I recently got permission to hunt a 16 acre woodlot, but there is already a hunter established there. He has multiple stands, feeders and cams set up across the property. The deer herd is excellent here, so I won't necessarily be taking food off of his table. How should I go about introducing myself and letting the guy know that I'm not trying to ruin his hunting? I wouldn't mind offering to hunt obscure parts of the lot for a couple years or only hunting after he is done for the year. Private land is hard to come by out here, so I really want to make this work. Any suggestions?
that's a tough call. 16 acres is small enough that problems could easily occur. I'd say introducing yourself is a necessity. It could save you a lot of trouble on down the line. Up to you on how submissive you want to be, but observing the Golden Rule will be paramount.
Really depends on the brother Bow Hunter. From his POV you may stink up the place or you may be able to meet and visit with him to see if you can hunt off times or other areas. The two of you may be effective together but I would just see how you two hit it off. Good Luck, tough deal there.
I'd pass on it...honestly. We have similar situations here with neighbors property and we just simply stay out even though we have permission. Well go retrieve a deer or run and gun some gobblers if they aren't parked, but that's about it. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
I'd pass on it as well. Even if he is cool with it 16 acres is pretty darn small for one guy let alone two. You would each have to work together perfectly to not totally blow the deer off the spot altogether. Most small spots like that really can only support one well placed stand and from how you describe it he has pretty much claimed the whole piece by putting out a lot of stands. Keep your eyes and ears open and find another spot that can hold another guy. Good luck.
Honestly, I like to keep a minimum 1 hunter/10 acres ratio. And I mean minimum. I usually hunt public land so I'm used to getting crowded, but me and my partner try to "claim" a 40 acres parcel to ourselves and have multiple options to get away from intruders and play the wind as best we can.
I would also pass on it. Sometimes landowners (especially the non-hunters) give permission not realizing what they're actually doing. I've been offered small parcels before, as soon as they say someone is already hunting it, I say thanks anyways. Why would you call it "encroaching on somebody's turf"? Because that's exactly what it is.
I would have a talk with that guy. 16 acres isn't as small as people think sometimes so it can be hunted effectively with 2 people.
I would talk to the guy whos hunting it now. Whats the worst you dont hunt your already there now. You never know what he could say till you ask.
I would thank the landowner and then pass. 16 acres is small, it really too small for any type of consistent pressure and Unless its someone you know, and are willing to work together your wasting your time. Not to mention probably ruining another guys hunts as well.
Wow that's a tough one. In this day and age were its getting harder and harder to find a place to hunt its hard to turn down a spot. BUT I know how I would feel if I had been hunting a spot and somebody else started hunting it, especially something as small as 16 acres. But that guy doesn't own it, doesn't lease it and has no say in who can hunt. At the very least talk to the guy and see if something can be worked out. Offer to help anyway you can, either with stands or paying for feed in feeders etc. Anything to show you'll be respectful and helpful. You said hunting it after he's done for the year, that might be a option. Maybe you hunting week days only. If you cant come to an agreement I THINK I would just move on. If he doesn't want you there and is really upset about it, nothing good will come from you being there. Hunting is supposed to be fun.
I would beg to differ, before my uncle moved he had 7 acres, three of us hunted it well and bagged deer every year, not to mention it held many bucks over 130. We just each had our areas we stuck to. And it was nice to be able to alert someone of deer coming through Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Talk to him. Maybe hes looking for a hunting partner. Maybe he shoots something the first day and is out of there. You know what happens when you assume.
I disagree with people telling you to pass. We have 3 of us who hunt our 9 acres and it's not overcrowded at all. In fact, I see more deer when there are others out hunting with me. I would talk to him and find out which days he will be hunting and maybe even offer to help by chipping in on a bag of corn every once in a while or adding another camera to help him scout. You can either hunt the same days he does if he wants you to help push the deer or maybe agree to hunt different days. You may want to also ask if he has a target buck and tell him you'll let it pass if you see it. It's actually beneficial to have another person helping and hunting a well populated deer haven. There's no way I would pass on a healthy deer herd if the other person is willing to work with you. You will know right off the bat of introducing yourself if it's going to be a problem or not. You will be able to make a decision based on that and he has to remember, the owners gave you permission too so this isn't his decision - it's yours (and the owners).
Introduce yourself, let him know you also have permission. Discuss typical # of days you'd like to hunt and the days of the week you like to hunt. Get agreement on if you both should be hunting on the same day or not if not work out a schedule. If both hunting at the same time figure out how you won't be screwing each other up (e.g. text/email each other the night or week before so you avoid problems). Treat the other person as you'd want to be treated. Hope for the best, but have a plan B.
Maybe you both can't hunt the same days but I would think that 2 people could share a parcel that size if both had the same level of dedication.
Depending on the land owner maybe he can help introduce you two. If the landowner wouldn't be put off I would maybe have him let the other guy know he gave you permission and that you will be contacting him soon to talk about the setup. This will give the guy some time to cool off if he is upset also it carries more wieght if the landowner is delivering the news. Once you have met him I would find out how much he hunts and let him know how much you were thinking about hunting. and its just all about communication from there.
I'd probably pass, unless he only hunts a few days a year. With the feeders, cams, etc in place, that doesn't sound likely.
