would he maybe give you control of the 8 other names? If you know the other 8 people at least maybe the impact won't be as bad.
Nah, list is made and already set to send in. Let's just say Jeeps will be driven through woods and cigarettes lit EVERYWHERE. This will all also occur asap because the permits he's seeking allow out of season hunting for them...yippee
I know brother, finding a deal is tough and even at that the location has a big influence on cost. I will be hoping the best for you, you certainly are a hardcore bow hunter and deserve a place to call your own. Maybe do a quick door to door run and see if you can pick up another farm? I know the hard work and effort won't be like this farm but if the goal is to find a quiet place that you don't have to share then you might just find one...
We got a back up spot that has just gone to the front of the to do list as far as getting to know...but it's brand new and have no clue what it's like....will be finding out soon!
Losing familiar ground to hunt sucks, we have lost a lot over the last 10 years. In the big scheme of things though...probably not really the Worst News...Ever. Hope it works out for you.
Yeah the title after I submitted thread seemed grossly overstated....worst news for this property would have been better.
That's a bummer for sure. Especially if you have invested a lot into the property, both money and time/ sweat equity. Maybe this season those other 8 people come in, rip up his land with their jeeps, leave cigarette butts everywhere, and make themselves a nuisance. If the first time leaves a really bad taste in his mouth, then maybe he doesn't do it next year. In which case your relationship with him and the offer to shoot more does suddenly looks a lot more shiny and attractive.
Heck, when it comes to hunting - and having success - it's okay to be a little overstated at first. I've done it. I've been over dramatic at times. But you learn to admit your wrong, put on your big girl panties and move on. Hopefully this still works out in your favor, but if not, maybe the next chunk will.
It really would have been to your benefit if he would have let you made the selection. That way you would have a little more control over the type of individual hunting, when they hunt, and how they hunt. May have even worked to your favor... Bummer... At least you can still hunt it. Typically when I get a call from a land owner it is never good. Usually lease the land out from under us for large amounts of cash....
Yeah...I'm writing him a letter explaining how we can accomplish everything he wants and not ruin hunting for my father and I and him and brother-in-law (gun season) if done correctly. If he gets tags we can start hunting asap, and the sooner the better...if done correctly my father and I could have 6-10 deer down by mid-august easily with their present feeding patterns. While it sucks to take out that many does it is better than having a ton of "described hunters" making attempts from now through September right up until bow season. Still a chance this works in our favor but it's not probable to be good....
These threads really hit home with me. I lost several of my very best hunting properties to nonresidents buying up all of our best hunting ground. Unfortunately, around here, I ended up having to buy ground to control my hunting future. I was very blessed to be able to do that at the time. Things have only gotten worse for access here. I hope you can reach a mutual agreement with the landowner. Best of luck!
Ask him to put a price on his estimated crop damage, ask him to consider property damage from unknown hunters and deduct that estimated amount from his crop damage, leave the offer on the table to take more deer and then offer to make up the difference that's left of his crop damage as a lease. It's never a good idea to make permanent investments on other peoples ground. Some labor is fine but buying trees, etc...no way. If he's adamant about allowing the other hunters in, walk away with the best of terms possible and hopefully he'll realize how good he had it and will go back to your current arrangement next year. Good luck...landlords always throw curve balls sooner or later.
The crop damage loss estimate has peeked my interest and when we meet to discuss Thursday I am definitely gonna ask about that.
When will you know how your letter worked? How did you find out that this is what the farmer wants to do?
Good, never hurts to have multiple angles, if nothing else it may give him a light bulb moment that he already has it pretty good and the damage is more negligible than he first thought. Farmers complain a lot about deer damage but in the scheme of things (unless it's just ridiculous circumstances) most deer damage doesn't effect yields that much. Most damage is on the edges and the edges generally drop off on yield anyway. I hate to see this happen under the circumstances considering how much work and devotion you put into this place, not only into the property but in effort to keep the guy happy. Even good landlords take advantage of anything they can get though....just human nature.
Worst news ever? Not even close ....I do hope it all works out for you, but this is not even in the "worst news ever" ballpark, my friend...
