I've got 2 spots that I hunt.....exclusively (meaning....I'm the ONLY person allowed to hunt there).

The first one was the hard one. It's directly adjacent to my land.....and it's only a 24 acre tract. The land owner is my neighbor....and a HUGE animal lover. We had a talk one day.....and I talked about how much I loved animals, too. I told him about my hunting past.....and then I just asked him. "Would you consider letting me hunt on your property?"

Here's the key to it......and I think you got some great advice before.....

I quickly chimed in with...."My son and I ONLY hunt bith bows and arrows". That makes it sound VERY tame.

He declined. But.....I thanked him for the conversation.....and I went back to my office and hand-wrote him a letter. I told him I appreciated our conversation.....and that it was nice to get to know my neighbor, better. I reiterated that my son and I are good stewards of the land we own (but he knows that)....and the land we hunt on.

4days later he comes to my houseto give me permission to hunt....w/ conditions (that I TOTALLY agreed to....and would have done, anyways). I cleared all the debris from his pasture fence this Winter......(although I wasn't asked to)......and this year I have 2 feeders up......and trail cams.....and a key to the gate of his property (His old home place). It's absolutley beautiful....and a deer corridor (175 acres of parks land behind us....that hunting is not allowed on).

The second piece of property is kinda like the first.....but 3 times as big.....and 30 minutes away. Again....I think the fact that I mention that I hunt with "bow and arrow"....makes it sound more appealing to these landowners (I just happen to be hunting on land that is owned by 2 VERY good men.....and 2 VERY picky land owners). They happen to have some NICE hunting land, though. ASK!

Jeff