# Tape theif at Redlands



## Badluck (Dec 25, 2007)

I was really curious why someone would go through the trouble of taking down 30 peieces of marking tape to a stand that was put up two weeks ago to get ready to hunt. As we scouted the area on Redland we tried to make sure we did to mark any areas that were already marked. 
We went back to check on the marked areas and someone had marked in behind one of the areas walking within 30 yard of what will be a person with a gun. The other area marked, I guess was in somebody's area. They took down every peice of marking tape for 100 yards. To bad for my 16 year old who scouted the area. I understand it is public land and you can go where you want to go , but I thought sportsman had sportmanship. 
I guess it every man for themselves now days. You accomplished what you wanted. We have moved as far away as possible, because my guess is these folks do not hunt safely either.  

I wish our country could get back to having respect for inviduals


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## 7Mag Hunter (Dec 25, 2007)

Well, it is public land, and the person probably thought no one
would be back....Any good spot you can find, other hunters can find
it too, maybe they found your spot by following your tape !!!!

I never use tape on public land just for that very reason....I use
bright eyes tacks about 8" to 10" off the ground...Difficult for
other hunters to see during the day, and when walking to your
stand in the AM, you don't have to shine your light all down thru
the woods....


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## matthewsman (Dec 25, 2007)

*?*

The other guy marking in didn't know if you had been there before and weren't coming back or if you were intending to come back in the future..He may have marked his way in to a tree that fit his stand or a site for a blind or something...

Dealing with other folks is part of the wma experience.It would be nice if you could hold an area with just the application of survey tape,but that's not how it works...I have found many good spots to deer hunt from flagging I found during turkey season left fron deer season.

I often pull down the flagging myself as it is an eyesore.Some area don't even allow it..


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## Dupree (Dec 25, 2007)

matthewsman said:


> I often pull down the flagging myself as it is an eyesore.



Same thing I do. I dont use flagging tape because I dont want someone following it and I dont like when the woods are full of bright colored flagging tape. Get a gps and eliminate all of that.


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## SELFBOW (Dec 25, 2007)

he probly thinks you were a slob by leaving it. the proper way nowadays is to use night eyes. I would pull tape as well.


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## sweatequity (Dec 25, 2007)

*get rid of the tape*

and buy you a cheap GPS.  You can't claim what is public.


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## Badluck (Dec 25, 2007)

Not claiming anything - Just curious why - Seems like the  answer is simple - don't mark  with tape  - thought I was being safer by letting someone know I was in an area. By the general concensus I would say I was wrong in marking.


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## SELFBOW (Dec 25, 2007)

by putting it up weeks in advance you are not really letting them know you are there. just that you have been there.


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## dutchman (Dec 26, 2007)

GPS units have eliminated the need for any type of trail marking (litter).


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## deadend (Dec 26, 2007)

I pull down tape on WMA's every time I see it.  I cannot ascertain when the tape was put there and it is nothing more than litter.  I pay for the WMA just like everyone else and hate seeing miles of tape spoiling the view.


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## stev (Dec 26, 2007)

geek ribbons .I to pull every piece i see .gps is a lot better anyhow.


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## rapid fire (Dec 26, 2007)

A good memory works too.  That even eliminates the need for a GPS.


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## pnome (Dec 26, 2007)

Just use your GPS.  Most GPS divices now a'days have tracking features.  No need to leave anything in the woods but your footprints.


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## Just 1 More (Dec 26, 2007)

Badluck said:


> because my guess is these folks do not hunt safely either.



Just gotta love the assumption


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## SuthernStix (Dec 26, 2007)

I too have come out of the woods with a pocket full of flags that I have taken down. The woods get run over with flags flying in the wind and it trashes up the woods in my opinion...Just be aware that the forestry commision has been marking a lot places with flags lately. They are marking places that have pine beetle infestations. And many times they will have a flag trail through the woods to the spot. They may not be too happy if they catch you taking down their markings. If you see any with info wrote on the flag I think I would leave it up.


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## diamondback (Dec 26, 2007)

looks bad to me too.Just as bad as dumping your trash in the woods.I got in a pretty heated debate on another thread because some one thinks cause they put up tape that they have claimed that spot and no body should come around.I think next year at chikasawhatchee I am gonna ride the roads the night before the hunt and pull all the tape I see and watch all the confusion the next day.I do the opposite ,I hide all my trails best I can ,use tacks,hide my entrance and even try not to leave footprints where I go in and out.I dont know who is responsible for pulling the tape after the season ,but I think it should be the GW.maybe when they get tired of it ,they will stop people from doing it.


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## Goose 15 (Dec 26, 2007)

If you use marking/survey tape,write the date you placed it,and the date you plan to be there.It takes a little extra time to do,but it let's people know it isn't left over "trash" from a previous hunt.And,of course,take it down when you leave.


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## sweatequity (Dec 26, 2007)

*I did that*

on the last state park hunt I was on and had 3 walk-bys, doesnt work forget the tape!


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## Allen Waters (Dec 26, 2007)

i have hunted redlands for years, just a tip don't use flagging tape or someone will most likley follow it to your spot. there are a couple areas i have been into before, where in the dark it looks like hartsfields runway from all the reflective pins, and then in the daylight flagging tape everywhere, if someone just leaves tape hanging, then another and another. well then the whole place looks like its fixin to be select cut. if i see flagging tape and it looks like its been up for a while i will pull it. i started using my gps to mark stand locations. then nobody knows my spots but me. flagging tape is very common on public land and there is no way of knowing if someone is still using it or not so unfortunately alot of people will ignore it and hunt where ever they want.  my rule of thumb is if your there first in the morning you get the spot, but even that don't always work. i have climbed a tree and sat for almost a hour in the dark only to find myself at first light starring a some guy in a tree 75 yards away. what da ya do


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## LAKOTA (Dec 27, 2007)

Every time I go into the woods on public land of any kind, I come back to the truck with pockets full of tape. I hate to see marking tape all over the woods. Who knows how long it's been hanging there.

I thought it stated somewhere in the regs that any type of marking or trailblazing (including tape, brighteyes, etc) was unlawful on any and all WMA's and NWR's?


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## carl fountain (Dec 27, 2007)

some yrs back i had flagged a area to hunt over in the penfield area.nf land.and i remove it when i'm thru hunting the area.normally 3-4 days.mine got removed by some antis. who didn't want hunters in the area.a yr. later area was turned into horseback trails and 4-wheelers.all the good areas i'd hunted were gone and some turned into camping areas,that i've never seen anyone use.


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## Badluck (Dec 28, 2007)

*Converted*

This has been a learning experience for me - I have always hunted on lease in Florida. This was my first experience on public land.


Thanks for all the beating( like momma would do)  - I have been convinced to drop the tape- As I walked the woods looking for a spots - I thought most of the same things that have been stated - I actually agree with the points made for not using tape and about making sure it will be taken down- What I currently have up will be taken down after the season is over. - Next year I will have a gps.

I also have hated what I have seen in the woods this year as it realates to liter - beer cans, water bottles, and trash. 

As I have read all the feed back, I have realized, that I am contributing to the thing I hate the most about outdoor sportsman and that is liter.

So maybe I need to say thanks to the guy that took down the tape, because I would not have started this journey otherwise..

Thanks to everyone  - 

Just to let you know - Both days I went in,  I went to the wrong tree anyway. The flag color I chose did not work well with my flashlight   - could not even find most of it in the dark - 

Laughs on me


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## 7Mag Hunter (Dec 28, 2007)

We have all "been there done that" as far as the flagging issue....
Did not mean to sound critical to your post....

I tried to be different one time and use a different color flag, so
I could distinguish "my" flags from everyone elses' flags in the
woods....I choose blue...Blue does NOT show up in night time
flash lights !!!!!  Oh well !!!!!

Switched to bright eye tacks, then GPS, but still use strategically
places tacks for the occasional public land hunt....My regular
"club" hunts, I can find my way without various "visual" aids....

Good luck ..


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## kvistads (Dec 30, 2007)

I think the DNR will also pull this tape from time to time.  It would be wise to learn how to use the old tried and tested instrument called a compass.  No batteries to go dead and no worries on finding available satellites.  Even pine needles will play tricks with those GPS units.  I know because I use them all the time in my occupation.  GPS units are nice but they ain't fool-proof.  I'd have a compass just for safety reasons for not getting lost if nothing else.  I always keep one around my neck, check it before walking into the woods and throughout my trip.  The compass is a whole lot cheaper too!


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## whitworth (Dec 30, 2007)

*The last I read*

there are no reserved seats in a WMA.  

Leaving tape on trees, always attracts hunters looking for a spot that day.  A tape area might get overhunted real quick.  One hunter might hunt on weekends; others in the same place during the week.  

Maybe the tape users should put up a sign-Great hunting stand -just follow the tape !


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## yellowhammer (Dec 30, 2007)

*marking tape*

I wish DNR would outlaw the stuff.Most hunters never take the tape back down and it`s an eyesore.Whatever happened to woodsmanship?I see tape down the middle of roads and trails,which is ridiculous.If you can`t stay on a road or trail in the dark,you have no biz being in the woods.Too many wimps in the woods these days.If you are in a place that all looks the same;ie,planted pines,hang something biodegradable.Even a small piece of toilet paper will be gone in a few days.


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## clent586 (Jan 1, 2008)

rapid fire said:


> A good memory works too.  That even eliminates the need for a GPS.



I agree with this quote 100%. However, I did get turned around in a palmetto bottom in Jasper County one day and followed someones tape out to a roadway! I loved it that day but it is an eye sore.


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## gadeerwoman (Jan 4, 2008)

I've pulled down a barrel full of flagging tape off Redlands before, some that had been there for years. So much of it around I'm surprised anyone could follow any trail. I'm another would like to see it made illegal to put flagging on WMA's and Natl Forest Lands. I've seen folks put up ladder stands on Redlands and then stick posted signs all around that stand for 100 yards..and No, it wasn't a little piece of private land in the middle...just someone wanting other folks to not hunt a spot. Sort of like 'open stand' clubs...every hunter paid the same for that WMA stamp so first on stand, first claimant.


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## kingfish (Jan 4, 2008)

3M # 03456C  Google it up, find out where the nearest dealer is, buy a couple of 2 1/4 inch rolls.  Take a scissors and cut the master roll into 5 sections.  A one inch strip wraps around the very end of a tree branch and lights up like the runway at Harstfield.  I have a hand held Garmin which is great, but on some cloudy days and in some thick areas, the cover won't allow the satellites to initialize.  Kingfish


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## ejs1980 (Jan 9, 2008)

You wrote that you went back to check places you had flagged. So many people flag four or five areas for hunting and expect everyone to stay out of an area until they get ready to hunt it. I love public land  but thats just what it is " public"


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## braintree (Jan 18, 2008)

I pull tape anytime i'm on a wma.  It's an eyesore and should be considered litter.  Get to now the wma or get a gps


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## Keith48 (Jan 19, 2008)

deadend said:


> I pull down tape on WMA's every time I see it.  I cannot ascertain when the tape was put there and it is nothing more than litter.  I pay for the WMA just like everyone else and hate seeing miles of tape spoiling the view.



Ditto here. We have had this conversation a few times over the years here at Woody's. It is nothing more than litter to me. I know it is not done with the intention of littering - the intentions are usually good. 

I love to enjoy the beauty of nature and there is nothing natural about marking tape all through the woods.


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## 3darcher (Jan 21, 2008)

Instead of getting hung up on this whole tape thing, we need to be addressing the hunters who use wmas and leave McDonalds bags and beer cans  scattered up and down the dirt roads. I see it every weekend at redlands.


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## braintree (Jan 21, 2008)

3darcher said:


> Instead of getting hung up on this whole tape thing, we need to be addressing the hunters who use wmas and leave McDonalds bags and beer cans  scattered up and down the dirt roads. I see it every weekend at redlands.



litter is litter, I try to make it a point to pick up any trash I see.


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## FerrisBueller (Jan 21, 2008)

Game Wardens should write citations to people who put up tape on WMAs and then leave it. If you put it up, take it out with you.


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## win280 (Jan 22, 2008)

It is not illegal to mark a trail with flagging.What is illegal is leaving the flagging after you finish hunting.(littering) If you take the flagging down on the last trip out, you dont have to worry about being a litterbug and someone else having to take down your trash.
I have hunted management areas for 20 years across georgia , and one thing I have found to be true is that there are responsible hunters with ethics and slob hunters who wants others to pay their way and do not want to do thir part in keeping our shrinking hunting opportunities clean and beautiful. This year I marked the tree I wanted to hunt with a 8 1/2 x 11 yellow paper inside a zip lock bag. Taped this to the tree. It stated "1 hunter hunting here Nov 10-17 2007.Hunters had to walk by me to get to other areas in the management area. I did not mind. missed an 8 pointer 5 minutes after 3 hunters walked by me@ 7;30 in the morning.


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## Ozzie (Jan 22, 2008)

My trick before I got a GPS unit: common, every day .99 cent a roll masking tape is luminescent under a flashlight beam, and virtually impossible to see during the daytime.  Plus it is biodegradible and will disappear after a few months.


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## Branchminnow (Jan 22, 2008)

matthewsman said:


> I often pull down the flagging myself as it is an eyesore.Some area don't even allow it..



Guilty


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## merc123 (Jan 22, 2008)

Redlands is terrible for the litter, bright eyes and tape markings.  I camp/hunt in a particular spot down there and let me tell you, it's like a trash dump down there!  

I was scouting around opening day of gun and found 2 bags of corn left about 150 yards from the camp site and a stick on target.  

I have learned NOT to follow any marking devices at redlands.  Now, everywhere else I hunt most people use bright eyes and if it's new to me I'll just follow them and hunt where they lead.


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## jcarter (Feb 2, 2008)

i pull down every piece of flagging tape i see. if you need flagging tape to find your spot you really have no business in the woods. i also dont like to see small pines broken as markers or knife slashes.


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Feb 2, 2008)

Me and my buddy marked an area withbright eyes the evening before we bow hunted an area. We walked in and when we got to my tree he kept on going to his, as it was 300yds past mine. I climbed up my tree fairly quickly and saw his flashlight walking in circles for 20 minutes. I sent him a text message asking him what the heck he was doing. He replied that there was bright eyes all over! I laughed my butt off! He eventually found the spot and even saw a spike not long after getting in the tree.


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## dorkmen (Feb 3, 2008)

I hunted the River Bend WMA quota hunt this year and I used tape with a specific patteren and the dates on it. Of course, I took them down when I left. 
I will be getting a cheap GPS for turkey season any suggestions?


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## SuthernStix (Feb 4, 2008)

I try to pick up any trash I see in the woods. Picked up 4 beer cans at one time this past season. I'll pick up cans bottles, tape, ballons etc. Then I was thinkin, whats the game warden gonna say if he catches me with 4 beer cans on me? If I can't convince him it wasn't me drinkin maybe at least he will let me off for not littering.


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