Surveyors or flagging tape

[RTGobbler]

I hunt a good portion of public land and see people who have put up surveyors or flagging tape to lead to their stands or areas. I cannot say for sure it is all hunters but I think for the most part it is. Some is new, and some is so old it falls a part when you touch it. I almost always pull it down and pack it out when I see it. the only exceptions are when I know it is brand new.

I have always thought of it as polluting the woods and something that was ugly in the woods, especially when people dont have the courtesy to remove it. I think a lot of that is from when I was a kid and being thought that you shouldn’t use it and you should know your way in or use cats eyes. The other reason is it lead others, hunters and not hunters, to your stand.

 

Am I the only one who feels this way and pulls it down? Why the heck are people still using this these days?

[growalot]

It's like @ dog going around pissing on trees...they are marking their territory saying stay out...So you know it has been scouted...perhaps has a stand..or even"incentive"put in place....

Edited October 25, 2014 by growalot

[Nomad]

Some guys use it to mark their trails in. The only time I use it is following blood trails in thick brush,easy to go back and find last blood,get an idea of the line the deer is on. I try to take it down when done.

What I hate are Mylar balloons , my spot must be under a flight path for all balloons released . I have found several ,they last for years.

This year I found one of those Chinese balloons .

Edited October 25, 2014 by Larry302

[RTGobbler]

Yea balloons are all over, and beer cans surprisingly. I am always on my way out with something in the pack.

[incognito]

Theoretically I have exclusive right to use public land for the season.

I used the tape to mark property lines and a passage way through a marsh.

I also used it to mark a blood trail last Friday that I took down on Wednesday of this week.

I also use it as a wind vane, which I remove when I leave the area.

Am I being disrespectful to public land?

[ididnotvoteforobama]

I hunt a good portion of public land and see people who have put up surveyors or flagging tape to lead to their stands or areas. I cannot say for sure it is all hunters but I think for the most part it is. Some is new, and some is so old it falls a part when you touch it. I almost always pull it down and pack it out when I see it. the only exceptions are when I know it is brand new.

I have always thought of it as polluting the woods and something that was ugly in the woods, especially when people dont have the courtesy to remove it. I think a lot of that is from when I was a kid and being thought that you shouldn’t use it and you should know your way in or use cats eyes. The other reason is it lead others, hunters and not hunters, to your stand.

 

Am I the only one who feels this way and pulls it down? Why the heck are people still using this these days?

 

I'm with you 100% , I feel the same way.

[Jeremy K]

We found a weather balloon with the weather station attached to it last year. It is clearly marked and is ready for shipment back to the owner upon finding it.

[Nomad]

Yea balloons are all over, and beer cans surprisingly. I am always on my way out with something in the pack.

In the '70's you could not walk ten feet without finding a Genny Cream Ale can......

[DeerDuck]

A lot of the public spots on Long Island are filled with those damn Cats Eyes. I think every idiot marks the way to their tree with them. As far as the tape, I've come across a lot of that too. Some just marks the spit to go in for some people if they are walking in on a deer run that crosses a fire trail . I've used the tape in the past, but only while tracking. It does help when tracking through an area you're not familiar with. I also take it down on my way back out.

[growalot]

Larry we took 2 full truck beds of the little brown bottles off our place the first 2 yrs we had it...and that was when we had only 9 1/2 acres!

[greensider]

i never use tape i use reflective tacks and put them near the ground the tape is an eye sore just like big wooden stands

[Doc]

To me, if you cannot find your way through the woods without polluting the place with tape, maybe you really shouldn't be there. Down our way, the mountain bikers can't seem to follow a rutted up dirt trail without painting trees all the way along with some nice bright paint. Perhaps they should take a long a guide as well .... lol. It seems that everyone needs some sort of visual pollution as soon as they step away from the highway.

[RTGobbler]

I have no issue with the tape that people use for tracking or wind detection as long as it is removed. I think those are great reasons. Tracking is one of the reasons I don’t take down tape that is brand new.

 

 

[Jeremy K]

Last time I used tape in the woods was on private property so my brother could figure out where I put his tree stand.

[jjb4900]

I like to collect those cat's eye things and orange flagging tape, I have a whole box full. 

[kzcycle]

Anybody try that clear reflective paint from buck bomb? I haven't seen it in stores anyway, but wonder if the odor from the paint would be an issue?

[nycredneck]

I remove the old stuff as well, it crumbles when touched and I have to bend down and pick up all the pieces.

[Nomad]

What really spoils the wilderness to me is all those 11x11 orange or yellow signs people nail or staple to trees,I rip all of those things down.

[DirtTime]

When I used to hunt the Charleston State Forest, the Hughes Road area was full of this stuff. Let it be! You have no legal right to remove this tape. I get the point, and I hate seeing it too. But, out of respect to other hunters, I would have never removed it.

[RTGobbler]

I disagree Rob. How do they have a right to hang it? What is the difference between leaving this plastic tape out there and leaving a zip lock out there?

To me either way it is picking up litter.

[Doc]

When I used to hunt the Charleston State Forest, the Hughes Road area was full of this stuff. Let it be! You have no legal right to remove this tape. I get the point, and I hate seeing it too. But, out of respect to other hunters, I would have never removed it.

It is littering, plain and simple. And every bit of it that I run across gets removed and properly disposed of. It's no different than when I come across beer cans, or sandwich baggies, candy wrappers or any other kind of litter.

[Elmo]

I never use tape because 1. I think it's an eye sore. 2. I never needed it. 3. I don't want other hunters to see my spots. Even if I were to use them, I would definitely remove mine when the season is over. But as much as they annoy me (and believe me, I've thought of not just removing them but placing them in odd locations just to mess with the guy) I leave them alone.

I never thought about removing the super old ones. That's a good idea.

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[BizCT]

I never use tape because 1. I think it's an eye sore. 2. I never needed it. 3. I don't want other hunters to see my spots. Even if I were to use them, I would definitely remove mine when the season is over. But as much as they annoy me (and believe me, I've thought of not just removing them but placing them in odd locations just to mess with the guy) I leave them alone.

I never thought about removing the super old ones. That's a good idea.

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Pretty much the same as me. However I always carry the tape in my backpack. More so for when hunting out of state and incase I start tracking a wounded deer on land I'm not familiar with. I never used it, but it's piece of mind

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[PREDATE]

Damn! I knew I should've "freshened" up the tape I've marked my trapline with since 1988. I guess I just figured that by the time I'm dead & gone it would just dispose of itself and crumble to dust. Then when the kids in 2014 see a single roofing nail they ponder on why someone would've put it there. hmmm maybe they will be more interested in why certain trees have no bark on one side and some silly contraption chained to the base of said tree. lol:D

[jjb4900]

When I used to hunt the Charleston State Forest, the Hughes Road area was full of this stuff. Let it be! You have no legal right to remove this tape. I get the point, and I hate seeing it too. But, out of respect to other hunters, I would have never removed it.

what are the legal ramifications for removing it? I would think cleaning up the forest is better than hanging that crap and not removing it when you're done.