yep....

[Jordyn Kaufer]

Well,

I need some advice on scouting.

I've tried and asked so many farmers and landowners this year/summer if i could hunt their land and have been shot down for various reasons... I just need some tips on where to look and what to say. Also what to look for when it comes to it being huntable...

Thanks for andy advice in advance,

Jordyn

[hunter322]

what area are you trying to get permison?

[gardn184]

In my experience it seems older farmers, who don't have much family left in the area are the best ones to ask! They enjoy the company that you provide when you stop out to hunt. You can usually tell if they'll let you hunt judging by their attitude towards deer. My personal favorite line to hear is "I hate them #@@#!@# deer!" That would be the time to ask permission to help them deal with that problem. Another longterm method to if you're going to be in the area is offer to go out and shoot coyotes for them. I have a buddy that has used this method numerous times. You shoot the yotes for them, and send a nice gift basket and letter thanking them for the permission to have such an enjoyable hunt, keep in semi contact with them, then the next year ask for permission to deer hunt! Most farmers are so grateful that you shot the yotes they open up to you a lot more. This way you're doing them a favor, instead of just asking like everyone else. Also, the neighbors can be a great help as well. I usually stop by and ask a neighbor who owns the property that I'm trying to hunt even if I know who owns it prior. Once again, an older neighbor whose outside working on the yard is usually a wealth of information. They've usually been there a long time and can fill you in on the entire area. Another thing is look presentable, I've found that people are a lot nicer and open if you're dressed better. Don't ever go in camo, I've got a 0 percent success rate in camo ha ha. Just keep a positive attitude and keep trying! It took me forever to get permission to hunt someone else's property. But now that I have it's awesome!

[Jordyn Kaufer]

@huter322- Washigto nCouty mostly.

@gardn184- Thanks for the good info/tips.

I will forsure try the shootin coyotes and the gift basket.

Thanks,

Jordyn

[carpshooterdeluxe]

make sure that you are specific if what you are asking for, i.e. ducks, geese, etc. some guys say no because they might think you are looking for land to hunt year round for any game. also, if the farmer deer hunts his land, ask if hunting would be allowed after deer season. i get a few late season pheasant and goose spots this way.

[hunter322]

hey jordyn, ill tell ya this. i mainly hunt northern wasington co. north of stillwater. and from my expierience if you dont know the land owner dont even bother. the area is getting so built up that every body is woried about letting people in. also there is alot of pressure. for example when i started hunting i had well over 500 acres to hunt with my family now we are down to my dads 40. if you find a method that works let me know because i need more places to hunt in wash. co too!!

[Shoot2Kill]

I have to second the "dress well" comment above. If you pull up to their house and are all dressed in camo they develop an opinion of you before they even open their front door. You don't have to dress up, but look respectable. Take your sunglasses off, straighten your hat, give them a firm hand shake, and introduce yourself before you say anything else and make sure you tell them where you live.

Also, pay attention to when you are stopping to get permission...if it's fall, farmers have a hundred other things to do besides talk to you...go in the summer if you can. If you are asking permisson once the season starts, go in the evening AFTER supper but not too late.

Somethings I've done....

Explain to them that you're new to the area and are looking for land to hunt...start small, don't ask for the whole season or for every species. If you feel immediate resistence just ask for a weekend. If they say yes, hunt that weekend and STOP BACK and THANK THEM. Nothing goes further than a follow up thank you and to let them know how much you appreciated it. If they are receptive to it, ask for another weekend. Until they trust you, continue to stop (or call) until they just grant you permission for the rest of the season without having to ask each time - if you get this, well done.

Another way to get permission that I've found to go a long ways is this..it may sound cheesy, but it works, and it usually goes over big. Pick up some cheap calendars from somewhere local to the farm you want to hunt. On the calendar write in the dates that you want to hunt, maybe even the season dates, your vehicle make and color, and your phone number. This will set you apart from the average joe that is stopping to ask for permission. They will remember that, and they will know who is on their land at what times and driving what vehicle. If they say no when you ask, give them the calendar anyway and tell them that if something changes all of your contact info is on there and you would appreciate a call if they change their mind, shake their hand with a smile and say thank you, and leave. I have had this work more than once.

Do not ever show up to someones door with a bunch of buddies trying to get permission. You'll get a lot of NOs out of that approach. If you are hunting with others, tell them that you want to hunt with one other friend the first couple times and ask them if that would be okay. If you have a girlfriend, TAKE HER - even if she isn't going to hunt with you. My wife has landed me more ground to hunt just by being with and smiling pretty.

Be polite, and be persistent year after year. Things change. Just because they told you no one year doesn't mean they will say the same the next. Plus, if you go back you can tell them you were the one that gave them the calendar and they WILL remember you.

Once you get permission - do everything you can to keep it. Stop in and say hi through the season, tell them how it's going, send them a Christmas card with your picture of the ducks, roosters, or deer you bagged on their ground. Stop in during the summer too and tell them you're looking forward to the fall. Don't do anything on their ground that would jeapordize loosing permission, it's just not worth loosing the work you did to gain acess. If you've got buddies with questionable behavior in the field don't invite them with you.

I was lucky enough to gain acess to some of the best deer hunting ground in the county when I was in Iowa in college after a lady had said no to people for over 20 years after her husband passed away. How did I get it? The second year I asked I brought her a calendar with what I'd described above. She took a look at it and said yes because nobody had ever brought her anything when they stopped before. She kind of "adopted" me that fall and absolutely loved it when I came out to see her. When I shot my first buck on her ground I went to get her and she came out in the truck with me to see it. To this day we're still good friends and if I still lived in Iowa I know I could hunt that ground every year as if it was my own.

You will get some doors to open, just keep knocking, try some of these things, and most of all over anything - be polite no matter what they say. As you've found out, permission is getting harder and harder to get. Many landowners have been burned by hunters prior to you stopping to ask and they say no to everyone...do something different to show them that you are not just "everyone". It works. Also realize that sometimes no matter what you do, you're just not going to get a yes...that's okay, don't take it personal, go knock on the next door.

[Maxxed Out]

Farmers get asked a ton, sometimes they say no just out of habit. We're all guilty of doing that, so what I have done which works is ask the same question differently and give them a benefit.

"Hi I'm .... I specialize in reducing the goose population so they don't eat your crops"

or

"Hi I'm ..... trying to do my part and reduce the local goose population so they don't eat all the farmers crops"

This will make them laugh and will typically make sure you don't get the knee jerk reaction of "NO my cousin, brother, son, friend is hunting it tomorrow, any other day would be fine"

[hunter322]

wow, i like these approaches. ill have to give em a try. hopefully ill get a lil more success!

[Jordyn Kaufer]

Hunter322, do you hunt a lot in Washington co??? If ya do maybe we could hook up sometime for some shootin?

@shoot2kill- thank you for that HUGE reply, I will definately take some of the tips to use. Lots of tips and am glad you posted, thanks!!!!

And thanks to everyone else!!

[Shoot2Kill]

Hunter322, do you hunt a lot in Washington co??? If ya do maybe we could hook up sometime for some shootin?

@shoot2kill- thank you for that HUGE reply, I will definately take some of the tips to use. Lots of tips and am glad you posted, thanks!!!!

And thanks to everyone else!!

Roger that man, no worries. My girlfriend in high school was from a family that owned 1/2 the county where I lived and they had some of the best pheasant hunting around so they had people stopping ALL season long. I used to listen to her dad and grandpa complain about all the people stopping to ask permisson so I learned some of what worked and what didn't from them.

[hunter322]

yup jordyn. i do 95% of my huntin between stillwater forest lake and white bear. we might be able to some time. like i said its hard to get permision where i hunt and allot of the time my budies are the ones with the permison.