it is in my experience much easier for a land owner to trust someone who helps them or offers something that is over and above the call. i asked a guy who was a nit older if i coudl hunt his property and he was a little reluctant at first but after asking him if there was anything he needed help with around teh farm that i coudl do. he warmed up. i helped him fix teh door to the barn and a couple of things around the place, odds and ends. walked around teh property with him. stuff like that hell even his wife came ut and chatted with me when we were fixing the porch. they usually are genuinly great people. his wife told me ever since the family had mooved away hes had to do all the work. and he was getting ready to retire. after the off season he offered to show me the best spots to sit and asked me if i wanted his stand.

the popint is if you try to more than the guys who asked before, land owners are genuinly easy going. he told me the last guys that hunted there left beer bottles near the stands and crap laying around... its sad but he said i wa sthe only perosn that ever asked him if he woudl like any of what i harvested. make sure they knowthat you will levae their property CLEANER than what you found it, and that you will not Harvest any more than you can eat within the year. sometimes even a waiver stating that with yoru signature on it is MORE than enough.

Illinois has some tag that you sign and it waives all rights incase of injury, blah blah blah (insert lawyer stuff here) but i dont find that nesisary.