Well - One needs to bear in mind that some crown land is leased to hunt camps. I'd think twice about occupying space in their lease area during deer season. Back to the OP, what would you do if the tables were reversed, and you showed up to find someone near your stand?[/QUOTE
I don't own a stand, but plan on buying one for next year. In choosing my stand, I am going to choose one that is light & easy enough to set up and tear down. Will I tear it down every night of hunt week, probably not. But knowing that if I did leave a stand up you bet your a$$ that I will be in that seat at least a 1/2 hr before sunrise.
No doubt that scouting an area before the hunt is a great idea. Those that do set up and leave tree stands up probably did do some scouting. But what about the guys that scouted that same area, & did not set up a tree stand, deciding to find a spot on the ground?
It has been great hearing all of the opinions on this. I have decided that in most cases, I will not be moving if a tree stand owner does show up with exceptions that I reserve to my personal discretion.