HUNTRESS1007

I live in southern Wisconsin and I' d like to find a place to bowhunt near where I live so that I can hunt after work and on weekends this fall. My seasonal hunting ground is up north in Vilas county and I can' t go up there every weekend.
Does anyone have any expierence in approaching farmers and asking permission to hunt their land?
After reaching the area and obtaining the land owners name and number do you just go to the door or do you send a letter in advance stating when you' d be stopping by?

Huntress

St. Croix

The worst they can say is no, it never hurts to ask. It will be tough now, because the farmers will be in the fields during the day and in the barn in the evenings. Personally, I like to ask in the off season so they aren' t being bothered. Try stopping by on a rainy day. Good Luck

HUNTRESS1007

Have you ever asked a farmer for permission?

BowHuntingFool

I have posted on a site will trade farm or yard type work in exchange to hunt private land, and gotten lucky but the property is north 350 miles. I hunt alot on public property. There is alot of state land pretty close. I hunted just about 4 times a week this past season and its like 50 minutes to the North Kettle Moraine, I hunt alot around the Auburn Lake area. I got a few good spots for weekday hunting. I really didn' t see any other bowhunters early on in the season. Good Luck!

plaid dad

I live up here, what area do you hunt ?

Grew up in New Berlin, and did most of my bow hunting out in Waukesha county, used to just drive up and ask. Got more yes' es than I thought. I always made it clear," bow hunting only" .

This was over 20 years ago, so I don' t know how it is now.

Kyler

Getting permission in Waukesha county is pretty tough. You almost have to know someone with land. Or a friend connection with a land owner. A lot of times the old farmers in the area have horror stories about some guy they allowed to hunt 30 years ago and did something stupid to irritate them and ruined it for the rest of us. I have found that voluntering to help out around the house with yardwork and things of that nature as Bowhuntingfool suggested certainly helps. The only way you' ll know for sure is to ask. When granted permission, always make sure to repay the favor with a dinner gift cert or some nice gesture. Something so menial can really go a long way with a farmer who has allowed hunters before and never got anything more than thanks.....and sometimes...not even that. Good luck.

HUNTRESS1007

My boyfriends Uncle lives in Winchester on W. His uncle Jack owns land there. Sometimes we hunt off W on Consolidated Paper. Last year we did a little hunting in the State Forest around Mercer.
Sound familiar?
Did you ever do any drinking at " The Bear" before they shut down?

HUNTRESS1007

Ya, there' s always someone who screws things up for everyone else. My boyfriend and I just moved in April from Milwaukee to West Bend and I don' t know anybody. There' s been so many times when I' ve been driving in the country and wanted to stop and ask a farmer about hunting his land but I never did. I always got cold feet. I' d even be willing to give a farmer money or my first kill to hunt his land. Every year starting about now I get the fever and just want to get in the woods and scout around. Thanks for your email, I for sure have to start knocking on some doors!

HUNTRESS1007

Have you ever hunted South Kettle Moraine? I' ve been checking out the DNR web site for public hunting land and there is some spots worth checking out. Have you ever hunted in Jackson Marsh? A couple of guys where my boyfriend works in Grafton said that the deer hunting was ok but it was no longer any good for bird hunting.

RICHIE3

I have had great success asking to spring turkey hunt with a bow, just to get a foot in the door. Farmers, in my experience, tend to be less frightened of a bow being used on their property, than rifles or shotguns. It also gives them a sense of security that their livestock will not be accidentally shot. Find out the rules of the property up front. Also, inform them that you are the only one who would be hunting, and that in no way would you consider bringing someone else to the place. Even if you do not bowhunt turkeys, you will need to learn. This sets up a familiararity with the farmer, and lets him/her know how a respectable person you are. Your actions on their property speaks volumes about yourself, so be careful on how you treat a place! Bowhunting turkeys gets you on your way, and then after a year or two, move on to ask about other types of hunting. This system has worked wonders for me in the past.

Once you have established a relationship with the landowner, do not hesitate to help out around the place, free of charge. Herding cattle, mending fence, cutting thistles, ect., makes for very little effort on your part, and may secure the spot for you from other people asking.

A gift card from a retail store, Christmas cards, or something small like this also helps. I have obtained additional ground to hunt on, just by word of mouth, of how I have acted towards the original landowner. Also, giving up some or all of your bounty(venison, turkey breasts, ect.) to the landowner adds to the confidence that the landowner has about you.

I started out asking landowners on the off season(early summer) until I have permission to hunt. It was only 180 acres with very little timber, just a large draw down the middle of it. By doing these things I have mentioned, I now have over 1800 acreson four different farms, to myself or whomever I wish to bring with me, and it costs little of nothing. This has taken me 7 years to do, which is a very little time to wait for alot of property. All was done and obtained by word of mouth, one farmer telling the other that I am a decent person that plays by the rules of the property, and isn' t afraid to help out when needed.

Some venison here, a little elbow grease there, will go a long ways in obtaining your goal.