Why is it people have to mark up the woods everywhere they go with those stupid reflective thumb tacks. Yesterday while squirrel hunting I must've come across ten of them, and this was on a well worn trail that most other hunters use to ascend the first hill from the parking lot. I thought people all had GPS on their phones these days. A man must be pretty pathetic at finding his way, if he's got to leave a breadcrumb trail of tacks, placed every ten feet. I remove them whenever I see them. And that pink surveyor's tape too. All it does is trash up the woods.
Bright shiny thumb tacks all over the place....
Blue Bird
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Great points, also how many Trees do you see on State Forest Land that are spray painted in various colors
marked for future timbering.
Don't Worry, Be Happy.
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Nothing you can do on private land. Those tacks are damage as far as I am concerned, same as abandoned tree stands. That makes it trespassing even where there are no signs. If there is a chance they were placed by the property owner, yes you are right. I have been tempted to "rearrange" those tacks on occasion. Even take a leak under a trespassers tree stand.until I can yank it out.
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Who the heck wants to walk in to the woods following an arrow on a screen? Now that's woodsmanship. Most times you walk a trail in one direction and have to cut off in a different direction, get the landmark, and then turn this way. An arrow pointing to the spot the whole way ain't going to take you on the path you want to go typically. I used tacks when I was younger and a little less woods-savvy. I couldn't tell you that last time I used them but I still think they have a place. If you're in an area without much terrain or other easily identifiable markers, not near a trail, it can be pretty easy to get turned around. Especially say you find this good looking spot first time you scout it and there ain't many good trees to climb; trees you could get up but not trees you want to hunt out of, it makes sense to mark the tree. It takes time hunting and scouting some areas to really understand them. That said, I do agree they should be removed when no longer needed but i think it's unrealistic to think that will ever happen.
Phones don't work for squat. I tried that once and ended up walking through the thick stuff I was trying to catch deer coming out of. Well, I seen 7 in the dark but they were long gone til I found the dot on my phone. Then once you find the imaginary dot you have to actually find the tree.
I do think the majority of tacks are guys that really don't know what they're doing and probably will never go back to the spot after they tack it. And they tack every tree along the way. It's annoying, I remove rusted tacks, but I don't see the need for the oh-holy hunters to bash those that use them.
Also figure I should share a story about a guy I met in a bar with a limp. Said he got shot and we asked what war. Said he was walking in on opening day of rifle in the dark WITH a headlamp on. That's why I always try to be the first guy in during gun season.
Phones don't work for squat. I tried that once and ended up walking through the thick stuff I was trying to catch deer coming out of. Well, I seen 7 in the dark but they were long gone til I found the dot on my phone. Then once you find the imaginary dot you have to actually find the tree.
I do think the majority of tacks are guys that really don't know what they're doing and probably will never go back to the spot after they tack it. And they tack every tree along the way. It's annoying, I remove rusted tacks, but I don't see the need for the oh-holy hunters to bash those that use them.
Also figure I should share a story about a guy I met in a bar with a limp. Said he got shot and we asked what war. Said he was walking in on opening day of rifle in the dark WITH a headlamp on. That's why I always try to be the first guy in during gun season.
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We use tacks on our farm. Could I find most of the stands without them, of course. But, they do allow me to walk to the stands focusing on where I am stepping, moving limbs out of the way, etc. They also allow me to get to the stands much quieter than I might if I am going without them. They are a convenience. Plain and simple. And honestly, with my Streamlight green LED light, they don't shine very brightly. They are there to make my walk in easier.
I know this one is abandoned. I've been out squirrel hunting at this spot, three times in as many weeks, and its still in the same spot on the same tree, in the same position, and hasn't moved. Its on a leaning tree part way up the hill in a really crappy spot. it was as if the owner put it there because he didn't feel like carrying it in on the opener, but never seemed to come back for it. I certainly would not have picked the tree that its locked to to hunt out of. That leads me to believe somebody either forgot about it, or forgot where they put it.
Is the backtracker cheap, yes. Would I call it a piece of junk, No. It does work, but if the expectation is for a GPS to work everywhere all the time, then you're expecting much more than the unit was designed for. Most GPS units, even the high end ones, can and will fail in certain areas. Now will a Garmin out perform the little backtracker, I'm sure it will. It is of several orders of magnitude better technology. But does the backtracker work, yes it does. If you use it within its constraints, it will work and serve you well. But expecting any piece of technology to work 100% of the time is expecting too much. That is why pilots, with all the fancy gadgets we have now days, still are taught how to navigate with a map and compass, because even the extremely high end aviation GPS units can and do fail on a regular basis.
Now do guys with a good sense of direction and good woodsman skills need a GPS, probably not. I certainly don't need one, I've been hunting and have traveled dark woods for decades, and know how to use the land to help me navigate, but the little GPS is good for helping me get to my stand a little easier. And for a person with little to no woodsmanship skills, its probably a much better tool than using tacks.
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I hunted with a man who is passed away now, he used tacks. He couldn't figure out how to turn the ringer off on his phone so a gps wouldn't have helped him find his way as well as the tacks did. There is a place for tacks, I still have a box of his tacks at camp. You don't have to use them or to like them though, your choice.
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Yep, there is a place for tacks. For holding down carpets, sticking up notes on a bulletin board etc.:smile_big: Sticking them in trees, not so much.
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Hey, how about a bingo dauber filled with glow in the dark paint. You shine on it and the spot will glow for a few seconds, washes off within a few weeks. lasts longer than hunting season but not an eye sore for the whole year
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You don't own every tree there fella so your opinion doesn't apply to mine, thank you for your concern.
When I go in to the woods to hunt I want to make my trip in as easy and effortless as possible. If tacks, gps or e-bike helps me do that, then that's what I'm doing. Has nothing to do with laziness or not having good "woodsmanship" skills or whatever else someone might think. It has everything to do with enjoying my hunt the way I see fit.
That said, I do think you should remove everything you take in on public land at the end of the season.
That said, I do think you should remove everything you take in on public land at the end of the season.
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That ribbon IS biodegradable.....takes around 5 years or so usually when it's off the ground, but it doesn't last much longer than that after it falls to the ground. I hate the stuff too, but it has it's place....we should all be at least accurate about its properties.
You know, this is actually a really good idea. But instead of glow in the dark paint, why not that invisible ink. I have kids on my bus that have these pens that write in invisible ink that only shows up under a certain kind of light. They write all over each other with them. I'm sure the dauber with this kind of ink could work with say one of those blood lights. Not everybody has those, and only the person using it would see the marks. Of course once its commercialized and the entire woods is painted up with the stuff, we'll be right back to a similar thread such as this in the future.
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I've found ribbon much longer than 5 years ago that is still up today. The only reason I didn't pull it is because it was on private ground. When I say that its not biodegradable I mean it won't disintegrate within a couple years. I just think that it looks bad when you see it all over trees and laying all over the ground. Besides, within a couple of years of being out the stuff starts to fade and should be replaced anyway.
I do very well at finding my way around in the woods in the daylight or the dark. But I still put a few reflective tacks in the tree my stand is in. I do it because without the reflective tacks I have all too often walked past my stands while searching for them in the dark and then walked circles around the area searching for it while knowing it was nearby.
They aren’t always needed if the stand is along or near a well-defined spot but that simply isn’t always reality in the areas I hunt and I almost never hunt the same stand locations from one year to another.
Now I simply put a few reflective tacks all the way around the tree my stand is in so I can find it from any direction I might approach it. I also remove the tacks though when I remove the stand.
Dick Bodenhorn
They aren’t always needed if the stand is along or near a well-defined spot but that simply isn’t always reality in the areas I hunt and I almost never hunt the same stand locations from one year to another.
Now I simply put a few reflective tacks all the way around the tree my stand is in so I can find it from any direction I might approach it. I also remove the tacks though when I remove the stand.
Dick Bodenhorn
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I don't mind the tacks so much, but that ribbon...ugh! The one mountain I hunt, I swear the hunter(s) must have used 20 rolls of that ribbon! It looked like it was on every other tree. No, it was not for timbering, etc. I know the stands these guys hunt out of. They are from NJ and come up to this mountain every year. I swear, they must have no sense of direction in the woods. I think they used the ribbon to circle a path around the entire mountain.
Ribbon looks ugly in the woods. The tacks, you can't see them unless you walk right up to them or hit them with your light. You could walk all day without really noticing the tacks, but that ribbon....??
Ribbon looks ugly in the woods. The tacks, you can't see them unless you walk right up to them or hit them with your light. You could walk all day without really noticing the tacks, but that ribbon....??
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It appears woodsmenship is slipping into the past sadly another lost craft which should be basic hunting. It appears many hunters spent very little time in the woods. I wonder if that has any impact on why only 10+- have 90% of the success.
Did it slip away because we senior hunters for whatever reason did not pass on the basics of hunting emphasizing the importance, the rewards and just enjoying being in the woods or because hunting has become a lower priority for many and thus they put in very little time preparing for the hunt?
Marketing and hunting shows seem to imply, if we wear the right clothes, buy the latest products and put out enough attracting scents we are skilled hunters. How often does a TV hunting show teach the basics of scouting, hunting, where to hang a stand, what a White oak looks like or how to find your way around in the woods?
It appears now days many hunters want continued success with the littlest amount of effort possible. From what I read here many go into to the woods look around then hang or put up a stand and do not have the knowledge to find the stand one again. The one trip consist of their scouting preparation or someone else walks in hangs a stand then places tacks and/or ribbons so they can find a location they have never been before. (Then complain there are no deer????)
Perhaps I am a lone wolf because the more I put into my preparation the more enjoyment I get out of the hunt when success does come. There are a lot of things scouting and woodsmenship can tell a hunter but one must put in the shoe leather and time to put the pieces of the puzzle together. A tv show is not going to do that for us.
It seems if there was a test required to obtain a hunting license many would not be able to do very basic things as being able to identify trees from its bark or leaves or how to get around in the woods if they should venture over 200 yds. from the road.
Our ancestors as pioneers were able to find their way from the East Coast to the Pacific without one reflective tack or flashy colored ribbon.
To each their own, everyone has their own priorities, schedules etc. and I not suggesting how others should hunt; however, I believe many are missing out on getting the most out of a great sport.
Did it slip away because we senior hunters for whatever reason did not pass on the basics of hunting emphasizing the importance, the rewards and just enjoying being in the woods or because hunting has become a lower priority for many and thus they put in very little time preparing for the hunt?
Marketing and hunting shows seem to imply, if we wear the right clothes, buy the latest products and put out enough attracting scents we are skilled hunters. How often does a TV hunting show teach the basics of scouting, hunting, where to hang a stand, what a White oak looks like or how to find your way around in the woods?
It appears now days many hunters want continued success with the littlest amount of effort possible. From what I read here many go into to the woods look around then hang or put up a stand and do not have the knowledge to find the stand one again. The one trip consist of their scouting preparation or someone else walks in hangs a stand then places tacks and/or ribbons so they can find a location they have never been before. (Then complain there are no deer????)
Perhaps I am a lone wolf because the more I put into my preparation the more enjoyment I get out of the hunt when success does come. There are a lot of things scouting and woodsmenship can tell a hunter but one must put in the shoe leather and time to put the pieces of the puzzle together. A tv show is not going to do that for us.
It seems if there was a test required to obtain a hunting license many would not be able to do very basic things as being able to identify trees from its bark or leaves or how to get around in the woods if they should venture over 200 yds. from the road.
Our ancestors as pioneers were able to find their way from the East Coast to the Pacific without one reflective tack or flashy colored ribbon.
To each their own, everyone has their own priorities, schedules etc. and I not suggesting how others should hunt; however, I believe many are missing out on getting the most out of a great sport.
A lot of them died an agonizing death in their journey also.
Just because somebody wants to find their stand the easiest way possible doesn't mean they don't have the knowledge or "woodsmanship" to hunt or enjoy hunting. I actually enjoy the pre-season scouting as much or more than the actual hunt.
I think it is important for everyone to understand that there is a difference between getting to a stand in the dark via "woodsmanship" and getting to a stand very quietly leaving as little scent as possible via reflective tacks/prepared trails/etc.
For some sits, the approach is as important/more important as/than the wind direction. If a hunter is stomping around cracking sticks and fighting through brush because he wants to be Tommy Tough Guy and say he got to his stand without a light or without any type of aid, that is his choice....but he may cost himself an opportunity at a mature deer in the process of doing so.
That being said, I do not use many tacks where we hunt because we have roads and trails that aid in the approach to stands, but I do use some if I need to know where to make a crucial turn to have a safe and quiet approach to a stand.
As someone stated earlier about using other items to mark entry trails.....one year on private land, I marked where I needed to turn off the main trail with a fallen limb (to hit a smaller trail that I had carved out with my machete prior to the season to quietly approach the stand). When I arrived to the turn off, a trespasser had moved my marking limb. Shortly after missing the turn off, I came upon another land mark that triggered me to realize I had gone too far. I was able to back track and find the turn off without the aid, but it took a few extra minutes and I dragged my scent into areas that I did not need to. The "karma" came full circle a season later though.....when the guy got busted for baiting his tree stand with an apple pile about 15 paces from his tree.
For some sits, the approach is as important/more important as/than the wind direction. If a hunter is stomping around cracking sticks and fighting through brush because he wants to be Tommy Tough Guy and say he got to his stand without a light or without any type of aid, that is his choice....but he may cost himself an opportunity at a mature deer in the process of doing so.
That being said, I do not use many tacks where we hunt because we have roads and trails that aid in the approach to stands, but I do use some if I need to know where to make a crucial turn to have a safe and quiet approach to a stand.
As someone stated earlier about using other items to mark entry trails.....one year on private land, I marked where I needed to turn off the main trail with a fallen limb (to hit a smaller trail that I had carved out with my machete prior to the season to quietly approach the stand). When I arrived to the turn off, a trespasser had moved my marking limb. Shortly after missing the turn off, I came upon another land mark that triggered me to realize I had gone too far. I was able to back track and find the turn off without the aid, but it took a few extra minutes and I dragged my scent into areas that I did not need to. The "karma" came full circle a season later though.....when the guy got busted for baiting his tree stand with an apple pile about 15 paces from his tree.
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