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Ethics question.

It is Michigan public and gets hunted pretty heavily. Only so many decent trees in this marsh area.

Thx everyone for weighing in
 
Redfeather said:
2 seasons ago a friend who graduated high school with me had an old rod screw in shear off and he fell breaking his back 1/2 mile in... he crawled out and was out of commission for almost 2 years with surgery and rehab .
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I have 3 good friends that have feel out of treestands and all 3 of them are messed up.

What's strange about 1 of them is that he had 2 adult sons that hunted and he used to let me hunt with him and his sons on occasion when I was in the area (he lived nearly 3 hours away) and in the six season I hunted the property (maybe 2 hunts per season) I took the 3 biggest bucks from the property. In a discussion I mentioned to him that I would only be interested in hunting there if I could set up 2 locations for my sling and he and his sons would not set up and conventional stands (what they hunted from at the time) within 100 yards of my harness set-ups. After the 3rd good buck he flat told me that I had to make him a harness and he was a really good friend so I did and then of course once he got comfortable with it (about a week), he set up all his locations for it and like me exclusively hunted from it from then on. Other than once! He had a hang on stand set up for his brother in law who lives in Florida and the stand was in a really good spot and his brother in law couldn't come one year so he decided to hunt it. He said when he got in it he was really uncomfortable looking away from the tree and into the open. His toe hooked up on the front of the platform which curled upward in the front, and he fell 21 feet and was in a turtle cast for over 6 months and is now on permanent disability and has been drawing social security since he was around 50 years old.

I'm 66 and work out every night all year (other than during season) to stay in shape for climbing trees and when climbing always try to make sure I have 3 points of contact at all times. I threw in a picture of a 42 inch pike I caught 3 years ago on a top water buzz bait lure I made to prove that I work out for bowhunting. It was 90 degrees that day and I never thought about taking the pic without a shirt on but was glad I did as I like to have proof of what I say I do. Hope this doesn't come across as arrogant, but instead as confident.
 

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Nice fish and I hope I look half that good at 66.

I had a buddy fall hanging a hang on stand 26+ feet. The stand kicked out as he stood on it (only had the one strap on it). Thankfully my dad was there to get air med in.

He is doing great now (small guy in his late 20s when it happens). Broke his back, all kinds of ribs, a bunch of organs were punctured/cut. It was a miracle he lived and certainly would of if my dad wasn’t there.
 
I fell doing some tree work my senior year of high school. Limb I was on gave way and I fell 20+ feet. I was lucky as heck and landed flat on my back. I didn’t think anything was wrong with my back for a few years, but over time I really feel that injury.


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Being in the industry it's quite shocking how many hunters fall from stands and to this day I've never heard of one falling from a harness. What's interesting is most hunters fall from stands while getting in or out of them as they're typically hooked up while on stand. With a harness there is no stepping onto or off from a platform. Never thought of that as an advantage but I guess it may be considered one.

Thanks on the fish by the way. Caught about a dozen pike of that size on top water lures in the summer over weed beds in 6 to 10 foot of water.
 
What lake were ya hittin? St Clair? I do a ton of swimbait (large like 8-12” baits) fishing mainly for bass but catch a fair amount of pike and Muskie
 
Lake Isabella in central Michigan. 880 acre lake with about 1,000 dwellings in and around it in the village.
 
redsquirrel said:
It is public land so you can definitely hunt the spot. Personally, I would not climb any one else's equipment. I don't know what they have up and I can't trust it.

I have good spots that have other hunter sign around them. It is all about timing. Most of those spots are probably gun hunters so I don't have to worry about them during bow season. But it is always a risk to end up setting up right next to someone on public land. Just don't be surprised or upset the day you go to hunt the spot and someone is there or comes walking in right after you since you know they hunt it.
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I’m pretty sure a lot of the stands I find on public are gun as well. Most stands back in don’t see much hunting and end up being left for years. Sometimes you’ll find one that is getting hunted a lot. It will be evident and probably ruined anyway.

I was raised that on public land there is no saving spots with stands etc... If someone beats you out there then your SOL and vice versa. I wouldn’t hop right up in someone else’s stand but especially if it’s clearly been left there there’s nothing wrong with going up the same tree or nearby tree with your own stuff.
 
I’d hunt the area/tree but would plan on climbing it w my setup and honestly if the straps looked worn I would prob take it down as I came down. Just so no one else could fall from it.


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Boomah21 said:
So I wanted to get out of the house over christmas vacation and check out a few new spots on public land. I did my internet scouting and picked out an area and even a couple trees to check out.

Well get to one tree that I’m most excited about way back in a cattail marsh just to find strap on rope steps up the tree starting about 8 feet up.

The steps have been in the tree at least 2 seasons maybe 3.

The question is would you plan to hunt this?
It is an awesome looking spot
I don’t think it was hunted this season but not 100% sure
It is on public land
Also I think it was a saddle hunter as he had a ring of steps at the top

Curious to hear everyone’s input
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Here in Pa you could legally hunt that tree just because he put up steps our law says first come first serve and at the end of the season we have to bring everything in that we left in the woods. But if I was in that tree in the persons who stepped showed up I'd be courteous to and climb down and give him his spot.
 
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