According to the FWC there is not supposed to be any hunting hardware in the woods until the day before the hunting seasons.
Get the lat/long of the location of this stand and give it to the the game wardens.
Found out last year in another WMA, game wardens have some locations marked, if they catch someone in these stands they give them a ticket for leaving the stand in the woods . No matter how old it is.
sounds like it could be a real money maker for the state, like a radar speed trap in the woods. think I might try to fight that one in court. if they know it's there illegally they should get off their azzes and out of the trucks for a change and remove/destroy it. if a stand they know has been there for years, is on public land, a known safety risk and left there anyway, then I think they are setting themselves up for a big law suit if someone got hurt/killed.
The rule is there for a reason. First for the safety of the hunter. A stand left out all year, a lot can happen. Straps rot, break, dry rot, get chewed on by squirrels, stands can rust, etc...Plus logging crews need them out of there to do their jobs.
I am biased, because I only hunt in a climber on public land. I personally feel a stand should not be left for any period of time unless you are hunting in it for that particular hunt. These guys that spread ladder stands all over WMA's piss me off. But the FWC is a very under staffed and under paid org. Even though I can't stand ladder stands left out and put up early, I am not sure we need to bother them about it. There's people shooting every deer they see out of season and keeping every under sized fish they catch that I think should take precedent
Some of those stands were moved without the owners knowing where they went or where they are. I have had two of them walk off never to be seen again but I keep looking and yes the fwc will remove any after the seasone ends if they don't have to get out of the truck to do it. I have given them GPS #s to several with steps driven into trees with no results. I carry my climber in and out every time now and people look at me strange and just leave theirs out there just can't beleive that someone needs there stand more than they do.
if an illegal stand is left alone just so wardens can catch someone in it and write tickets (and I hope that's not the case), then I wouldn't call that protecting or serving, more like entrapment to make money at the public's danger and expense. and I really would not recommend using another persons stand without permission (unless you really wanted to), even though I have done it more than once when I didn't have one of my own.
