Asking permission to hunt

This goes out to all of those who have done it, but even if you haven't, I would like to hear what you have to say. When it comes to asking landowners for permission to hunt on their land, what is the best approach to it? Please share any experiences. If there are any landowners on here too, how would you hope for an encounter with a hunter asking for permission to play out?

never had good results, unless I know landowners neighbors.








hold on Newt, we got a runaway

I would think in this day and time with the cost of everything and the liability associated with owning land that it would be very hard to find a landowner that would let you hunt for free. Relatives and friends would be a different story maybe.

Just ask, its like cold calling expect to get shot down a bunch of times. Having an existing relationship of one form or another might go a long way. I would expect to offer some form of service or reimbursement.

I saw a guy watering his grass stopped and asked him if he knew of any land available to hunt around him. (I knew he had land from a friend of mine but no one knew if he would lease it and most people were afraid to ask because he wasn't supposed to be the nicest guy.) He told me he had some land but nobody had hunted on it fore 10 years and he had it leased for cattle but not hunting. I asked what it would cost if he was to lease it. He told me it would probably be out of my price range. I laughed and said you are probably right I better get on down the road, I got a bottle of Jack I'd like to twist the top off of. He got this big old grin on his face and asked "Why didn't you say so, earlier." Next thing you know I'm helping him move his sprinklers around while he's in the house putting ice in glasses. For the next 3 or 4 hours we were telling stories and talking about past lives. We went through the bottle of jack and my buddy had to come pick me up but I left out of there with a 1500 acre place to hunt in exchange for fixing fences and mowing now and then. Everytime I went though I took a bottle of Jack and left it at his house if he was home or not. Too bad he passed away. The family took over and ran us off.

Too much jack?

Sometimes you just gotta ask.

hook_n_line, I feel likes there's a lot more to gain then just a place to hunt. Good story, thanks for sharing.

Yep, sometimes you can make a great friend in the process. The owner's ( my friend's) wife would make suasage, patatoes and cabbage and a German Chocolate cake, for my birthday and send me home with the cake pan and tell me "make sure you bring that pan back." She left us a 2 years before he did. Almost 10 years with them and it was awesome! I was blessed to meet them.

RedChevy: You can never have too much Jack when in good company. It's all about knowing your limits.

It's like the good ol days of chasing girls in college... Never hesitate and the worst they can say is NO!
And the more you ask out the better your chances are of finding one that says YES!

Years ago it was quite common to get permission to hunt on someone's place. A polite knock on the door asking if they allowed hunting and if you could go out and promising to mind the gates etc... usually got an ok. Or a casual conversation in town and meeting the right people sure helped. But now a days it seems hard to even find the right person to ask and when you do find the right person it seems they have the place leased or don't allow anyone out because of fear of liabilities or someone in the past made them mad and messed things up for those to follow. But again it never hurts to be polite and simply ask if you can hunt. The worst anybody can say is "no". Even if they scream "get the F off my porch"!!! All they are really saying is "no"... kind of like the girls back in college!

It truly is a numbers game! and Jack and Jim are a few good friends

I guess it never hurts to blindly go asking, but as has already been mentioned, a bunch of people have been burned by being friendly only to have their land trashed or some sort of lawsuit filed.

In my opinion, your best bet is to make friends with someone that has land first, and once you've earned their trust, then ask if you can hunt.

Just be respectful and have some perks like picking up trash and keeping an eye on the place for him... The words yes sir and no sir will go further than you think... Oh and shut your phone off

I'll just say older men don't like words or phrases like, "Bro" "dude" and "hit me up"

haha

Call me what you want judgmental etc., but im not even close to older and that would be an instant deal killer.

agree!!!

being polite, good eye contact, firm handshake (but don't break their hand), being a good listener, showing respect goes a long ways too. And don't act like you know it all, that's a turn off to the older generation too.

I pretty much gave up on this years ago. I tried it a lot in high school and college but never had any luck, even with family friends or people I knew.

In Wisconsins hunters safety they used to cover this I looked online but could not find it (was 20 years ago). But Wisconsin DNR did have this link posted http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10913-197613--,00.html They also used to hand out cards you can get the landowner to sign.

IMO, the good old days of that are pretty much over. When I was a kid, we would do it and the trade was usually half the deer or fish, there was no real monetary value in the h60's really though. Even then, we only got permission from people that knew us kids,or our family, so past 10 miles, we usually where sol even then.

I think it's worth a shot, but I suspect LO's would be on guard in this day and time and may even find it suspicious IDK.

I guess I got it good up north. In WY, I have a couple neighbors that have approached me and asked to come hunt their place because they were sick of all the animals posting up in their pastures meant for cattle. And every time I would say thank you and don't mind if I do. Then proceed to take my hat off out of respect.

If the landowner doesn't make money off hunting then you have a very slim chance. Mainly because (as others have mentioned), of our sue happy culture.

If the landowner depends on hunting income, you have virtually no chance of hunting on a handshake. I mean think about it, if I walk up to you (off the street), and ask you for $1000 to $5000 of your next months salary... What are you gonna tell me? No matter how sweet I ask.

Friends and family are a different deal.

I would say it is a bit different in the Mountains, or some western states. I had friends with allot of land in Colorado that offered to let me hunt without me asking, never did though. They outfit in the fall as part of their income and I would have felt a bit guilty going for nothing, even if I put time in working the ranch. If they didn't outfit though, or where sure it wouldn't harm their paid hunts, I'd sure trade some work for a hunt, did that several times for metal work.

It's a great thing to have folks that will let you enjoy their land like that.

I would compare it to the band geek asking out the head cheerleader. This whole "I'll sue you because of blah blah" is truly getting out of control these days. Wish there was some way hunters as a whole, could gain back the trust of landowners and open up hunting opportunities for guys who can't afford overpriced leases. Until the, I'll just keep asking around with a smile on my face.

Oh, and it would help if TPWD would acquire some more land out here in west Texas.

Hunt several places for free. Be polite, offer help around the place, abd be ready to get told no.

The way I figure it is I ask 10 people, get told no 9 times, I have 1 place to hunt. Lots of times the ones that tell me no become coffee shop buddies and sometimes come around to giving me permission after I'm not a stranger.

I don't think I have ever gotten permission to hunt for free, at least not in Texas. Speaking of the mountain states out west, that's an entirely different ball game. Western land owners usually don't expect to be paid for hunting because hunters won't pay it. Even if their tag restricts them to one unit, they have thousands and thousands acres of public land to hunt. Most hunters in Utah have probably never heard of a deer lease.

Yep. It's not any fun paying but my brother has free hunting on two tracts of land (not in Texas). Unfortunately other guys have the same permissions on one of the tracts so it gets shot up pretty quick pretty fast.

Best thing to do is just have a nice conversation with them and don't jump straight in and ask to hunt.
I hunt a few properties 10 mins from my house I don't pay a dime for. All of them are covered with game including exotics

I like how everyone's results weren't overwhelmingly one sided. That leaves some fairly promising hope to all the door knockers out there. Does anyone know how to look up the owner of a piece of land you've scouted? i.e. a plat map.

You can typically go a county website and once you figure out the naming convention for a particular street (it may be very straight forward), you can pull up all the addresses for that road and play around with google maps to figure out which is the one you're interested in.

Anybody buy into this?
http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/android-app-subscription

As a landowner it is very hard to know who will care for your place and treat it the way you want it treated. Nobody comes up to you and says "I'm a jackwagon that will leave gates open, dump trash all over, shoot nubbin bucks, stay drunk all the time, and not help out a lick."

I find it is very hard to find people that fit what I see as good ranch friends. Everyone is ready to come out and get fed and shoot hogs, deer, exotics, turkey, whatever, without so much as filling a feeder. Hard to find someone who actually makes the commitment to help out and make the place better for hunting year round.

On that note, I am losing one of my best ranch friends I met on here for a while. Newt is heading to Florida for a bit, but I was glad to have him out there, and hope he comes back soon. I had major health problems this year, with an extended hospital stay, and it was good knowing I had newt and another friend looking out for the place. Its not always just about money, but on the other hand, don't expect me to spend my money keeping a place up so others can hunt for free.

I am taking the approach of finding a voluntary job on a farm with the possibility of maybe hunting on it. There's a lot that I could gain from that experience and so much to learn as far as the agricultural process goes. Plus I wouldn't mind making some life long friends along the way. If anybody around Lubbock needs help, I've got most weekends free.

I have asked two guys to hunt their land and in turn, I do some labor. Got an Ok from both. Yesterday removed some cattle panel's and filled a feeder! This is my second year, not to much labor at all!

First of all, the odds are not in your favor. Knowing that, an honest and sincere approach is the best. Your asking for something so it is best to offer something in return. Perhaps working around the property, helping move cattle, fixing fences....something that's meaningful to the land owner. Start out small. Ask for one hunt instead of long term hunting privileges. Show up alone and be willing to hunt alone. The thought of two strangers on my property versus becomes less desirable. Earn respect and become a value to the land owner. Be willing to give more than you get. Be modest and do not come off as a big time hunter.

Good luck.

My dad allowed a friend of his to bring his sons and hunt white tail on his farm outside Corsicana and they've gradually reached the point where they act like it's their place and don't follow the rules. My dad would have kicked my [censored] if I'd tried to pull some of the stuff they've done but he's 82 yo and I guess is willing to put up with the BS to have someone to visit with.

His invite turned into their full-time unpaid deer lease with a travel trailer parked on the place. They litter, drive over cultivated fields, and leave spent shell casings on the ground. The last straw was finding out recently that one of the fellas sons who is hunting (using a firearm) is a convicted felon. My old man gave them an inch, and the SOB's have taken advantage of a free place to hunt. I'm to the point where my brother and I are going to have a sit-down with pop's and try to set him straight.

I have the co, nm and Oklahoma chip.

No way would I let a convicted felon carry an illegal gun on my place. You need to help your dad understand the importance of not doing that.

Did it in June. Found a prairie dog town on private land. Went to the nearest house to the place and knocked on the door. Made sure I was viewable through the peephole and whomever answered the door could see my jands. Stepped as far away from the door as the portch would let me. Keep in mind I was way up in the panhandle where this house's nearest neighbor was ten miles away. Maam, sir, hat in hand. A grandmother answered the door, I told her what we were doing and she was very nice and told me to talk to her 80 year old dad across the road. Went over there and explained what we were doing. He knew the landowner, called them, explained a couple of prairie dog hunters were asking permission. While he was on the phone I said tell them we leave gates like we find them, we leave no trash behind, the only way you can tell we were there is a bunch of dead prairie dogs. Land owner said well if that's how yall operate, get after it! Said I'd check in again next year as we are here annually, and we'll make sure it's still ok.

Was a good town and we shot lots-o-rounds in it. Didn't damage anything or litter like we said we'd do.

I think a lot has to do with what area of the State you are asking in. I may be wrong, but if you tried it around here unless you had cash in hand you would be SOL. Doing a few odd jobs does not equal what people sell deer for. Not being negative just stating the facts.

This pissed me off just reading it. Good luck on talking to pops! I hope ya'll can get things settled.

Have a place to hunt dove, duck and fish just by knocking on a door. Its amazing how far common courtesy, manners and being polite will go sometimes. To some, its not about money or the worry of being sued; it's about conversation, friendships and taking the time to get to know someone. Hell, I've been told no before by some, but still had a great conversation which eventually led to them pointing me to their friends or neighbors. Even been told no but they thanked me for having the gumption to walk up to the door and ask. Its the trespassers and the people who have no respect for someone else's property that are ruining this type of deal.

^^That's right^^

I know its not the samething, but I knocked on several doors last week in S.Dakota and was very sucessfull in gaining access for Pdogs. As a land owner I try to us that in my favor while trying to connect with a rancher or farmer.

have gotten permission several places. a lot depends on area.

Agreed.

My old man is kind to a fault and would give someone the shirt off his back. But if it comes down to it, we're gonna get it straightened out ourselves with a friend who's also a LEO and has known my dad since we were kids.

While I agree with your theory...The flaw is...the ones that say yes, usually look like this


Or this...

This whole topic is the reason I have loved living in North Dakota. If the land isn't posted your legally allowed to hunt it. I still stop by and talk to the farmer but they usually never say no. Plus there is a ton of public hunting land and private lands listed for the public to hunt. You are never restricted to one piece of land. I have hunted around the entire state. It's awesome. I really miss Texas but the unrestricted hunting up here is heaven. When it comes time to get out of the AF deciding between moving back home or staying up north will be dam hard to do.

I just go down the local "watering hole" and make friends with the local farmers and when they tell me about the d@mn deer eating their peas, I volunteer my services!!! When I was younger, I just stopped by and visited with them a while, usually drinking coffee or something a little stronger, and then ask them!!! If they said no then I still made a friend and if they said yes, then I would do a little work to help them and even gave them some of the meat if I killed anything!!!

I got invited to go hunting in North Dakota in 2005 and it was awesome. There are tons of deer and very few people who hunt. The guy who let us hunt his properties made it sound as though they only hunt during the gun season which is or was 2 weeks a year back then but bow season starts in September and goes through December I think. The deer are tame compared to the deer here in Texas. We had an awesome trip and I killed what is still my biggest bow kill.

They have some huge deer here! Not to mention the world class waterfowl and pheasant hunting. Hell if you could take the worst shot and he could still limit out in an hour on ducks here. And don't even get me started on the badlands! Huge mule deer everywhere! That place is a bow hunters fantasy. Yeah it gets cold here, 40 below zero sucks! But it's a small price to pay for the sportsman heaven I live in.