Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009 - 56

began to make out shadowy forms crunching acorns directly below me. Minutes crawled by, and as the woods illuminated to a dim gray light, I could finally make out a decent rack crowning a buck feeding barely 10 yards away. But before I could draw my bow, the deers’ heads snapped to attention, their eyes riveted on the hedgerow that bordered an open field at the edge of the woodlot some 60 yards beyond my stand. In another second the deer all bolted away in the opposite direction, disappearing in a flurry of bounding white flags. It didn’t take me long to figure out what had spooked them. The clumsy footfalls of an approaching hunter, a portable treestand clattering metallically on his back, had alerted every deer in the area. It was well past dawn as I watched him stumble noisily from the field into the woodlot, select a tree, affix the stand to the tree, and begin the laborious chore of ratcheting himself into position. I shined my dimming flashlight at him and waved my hat, but he pretended not to notice me. He finally settled in after about 15 minutes of absolute cacophony that, in the dead calm of the woods, echoed like a proverbial bull in a china shop. I resisted the urge to shout at him, not wanting to further diminish my chances of seeing more deer. And I really wasn’t sure what this guy’s story was. Which brings me to my next point. Antic #2: Trespassing Not only had this clown’s late arrival cost me a chance at a nice buck but, as I discovered later, he was also trespassing. It had taken me months to earn permission from the hunter-shy landowners. As I later discovered, the intruder may have had permission from the owners of a contiguous property, but the open field of their land ended at the hedgerow that was clearly posted with NO HUNTING/NO TRESSPASSING signs. And although he had intruded a mere 10 yards into my 56 woodlot, it was trespass enough to jeopardize the landowners’ goodwill I had worked so hard to earn. Sure, in some rare cases, trespassing may result from confusion about unmarked property lines, but in most cases it is committed by jokers who would rather sneak onto a property than work to earn permission to hunt it. Antic #3: Proximity of Stand Placement Despite my hat-waving attempts to signal my position, the intruder ignored me and plunged ahead, determined to hunt from his selected tree. This put him less than 50 yards from me — way too up close and personal in my bowhunting book. Any deer passing between us could end up simultaneously in bow range of both of us. Further, all other things being equal, half the deer that approached my stand would have to cross directly past his just before they got to me. When hunting properties where multiple bowhunters have permission to hunt, first-come first-served should be the ethical rule of thumb when both placing and using stands. Before you set up a permanent stand in preseason, check carefully to make sure there are no other functional stands in the vicinity. If there are, place yours at least 100 yards away (the distance could be somewhat less depending upon terrain). If you arrive at your tree toting a portable stand and you discover someone already staking out the area, it’s time to go find a less crowded venue. Antic #4: Commotion on Stand Nestling in within 50 yards of me was bad enough, but what made it worse was this guy’s noisy fidgeting. I could see him shuffling around on his stand and I was close enough to hear the scratch of his match as he lit his cigarette and, when the wind shifted, I could smell the smoke. I’m sure any deer within a hundred yards would detect the shifting motion of his arm as he GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009

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