i am wanting to hunt a piece of land behind my house that has not been hunted in who knows how many years. The guy who owns the land lives a couple doors down from me. I have asked him previously(2 years ago) but with no success. But i think i am going to ask him again. He is an older gentleman, and has had feuds with my stepfather before; however, i do not believe that he should hold a grudge against me for something my stepfather has done and i think i can make that apparent to him. I plan on making guidelines for myself to follow while huntingto presnet to him when i go to ask him(i.e. how many deer, # of stands, distances allowed to shoot, baiting upon his request, and so on). I am going to try to be as professional with him as possible. Any other advice for me would be greatly appreciated for this spot should prove to be outstanding to hunt. Thanks and goodluck to any others trying to gain permission.

I would have your stuff ready but don't just whip it out right away.
Just talk to him and tell him you would really like to be able to hunt his land.
I wouldn't bring up your step father at all, that might remind him that he doesn't like him.

Catch him in town of guard and start a conversation with him. Get him comfortable and then ask him.

Good Luck

If he eats venison offer him the tenderloins....... they go a long way. I did that one year and the older gentleman (Mac)loved it, he said he couldn't take the tender' but another cut would do just fine. At 84 he didn't get many opportunities to hunt anymore but the taste is still the same.
Some people like a fine scotch too

Make sure to look presentable - don't wear dirty clothes or anything thatmakes you look "scruffy", put on a decent shirt and be as respectable as possible. Even if he says no, say something like "Thanks anyway sir", they remember things like that, it may help you in the future.

Offer sevices or goods. If they don't like deer meat, they may like morels next Spring? Or cleaning up downed trees on field edges. Something like that may work... Good luck.

I'm the guru of gaining permission man. Well, I'm pretty good at it anyways.
The key is to make freinds, but not suck up too much. Go ask the guy if he needs any help doing any chores. Bring the guy a cake or tenderloin, something, every now and then. Then just throw hints every now and then. Like, " I wonder how the hunting is back there" or something like that. You can't just go up to an older cat like that and ask, you have to prove yourself a decent guy with good morals first. I've got permission in the whole valley thru here where I live over the last 7 years, even from the hateful old guys people claimed never to let anyone hunt. If he has a grudge against someone, bring it up. Tell him you never got along with that guy either and you don't blame him for having the grudge. Somwe of them take longer to get thru to than others, but if you want it bad enuf, you can get to their good side. Work is the best way.

I have gained access to virtually every private ranch i have had the itching to hunt...Two tactics always work for me...

Offer to work: Mostly fencing is what does it out here (Western montana)...So, it is a modified way of paying for access...but guys who would flat turn you down, will change their attitude whe they realize you arent like all the tohers drooling over the elk on their property...

Learn what they need: One rancher used 5 gallon buckets as tool carriers and always had a shortage of them...I noticed them in the back of his truck, at the corner of each gate etc. etc. So, i asked him if he needed some, I was working at a palce that had a ton of them...He GLADLY accepted, and so i went to town (40 miles away) picked up a truck of them (literally 50-60) and gave them to him...never even addressed hunting but he knew I was an elk hunter...he brought up the topic...and then called several neighbors permission for me, and then he said, "and here is the best way to get to thsoe elk up there in my meadow"...at the end of this..I had permission to hunt well over 30,000acres, yes 30,000 acres of private non hunted land...all because of 5 gallon peanut Butter buckets that our busienss was throwing away...

most of these guys want to know you will care about their land as they do...have friends in eastern montana, that have gained access to hunt because they picked up trash in a farmers yard, or along their field...

be a 6'8" state trooper and wear your uniform. its working like magic for my buddy out in ohio - he's gotten 800 acres this week.

Well i know that the guy is big on not having people enter his property. he hates it when trespassers go onto his property. So i had the idea to place trespassing signs around the property, its not a very big piece of land so i dont think it wouldbe too hard, and im sure he would like that.