Someone in your treestand?

[Colddriver]

So this past weekend was illinois shotgun season, I hunt a public place that gives out 75 deer tags per day so roughly that many hunters out on this 2000acres.
My self and my brother both have a stand up, it is legal to leave up until last day of season.
Last year I shot a spike first thing in the morning, checked it in and got another tag, headed back out.
Found some bedding and escape route directly to private.
Decided to sit the afternoon, ended up seeing 4 deer. That night talked to my brother and was agreed that we would hang a stand there in the spring.
We did and all the sign was still.there and I was pumped for shotgun as I don't bow hunt anymore.
Opening day first shotgun season I chose to sit his stand as it's been a hot stand opening day and brother was not with me. Saw doe with two fawns in the morning and had a cruiser at dark sneaking to the private and a shot never happened.
Second shotgun season I had a good buddy come with and for some reason I decided to put him in my stand.
I had gps going and he was following me, he says there is a light ahead of us that's flashing. Oh man I though someone close to the stand. Well the closer we got sure enough he was definitely close to my stand as he was just getting ready to climb it!
I couldn't believe it....
I first asked if he was lost... no he replied.
This is my stand and will be hunting it today and tomorrow, If you would like to sit here also I don't care but you won't be in my stand I said to him .
He replied its ok, I have other stands that I know will be empty and proceeds to walk away.
My buddy climbs up and sits the spot, does come In about 10am, he text me they bedded down I will shoot when they get up.
Welll thoes does bedded down for 5hrs. 310pm I here the shot and get text doe down.
We get it all cleaned up and tagged,
Asked him.about the guy in the morning, said there are cigarette butts all around the bottom of tour stand.
Obviously this guys is using the stand alot.
What would you guys do?
Leave stand up?
Take it down?
Bring a Climber in morning of.
Try to disable stand and put back together morning of. .
It is public and don't expect alot but come on someone hunting g my stand.. at least have the decency to hang tour own next to mine right?
Jay

[Dewey]

That’s the chance you take around people with zero moral ethics. Always gonna be idiots like that around. Not sure how you could avoid that. All the more reason to hang and hunt daily in fresh areas.

[Grizzlyadam]

Agree that is a good reason to hang and hunt on public. One time I had a ladder stand on private that I suspected a guy was sitting in. The seat had a tare in the fabric and I was able to slide one of my reflector tacks under the fabric then set it there with the tip up waiting for it's victim. Before I climbed down I realized I'd probably forget that I put it there and end up getting myself with it so I took it out. That's just wrong

[Jonny]

I'd never do it, but your attaching something to public ground. On paper it makes it public. No different than putting a pier in the water or a bridge over a crack in the ice. Its now public domain. Yeah its messed up but legally, your stand is now public if you leave it out there. You might physically own the item but now that its on public, can't really stop someone from using it.

More reason to just pack in and out. People suck, the guy doesn't have any morals, but I can't say he is doing anything illegal. Just frowned upon. I'd take it down immediately. Make him pack one in there if he wants to hunt it. Leaving a stand doesn't mean its your spot. Just as much his spot as it is yours, especially because he was there first that day. Probably not the answer you want to hear, but everytime I leave a stand overnight, I already have a plan b and plan c on where I'm going if someone is near it.

[Ghost Hunter]

We are required to put our names on our stands. I would walk up and tell him. I'm taking my stand down.

[Dewey]

What kind of stand was left up?

Ladder stand, remove the bottom ladder section.

Hang on, remove bottom climbing aids.

Climber, remove tree cables or even the seat.

Basically make a inconvenient to use for everyone else.

Not a big deal for you to carry the item removed in and out for each hunt plus nice to have the piece of mind knowing nobody hunted your stand.

[PK_]

If it’s a lock on, you cable lock it around the tree, thru the platform, with the platform lifted up tight to the tree.

Ladder stands are pretty tough to keep people out of. A 2x4 as long as the seat is wide, drive nails or screws up thru it. Drill two holes thru it so you can pull thin cable lock it on top of the seat. Sometimes guys will steal the bottom section of ladder. If you are going to leave a stand on public you need to lock all pieces of the stand and do your best to keep people from being able to sit in it.

Even had a buddy walk in on someone who climbed up the tree in his climber. Too much slack in the cable lock, he was still able to use it…

[greenhorndave]

Tough to avoid morons all the time.

But go mobile. They won’t be able to take advantage of you and where you hunt won’t be evident to all but the most observant. You can also use their permanent stand locations as a way of hunting around them because you can be sure the deer know and will avoid them as well.

[UntouchableNess]

I took down two ladder stands on PRIVATE ground I own last Thursday as I noticed someone had been in one. The ratchet strap around the tree had broken and they tied it together. I know I didn't do it, I hadn't been in the stand for almost 2 years (another reason I pulled it). From here on out, it'll be my LW and Novix stands exclusively, which is what I've been doing. I hated that the ladder stands were so difficult to move that I just left them in places I lost interest in hunting. The one was a good "observation" stand for early in the season, since you could see a long ways to figure out what was moving where.

[Ryan549]

As much as this would bother me, I think this is a risk you take leaving a stand. People are lazy and will gladly sit yours rather than set one up themselves.

[Swampbuck]

Are you leaving that stand up permanently? Reason I ask is b/c it said you hung it in the spring. Alot of people do that here, although its only allowed to be left for the season they leave it outside of the season as well. I personally would never hunt thier stands and prefer they leave it so i know where people are, but its a form of claiming the spot so I can see how it happens.

[szwampdonkey]

Mind boggling anyone would leave their stand out on public. No way i’d ever do it with boneheads i’ve seen out there on public.

I’d haul that stand right out of there asap.

[Eddiegomes83]

It sounded like you hunted everywhere but there and you really just had the stand up to claim that spot.

Hunted your brothers stand one time and then another spot again when your buddy came.

With that said, I would not have hunted it. I typically carry my stuff in and out. If I did leave something up that long and didn't hunt it I would not blame anybody for sitting it. I would just take it down if I didn't like it.

[Tribute80]

I wouldn’t have an issue with him hunting the tree beside the stand. The physical hanging of the stand is a little bit of work and for someone to show up and try to take advantage of the work you put in is wrong. He should have hung his own stand. It is a risk of leaving a stand on public at least he didn’t steal or sabotage it.

[Colddriver]

Thank you all for your input.
Stand will be pulled after my cwd hunt in January. Just don't trust what others will do now that he was found out.
There is a great ground spot close that I can use just as well.
If guy wants the spot that bad he can bring his stand out as said earlier. I only shotgun hunt so 4 days of the year only.
Thank you all.