Where can you get a tax map of your county (shows property sizes/lines and who owns them).

This would be a good way to find new areas to hunt?

In Missouri, you can find them at the County Courthouse...we call them plat books.

You can get them at the tax assessors office or your county clerk. And yes it's a great way to find hunting land. If I am driving around and see an area that looks deery, I go see the assessor and ask for the Platt book, which has all the properties listed, acreage etc. and the onwers name. Once you have that you can send a letter and ask if you could go see them and ask for pemission.

If you see the name and know them or know someone that does know them try to get an introduction. You don't have to ask right away, get to know them a little first. After they see you and find out who you are your chances are better (usually!) than if they are being asked by a stranger. If they say no, thank them anyway. Down the road they might change their mind.

If they are hesitant at first, casually roll the conversation over to the good side of deer hunting. Around here I have persuaded people to let me hunt because of the high incidence of Lyme disease and Erlichiosis, which is carried by the tick, lymnus Borealis. Most of the time they have had a relative or friend that has contracted one of these diseases, and when they find out that whitetails carry them, they are easily convinced they are doing a good thing. It usually goes from Poor Bambi to Kill Bambi pretty quick!