Carrying a treestand, blind and even a saddle/step setup in and out of the woods every time you hunt public land can be a pain — even more so when you’re hiking a mile or more each way. It’s tempting to leave a stand or blind out when the rules allow and you think you’re in a spot that no one else will ever find it. Believe me, I know it’s a pain to haul that stuff everywhere, but there are still a few good reasons to do it on public hunting land.
A compact, lightweight stand and climbing stick setup makes a mobile hunting plan easier, faster and quieter to follow through on every time out in the deer woods. The author uses the lightweight Millennium M7 Microlite treestand and Muddy Pro Climbing Sticks combination for his public land hunting. Photo credit Chris Berens.
Even where it’s legal, don’t leave stands out overnight, much less weeks or months at a time. In addition to staying mobile for changing conditions, there are a few other reasons. First, to keep deer from being aware of the stands. Some hunters might say this is being too cautious, but bucks and old does know their core areas so well, especially on public land, that any little thing out of the ordinary might tip them off to your presence. Keep as many factors in your favor as you can. A public-land hunter gets so few chances at older bucks that there’s no reason to give them any help.
Second, to keep other hunters from knowing where you hunt. You work hard to research and scout these public areas and you don’t want somebody else to stumble into your spot and easily spot a stand or blind and know that someone else is hunting there for a good reason. Most hunters are ethical, trustworthy folks who would keep moving to other areas of a property out of respect for a fellow hunter’s spot. But the truth is that not everybody is as respectful as we all like to think. And those types won’t hesitate to use your scouting and stand prep as their own, either killing a deer there or messing up the spot with sloppy hunting tactics. So, just like with a big buck, don’t make it easy for those types of people to take advantage of you.
This goes the same for leaving out bow hanger hooks, pop-up ground blinds, making ground blinds out of sticks and branches — and most certainly a trail of ribbons or reflectors to your spots. A compass and GPS won’t leave any sign for others to follow.
Finally, if a stand is not left out in the field then it can’t be stolen. Stands and blinds are not cheap, and again, not everyone is honest. It’s happened to me, and nothing ruins the enjoyment of hunting like having your gear stolen. Remove the temptation for shady characters to walk off with your valuable deer hunting gear.
