Should this be legal ?

[erussell]

Depends on where you are from. In the North it's not to popular yet. But in the south it is especially Lousiana and Alabama per my experiance. Most are placed on " green fields " or food plots or over bait on private leases or camps. I have been to some leases where you were required to sit in them and you had to sign in at the gate and hang your key on a stand location. You are not allowed to move from the location untill it got dark. If I remember right it's an Insurance thing. They don't want people walking around through the woods getting shot by other members. I personnally dont like it because I just fall asleep.

[arrow nocker]

I have one.Havnt used it in years.Lost permission on nieghbor tract so i am fixing mine up.I putting a plot in front of it.It will be my meat on my table.And a safe place ot take the kids hunting and watch deer.

I still love to hunt in the elements and search new land.I havnt hunted this in the past years cause i like to hunt "fair chase".I love venission tho.so i am going to fill my freezer with whatever lets me kill it outa it.

[chrismgon]

My opinion. It is a great way to see nature, for the whole family, yes. However, it should not be legal to hunt from. I should not even say 'hunt' from, I mean pull a trigger from. We are losing more and more hunters, and new hunters are not growing into better woodsman due to baiting and fences already. Add this to the equation and it just keeps going downhill for hunting. We do this for a few reasons. Not only because it is tradition, in our blood, and we want to eat real natural meat, but also because we enjoy being in the mountains/fields/forests, closer to nature don't we? We are a different breed aren't we? We are hunters. Onwards and upwards. Learn skills, defy odds, and have pride and respect for your quarry. That is my belief and hope to pass it down someday.

[sg0331]

Get the hell over it.... If you cannot afford it do not complain about it. I have friends who have built many of these on their land and spend 1 or 2 days out there with their children. All of you who oppose the idea, then get your ass out of your tree stand and hunt on the ground. then you will have more reasons to blame for your lack of skill....oppps my bad I meant to say your lack of luck. If you are not seeing deer, you might be doing something wrong, but probably not. it has to be someone else's fault. Tree blinds and tree stands are the same.

[jr.deerslayer]

Should it be legal? Absolutely, I believe if you own land ,pay taxes and buy a license like everyone else, it shouldn't even be questioned. I have one and use it when its windy or freezing, I've also let relatives sit with their kids and they have come to love it. A few friends bring their kids as its the only place they feel safe with them. I really can't believe anyone would be against it unless their just jealous someone has the good fortune to access one and they don't. My only question is when am I going to build another, probable sooner than later.

[sg0331]

To those of you who are too lazy; here is my response and post....Well, I will try to post this wherever I can. I joined this forum to share stories and celebrate harvests with fellow hunters. Sadly to my dismay I was severely misinterpreted by the ideology of this website. Everywhere a hunter has attempted to post his/her success, there has been the usual suspects who attempt to assassinate their character based upon their success. I am not a professional hunter and I do not hunt for bone only. I hunt deer to feed my family period! A doe or 14 point buck will both feed my family. Unfortunately, many of the post here lead to a cock fight of mine is bigger than yours, which is completely stupid. I shot a big buck this year and I will be going to many conventions and dinners because of the animal I shot. I know it will be a cock fest and I will probably not go because of that reason. I have come to learn that many of you hunters in New York State are some uppity self-bias bone chasers. GOD forbid someone harvest a deer larger that is larger than you may ever see. If they have, it does not mean the deer was illegally taken.

The amount of time you spend on this web-site leads me to believe you spend more time on this site then in the woods. Do not blame others for your shortcoming. Get your ass out into the woods and HUNT! Quit expecting the deer to owe your punk-ass something. They don’t, and every other hunter does not either. If you do not like it then change your game!!!!

[chrismgon]

You really make no sense, get yourself together.

The website is just a tool, it has no ideology. Each person has their own ideology. Respect others opinions as they have to read and respect yours. Just because people do not agree with you does not mean you have to go Postal lol.

[wdswtr]

I dont know about anyone else but I wouldnt want to go to a cock-fest convention.

[erussell]

I dont know about anyone else but I wouldnt want to go to a cock-fest convention.

lololol What do you mean chickens can be pretty usefull around the house.

[RobC]

Man I was all excited when I got a new treestand that had a padded seat!

[Dad 6424]

The point is some do and some dont . It dosent make you a bad hunter .I have froze my a$$ off and got soaked to the bone for a stupid deer !!! I am one that will use every thing I can in the bag of tricks that is legal . THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TRICKS you have to out smart and out last them ..........

[Doc]

I have seen a lot of days when it would have been darned nice to have one of those. What the heck, it is just a more exotic treestand. I don't think anyone in one of these sophisticated treestands has any less of a fairchase hunt than someone in a conventional treestand. So on what basis would you make these illegal that wouldn't also apply to any standard treestand? With my luck, I would erect one of these and a deer would never come anywhere near there again. The fact is that standard treestands blend in far better and take better advantage of the surprise, hidden elevated position than one of these barn-on-stilts stands. So what's the problem?

[phade]

As mentioned these are growing in use up here and are popular in the south.

I've seen the benefit of these first hand between the young and old. Most people I know who do have these (and don't have 3k into them or contract the building of them) use them in what I bet most people would agree is ethical. It's often used for kids, elderly, as the "lunch" spot, or as a respite from the elements on an as needed basis.

Most of the time up here, I see people use them in late season over a brassica plot or something similar. I don't see too many people bowhunting from them.

I've sat in all day soakers (where the rain gear gets compromised) and wished I had something like this just to DRY off for lunch. When hunting on a place that has one of these, it's a relief. I'm not so hot on the tv, cooking stoves, etc. but that's a personal decision imo.

[tughillhunter]

I built an enclosed elevated hut 3 years ago. Its pretty nice to take the little ones in, they can be out of the rain if they come in the woods with me if they can let go of their nintendo ds for a few hours. I do have a buddy heater in it. my avatar is taken out of it. In the summer, the kids use it for a tree fort. i dont use it all that much, maybe a total of a week all together. I have 6 other stands to hunt from.(regular) i also carpeted it just for noise reduction.(old driving range carpet) and the siding is off a barn that collapsed on the farm.

[RobC]

electric should definitely be a no no. other then that I'd hunt out of it during nasty weather. that's my two cents. take em or throw them in the wishing well.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I dont see a problem with them at all. If someone wants to sit and relax in one, then by all means, go for it. There are days when I wish I had a nice box blind to sit in, and maybe a little buddy heater in it. You know, the days when its 20 degrees and windy. Id rather be sitting in one of those than on my couch at home.

BTW, it is 100% perfectly legal to shoot a deer out of the window of your home as long as you are 500 feet from other dwellings.

[Doc]

BTW, it is 100% perfectly legal to shoot a deer out of the window of your home as long as you are 500 feet from other dwellings.

I could have done that this afternoon. It would have been about a 45 yard shot. However, I am now at the point where I have all the venison that the two of us need. Later on in the week I may try to fill a permit just because I am ready to get back out again. My Mother could use the venison.

But anyway, your comment about the legality of shooting from the house is right on. Maybe if I had the shotgun handy, I would have done it today. I used to feel a bit bad about shooting semi-tame deer that we have been watching feeding in the front yard. But after a few of my pine trees were killed and I lost a few fruit trees, that isn't a problem anymore ... lol.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

We have 3 built box blinds on our lease. I had a few buddies hunting the mid week of Thanksgiving when all the rain hit. I was able to stay dry and sit all day long. I have spent days like that in a tree stand and is sucks the fun right out of it for me. If I can stay out there all day i feel like my chances go up. (Dad's is the only one with a heater)...this year anyway...lol

[132 eight pointer]

This has been an enlightening thread for me.I learned some interesting facts. I appreciate everyone's opinion on this topic. I have to admit my opinion on these tree condos has changed somewhat. I understand that many people might benefit from one of these structures . Still not for me and I am in no way envious of having one but I am glad that almost everyone on this thread gave opinions without trying to change others beliefs.

[dave6x6]

Pretty surprising how quickly some are willing to just give up their freedoms. I realize some have different hunting styles and would not find this set-up enjoyable but maybe we should save our bannings for more critical issues. By the way, this is only one of 18 set-ups on this property and shooting deer out of it is really a secondary benifit.

[phade]

Good wrap up to this 132.

The other thing that caught my eye in the article was one of the guys is using the houses to sponsor some mz hunts for vets that are injured.

[Doewhacker]

.

BTW, it is 100% perfectly legal to shoot a deer out of the window of your home as long as you are 500 feet from other dwellings.

And you can be 500ft or less as long as you have permision from your neighbor.

I dont have a set up like those but dangit I wish I did, I could nap and cook lunch and nap some more with out freezing to death.

Dave6x6, I will need the GPS coodinates of that place so I can inspect it for proper safety measure, it will take all day and no one needs bother me. I will start at 530am Saturday.

Any of you opposers ever hunted when its -21 windchill? I have and it was terrible, but I did get a deer that day.

[nyantler]

I think I would join my buddies for day in one of these condos just to spend some time with friends.. I wouldn't bring a weapon and would never plan on kiling anything out of it myself... I would leave that to any friend that thought he would get a rise out of doing so... I wouldn't help him gut or drag though.. I wouldn't want to change out of my slippers and put on my boots... well, ok maybe if the movie was over that I was watching..

[nyantler]

And you can be 500ft or less as long as you have permision from your neighbor.

I dont have a set up like those but dangit I wish I did, I could nap and cook lunch and nap some more with out freezing to death.

Dave6x6, I will need the GPS coodinates of that place so I can inspect it for proper safety measure, it will take all day and no one needs bother me. I will start at 530am Saturday.

Any of you opposers ever hunted when its -21 windchill? I have and it was terrible, but I did get a deer that day.

Then it wasn't so terrible now was it??..lol

[Doewhacker]

Then it wasn't so terrible now was it??..lol

ah the worst part was trying to get dressed in the morning out of the trunk, couldnt feel my fingers and I couldnt figure out how we were going to wade across the creek that morning. Thankfully we decided to hit another spot instead, hell of a still hunt and stalk that day, in ski pants. lol I will never forget that one for sure.