ruffryder1221

There are several good reasons for people to post their land. They might wanna know and choose who hunts it, they may wanna save it for themselves to hunt, maybe they just don't want anyone hunting it period. But while deer hunting this year, I came across a farmer who posted up every last acre of his land, and then charged a fee to anyone who asked to hunt it. I had permission to hunt land that bordered his on two sides. I only wanted his permission to pursue a deer if I chased it up and it crossed into his land. His counter offer was $150 per gun per day. Plus $3 a bird. I reminded him I was only hunting deer, and he countered with $5 a point.

I grew up on a small farm not far from there. We only posted the land bordering our farm or where we had cattle. Even then we let most people who asked hunt, and didn't ask for anything in return. A lot of the non-resident hunters would give my dad gifts in return. Deerskin gloves, case of beer, bottle of home-made redeye, strawberry jam. One guy from Idaho brought us a 50lb sack of potatoes every year. So I'm not saying we never took anything, but I wasn't gonna give that guy $150 just in case I chase up a deer.

I come to find out this guy has about 12,000 acres of land, spread around about 20 square miles, all posted up tighter than his daughter's chastity belt. Mostly harvested cropland mixed with countless sloughs, tree rows, rock piles, etc. Not a single fence, so he literally has a fence post every quarter mile with a sign on it. To protect his investment, him and his hired men take turns driving around all day to make sure only his customers are on his land. It must cost him thousands of dollars to do this, so he must get a lot of takers to make it pay. I will support a landowners right to do what he pleases with his land, but this kind of stuff really bothers me. Am I alone?