iDoHunting.com: Accessing Private Land

Watching a pointing dog frozen like a statue, a flushing breed ripping through cattails like a kid digging to the bottom of their bag on Halloween night, nothing gets bird hunters’ blood pumping faster than great, hard working dogs. Getting dogs on pheasants is the owner’s job. Finding the right land to hunt can be as easy as opening an atlas and picking a public spot to go hunt OR as hard as knocking on a stranger’s house and asking for permission to hunt a farmer’s land. In this article, I am going to concentrate on how to ask for access to private land.

I spend countless days driving around the area that I bird hunt looking for great cover. Scouting with a map like the new Sportsman’s Connection Atlas is critical. I also carry Plat books for the same area. The Plat book will tell me who owns the land that I have interest in as well as the owner’s address and phone number. I do not like to call landowners; to me it is important to ask a landowner face to face.

Farmers are exceptionally busy in the fall harvesting crops and turning fields as well as getting ready for the long winters that we have. Plan your visits around their schedule, NOT yours. I try to contact landowners in early September as most are not working their fields yet and have some time to talk. I know that this is not always possible with long out of town trips. In those cases, I try to stop by a house at a reasonable hour and hardly ever with a truck full of guys all dressed in blaze orange. If the farmers are out in their fields when I show up, I will never ever walk out into the field and bother them as they are working. Under those circumstances, I will come back later when he is not busy if time allows.

When asking for permission you need to remember that you are asking a stranger to allow you and your hunting partners to walk around THEIR yard with a loaded gun. You need to sell yourself, your hunting ethics, your hunting partner’s ethics, and your beliefs on conservation, all in a matter of seconds. The first thing that I do is introduce myself. I then hand out a business card that has all of my pertinent information. I include my full name, home phone, cell phone, and my truck license plate number. Information is critical to build a trustworthy relationship with the owner or lessee. That information tells the landowner that I can be reached IF any problems occur while using his land or are found after we leave. I then ask if my hunting party can hunt birds on their land, some will say “Yes” and some will say “No”. If I get a “No” I thank them for their time and apologize for bothering them.

If I get a yes, I then ask where his land boundaries are and also if there are areas that I should stay out of. The reason that I ask the last question is most farmers that I know are hunters, and the last thing I want to do is wreck one of their prime hunting areas. I also ask if they have any livestock or other animals that we should watch out for. Some land owners like to chat so never be in a hurry to get out hunting. Take your time chat with them; the birds can and will wait. These conversations can strengthen your relationship with them. If the land that you are planning to hunt is not adjacent to the house ask the landowner to write a simple note stating that you have permission to hunt on that day. This can save some time in the field if you are questioned by someone for trespassing.

Please respect their land. Think of their land as your land and treat it as such if not better:
Try to leave only footprints not spent shells and garbage; try to pack out any garbage that you find; leave any gates that you find the same way that you found them; and use caution around livestock, domestic animals, and buildings.

When I am done hunting, I stop back and thank them for allowing me and my hunting partners to use their land. This also tells the farmer that I am finished hunting so he can let others hunt. I offer a cleaned bird or two; just remember that if you give a bird to the landowner it still is included in your daily bag limit. For owners that grant me permission to hunt their land for the season, I get gift certificates to local restaurants as a thank you. I also offer to help with any odd jobs that need to be done around the farm. I have heard of others sending thank you cards as well as Christmas cards, just another way to show their gratitude. I have one land owner that I bring a banana cream pie every year from the restaurant that I work at; he tries to blame me for getting him chunky. I tell him to grab a shotgun and hit the field with us as that will work off those calories. It is that kind of relationships that hunters and landowners need.

I will leave you with a quote that I read somewhere. I really wish that I could remember where as I would like to give them the credit that they deserve. This really hit home for me about the relationships between hunters and landowners:
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Trespassers are a public relations disaster for honest hunters. They convince landowners to close their property.

Taking the time to get proper permission, treating the land and game with respect, and showing gratitude towards the landowner can help to make sure your favorite piece of private land remains available you in the future.