Someone CUT a section out of my strap!

[freedom2012]

So I have been hunting an area for a few years that is hard to access but I know a homeowner who let's me park and access the woods. It is a pretty affluent neighborhood with mostly older non hunters and the only other way other than through peoples yards to the area (public) is at least a mile hike through the woods off a main road. I have seen a couple other hunters and stands but never had a problem. I had a cam set up at my stand and caught a hunter passing by last week. I took the camera out of the woods just the other day to check it. Anyway, I get to my stand, a climber I leave attached at the bottom of a tree where I have left it for the last few years and I notice the elastic strap that holds my feet in the stirrups is not only cut, but a section of it is cut out and left on the stand. It could not have been more than a day since this happened. Fresh cuts. So I managed to fix it McGyver style, check the rest of my straps and climbed up anyway for an afternoon hunt. However, I did take the stand since my guess is it was another hunter, not an anti, who was trying to flush me out of the area and I don't want to find the stand totally ruined. I figure this guy was trying to make it tough for me to climb but didn't want to go so far to destroy the stand completely. Thoughts on this?

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Non-hunter trying to send a message.

 

[Dan-o]

Squirrel?

 

[Carnea]

Non-hunter trying to send a message.

SOMEONE trying to send a message...

 

[knoxy]

Just place a bear trap in the leaves near the stand. Don't forget where it is.

 

[KBCraig]

Well hidden game cam pointing at your stuff.

 

[xtry51]

Just place a bear trap in the leaves near the stand. Don't forget where it is.

I like this method

 

[Palladin]

Claymores

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Could have just been some neighborhood kids too. When I was a kid I found stands in the woods all the time. Never f'd em up though... Just kind of went on my way. Kind of silly looking back on it, me and my buddies running around in the woods during deer season. Sometimes we got decked out in camo when playing war games too...

 

[Uncle Fester]

I clicked on this thread thinking I was going to be reading about you finding a deer your shot with a piece of backstrap taken. All I could think was "how the hell does that happen?".

I had something similar happen to me recently. I too had my climber locked to the bottom of a tree. I've been using my lock on's a lot this season, so I hadn't been seen my climber in about a month. I went and checked it on Tuesday, and some asshat stole the seat! The foot straps were still there, the safety cord that ties the top to the bottom was there, the bar pad was still there, just the seat was gone. Luckily I tend to over pack WRT gear. I had 100' of nylon rope that I was able to make a seat out of. Works really well too, just not quite as comfortable.

 

[deadhead133]

I made my own climbing sticks out of bar stock and strapped them to the tree. I also had a revolving seat strapped to the tree above my stand. The only thing that had a lock on it was the stand itself, and that is the only thing that remains.
I hope the scumsucking shitbag who took my stuff falls and injures himself.
Someone also stole my Summit climber that I left at the base of the tree so my friends could use it if
I was not. Many people suck, but it is the good ones who keep me going.

 

[MisterHappy]

Hunting is evil.

Man is in the Forrest

'Nuff said.