We had a bad experience on our duck lease last year and are starting over for 2015-16 with a different approach. I've done a bit of online homework and driving around since the end of last season to identify a number of properties (and their owners) in the area I want to be that could have some potential. I've never looked for a place to hunt this way, but would appreciate any tips. Some questions I have are:

1. Is it better to mail/leave a letter, or literally knock on the landowner's door (assuming they live on the property)?
2. Would most landowners in North TX expect me to offer a sum of money up front? Or do I just ask permission to hunt and see where it goes from there?

Thanks for any help.

I wish I had the nerve to do that so take this advise with a pound of salt.
Don't offer money to hunt the property, if the land owner wants money he'll ask for it. If no money is asked for, watch and see what they like anything from food to alcohol, be careful with the booze, may not handle it well. If they like ducks, leave them a few, CLEANED!!
Good luck and post pictures.

Thanks, Barny. I figure there will be a lot of No's and probably a few Hell No's but it only takes one Yes to make it all pay off. We'll see how it goes.

For every 10 doors I knock on I get about 6 yeses. I do live in a different area, but I bet you will have some success in yours. Land owners like to see the face of the person they let on their property. I have called a lot of landowners when trying to get permission to hunt a field late in the afternoon or if I don't know where they live (only that they own the field I want in) and have had much less success over the phone than face to face.

Good luck!

knocking is much more effective than a letter than letters or calls. I have found that success rates vary a lot based on the region you are looking in. Generally, the less hunting pressure in an area, the more open landowners are. It also helps a lot if you have a connection of some sort to the area.

I would recommend that you make your rounds well in advance of the season, and then follow up a week or two before opening day. Offer to take them if they don't duck hunt. I have had a couple landowners hunt with me in the past and really appreciate the "how to".

I did letter (flyer), told a little about myself, then followed up with a knock on the door. The flyer is handy, when you are out, talking to folks, networking, you can hand them the flyer, like a business card. Keep is short and sweet, or it will not be read. Also stop by local breakfast/dinner joints, and network, look for old dudes sitting by themselves. Had an old dude last year in a local restaurant offer his place to me to hunt, I was hunting public camping, getting a bite to eat, lost his dang phone number .

I have not looked in a long time, I been on my same lease 7 seasons now. We got a real good relationship, he would never let me hunt for free though, and I would not want it to be free either. He is well compensated I think, and I also drop food off for him, have done honey baked hams for him, prepared ducks, this year I'm going to drop him and his family off some Kuby's duck sausage, he is really looking forward to that, he just call me the other day and ask when I was going to drop that off. And it has kinda become tradition I give him a good half day labor during the off season, helping him fix stuff on the ranch, he likes everything I do for him, and never gets one peep of trouble from me. He used to charge me for bringing guests, last couple seasons he said I can bring guests for free, that's cool of him, give and take, but nothing is for free.

You may have someone offer their place to hunt for free, but long term free will not work. Plus when you pay, they have a higher tolerance for the "hassle factor", at some point you will do something they do not like, and if you been mooching off them with free hunts, piss them off once and you are history..

Like being said, knocking is your best option. As for payment, if they want it they will let you know. We always would get the landowners a turkey or ham around the holidays. I wouldn't go the alcohol route in my opinion because a lot of them don't drink and might take offense. As far as giving them cleaned birds, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask if they would like some but the response I typically received was that they thought I was crazy for hunting them in the first place, much less eating them. Also realize the\at they are giving you permission to DUCK hunt, and unless specified otherwise don't think you have the right to shoot the deer, turkey, pheasant that you might see on the property as well. Once you get one farmer on your side, they all typically fall into place and it becomes a lot easier.

Guy has really good advice here. It is really difficult to find a good place and when you do take care of it. Also know the harder you work to keep it, the more another will realize it is a commodity, the more they will try to one up your efforts to get themselves in there. It is the nature of the beast.

Knock knock knocking on farmers door......all together now.

nice dad joke, old man

Hangout at the feed store or coffee shop. I have met some of my best landowners/ farmers at the feed store or little jalisco tacoria. A little conversation about the weather/ cattle/ grain prices goes a long way.

Good luck to you.

Thanks, everyone. Great advice.

Come git you some ole son!

pow pow

I thought it was funny...

Here is some advice from a land owner

That farm or ranch is their back yard wether it's 100 acres or 10000 acres. Treat it like your lot in town. You wouldn't want your yard tore up if it rained and either will they. Walk if it's muddy don't drive off rode. And if it's real muddy don't tear up their road, if there is any doubt take the ankle express.
Don't build any blinds you can't take down when you leave. You might think a duck blind looks neat but I pr you a non duck hunting rancher won't.
Pick up your hulls and don't forget your wads. I lost a lease over wads all over the down wind side. We always pick them up now.

Good luck if you get access, and leave nothing but foot prints