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Post by firstwd on Nov 16, 2011 11:32:10 GMT -5
Friday night I get out of work late, so I take a few minutes to check tree stands for Saturday morning. I check my daughters, put a seat in mine, and check the boys.
Saturday morning I'm by myself because the ex kept the kids. I get to my stand and my seat is on the ground. As I'm going up my ladder I notice the middle and top ratchet straps are loosened up. I get to my stand and find that my cable lock had been cut, one of the platform cables had been cut, and all three ratchet straps had been unhooked. I managed to reset it and make it safe to hunt from, but in the process caused a hernia or tore a muscle in my lower stomach. I go see the doctor Friday afternoon. When I gave up and headed out I found my daughters ladder stand had also had the cable lock cut and the ladder wrapped around a tree and destroyed.
I can save the bottom section of ladder and replace the cables on mine, but essentially $250 worth of stands destroyed and the possibility of a couple weeks off work and what I hear is about $12,000 worth of surgery, not to mention the rest of the season for me and the kids is highly screwed up.
So, did anybody else have an oddly interesting weekend?
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Post by Boilermaker on Nov 16, 2011 11:37:30 GMT -5
Sounds like you need to put up some surveillance trail cams...hope everything turns out for the best and good luck with the surgery. My weekend wasn't anything too exciting.
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Post by windingwinds on Nov 16, 2011 11:58:42 GMT -5
That's horrible! You could've been injured much worse! Praying for a quick recovery! My weekend story. (not anywhere as severe as your story) Saturday, Brother-in-law shoots buck, buck jumps fence and goes down, neighbor helps him toss him back over the fence and acts friendly. We are relieved it was no drama, cause he has a rep for that and we don't want any trouble........ Sunday DNR shows up and states same neighbor is concerned that we have treestands on property line looking at his property. We show him the 3 stand locations (over 300 feet from property line on that side and actually "facing" our own property) and the blind which is on side of hill overlooking our property. DNR officer chats a little, thanks us and leaves. This was a waste of DNR's time just because someone is ed for whatever reason. Sad. And I bet it's just begun however we will not do anything to egg it on. He has over 90 acres in this area and has to harass us when we have NEVER crossed the property line. (There is someone that does regularly tresspass on everyone's land, we just haven't caught him yet) But all our stands have locks on them, I have instructed my sons to watch for tampering every time they climb up.
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Post by Ahawkeye on Nov 16, 2011 17:09:56 GMT -5
Wow Firstwd I'm really sorry to hear that I had a friend get hurt placing a stand last week that really sucks especialy to have some jerk come out and screw your stand up that's just shamefull. Hope you get to feeling better and am glad you wern't hurt worse.
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Post by raporter on Nov 16, 2011 17:22:09 GMT -5
Hope you called the law on that. That is sick.
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 16, 2011 17:27:34 GMT -5
Bummer... Bad enough people steal stands Ut to deliberately screw them up so they are unsafe is way wrong.
Any ideas who the perps are?
Yeah, I'd let the police know. Your home owners might cover it with a police report?
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Post by firstwd on Nov 16, 2011 17:36:25 GMT -5
The DNR is handling it. We have good idea who did it.
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Post by wileyonetoo on Nov 16, 2011 18:21:56 GMT -5
We have had our gear messed with some in the past but not to the extent of yours. As Woody said, to deliberately "rig" someone's stand to the point of near failure is just wrong. I hope they get caught and are held accountable.
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Post by HillBillyJeff on Nov 16, 2011 18:22:26 GMT -5
Hope they catch the b@stards
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Post by Decatur on Nov 16, 2011 19:23:47 GMT -5
Please keep us informed.
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Post by steve46511 on Nov 17, 2011 7:10:41 GMT -5
More than a dozen stands stolen from me in my area, multiple ones "messed up" purposely in years past, I find myself eyeballing any stand I find brave enough to put up EVERY time I go.
Confrontation with other so called hunters is as normal here as coffee in the AM, sad as that may be.
This alone has cost the hunting community some very good sportsman whom have flat quit not willing to forego their safety and the cost attempting to do what we have always done.
Color me the devil's advocate but it will only get worse and I will repeat what I said to every single deer hunter that entered my shop back then.
IF you have the means, BUY your hunting ground. While invaders will still come, less will be brave enough to face the LANDOWNER whom CAN have them arrested (another hunter cannot btw......Ive tried).
Pray that I win powerball. LOL
Ill buy my own and annually have a drawing here for real hunters to have a crack at hunting unharrassed deer and do so NOT being harrassed themselves.
Herein lies yet another issue of the "horn hunting". True, most are true hunting gentleman but more and more are "doing whatever it takes" to get that monster buck and IS a result of advertising and tv programs indicating that "that is the only size buck to hunt".
EVERYONE wants a big buck, most I see posted Id settle for "one in a lifetime" yet too many think it has to be the ONLY thing they will shoot and will tread on any toes or rights to do so.
If you are one, take no offense, but realize that YOU TOO know of hunters that hunt the size bucks you do............WITHOUT morals.
I unusally ask several locals a question that honks some off and will here too. Too bad. Food for thought only please?
"If whitetail would never have a big rack, regardless of any of the factors it takes...........would you still hunt them?"
In 1976 I shot a 1.5 year old 132lb dressed 6 point with my recurve. It "won" third place in the local "buck contest". That is not a joke. That buck today wouldnt get 80 percent of the newer breed to pick up their bow. It is no longer about "deer hunting", its about "my buck scoring more than someone else's" and I personally see FEW positive results from that attitude.
In 76....another hunter WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER hunting where another hunter already was doing so. I still have that respect for others.....yet ask yourselves how many you know that still would not go till the other hunter "is done". Im not saying I AM superior.......Im saying what is COMMON NOW is far less than what hunting morals we had that was NORMAL.
More tags, more deer brings more hunters..........and we are not making any more land. In fact the huntable acreage is far less than years past and that too will continue.
Discouraging moral hunters from hunting by threatening their safety (and their children's) is a tool of the cowards doing so (not all big buck hunters but too danged many) that feel their greed for MORE big bucks is the almighty......and sadly, it works. All too well.
I pray for you with the upcoming medical treatment. Going there myself. I also commend you for taking the children and it saddens me that they see this side of some "hunters" that is (Im telling you this is true) a LOT more common than most think.
Med treatments, age, slashed tires, bullet holes in my stands,gut piles IN my ground stand, cut cables and chaines, stolen steps and stands, ARMED hunters screaming at me in the stand, or standing by my truck, etc, etc........ has me thinking one thought every year.........
"Is this going to be the last year I will hunt?"
Get that hunting ground sewn up.......future generations of your family will NOT DO SO without it.
Sorry if this offends but it's coming. God Bless
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Post by HuntMeister on Nov 17, 2011 7:23:44 GMT -5
And here I was thinking I had a lousy weekend because of nearly no deer sightings and too many people. Hope your injury heals quickly for you. I just cannot believe the lows that some folks will stoop to... Sabatoging equipment is a really dumb and deadly idea. I sincerely hope that they get what is due to them.
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 17, 2011 7:25:58 GMT -5
Well said Steve...
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Post by steve46511 on Nov 17, 2011 7:43:34 GMT -5
Short note as more "proof". I know a guy at work that he and his family hunt some prime ground.
You wouldn't believe me if I told you about the bucks they shot this year and last. I'm talking they NORMALLY take 180 plus inch class bucks. One this year I wouldnt even attempt a guess at the score.
and I cannot show you
Why?
Because they will NOT let anyone have a photo of their bucks in fear of MORE intruders getting wind of what is there.
Seriously.
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Post by jordanffemt on Nov 17, 2011 7:44:01 GMT -5
Sad
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Post by bowhunterjohn on Nov 17, 2011 9:39:05 GMT -5
That's horrible! You could've been injured much worse! Praying for a quick recovery! My weekend story. (not anywhere as severe as your story) Saturday, Brother-in-law shoots buck, buck jumps fence and goes down, neighbor helps him toss him back over the fence and acts friendly. We are relieved it was no drama, cause he has a rep for that and we don't want any trouble........ Sunday DNR shows up and states same neighbor is concerned that we have treestands on property line looking at his property. We show him the 3 stand locations (over 300 feet from property line on that side and actually "facing" our own property) and the blind which is on side of hill overlooking our property. DNR officer chats a little, thanks us and leaves. This was a waste of DNR's time just because someone is ed for whatever reason. Sad. And I bet it's just begun however we will not do anything to egg it on. He has over 90 acres in this area and has to harass us when we have NEVER crossed the property line. (There is someone that does regularly tresspass on everyone's land, we just haven't caught him yet) But all our stands have locks on them, I have instructed my sons to watch for tampering every time they climb up. winding, bet its the same "hunts on anyones land" trespasser that took the ratchet straps off one of my ladder stands and also a chain on stand I almost fell over 20 feet from . Guess he was mad because I called the DNR on him. I heard he was gone but recently heard he was back, always great to have to worry if someone is screwing with your stands or land isn't it ?
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Post by firstwd on Nov 18, 2011 21:07:49 GMT -5
Spent some quality time with the doctor today, and now I feel slightly more violated.....
No hernia. I have severely strained muscles. Apparently 5mm neoprene waders do more than keep cold and wet out. No surgery, just OTC pain killers, support and rest. Anybody have a spare girdle laying around?
I heard word today that the story is out and the locals are listening close for someone to talk about doing it.
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Post by fullrut on Nov 18, 2011 21:20:21 GMT -5
Firstwd was this in Jennings County?
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Post by schoolmaster on Nov 18, 2011 21:55:23 GMT -5
We hunt some relatives property that gets a lot of illegal pressure from at least 3 other hunters. My brother in law refuses to call the law on them because he is afraid they will mess up his farm equipment. We do not put up any stands, trail cams, food plots on this property and instead use climbers or sit on the ground to hunt. They have ladder stands up within 1 foot of the property line facing into the cover, nothing but a bare crop field on their side. They refuse to move their stands. It is starting to get really uncomfortable as the confrontations esculate. I hate to say it but we may have to quit hunting there. I am not comfortable taking either of my young grandsons on the property.
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Post by firstwd on Nov 18, 2011 22:39:51 GMT -5
Firstwd was this in Jennings County? No, the other farm in Decatur County. I was told that there were 6 guys on the JC farm that the owners had no idea who they were. The young man got his first buck this year. A 6 point behind the house Sunday.
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