And it's not really the "Hunters" fault.... They're getting their permission... but the guy who is giving permission only rents the Hay... not the hunting rights... and it's starting to perturb(sp?) me a little.... I've hunted this land problem free for all my life and now this year I've encountered about 5 other hunters between deer hunters and rabbit hunters.... on 70 acres with about only <15 of that being woods... the rest hay fields... I shot a nice Doe today (rifle) and I was just "chillin" for the rest of the evening... while I see another hunter... he sees me and turns the other way.. I pursue. I catch up to him... Ends up being the principle of the Elementary school I attended His wife was my K teacher.. Super nice guy... and it's not his fault, he was given permission, just from the wrong guy... I don't even mind him hunting really... I just want to know what is going on... Some may argue that maybe the Hay cutter has the Hunting rights also... but if that were the case... when I asked my landowner this year if I could hunt it again... he would have filled me in on the situation... He didn't... And not once has someone contacted me about others being down there... and they KNOW I hunt down there. And it's flat out dangerous IMO to be hunting in an area and not know who is going hiding where you can't see them or vis-versa. I did exchanged phone numbers and asked him to call when he planned on hunting so I would know where he was going to be.... Because I told him(when he asked how often I hunted)... I basically hunt every day Im off. But I believe I'm going to go talk to my Landowner about the situation... maybe even discuss a hunting "lease".... we'll see... What say you guys?
Talking to the land owner would be the best bet and take it from there. 10 years ago if a farmer rented someone's land for farming he usually had the hunting rights to it. It was just a given. Usually if you hayed someone's land, you didn't have the hunting rights to it. It was a different deal. Now days the farmer doesn't always have the hunting rights. The boss rents land from 3 different land owner that he doesn't have the hunting rights too. I have to be careful if I get permission from a farmer and make sure it is his land before hunting it. Rented land... I will always make sure I find out who controls the hunting rights before hunting it even if the farmer says it is ok to hunt it. Good luck !! Tim
Around here the farmer is leasing the right to farm the land and that's it. Many farmers seem to think they have other rights also, such as hunting, but that is not the case unless specifically stated in the lease. Also, there can be potential liablity issues when allowing people on your land so the land owner may want to know exactly who is on his land.
Land owners give permission not the people that farm the land. I would just talk to him and work things out. Thats what happens alot of times. Some guy gets permission then he brings buddies out then they think it is ok to come back because their buddy that has permission said it is ok. Thats why I only hunt property I have sole permission on.
I have become all too familiar with this situation this year but turned a negative into a positive. First the raceway has turned into a free for all. One afternoon I arrived at my stand only to find a guy with a crossbow sitting in it. The property owner gave him permission and even told him to hunt whatever stands were on the property. I kindly advised it was my stand and I would be hunting it and offered another stand on the property. I also allowed him to hunt my stand a couple of times which opened the door to him inviting me to other spots. He is a Realtor and is getting us permission on a piece of property I have wanted to hunt for 10 years, and the farmer granting the permission has hunting rights in the lease. Another property I was hunting with a buddy turned out to be owned by someone besides the permission giver and I found myself tearing down stand in Mid October I also walked a new piece of property with a buddy that got us notes from the builder that owns the land only to find someone on the property that has been there for 15 years. The guy quickly advised he had permission from the hunter who had the rights to hunting. We know the builder doesn't include that in their lease agreements but the guy was nice and said he wasn't opposed to sharing the property after we all talked. Keeping this guy around gives us a local to keep an eye on things and 15 years of property knowledge, including a few beers to see the mounts he has from the property. He also helped us get out a couple of other guys on the other parcels we can hunt since he knew the families. There can be good and bad but what I learned most is that you need to be understanding and get the facts straight and make sure you know where you stand before trying to throw your weight around. Good luck on the encroachers Buckmaster, hopefully it works out for the best.
Thats good, considering you don't own the land.:D What did the guy say when you asked him to call before he hunts there? Thats kinda over the top to me, again, not your land, not up to you. If hunting with others is a problem, then I'd suggest a lease or buying some ground
Neither does he... nor does he have the correct permission to Hunt the Land I DO have correct permission to hunt. I got mine from my landowner in person... He called a lady who got in touch with the guy that cuts hay...she said he told him to go ahead and hunt... and he knows me and told him I "might" be there.... I'm there more often than I'm not... and nobody bothered to tell me other hunters were going to be hunting where I've hunted since I was 8 years old.... But I can't say for sure... because I don't know all of the facts yet... Hence speaking to my landowner about the matter. But I can tell you one thing... We both(actually all 3 because he has a friend) rifle hunt... and If we don't connect when we are going to be hunting at the same time... given there are only certain directions it is safe to shoot anyway, it can be dangerous. Over the top to ask for a simple phone call when he plans on hunting, when that (to my knowledge) He doesn't have rightful permission to hunt.... Not IMO.
I struggle with this. IMO, I only hunt a place when I have sole permission. It makes life easier for everyone - and the clarity is essential, I believe. I'd try to keep your sole hunting rights, and if not head for more lonely woods. Just me.
If I was in your position, I would have an honest conversation with your landowner and find out where he stands. I would make sure to let him know you are primarily concerned with safety and if he sounds like he doesn't want an active role in who hunts and your "encroaching" problem looks like it might get worse, then I would broach the idea of a lease situation and all the benefits it may include.
