Report it to the landowner.
If it is owned by a University, chances are fair that they allow bow hunting on the property during Archery season. The regional park down the street from me is posted as being closed for this reason for 3 weekends of late. The U of M owns a bunch of land south of here that is regularly hunted, both Archery and Black Powder.
In several other places and times, due to overpopulation of deer in urban areas, they pay sharpshooters to come in and shoot the deer.
If the University uses it for agricultural testing, they have valid reasons to keep the deer population under control.
In short, let’s not assume that this is not a legitimate hunter with a valid license and permission of the land owner.
This. If the university is running cattle on the land as you say, they are likely to be twice as displeased at the OP for feeding deer and causing them to congregate near cattle, where they are a vector for bovine TB, than at a hunter for picking off one or two.
Feeding deer is illegal, to my knowledge, in New York State, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, California, and probably many other places I am not aware of. The State of Virginia explains why.
Even if it is there for purposes of illegal hunting, you should still contact the university and let them handle it. Really, what can you do about it? If you take it down, then the hunters will just put up another one on a different tree and hope you don’t find it. The university, though, could get the police involves, and they might be able to find out who did it and administer the appropriate punishment. We have police for a reason, after all: Don’t try to do their job for them.
Plus, consider this: Even if the owner’s purpose actually was hunting, what’s to stop him from telling the cops that it was just for birdwatching, and calling you a thief or vandal? In that case, you could end up in trouble, deserved or not.
+1
-1
I got the impression the land was only a short distance from the OP’s house and community. Guns and houses are his business. Whether that justifies destroying it, planting a crop of poison ivy at the base of the stand or dumping a can of ticks in it is another story. But it is his business.
+1. If it is indeed illegal–and the university and/or game folk are in the best position to know that–they will likely serve more justice on the hunters than the OP can imagine (well, save the poison ivy bit). And take the OP’s sense of proprietaryship (or whatever adjective you feel fits) with the deer because he puts out treats for them and multiply it by a hundredfold–all the fish and wildlife people I know (a lot, actually) take their stewardship over the animals very seriously.
another vote for informing the university and letting them deal with it.
And another vote for “stop feeding the damn deer.”
Obviously the answer is to call the game warden. You could also notify the university if you wanted to, but the enforcement of game laws resides with the state. They will do whatever they need to do about it.
I was inclined to say not to do anything about it but you made a good point that would work better if there are real bads deeds going on. Game wardens as a general rule are about the biggest assholes in the law enforcement world who use their super-abilities of legal menace against such people if they are caught and they love to try. Their job is to stalk and hunt the illegal hunters and poachers which is a very dangerous job and they have more broad law enforcement powers than the police do. Turn it in as a tip and let them deal with it. They can confiscate property and prosecute for poaching with a prison sentence if there is something illegal going on. I have known a few people who’s lives got turned upside down through illegal hunting and it is taken extremely seriously in most places. OTOH, it could be just a stand someone set up to hang out and watch nature. Let them decide.
A hunter? That close to a residential area?
Trash it.
Leave a note, telling why.
Walkabout, may I ask why you are feeding the deer?
Of course, real hunters use a garrote.
Reasons I wouldn’t trash it:
- You have absolutely no legal right to do so
- Just because you worked for the university and you know specifically what that land is used for, isn’t any sort of guarantee that it isn’t now being used for research purposes.
- In some areas deer overpopulation has become a very big concern. In some of those areas it has not been totally uncommon for local authorities (in this case perhaps a university that owns large tracts of rural/suburban land) to hire a professional hunter to thin out the deer population. This will often be done with a bow to minimize any risk to persons in the area.
- Trashing it serves no purpose if it is being used for illegal hunting. If you actually, truly genuinely believe it is being used for illegal hunting (and I would be inclined to think there’s probably a 3 out of 4 chance it is being used for illegal hunting) I would report it to the authorities. That will actually bring the criminal to justice. Trashing the tree stand will just mean the criminal will probably get mad and say “well, I won’t hunt here again.” Which means he’ll just go on illegally hunting somewhere else. If this guy is illegally hunting he’s a criminal and your societal responsibilities are to see that he’s caught, not to destroy his property.
Also, as others have said putting out feed for deer is almost always a bad idea. It’s prohibited in many states and wild life experts will tell you that it is wrong and stupid in pretty much every state and every situation.
What do you do when you see other drivers speeding on the freeway?
Do you slow down to 55 and then block the passing lane ?
First off, you should not be dumping your ashes improperly. You are making an ash of yourself.
As for the stand, you’re being consistent and still making an ash of yourself.
[ul]
[li]You have no idea how, or when, it’s being utilized. [/li][li]The land does not belong to you. [/li][li]The stand does not belong to you.[/li][/ul]
I throw out a couple of cups of corn maybe once or twice a week at most, just because I like seeing the deer and turkey. I generally only do this in the fall, and I keep it on the other side of the fence from where the houses are, so as not to tempt them into the yards. I like seeing them, but I like them staying on their side of the fence, not mine.
We had major problems with them a couple of years ago when our neighbor, whose yard is adjacent to ours but not adjacent to the woods, decided to put out corn in his yard. We had a continual stream of deer and turkey tromping through the yard, and they pretty much destroyed the grass that year.
OK, that’s a good point. I just shake my head and say “Idiot” when some moron flies by me.
At the risk of hijacking my own thread, how should ashes be disposed of? I’ve always thought that a small amount of ash is good for the soil, and I’d rather not add it to my garbage.
I believe some folks compost it.
Some save it to put on icy sidewalks.
Then put it on your own soil, not your neighbors.