Treestand ethics?
 

What are your feelings on tree stand ethics [permanent stands only]....when you find a man made tree stand in a very good spot would you use it? Are these stands the personal property of the builder or are they free to use on a first come, first serve basis??

I'd leave it but that's just me. If it seemed abandoned I might use it though?

On crown land?

Naturally, if it was on private land you would need permission of the land owner. ;-)

I have found many old stands that were left behind on crown land. I have used them, and people have used mine. All of my stands were located in areas that were far enough back, that you would know if anybody else was around. Found some that were used by bears as their "outhouse with a view"

On public land I would use it and yeild use to the builder if he/she shows up. On private land this would not be a question, for I would know who the builder is, whos using the property and if I was ok to use the stand.

I found a decent one that I know for a fact has not been used in the last 3 years, I took it over this year and set up a bait.

Of course, but it doesn't mean that someone might not use the stand on private land, assuming that more than one party has access. If someone uses a stand on crown land that they didn't build, the argument gets a little more complicated.

So, if I was out in the bush with my family and we encountered a tree stand, it would be OK to climb it and have a look around? For non-hunting purposes?

I would say if it was obviously recently set up to leave it be, It's a chance we take leaving stuff on cround land, I am really hoping anyone that comes across my stand or trail cameras leave it be, Have had much stuff stolen over the years.

If I came upon a pemanent stand that was made from natural matrial, branches etc. I would use it. That being said if someone came along and said that they had built it for thier own use, I would vacate the stand without hesitation. They built it and I would not think about doing anything but leave.

I would say it would be OK to climb up and take a look around, just be extremely cautious that it's safe.

There is a faction of outdoorsmen that don't think the permanent stands should be left in place and advocate tearing them down if they find them...:-(

Yes, I was thinking out of season.

I had assumed that unofficial policy would have been to leave them alone.

I have found quite a few permanent stands a lot of them looked like death traps and a few were nicely built. i never used any of them now that i think of it if the stand looked abandoned i probably would use it.My land borders crown property i met a fellow bow hunter on one of the trails he was a really good guy he told me where he had his stand and if he wasn't in it i was more than welcome to use it.:)

excuse my ignorance, but I was fairly sure that leaving a permanent built structure on crown land was in fact illegal.

I talked with a local SRD guy about a really nice huge treefort type stand that was completed on crown land that I usually hunt. He said it was in fact illegal, but that srd wouldn't spend the time required to take it down.

Its still up there.... really nice setup. I leave it alone.

was the srd guy wrong?

Stands
 

When I first moved to Alberta and started guiding I worked for some outfitters up north that would get all the guides together after droping off our guests and build 10 stands a night on crown land he must have about 200 up there ,didn't know if it was legal or not back then I would not do that now, but im sure lots of guys still build them .I like the $100 ladder stands ,

best one I ever came across on crown land was an old office chair on wheels, on a wooden pallet, about 15ft in a tree, and all tied in with speaker wire.
I looked for a body underneath the stand, but I didn't find one, so the wolves must have drug the body off somewhere else after the guy fell out of it.

I don't mind running into an old home made stand when I'm in the bush. It's a good sign i'm looking in the right place.

I would say illegal...What would be the difference between a Tree stand and or a small cabin built somewhere?

I have come across a few while hunting and or horse back riding. I haven't even stopped to look too close, as I feel it its someone else's property and shud be left alone. I would expect the same in return. Respect has to start some place. We see/use the signs... USE RESPECT. but need to practice it more often.

I sat on a really old what seemed abandoned stand on private land once. Other hunter eventually walked up to me and told me I had no permission, was poaching and threaten to beat me up. I was only 16. He then called the farmer to complain and the farmer shut it down as he didn't have time to deal with this during harvest. That guy got caught for poaching one night in that field, yessss!

i belive you are allowed to build a permenat stand , but at the end of the season you are required to remove it.
that being said i have built a few, and they have been used by others. some of them i am very surprized other people found them as they were no where near roads or cutlines. they are a walk in stand or a very tough quad ride. i dont care if they use it, i built it on public land so i guess that makes it public.
If there was someone in a stand i built before i got there i would let them stay.

i have also used other peoples stands that i have found. and if the builder came in i would gladly leave.

Best one I ever found was about 60 feet up in a big spruce tree, about 4x4 plywood strung on yellow poly rope much like a mountain climber would hang a hammock on a cliff. NW I would use one like that. :-)

I would never sit in someone else's stand. They took the time to build it, it's theirs. Simple as that.

Now, if it was a REALLY good spot I would probably sit on the ground right beside it. If something were to walk by, who's to say it would ever do it again. There's really no lost opportunity to the owner of the stand.

The exception to this would be a bear bait. If I stumbled onto one I would leave the area completely because the owner of the site has spent a lot of money and time to bring those bears to that area.

Just my 2¢

I don't really use stands, but if I came across a nice one and felt inclined to use it, I'd probably leave it. I'd tack a note on it with my phone number asking for permission. If they don't call me, I'd guess that's a no. Better to leave it alone than cause a fight eh?

here's the law...
 

Here's a clip from the Public Lands Act
Unauthorized use
47(1) A person who occupies public land and
(a) is not the holder of a disposition authorizing the person to
do so, or
(b) is not otherwise authorized to do so under this Act or the
regulations,
is deemed to be a trespasser and any improvements created by the
person are the property of the Crown.
(2) If an improvement becomes the property of the Crown under
subsection (1),
(a) the right, title and interest of all other persons to or in the
improvements is terminated, and
(b) the improvement may be removed, demolished, sold or
otherwise disposed of in any manner the director
considers appropriate.
RSA 2000 cP-40 s47;2009 cA-26.8 s91(27)

There ya go.

That's the Section regarding "Occupying Crown Lands". Not quite the same as a temporary treestand.
This section is there for "squatters".

I see as if you see someones nice car unlocked, do you take it for a spin? NO.

might apply if he sat in it for more than fourteen days.

Whats the harm?
Besides... if they cared THAT much about it... they wouldn't have left it there.

This is a good question with a few right answers. Sometimes people set up a stand in a great funnel and in just the right tree. It doesn't make that funnel theirs. I'm not going to put a stand up in a tree that is not as good right beside it so i dont use theirs. I would however try to avoid it but I would feel no guilt in sitting in it if it was for a time or two. My logic is that, it is a risk you run by leaving your stand there. Useing it is not the same as stealing it. There are a lot of stands set up by guys who plan on returning and don't. Sometimes people leave the stand there because its too dark to take it out or don't want to spook the game by the noise of removing it. Some times the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day is pull your stand with frozen fingers. Some guys even put out a bunch of stands in an area to shore up all of the best spots.
You have to think that if you leave your stand out someone might use it. We just count on human decency that no one will steal it.