My crappy weekend

[PASportsman]

So, Friday evening i decided to take my son bowhunting. Walked into the woods to where i have my treestand only to find that someone cut the straps to the ladder and stole the bottom two sections (I had it chained and locked to the tree but I must not have wrapped the chain tight enough). I really don't understand why some people have to be like that. It wasn't on private property and was in an area I have hunted for years. Frustrated, I went back to get my ATV and climbing stand so I could climb the tree and get the remaining sections of the ladder and the stand. Fired up the ATV and drove it up to the garage to get my stand and looked down and noticed oil all over the ground! Turns out the previous owner must not have tightened the oil filter enough so it blew out the seal ( have only owned the machine for 3 weeks). So, off to walmart to get oil and filter. Luckily it wasn't something more serious!

[polarscott]

That sucks, Some people can be real rude.

[North Branch]

Wow, that does suck. I hope the AH's that stole your tree stand end up falling out of a tree... would serve them right.

As far as the ATV goes... good thing you caught it when you did.

When buying a used ATV, it's good to go over everything when you get it...

Change out all the filters and fluids.
Check as many nuts and bolts as you can.
Check the battery, clean, and tighten up the battery cables and grounds.
Adjust any cables or make any other adjustments possible.
Pull the tires, check the brakes, and for any play in the suspension parts.

The list can go on as far as you want it.

[tiredude]

understand where your coming from, i have had a tree stand stolen and one shot with a shotgun.

[bukaty]

What kind of asshat would steal a deer stand? I'd rather setup a new one that try to get a used one up a tree.

[PASportsman]

They didn't actually steal the stand, just half the ladder so no one could use it. It's funny how people around here are about deer and their "hunting territory". Seems like every year you hear about a hunter shooting another hunter. All over a stupid deer. Actually my buddy caught a guy stealing pictures from his trail camera this spring. The guy was taking the memory card out and erasing the pictures from it.

[akabigjoe]

I don't understand why someone feels the need to touch someone else's property. We have a tree stand that we built from scratch in the same tree for 10yrs and never had anyone mess with it. As for the oil leak, glad you caught it when you did cause if you were out in the woods when it happened, it might of ended up a little different. First thing when buying a used quad, change all fluids. It's easy/cheap insurance.

[antoniodef]

We set up a blind a few weeks ago on some family property. We found another blind out there. Everyone wanted to trash it. Finally my uncle talked some sense into everyone. He said the guy is just hunting like we are. He put a note on the blind saying it was private property and we would be back in a month and if the blind wasn't gone we would confiscate it. (deep woods in Michigan upper peninsula) The blind was gone and we don't have to worry about the guy being pissed and trashing ours since we didn't ruin anything of his.

Glad you found the oil leak. Would sucked to blow your oil riding and not notice until it was too late.

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[cwlongshot]

Sorry to hear. I too have had my stands stolen.... really binds your drawers!!

I have a quick story that will get ya... My good friend and I worked and worked to get permission on this piece of property. Finally we attained the permits. We have exclusive right to the property and have had now for almost 15 years. Its almost 700 acres, and almost completely land locked by houses so only pressure is from a few "neighbors". Which we don't mind at all as I would likely "wander" if my home backed it up such a beautiful deer filled piece too. Well a narrow finger of the property runs down to a power line and we know some guys come in on ATVs and poach. We catch them, scare the bejebus out of them and send them on there way. We are tight with local L.E. and D.E.P. officers...
.
I said short didn't I... Moving along..

We have seen some absolute monster racks here, I am talking contenders to the state records. But so far, never a good shot at one of them. BOTH of us have let big bucks walk because we know we are alone, there is literally NO pressure and why take a marginal shot, when its merely time until we get a good shot. Now we have shot about 6 nice bucks, scoring form the mid 120's to about 150". I had a honest 170" class buck well plotted and then one day he disappeared. We spoke to the "neighbors" no not them, we spoke with DEP as this would make news around here... Nope again. he could have died of old age or been hit by a car but long story short he was gone and with it my chances at him... Move forward two years... I was giving a pistol class and after the testing I like to pull the students to another room so as not to distract the ones still testing. I got to talking to this kid about a big buck he shot. He sounded an awful lot like "my" deer... he ran out to his truck and brought back some pics... 167" of typical Whitetail and I KNEW the rack!! Yup, it was the deer I knew all too well. I let the kid keep digging a hole... he described my property, he described my food plots, he described a couple of my stands. I stopped him and asked if he had hunted here before and who owned the stands... He gave some nonsense excuse about a friend of a friend or some such... He continued... He then said he came across this stand in a pine tree. He climbed up and sat for a while. (YES MY STAND and 250 yards from this bucks bedding areas.) Out walked the buck and he shot it... (This was also one of the stands I had stolen. That SAME year!)

Well I Informed him of the buck, showed him trail cam pics. TOLD him where he entered the property, explained to him what will happen if I ever got a wiff of his presents on the property... Now remember, I have his name address and personal information... I told him I expect my stand returned... I dont even want to her you deny you have it. His face when flush... he said his buddy had it and he would get it and return. I said good, your certificate will be waiting. YES he passed the class. Yes he returned my stand and yes he got his certificate. He was a nice kid for a poacher... He apologised profusely... That was over five years ago, but an I bitter...bet you azz!! LOL

GOOD catch on the oil too!!! I agree with North Branch, check out that machine!!

CW

[PASportsman]

It just sucks because I want my kids to enjoy hunting and people like that ruin it for them. Deer are pretty scarce around here right now so its hard enough without the idiots of the world. And trust me, I know all about poachers. We have a few families around here that are notorious for poaching. When you hear a last name you just kinda roll your eyes......

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