land owners and hunters
 

Just by good fortune, I just acquired an 80 acre farm to hunt this fall. Happened to be in the right place at the right time.

But this is not commonplace anymore. Landowners are becoming more and more reluctant to allow "strangers" to hunt on their land. IMO, this is due to a "get rich quick" society, that will hire a lawyer and sue anyone at anytime, for anyreason. There are several other reasons of course, but this is the one that I think is the biggest.

just wondering what you all think, why do you think it is such a challenge to secure hunting land?

RE: land owners and hunters
 

Personally If I don't know a person I don't want them on my property with a weapon. It's 2004 and the world has changed a lot in the past 25 years. I think people probably feel they are opening the door so to speak if they let strangers roam the woods. It's just much easier to say no and be immuned. IMHO

RE: land owners and hunters
 

I know most places I have been turned down have had bad experiances with "so called hunters". The reasons given vary. Some say they have had pets shot by the hunter, others find trash or gates left open, and told once that game was shot but not recovered. There are to many "so called hunters" still out there given us all a bad rap.

RE: land owners and hunters
 

Offer to sign a lease with them that has all thier concerns listed therein and if there is fault in the lease it will be null and void. Also have it state you have exclusive hunting rights and he is to allow no one else on the property.

RE: land owners and hunters
 

I had no problem getting permission to hunt this fall in Pa. I drove around and asked 4 farms If I could hunt. 3 of them said no problem. In ohio where I live I got permission off of 6 farms by just asking.

RE: land owners and hunters
 

I dont think non-landowners are going to like what im going to say, but on the 1500 total acres we own in two states there are only a handful of people we let hunt our land that are not family. They have to be close friends hunting with us or they're very very close friends whom we put all our trust in. One bowhunter hunts our 640 in Iowa, but he brought a few friends in to hunt with him, but this year thats gonna stop. My uncle lets him, but we disagree with that. Also,thers a group that hunts it second season shotgun on and off through that season. other than that, the only people who go in are tresspassers which we have a huge problem with. We don't plan on letting anyone in unless we're getting paid a good amount of money or we're really tight with them because we're just trying to protect our land. Theres maybe a handful of private properties of its kinda left in this area. Worth a couple million just for the land, not counting all the timber on it. Nobody hunts our 750 in Wisconsin that doesnt hunt with us. It's easier to control tresspassing there because the guy that farms it lives on the buildings and farm we sold him right in the middle of the property. But if i was the sole landowner and had my full say in it, nobody but me and my family and close friends would hunt it. Simply can't trust alot of people because there are too many people that are going to trash the place and not follow the rules. sorry to you other fine folks that are true hunters and respect the land, but there are too many jerks out there to trust people using some of the best hunting ground in the midwest.

slayer

RE: land owners and hunters
 

I thought it was going to be....in fact I'm still embarassed to ask landowners. I have a rejection issue.:(

But, with that said I'm in good shape. I've got more land than I can hunt. In fact there is a farm I have permission to hunt that I never even set foot on last season. I just didn't have time.

2 successes out of 2 asks, and I now have a total of 3 private properties I can hunt. 2 I asked for permission and it was granted. In fact, it was more than granted....I have been welcomed with open arms. 3rd property is a friend of ours.....don't even have to ask on that one anymore. As long as he owns it we hunt it. If anybody else asks him he sends them to ask us. He's a great guy and asks NOTHING in return. Just that we keep the deer population down and preserve his property like we found it. Glad to do both.

RE: land owners and hunters
 

I have always offered to help out fixing and cleaning up a piece of property for a land owner in the off season in order to get to know the land owner.Once you get to know them and they trust you they just might let you hunt there.And if they do chances are you will know where the game is and where it goes.If by chance they don't let you hunt then at least you are getting in shape for hunting season.
Elkshed

RE: land owners and hunters
 

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.

RE: land owners and hunters
 

In many cases folks are scared to let people hunt their propert because of possible law suits, I actually have a 2 piece permission form I use when I ask permission to hunt, one part is for me giving me permission to hunt, the second part is a waiver where I agree to be solely responsible for anything that may happen to me or my vehicle on their property and I also accept full responsibility for any damage I may do to their property. This has gotten me permission to hunt on quite a few places over the years.