I'm just getting into bowhunting after years of thinking about it...which leads me to a small, but hopefully easily solved problem. I live in the Northern suburbs of Mpls./St. Paul. But, there are multiple farms 10 minutes up the road from me, and since my family's land is over 200 miles away, I'm thinking of talking to a few of the farmers/landowners to see if I can secure permission to hunt closer to home with the bow. It would be a nice deal to be able to jump in the truck on a given morning or afternoon and be in a stand in 30 minutes, either alone or with my step son in tow. If you had this chance, how would you approach the landowner? I've got some ideas in mind, like setting up rules (their rules. It is their land, after all) such as no bucks, no problem. Checking in & out, sharing meat, as little disturbance to the land as possible (i.e. minimal limb trimming, but no trees coming down, maybe doing some scouting for them while in the field, no extra guests, etc. A lot of which would be with the understanding that these farms are in the shotgun zone during firearms season, and I would assume that many if not all of them would be hunting the land themselves. I'm just looking for a place to be able to hunt that's close to home. So, how would/do/did you approach a situation like this? Just go door to door (after doing some arial scouting on Google Earth, etc.) and ask? Would you have a "contract" ready for both sides to sign and keep? (I plan on having something signed by both, just to make sure that there are no misunderstandings about the rules of the land). And, if you are a landowner/farmer, how would you react to someone coming to your door and talking to you about the possibility of using your property? What would you expect of them, and what could they expect of you, other than just allowing them access, which is more than enough, IMHO.
This is a problem for almost every hunter, unless they are lucky enough to own their own land. First, going door-to-door is not bad, but keep what time it is in mind. Don't go around dinner time or if you see the man is busy. As for the rules, that is something you need to talk about when you approach him, but I would not have something already drawn up. It is his land, I would make sure that you let him know that you are willing to play by his rules and let him decided what those rules are. If you want something in writing, write it down once he has established the rules. I would just let him know that you understand that it is his land and that you understand and are willing to play by his rules. Also, some farmers may not want to put something down in writing. That is getting pretty formal and that may not be their cup of tea. I would offer and see how he reacts, if he seems like he is not wanting to go that route, then don't push it. Be willing to offer to help out, I know a bunch of people have gained access by offering to do a little manual labor in return for access rights. Offering to help out around the farm goes a long way in building a relationship, which can only help with gaining access. Be sure to explain to the land owner exactly what you plan to do. For example, explain what you are wanting to hunt, what weapons you are wanting to use, when and how often you would want to hunt his ground. This way he knows up front what he is agreeing to. Good luck in your search!
Haveing your stepson go with you will not hurt, but I find landowners seem to listen alot more when I don't mention anything about gun hunting. Seeing I am just a bowhunter and they mostly gun hunt because most farmers are harvesting during bow season it seems to really help. Good luck what is the worst they can say but NO.. Walt PS. The earlier the better don't wait till last minute do it now.. Walt
k-buck, thanks for the tips on the putting it in writing. Hadn't thought of the formality of it, just the legality. Figured if it's in writing, then there can't be any questions. But it makes sense to me about the formality, and I'll go in with that in mind. Walt - I'm not going to be doing any gun hunting at all, the family land is where I do my gun hunting, and that's a tradition that I'll be keeping. This is going to be bow exclusively, so I'm hoping that will help. And that's one of the reasons I'm thinking about it now. So it's not last minute. Gives everyone time to think it over, gives me time to offer help when I can, and also to give me enough time to find a farmer that's willing, without saying "See you tomorrow"...
Slick, if you don't mind, let me know how you make out. I just recently moved and I maybe in the same position as you. I wouldn't mind hearing what worked for you.
Slick, one thing that I have done in the past that has worked well for me is to initially ask to hunt a species that isnt sought after nearly as much as deer are. Ask to hunt squirrels or crows or even shed antler hunt. A landowner is much more inclined to let you do one of these things than hunt deer right off the bat. (crow season is open in MN in March:d ) And that is your only goal, to get your foot in the door. Once you get in for a lesser species then you are able to show how you will respect his property, thank him with a gift or two, and offer to help him out if he needs it. This is your chance to make the impretion and if you do a good job and he likes you, then it is much easier to ask AND get permission to hunt the deer. Being around the metro like you are, I am willing to bet he gets asked about deer all the time and may or may not have had some sour encounters. Try getting in this way. I have had the contract/permission card/agreement thing back fire on me before because of the exact reason said above, it seems intimidating when they need to sign something. Good luck
That looks like a good plan. Let the land owner get to know you a bit before asking about whitetail hunting.
A couple other things to take into consideration that seem small but have a huge effect: 1. Don't show up with a dirty vehicle. Landowners assume that the way you take care of your stuff is how you will take care of theirs. 2. Wear a clean shirt, preferrably one with a caller. Big Johnson shirts, shirts with big deer, or shirts with women, deer or beer are not acceptable. 3. Give them a business card or something so that when you're gone they have something to associate you with or something they'll remember about you. 4. If you can help it, don't go during supper time. Just the same that you don't want telemarketers calling you in the middle of dinner.
All good ideas - I literally just returned from a successful "permission hunt" an hour ago. I showed up as W said presentable and polite. I think its as simple as that. I simply explained to him my intentions , made small talk about his dairy operation, at that point we were kinda feelin each other out i think. In the end i was shed huntin for 2 hours and took a bunch of pics of the place "which ill put on here later". I have found that right from the beginning i make it crystal clear i have no interest in anything but bowhunting. A lot of times i think as soon as you say DEER they invision the the orange army runnin and gunnin. Good Luck findin ground is as hard or maybe harder than findin the big boy sometimes !
You said you are looking for a place to hunt that is close to home. Mister, You are in Andover. I would kill to be somewhere with the location like that. You have thousands and thousands of acres just North East of you, with even more than that, to the North West. I talking WMA's, but really, none of them are too terrible during bow season. Carlos Avery, okay, that might get packed with...ummm...vehicles. But go NW, and go to the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge. Amazing Deer, I always see Pheasants (unfortunately, they are being offed by hunters) I deffinantly would like to point you up to the Sherburne area...
Dubbya - those are some great tips, a couple of which I wouldn't have thought of. The vehicle and shirt to me would be givens, but that's how I was raised. The business card, though... I like that. Might have to go to Kinko's and have some made... MNKK - After my muzleloader experiences in Carlos Avery ( I now refer to it as "Death Maybe"...long story), no way I'll step foot in there again. Sherburne is a possibility, but like I said, I'm looking for someplace that I can get up and be in the woods in 30 minutes or so. And Sherburne doesn't fit that. I have plenty of room on the family property, but it's 2 hours + away. This is also a place to take my step son and get him started properly. He can be a bit impatient, and if it's closer to home, he'll be more likely to go out time after time. (And stay out as well) So while i know it's not going to be easy, I'm really hoping to pull this off.
Slick, make sure you mention that you would be willing to help him out when he needs it. If he's a farmer, he may need help bailing hay and the like. Make sure you remind him that in either case(yes or no) that you are a neighbor and available to help him if he needs it. That way you become valuable to him. So even if it's no now, it may be yes later.
ben - Thanks for the tip. I plan on making that offer. It's the least that a guy could do, even if they never take me up on it. Honestly, for some reason I miss putting up hay. (Wait, I miss that? Hmmmm... need to get out of the city and back to the country) and hopefully, only wanting to bowhunt will help. One other question for you landowners/farmers... does the offer of sharing/giving the meat help? I have no problem doing it, since we usually have plenty by the time the gun season is over.
