently damages trees like screw in pegs, bow hangers, ect. I would be super annoyed if I ran into 18 stands like you mentioned on public.

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

Not sure on that one. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the eastern woodlands.

That being said, I assert you fellas are totally f-ing it up for yourselves.

There is SO MUCH GD CRAP IN THE WOODS out here, stands EVERYWHERE, CAMERAS EVERYWHERE.

Doesn't seem to matter if it's public or private. I get the efficacy of both, but honestly banning all stands and cameras IMHO would really improve the experience for everyone.

Because of the density of the forest relatively small parcels 100 acres, can seem like a vast forest to hunt. That's completely ruined if your running into crap all the time.

As far as stands go, I get it not everyone is going to hunt from ground blinds or tree saddles, but seriously there are stands every 50 yards on every pieces of ground I've hunted/scouted from the RI boarder to NY to Vermont and Maine.

Most of which are non-functional, but because of the "don't f- with my stuff, mentality" people don't get rid of them.

IMHO from March 1- August 30 any stand in the woods on public land should be fair game for anyone to remove. I have pins for 15 stands I found this year that I guarantee aren't being used... grown into trees, rusted to shit, etc. I talked to a guy in his late 60s at the parking lot one day who said "Yeah I'm giving it a go this year, I have 7 stands on this WMA, haven't hunted in here 8 years but I figured would let my property rest for a bit."

So you left 7 stands in the woods for a decade? One property I hunted this year I found 18 plus stands. I saw 2 other hunters, that guy ^ and one other the entire season, and both only one day. Never saw other foot prints in the snow or trucks in the lot. So basically a bunch of garbage in the woods.

But I bet if I set up my saddle in front of one of those stands the 1 day in 20 years Jerry drags his butt into the woods to hunt I would get an ass chewing.

A bunch of WMA's in FL have rules about leaving them and (if I remember correctly) the FWC has started going through, pulling them, and destroying or selling them to raise funds. That I can get behind.

 

[geetar]

@wllm1313 is Jerry like the stereotypical hunting version of Rand from the Middle Class Fancy page on the gram?

 

[rustednuts]

Agreed, I cant hold taking a leak like I used to either up in the tree.

Let it flow off the side

 

[Deleted member 28227]

All of that is illegal here in NC on public. You actually can’t even leave a stand from one weekend to the next. I think there is a 3 or 4 day rule. Most guys I know use climber stands and carry them out when they go. You also can’t do anything that permanently damages trees like screw in pegs, bow hangers, ect. I would be super annoyed if I ran into 18 stands like you mentioned on public.

Permanent stands are illegal here as well, and you are supposed to remove them, but clearly no one does.

I've seen the gamut, platforms and pegs, ladder, climbers, even platforms made of wood, all on public land. VT/NH/MA/ME... the game cameras annoy me slightly less but it in the same way it's people leaving their garage on public land and/or trying to stake out a piece of public land as there own.

Further I see this trend starting to take hold out west.

I've been pretty on the fence about trail cameras out west, but after living out east I'm fully against. I'm not going full Ed Abbey on them but I'm also not shedding a tear for anyone who has "their property" "stolen" after leaving it on our land.

Leave no trace. No Exceptions.

 

[Nick87]

Let it flow off the side

I do now

 

[X13]

Not sure on that one. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the eastern woodlands.

That being said, I assert you fellas are totally f-ing it up for yourselves.

There is SO MUCH GD CRAP IN THE WOODS out here, stands EVERYWHERE, CAMERAS EVERYWHERE.

Doesn't seem to matter if it's public or private. I get the efficacy of both, but honestly banning all stands and cameras IMHO would really improve the experience for everyone.

Because of the density of the forest relatively small parcels 100 acres, can seem like a vast forest to hunt. That's completely ruined if your running into crap all the time.

As far as stands go, I get it not everyone is going to hunt from ground blinds or tree saddles, but seriously there are stands every 50 yards on every pieces of ground I've hunted/scouted from the RI boarder to NY to Vermont and Maine.

Most of which are non-functional, but because of the "don't f- with my stuff, mentality" people don't get rid of them.

IMHO from March 1- August 30 any stand in the woods on public land should be fair game for anyone to remove. I have pins for 15 stands I found this year that I guarantee aren't being used... grown into trees, rusted to shit, etc. I talked to a guy in his late 60s at the parking lot one day who said "Yeah I'm giving it a go this year, I have 7 stands on this WMA, haven't hunted in here 8 years but I figured would let my property rest for a bit."

So you left 7 stands in the woods for a decade? One property I hunted this year I found 18 plus stands. I saw 2 other hunters, that guy ^ and one other the entire season, and both only one day. Never saw other foot prints in the snow or trucks in the lot. So basically a bunch of garbage in the woods.

But I bet if I set up my saddle in front of one of those stands the 1 day in 20 years Jerry drags his butt into the woods to hunt I would get an ass chewing.

In PA it's illegal to leave blinds and stands on public land outside of the deer seasons. Still lots out there illegally but the regulation helps keep it in check. I know a couple local 500 +/- acre public tracts where there is not a single stand or blind left over the summer. A few years ago they also made it a requirement to have your name on any equipment being left out so kinda forces people to come back for them or risk a ticket when the game warden or another hunter finds them.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

@wllm1313 is Jerry like the stereotypical hunting version of Rand from the Middle Class Fancy page on the gram?

Jerry

 

[geetar]

Jerry
View attachment 191474

Looks like a guy who prioritizes safety. Probably uses a noose for a safety harness in those stands he has scattered in the MA woods.