Gaining permission to hunt private

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Twenty Up
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Twenty Up » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:22 am

A lot of my buddies despise hunting public land to the point where they prefer going out and asking strangers for permission. I have casually asked several folks, offering services such as yard work, soil samples etc to no avail. It's not something I enjoy doing but driving 1hr + each way is getting old so a closer property sounds appealing.

It's a numbers game, ask a variety of land owners (farmers, older folks, young couple) and see what works. Knock on doors, mail letters, phone calls etc until someone bites.

Unfortunately the "pro" hunters paying extremely high prices to lease land has made "free" hunting land a thing of the past. Bartering services or stuff is your best bet if you don't want to pay money.. Even then it's difficult, we've asked around 20 landowners without any luck so far.


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Boogieman1
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:43 am

Boogieman1 wrote:Alright, I give u one that I used to do reg that is pretty effortless that actually has the folks call you. Wait until something comes on sale anything really. I liked shotguns, say wal mart had a sale on a shotgun reg $499 on sale until whenever for $129. I the place a add online Brand new never been fired still in box etc... Shotgun will trade for hunting permission for the upcoming season. When they call I look at property, if I like it, then I go buy the shotgun. If I don't like it or no one response I'm not out anything anyway


The point of the shotgun is to get you calls. You get calls from people who have land with deer on it. By them calling lets me know they are open minded about someone hunting it and not wanting a fortune. The deal does not have to be made on the shotgun once u have them on the line u can discuss anything u want. In my part of the country, this is called getting your foot in the door. Have a lot more success with this than banging on strangers doors.
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Bogle » Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:04 pm

I’m the opposite, I love making things happen and I love when people come to my house selling stuff trying to make things happen for themselves. Look for non farmer parcels since everyone is hitting up farmers. Have pre-printed permission slips with you, liability waivers and a contact sheet. Always leave them with a contact sheet and tell them to contact you if they change their mind or if they know anyone else that might let you hunt. Don’t beat around the bush, “match the hatch” with your presentation and always leave your three separate sheets with them regardless of the out come.

You know exactly what you’ll get if you don’t ask anyone.
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IkemanTx
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby IkemanTx » Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:23 pm

I have given up on gaining access here in Texas. Unless you have a longstanding friendship or family connection with someone, you won’t be getting permission.
Over the last 4 years, I have personally asked, sent letters, or called over 150 property owners and not gained a SINGLE yes.
Go where none other dare to go, and there you'll find success.
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Haus86 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:28 pm

There are a lot of generous people out there. I’ve made a lot of great relationships over the years that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m so thankful I came up with the balls to finally start asking. Some day I will pay it forward when I have my own farm.
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Jonny
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Jonny » Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:50 pm

I have access to private in central Wisconsin due to the owner being a very good friend. And that friendship was made by working my rear off. Don’t hunt there as much as I should. But again, this is somebody I have given the shirt off my back before. And he has done the same.

Also got access to private ground in Wyoming the same way. Work hard every day, and talk about your passions. Suddenly options arise with people you didn’t know had those things.

I will say if you want results. Go get them. Want private, start working for it. Just gotta figure out what that work is. Might be sweat, might be dollars.
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:34 pm

Depends on where you live. Where I live? I get 90% success getting permission. People thank me for asking. Midwest? Depends where you are. If you hunt states with 6-8 bowhunters per/sq mile, every door has been knocked on more than once. We only had to be right once. AND we became good friends with the people. And that friendships lead to other permission. Turned out to be a very good thing.

However, that was nearly 10yrs ago when we got permission in the midwest. Things definitely have not gotten better. The other problem with permission? You don't have any leverage or control. Public will always be there. No one can take it away. For the most part, no one can sell it.
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby hambone » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:53 am

This is all gonna be relative to where you live.... Gaining permission around here, by knocking on doors is no longer a viable way to get hunting permission. The big farms have all been leased up or sold off and broken up into smaller parcels, most of which has become recreational land. My main way to "recreate" is by hunting. Same as most of those small property owners and their extended families. I have lived in this area all of my life. I have no place to hunt, other than my own ...and public. When I was a kid, I could walk for miles on private property. I had permission on most of those places. The ones I didn't have permission on, did not care who hunted on them. There were only a couple of property owners who did not want you on their property, so we always made a wide berth around those places. Both of those property owners happened to be city people, btw. Times have changed. Up until 1993 I had too many places to hunt. Within 3 yrs I would be paying to hunt the last farm, I had permission on. I did that for 2 yrs, saw the writing on the wall, found 57 acres and have been making payments, trying to hold onto this place ever since. Today, mine, is the only private ground, I have permission to hunt. I have made this place into a Whitetail paradise, in that time, but something had been missing. The wanderlust. There is no way for me to legally fill that emptiness, but on public ground. Which is how I found Dan, stood in the shadows for a while, then finally joined this site. This site, btw, has the most well mannered, considerate and knowledgeable hunters of any site I have found, so far... You've read all the tips and tricks for gaining permission on private ground. So all that is left is checking names off the list. Good luck.
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby ihookem » Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:31 pm

I used to ask permission when I was a kid and also saw the writing on the wall. I saved a whopping $3,000 and got a 7.ac. parcel on the Flambeau River in Northern WIs. in 1989. Built a 24x24' cabin and have had it for almost 29 yrs. I have shot several deer on the 7 ac too. If ya walk straight west you will not find private land for 18 miles but all my hunting is inside 1 mile radius and it's almost all public. Then the deer numbers plummeted . I decided I can hunt public land within 10 mi. of my house or quit hunting altogether. It was tough but I did get 2 deer in the last 5 of hunting hard. I will never knock on a door again to hunt. I will offer to pay or buy more land myself. It is asking a lot for a stranger to offer something worth $1,000 per yr for free when he pays taxes to boot. I dont ask to help , wont ask and am happy on public and may very well get better every year I get to know a piece of public more every time I go out. I have however offered my cabin to a man I only met once cause he has a bear tag next year. I have also invited several , mostly relatives to use my cabin any time they want.
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Boogieman1
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:38 pm

I'm looking into a strategic time share cabin on a large wooded lot! Does a time share in Iowa come with a temporary resident tag? :shifty:
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Rob loper
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Rob loper » Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:39 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:Alright, I give u one that I used to do reg that is pretty effortless that actually has the folks call you. Wait until something comes on sale anything really. I liked shotguns, say wal mart had a sale on a shotgun reg $499 on sale until whenever for $129. I the place a add online Brand new never been fired still in box etc... Shotgun will trade for hunting permission for the upcoming season. When they call I look at property, if I like it, then I go buy the shotgun. If I don't like it or no one response I'm not out anything anyway



Hey preety good idea
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Bedbug » Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:41 pm

Jonny wrote:I have access to private in central Wisconsin due to the owner being a very good friend. And that friendship was made by working my rear off. Don’t hunt there as much as I should. But again, this is somebody I have given the shirt off my back before. And he has done the same.

Also got access to private ground in Wyoming the same way. Work hard every day, and talk about your passions. Suddenly options arise with people you didn’t know had those things.
I will say if you want results. Go get them. Want private, start working for it. Just gotta figure out what that work is. Might be sweat, might be dollars.


I can honestly say this has put me on more private parcels than I have physically reached out in attempt to put myself on.
Simply talking about your passions in front of people that you have legitimately earned respect from.
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Jonny
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Jan 23, 2018 3:42 pm

Bedbug wrote:
Jonny wrote:I have access to private in central Wisconsin due to the owner being a very good friend. And that friendship was made by working my rear off. Don’t hunt there as much as I should. But again, this is somebody I have given the shirt off my back before. And he has done the same.

Also got access to private ground in Wyoming the same way. Work hard every day, and talk about your passions. Suddenly options arise with people you didn’t know had those things.
I will say if you want results. Go get them. Want private, start working for it. Just gotta figure out what that work is. Might be sweat, might be dollars.


I can honestly say this has put me on more private parcels than I have physically reached out in attempt to put myself on.
Simply talking about your passions in front of people that you have legitimately earned respect from.


Yep. Asking up front makes you sound desperate and needy. Subtle hints makes it sound like it would be nice but you don’t have to have it. Plus a good friendship goes a long way, more than hunting.
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby alleyyooper » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:19 pm

There is a group of us who love to hunt coyotes and probably now spend more time and effort hunting them than any thing.
We all own our own hunting land, friend John owns the most and raises beef cattle. About 8 years ago he went to get some feed ground at the mill. While they were doing it he went to the common area where some farmers were talking about a coyote problem. John volunteered us to take care of the problem. Since that first farm 8 years ago we have gotten permission to coyote hunt 22 other farms by word of mouth. We have permission to small game and bird hunt 18 of those farms. We have permission to bow hunt deer on 4 farms and gun hunt on 1 so far.


When we get a call about a coyote problem we go to the farm as a group was only 4 of us then.) and introduce our selves, explain all of us may not show up to hunt the coyotes.
First thing we ask is where should we park to be out of your way?
Second question is can they/he show us all his property lines. Once that is out of the way we ask about where they see the coyotes come from and go to, that gives us an idea of where to start searching for where we will set up.


When we go to the farm to hunt we always park where they told us to, Wave or say hello to any one we see when we are getting ready to go to our set. Any gates we open we close behind us, we do not climb over a fence even if a coyote might make it thru one to another field before dying, we will walk several hundred yards to use a gate instead, once in a while if it is dry we will shimmy under a barb wire fence. Have always stopped when we leave and thank them for calling us to fix their coyote problem and how we did that day. let them know we may be back again even if we got a couple, have always been told we are welcome.
Never ran across a farmer that refused permission to hunt varmints unless some slobs made a mess before we got there.

So start with the varmints and work your way up to other game.

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Re: Gaining permission to hunt private

Unread postby Rich M » Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:30 am

As for varmits and such - what if you don't just shoot stuff for fun and only deer hunt...

This month's NRA hunting magazine has an article on making a 1-page hunter resume for trying to get entry to private land. I don't know if they include a picture on it, but it would be worth a try.

Why would this work? You put out a ton of information on 1 page in an easily read format. If you don't really want to read something, but it can be read in a quick glance, you will likely read it. The owners will read the hunter resume if it is done correctly. The first couple might impress someone enough to get permission if their kids, family, or longtime lease holders don't have the place tied up.


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