Tips for asking for hunting permission
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I am not sure about you, but I am always looking for new properties to hunt or fish. Each spring there is a lull between hunting seasons and it's a great time to get out and knock on some doors. I always wonder how others go about gaining permission from landowners without opening their wallets.
What should you chat about?
Are there times you don't bother prospective property owners?
How do you pop the question?
What do you let them know you will or will not do?
If you get a "no," how do you proceed?
If you get a "yes," how do you proceed?
Then, how do you say thank you or follow-up with landowners?
No means no! Be honest.respectful.insurance for liability goes a long way.offer all you contact info so the land owner can reach you any time.always let the land owner know when your comeing and going.if they say no.its done move on dont hastle them as they talk to other land owners.farmers hate pests.lol
No means no! Be honest.respectful.insurance for liability goes a long way.offer all you contact info so the land owner can reach you any time.always let the land owner know when your comeing and going.if they say no.its done move on dont hastle them as they talk to other land owners.farmers hate pests.lol
Back when there were pheasants in Iowa i knocked on a few doors. If they say no respond sincerely with a thank you. I've had them change their mind as I walk away. Of course I have a nice rear end. But try that.
One tip that got my foot in the door was offering my time to help with chores, fixing fence, help during harvest, clearing brush, etc. If the farmer/rancher/landowner sees that you are willing to work, it may change his mind.
Many times the owner is older & his kids have all left so a little extra help in exchange for a hunting spot seems like fair trade to him, or for both parties for that matter.
Also, be sure to remember to share your harvest with them. Good luck!!
Meeting ranchers daughters in local bars and dance halls has worked for me a few times in the past, before I got married.
Probably too late for us for that now, eh?! ;P
When I had cute little kids (they are all big and ugly now)....I always took them to the door with me...hardly ever got a "No".....
Joe
Don't show up on opening day.
Dress business casual Nice pants and a nice shirt.
Take your child with you If you can. Farmers understand few parents today get their kids outside.
Make up a one sheet paper of your BIO.
Include emergency contact.
If they say they are worried about you getting hurt tell them you will sign a waiver of liability and buy insurance if necessary.
Good thread, Matt. Look for the old widowed women, they have the best property. Then be willing to take one for the team!
In all seriousness, I think Kelly's advice is spot on and kids do help. I have acquired several spots in Kansas just through keeping consistent contact with the landowners, offering to help and respecting their property. It has actuly turned into additional neighboring properties as well. That said, I had an "in" that gave me first crack and I made the most of it.
Kids really do help as well, that is if their not kicking yours or the landowners shin's.
be as polite as possible. eye contact & solid handshakes with introduction are good. get to the point they have shit to do. dont ask during calving,seeding, or harvest.
some land owners are jaded. bad experiences with other people. ive gotten onto a few pieces by explaining what i can offer to them. usually there worried about guys driving on,cutting fences & what not. i explain to them that d&r/fishcops/real cops, wont be there in season unless there called & that if i had permission it would be a responsible person on there land that could turn people away or phone enforcement. ive gained sole permission with that one on some amazing ground. just be ready to follow through if you make that deal.
go early, right after seeding is best if your in grain country. goodluck
I like to let landowners know who I am well before season. I visit new landowners with a package of venison in hand. I stopped by last year as one lady was out with her dogs. I got the down so the dogs could greet me properly. After several pats I thanked her for keeping her land open to hunting. It is as important to be invited back as it is to gain access in the first place. She and her husband invited me to hunt anytime. It is a good feeling.
Lou. from what I remember hearing, those didn't last long for you. When word got around it went the other way! :)
I'm so fortunate ! I've been hunting the same couple of properties free of charge (costs me some venison salami and steaks (pretty cheap) )for the last 30 years or so. And I can get there in 15 minutes from my house!
For me, it hasn't been about how to ask. It has been about listening. Let them talk. Especially if you are in an area that doesn't have much population. People just want to visit. Hunted with my brother and my buddy for a full day while we watched geese landing on the next field over. We then "listened" to an elderly lady talk for about 2 hours when we stopped to ask for permission on her land. We all chuckled after we drove away because our ears almost fell off, but she gave us permission to hunt.
As others have said, be polite. Thank them even when they say no. On more than one occasion, I have been turned down and then they change their mind as you let them talk. I have to let them talk because I don't have a nice rear end like Hawkarcher.
Never ask when the farmers is working in the field. He don't have time for you then.
Be willing to help, as there is always work.
Ask for your self and never ever take other guys with you, you can't give them permission.
Win or lose thanks them for their time.
honestly? I get to know them and wait til they offer
Offer to help in exchange for hunting. Emphasize you will only bowhunt. You will respect open and shut gates and only park in places that will not tear up the ground. You will not show up with "guests". At this time permission is for you alone.
Great thread. One thing I have been wondering about, what if they have a no trespassing sign on their driveway? Do you drive down anyway and ask, leave a note or don't bother?
I have access to 25,000 acres in Oregon. Elk and deer country that backs up to wilderness area. I go up and work for a week in exchange. Even getting to work on the property is a vacation to me. After work I can fish till dark, hunt sage rats or coyotes. I get to stay in one of the ranch homes, use quads if needed that are the ranches. Everytime I go there I have to pinch myself. Some people I have talked to seem to think trading labor to access private land is not worth it or not right. I just laugh.
Here's a deer I saw and traded labor to get to hunt him. I won.
I have permission to hunt more land than I can ever hunt. I even wrote and article for Bowhunt America on how to get permission. I am sure, many of these have been mentioned and this is by no means a complete list. Number one is the most important.
1-Do not ask during hunting season. Spring is the best time. (Just my opinion). 2-Dress well, not fancy but for sure, not in camo and have your vehicle moderately clean and neat. Be well groomed. 3-Start by introducing yourself and telling the L.O. a little about yourself, especially that you are bowhunter. 4-Never ask, "Can I hunt on your property." You are asking for a "no". I might phrase it, "I bet you have a problem with deer in your garden/field. Do you ever allow any hunting? Then, take it from there. 5- I always mention another piece of property I have permission to hunt and give the L.O. permission to call the owner and check me out. 6- I also always work into the conversation that I leave all gates as I find them, don't drive through fields and will not bring anyone with me. 7- If I get a no, 75% of the time I end up with permission. Here is how. I accept the "no" and say. "I sure understand but if you don't mind, I am going to call you again in a week or so, after you have had time to check me out and give it some thought. You just might change your mind and I would really like to keep you in deer meat. THEN SHAKE HANDS AND LEAVE. IN TWO WEEKS, CALL BACK. 8- Another trick is to send the reluctant L.O., a short note, saying you enjoyed meeting him and would like to call on him again in the future. 9-Finally and maybe this is the most important thing I do, I have with me, a standard letter of agreement spelling out just what I will and will not do and the same for the L.O. This serves two purposes. (1) It gives the L.O. a sense that you are serious and responsible and (2) When he signs it, you now have legal, written permission to be on the land.
Of course, I also cheat. I have been writing an outdoor column in this county for almost 40-years. I have people calling me, asking me to come hunt. So you might try writing an outdoor column. :)
Here is something I do not do and never will. I am not going to offer to trade work for permission to hunt. I am by far, too lazy to do that. Actually, in interviewing land owners, I learned that a large majority of them had burned by hunters with the "trade work" line.
Alot of good advice......last thing is don't get discouraged.
I average about 2-5% success in Ohio when I go door to door. Most allow hunting but simply have friends and family that already hunt it. Just keep at it!
That's a great post bowriter. Thanx for that.
Can't speak for the first time, but I have always made sure that what the landowner says goes, and I always put in some labor. If you can position a request as a "win-win", your odds go up. I always have an umbrella liability policy - one less landowner worry. I also have references. It almost goes without saying never ask right before or during hunting season. It's a challenge - keep your ears open.
I have always had the best of luck and given the best of permission if I offered work on his property or if the guy offered to help me on my property---
From Pheasant hunting with his son/daughter or chasing them dang elk---
Always be polite and honest----
Good luck, Robb
if I may clarify my post a bit (reading back over it, it sounds a bit "smart-alecky")
I have worked in a public contact job for 27 years, which puts me outside, every day, on farms, construction sites, recreational/hunting/fishing areas, campgrounds, WMA's etc.
I meet a wide range of people, farmers, loggers, developers, landowners, contractors, wildlife biologists, game conservation officers, fishermen, law enfocement officers, animal control officers, trappers, restaurant operators, and anything else you can think of. I love to hunt and fish, I love to talk, I love to talk about hunting and fishing.
People talk o me, and eventually some of them offer me permission to hunt and fish.
I have been very fortunate in this.
I realize most people have to work a little harder and put forth more effort to get permission, and my hat is off to you all.
Have fun, shoot straight, and be safe!
Cecil
if I may clarify my post a bit (reading back over it, it sounds a bit "smart-alecky")
I have worked in a public contact job for 27 years, which puts me outside, every day, on farms, construction sites, recreational/hunting/fishing areas, campgrounds, WMA's etc.
I meet a wide range of people, farmers, loggers, developers, landowners, contractors, wildlife biologists, game conservation officers, fishermen, law enforcement officers, animal control officers, trappers, restaurant operators, and anything else you can think of. I love to hunt and fish, I love to talk, I love to talk about hunting and fishing.
People talk to me, and eventually some of them offer me permission to hunt and fish.
I have been very fortunate in this.
I realize most people have to work a little harder and put forth more effort to get permission, and my hat is off to you all.
Have fun, shoot straight, and be safe!
Cecil
What Bowriter said, mostly. Most important for me has been to dress nice, drive my clean vehicle (yes I have washed my truck and shined rims just to get permission), and to shake hands and smile a lot. I always wait for a really nice day because I don't expect to be invited in and I want the landowner to come out on the porch so we can spend time talking. And I never go on Sundays. Now I have started to take one of my young sons.
For the most part I know the primo properties where I could be met at the door with a shotgun or where there is zero chance of a yes, so I don't bother with those. Other than that I probably get a yes 70% of the time.
On one property where I used to hunt, their attorney wanted a $2M liability insurance policy to cover the owners. I started searching and found a great option through OutdoorsInsurance.com. The policy met the requirements of their very meticulous attorney, and cost us .10 an acre per year.
My partner and I had to call ourselves a "hunting club" and give ourselves a name, then listed me and him as "club members" on the application. All on the up-and-up by the insurance company requirements.
For $250 a year we had the exclusive bowhunting on 2,500 acres.
Pick and choose your battles. If I know someone else hunts the property, especially bow-hunts, I usually won't ask. IMO, it really isn't right to try to take someone's spot, even if they have no specific right to the ground. I tend to think how I would feel if I had pretty exclusive hunting and someone else was always trying to barge in. If you know who hunts it and could work something out, or if the property is rather large, or if you know for sure they don't hunt it much at all, okay. Many on here probably won't agree with me on this, and that's ok.
Also, IMO a flashy shined-up vehicle in my area would be more of a turn off to the landowners. I could be wrong, but the folks here aren't the fancy type.
Don't be ugly. I think that's why it was difficult for me to get any permission slips signed.
One of my hunting buds is a child psychologist. It is surprising how many times he gets a yes where I've got no.
The only thing that sucks is that they start talking to him and it will be an hour before we can leave.
I am a rancher and an avid hunter so I am on both ends of the spectrum. Hunting on private land is a privilege and I have been taken advantage of more times than I can count. The biggest thing for me is courtesy. Is this person willing to park in a designated spot everytime and walk. Is this person bringing a whole truck load of people, or will he be true to his word and ask if someone else is coming with him. Do they realize that it isn't permission for life, will they be mad if they show up and I tell them no because me or my family is hunting that day or I have already granted someone else permission? These are just a few of the things that have happened, bullet holes in pivots, bullet holes in tractor fuel tanks and other mishaps. Things happen, honesty is always the best policy. I seldom turn down archery hunters. I had a rifle hunter who killed more deer on my place than I can count, one year I was hunting a particular buck and told him my island was off limits for the year and explained why. He was welcome to hunt other parts of my ranch and he threw a fit. He no longer hunts my property. I hunted my neighbors place for elk all my life and am about the only person who has kept permission for thirty five years. I park in the same spot when I go hunting, no driving. If I kill an elk I pack it to the truck on my back. No asking to go retrieve it!I call and if anyone else or family is hunting I don't go. This last year they leased it to an outfitter and I don't blame them, I thanked them for all the memories and am grateful for all the miles I put in chasing elk there! Treat landowners like you would like to be treated and it generally works out well. Try not to brown nose to much, just be honest and know the rules. If you are allowed to drive stay on the damn road.
I'm surprised that nobody has quoted the old saying "It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission" lol
Show up at the land owners door in full camo and face paint. Better yet a ghillie suit. It will demonstrate that you are serious about bow hunting and will make a great first impression....
Know some things about farming....and show up wearing some kind of Farm Hat! ... seed co. or grain or tractor type hats ..... be polite and GOOD LUCK!
I could write a book on this. I truly feel there are very few people who can get on property like I can. Serious, I don't know what it is, but I hardly ever get shot down. If I do, it's usually due to the fact it's leased. The only work I've done is branding cattle after I got to know the land owners. As far as Bio's, what the hell for? That sounds creepy.
Here are a few tried and true tips.
- Asking in the spring? Maybe, but to be honest, I've had great luck asking in November. In areas where you have to draw tags, asking in the spring doesn't make much sense. We have a split season, archery is closed late October thru the early November. This is a great time to ask. Same goes when hunting out of state, I might get one scouting trip in, but maybe not. More to that below.
- It's always best to catch them in the yard when they're outside.
- Never call if possible, never! It's too easy for them to say "No" over the phone.
- Don't always concentrate on the "target" if you see the neighboring land owner outside, that conversation is gold.
- Tractor and or truck parked in the field, that is money, I'm parking and walking right out there. It can be even better when it's the neighbor.
- If you show up out of state and start hunting public ground, but the plan is to get off it ASAP, head to the local gas station (you know the type you smell like fried chicken after 10 seconds in there). You will see a small group of old guys chatting. Those are rancher/farmers, strike up a conversation with those guys. You will be off that public soon. These guys know everyone in town. Have your PC with Google Maps ready.
- If possible, ask for permission away from SWA's. Many of those Land Owners get hit on more than a skinny chick in an Alabama night club. You're setting yourself up for failure.
- Posted driveway? I always park at the road and walk up. Always. The only drawback to this is "Dogs". Be careful, had one go right by me and bite my friend.
Funny LO incident. I knew an area that had some big mule deer on it. I pull up to the LO when he was by his mailbox in my brand new Toyota. Here comes the lab, he jumps up paws on my window and I'm petting him. A five minute conversation goes by, the LO is on the fence of letting me on suddenly the dog goes down the side of my new truck like finger nails on a chalkboard. LO, sure sure, let me know how you do! Those scratches still remind me of that rancher.
I introduce myself as a wildlife photographer and ask permission to go onto their land to take photos, after I've been there a few times and they get to know me - then I'll start talking about bowhunting and eventually ask permission. this gives me a chance to do some scouting and I do like taking photos of deer, turkeys and whatever else happens to be there.
Cazador, like you, I avoid the skinny chicks ;)
Fuzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Hold on! I carry a portable scale these days. It redlines at 135 but has an after midnight setting that can be set to accommodate 140 pounders but they better be 6 feet tall.
Life's too short to be seen with a fat girl!
Avoid NM with it's landowner permits. They don't need your pathetic poor self. They own the land AND the wildlife. Compliments of the State of New Mexico.
lol...just don't be seen ;)
Hey Lou, just wait until the farmer is out in the field, then show your x-ray to his wife - Permission Granted!
Lou and Aaron, you will have to tell me more about the strategies you are talking about. Not sure I understand how to do some of the things you are trying to describe or even what to say to the two of you. :)
It sounds like some of you have gained access to tremendous properties by just asking! Congrats to those of you that have had success getting permission to hunt and thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
I'm in Southern NY, so it's a bit different here. It's mostly suburbs of properties ranging from 5-100 acres. Lots of rich city folks who classically are not pro hunting. I like to use google earth and tax maps to find promising properties and then drive by and look for deer fencing, gardens and elaborate ornamental plantings. I just knock on the door and introduce myself. I ask to bow hunt and explain how I hunt and drop neighbors names if possible. Sometimes I get run off, sometimes get a no and often get permission. Usually if it's a no, it's because someone else hunts there. I've gotten entire neighborhoods over the course of a few years.
I always keep my ears open too. I gained permission onetime while standing on line at the gas station. A women was complaining about hitting a deer with her car. I struck up a conversation and ended up hunting her property. I often find a way to mention Bowhunting anytime I'm talking to someone who lives in the area. If they don't have property they might know someone who does.
My biggest tip is don't always focus on the best property. There is a horse farm in town that is a few hundred acres of the best whitetail habitat you could ask for. I gained permission through a friend to hike it. Really "shed hunt". But they are very anti hunting. No one can get on there and people try all the time. Next door there are 3 properties maybe 5 acres each and only half of that suitable for hunting. I was able to get permission on those places easily. One of the land owners is even friends with the horse farm and walks the trails a few times a week. If he knows I'm hunting, he'll often work his walk so he might bump deer down to me just before dark. Lol. These people are great and nobody thought to ask permission from them because they were so focused on the big property next door. We've killed dozens of does and some really great bucks there.
I guess it really amazes me how downright phony some people can be to get what they want, guess it just confirms what I suspected all along.
Snareman, that's a great point. It's too bad people like that are out there. Majority of people that I seem to run into love to stop by and hangout and have coffee or lunch with farmers and or the guys they hunt with year around. It's hard to make time for it as we grow older, get families, move around, etc., but for most of us it's about the friendships and memories we make with hunting buddies, farmers, and ranchers.
IAHUNTER, you are completely right about that, for most it is not just about hunting. It's like everything else in life, the bad ones always come to the top and mess it up for everyone else and then move on. I think it has gotten worse, we live in a world where everyone wants things handed to them right now, and then cry like a baby when it doesn't happen. I guess I just get disgusted when I see people willing to be someone there not and act like the phony people in Washington D.C. .