1shotkill1993

your very lucky he was nice about it, especially since your new to hunting. next time if you see that someone else is already there you need to move cause he was there first and had planned this hunt out already. kind of ruined his whole plan

cal516

I get the blind being up first...however; There are a lot of what ifs here. Scenario: I go out and put up an blind; however only have time to hunt on weekends. So no one is allowed to hunt there during the week? What if he didn't come out that day? I would have flashed my light at him however he showed up almost an hour after first light. I set up pretty much in the dark.

Paul L Mohr

Ok, I got a what if for you. What if this guy works his butt off at some job he hates all the time and has a family at home leaving him very little time to hunt. He spent what precious time he had scouting in the pre season and setting up a blind. He manages to get a few days off from work and the family to go hunt during an already short season (don't know what state your in) goes out to hunt and you screwed it all up by throwing a stand up in front of his blind.

I know guys that live this scenario, I am pretty close to it. Some guys have very full schedules and jobs that could care less what hobbies they enjoy. And if your new you don't have any vacation time, or don't have enough seniority to get any time off during hunting season because others took it already. Some might get one weekend, or say screw it and take a day off in the middle of the week and lose the money so they go hunt. Maybe he works seven days a week. And they don't have any property so they are stuck using public land.

Maybe someone should have showed some initiative and done some homework instead of going out in the middle of the season and throwing a stand up in the dark? (you)

I know I'm sounding like an A hole here, but we are telling you what you did was wrong and you are trying to justify it.

On the upside maybe the guy went home and got laid?

Paul

georgiahick

you might as well have been hunting out of his blind....Ive had this happen to me and it pisses me off to no end. I work all week, some years Im overseas and go 2 years without hunting. How would you feel if you had been out scouting an area or hunting an area all season and some guy sets up on your spot. Yea he may only hunt once a week, and he may not have showed up at all during your hunt, but why take the chance of ruining someone elses hunt, there are plenty of woods, plenty of deer to hunt. If your that bent on hunting that area why nt leave the guy a note in his blind, try to make a friend, he may not mind showing you some good spots, or orienting you in another direction near him...


JMO

cal516

I get it. I am not trying to justify what I did. I just did it. I went to that area only because I was directed to it by a buddy who had been hunting that spot for the past 7-8 years and he hunts strictly tree climbers. I WILL be more considerate next time I go out. FYI...I am also in your same scenario; I am active duty military and have been deployed during hunting season for the past 6 years and have a 16 month old right now. I didn't mean get all your goats. JMHO....It IS public land...and there are a lot of woods out there...I do have some other spots to go to but it just seems to me that if EVERYBODY set up blinds (or two or three of them for that matter) and you can't hunt that area then is it really public land?

n.florida hunter

The way that I look at it that if I go to a spot and there is a stand or blind I try to leave as quiet as possible. I look at it in the of first come first served in the other since. They beat me to it so it is there spot to hunt.

Paul L Mohr

You didn't do anything illegal, just something that many would frown on. You did say etiquette, not rules. And in most of our opinions what you did would be bad hunting etiquette.

In MI I don't think you can leave a blind up on a state land, unless it's natural ground cover. So it wouldn't be an issue here.

It's not the end of the world, your young, or new or both. Now you know, it's up to you to decide what YOU will do next time. Don't fret over what is done and over with.

Hunting public land sucks, pure and simple, and that is one of the reasons why.

And thank you for your service. I honestly feel all active duty military should get to hunt for free. If you are good enough to die for your country (or someone elses) you should be good enough to kill a few of it's deer.

Paul

wack

"you might as well have been hunting out of his blind....Ive had this happen to me and it pisses me off to no end."

Any blind or stand unoccupied on public hunting ground is public property and if you leave it there you should expect it to be used by other hunters. This isn't the old west , you can't just steak out your claim and call the area yours. You want your own private hunting area, go buy some land. If you don't want someone to use your stand or blind on public land, either do not leave it there or make damn sure you are there before anyone else. That does not give anyone the right to take someones stand or blind off of public land though, that is stealing.
First come, first serve is the rule of thumb. Some seem to think that's on a seasonal basis, I think it's on a day to day basis. I don't know how anyone could expect to put up a blind and expect anyone to honor "your claim" if you are not there. Deer hunting starts just before sunrise. You got your butt out of bed and got to the woods before that if you want to be successful. If you couldn't drag your butt out of bed in time to get out before sunrise, you've got nothing to gripe about when you walk in an hour after sunrise and find someone beat you too your spot. I hunted public ground this gun season and some of the other hunters were in treestandS at 3:30 am. If I'm in my stand at 3:30 am and someone walks in after sunrise, they'd best move on, blind, stand or not.
In the senario above, I believe cal was in the right and the other hunter did what was right also by leaving but you can't ever count on someone else doing the right thing. Pissin' off strangers with guns is never a good idea no matter how right or wrong you are or think you are. We are all brothers in the woods and the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood can go along ways to make the best out of any situation. If georgiahick finds me sitting in his blind and approaches me with a pist off attitude, neither one of us are going to have a good hunt. He shows up with a good attitude, friendly demeanor, I'd move on or maybe even work together to make it the best hunt possible for the both of us. Be nice, make a new friend and you've got another hunter hunting your area to watch your back. Think about it. Rip on someone sitting in your blind or stand? Just what might trhat get you?
The only difference between hunting with your buddy and hunting with a stranger is communication. The old saying, 2 heads are better than 1, talking to a stranger hunting the same area you are can be a real learning experience for both hunters. With the wrong approach, it can get ugly quickly. We're all doing something we love to do or we wouldn't be out there. Work together.
One of my most memorable public ground hunts I had a guy who I kept running into several days in a row. He scared deer away from me, I scared deer away from him, we were both getting frustrated. One the 4th morning, we found ourselves 40 yards apart again, had deer go right between us and neither could get a safe shot off. I walked over to him, introduced myself and told him I had an idea. The deer we had just seen went into a lot of thick cover but had nowhere to go, had to either cross a big fast river or come back, but we had to move fast.. My stand, I could cover both eascape routs but he'd still be in the way if they chose that rout. I invited him over by my stand to cover the way they came in. When the 1st deer, a doe, stepped out by the river I dropped it. That sent the rest the other way, in 30 seconds we each had 2 doe down. Another 30 seconds later, we each had a buck down. My new friend and I spent the rest of the day gutting and dragging and we both agreed that it was the best hunt either of us had ever had but verry easily could have been our worst.

Acudoc

I'm new at this but I would have gotten down (he had his blind up first) and talked quietly to him. Maybe he knew another spot that was great for a climber but not a stand. Maybe he knew some spots for stillhunting but because of a bad back, couldn't do the leg work. Basically for me it comes down to the Golden Rule and communication.

I am in your shoes with just starting hunting but I've found those 2 things-the G.R. and Communiocation unlocks alot of possibilities. Wanting something to the exclusion of others only shuts things down. I mean no offense but next time think what you'd like to have done to you.

Paul L Mohr

If your the kind of A hole that would sit in someone else's stand or blind I really don't want to be your friend so I don't care if your poed or not. I don't care who's property it is, if isn't yours keep your grubby hands off from it. That is common sense and courtesy to me. If I come out and your sitting in my stand or blind both our hunts are ruined because I will be taking my property with me right at that moment, just so you can't use it.

I would have to read the regs for my state again, but I don't think you are entitled to hunt someone else's stand even if it is on public property. Your stand is supposed to be marked with your name and other info.

Setting up a stand by someones blind is one thing, especially if it was dark and you may not have seen it. But sitting in someone else's blind or stand on purpose is completely and utterly wrong in my and probably most others opinion.

That's like using someone else's toothbrush, why would you even think about it?

Paul