How to ask for permission to hunt on private property?

[lispeej]

I have a couple of young teenagers, that just got their hunters safety done last year, and I want to take them out this year. But feel that we should start hunting on private land because there are less pressure and less hunters. I want my kids to have a good experience so that they'd want to continue to hunt. We would be interested in hunting small game first.

As land owners, what is the best way to approach land owners? Phone, in person, letter?

I have never done this before, that is why I'm asking for tips and what to really expect.

Thank you so much in advance.

[goblueM]

In person... if you have ANY sort of in, that is good - such as you know the neighbor down the street, or went to church with their brother in law, etc. Just something to make you not that guy cold-calling on their house like a Jehovah's Witness or telemarketer.

Dress respectably, take your kids with you, be nice, compliment them on your land, stress the safety and ethical parts of hunting, and that you want to share the experience with your kids.

Expect to get shot down, it will happen. Be gracious and move on, thank them for their time. I'm sure there is more but that is what comes to mind right now

[hockeybc69]

Farmers are busy people right now. So approaching them while in the midst of their hustle-bustle isnt always good. Best time to go get permission is much earlier than now. Not to mention, a lot of areas are spoken for by now.

I am not saying its a lost cause. But if you are "cold calling" on land, be prepared to do a lot of door knocking this time of the year.

Have a platt book and "learn" what they own. It goes a long way when you can show them a map and sound like you understand where his boundaries are and that you are taking the time to do this the right way.

If you do get lucky to get on some land, be sure to show the appreciation. Xmas cards and maybe a gift card to some local establishment.

If we have success hunting, I make an effort to bring the quarry and even show them. And thank the [PoorWordUsage] out of their willingness to let you and your kids on.

I was pretty surprised how much enjoyment a landowner/farmer has when you come back with your kid after a morning of hunting and you show them what your kid got. You dont have to take much of their time, but I have seen some big smiles and happy landowners when you stop in with your harvest that day and kiss their feet a little. Even had the wife come out a few times with a camera to take some shots of my son with his success. That goes a really long way if you get in good with the farmers wife. LOL. You are golden forever then.

[Cheetah]

Having a successful trip doesn't necessarily require a slam dunk hunt on private land.

My advice is to spend some time looking at the DNR site for public land at least 2+ hour drive from the Twin Cities area. They have some powerful tools there now, the WIA Atlas, a WMA finder, Recreation Compass and the Hunter Walking Trail tool. Use Google Maps, Google Earth or Bing Maps for satellite imagery. There are some free topo sites online like the USGS.gov site. Combine all that and you can quickly find more spots to hunt than you could possible visit in a weekend to try for pheasant, grouse, waterfowl or small game.

[96trigger]

Dress respectfully. Take your kids with, let the farmer know up front what you plan to hunt and when. They may let you small game hunt, but not deer hunt, etc... Be respectful and courteous. If they say no, ask them if they know of anybody that would be willing to let you hunt. Often, referrals from them are the best way to gain access. More than once I have been turned down but had them say that I should try so and so, they might let you hunt, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[creepworm]

Drive into the yard slowly. If you are kicking up dust, you are probably going to fast.

[wormdunker]

Some of my fondest memories hunting come from gaining access to new private land. In fact my buddies and I developed a sort of competition over it. Sometimes gaining access was as rewarding as the hunt itself.

I personally feel that the willingness a person shows to walk up to a door with a farm dog sniffing one leg and another eating your other leg is a characteristic that will pay off in all aspects of life.

As a parent I cannot wait until my boys are old enough to expect them to approach a door and ask for permission to hunt land.

[benbosh]

I like to go ask for permission on sunday afternoons. Seems like people are less busy on sunday afternoons and are home more often. Also if you go to ask them in the afternoon you are less likely to disrupt if they are sitting down for supper.

Sunday afternoons many people stay home and do yard work, if you catch them during that time and they grant you permission, offer a hand at helping them with the yard work or any other work for anytime of the year. Little old widowed ladies especially appreciate that stuff, whether it be raking leaves, helping in the garden, blowing/shoveling snow, etc.

[slimngrizzly]

I hunt my own land and im usually picky about what gets shot, but if someone stops by for a friendly conversation I have a tough time saying no, espesially if they have a young kid with them!

I have lots of ducks and pheasants around. To me its just another bird, kind of, but to see the smile that it creates on a young hunters or new hunters face is just priceless!

I would say "no" to anyone who called for sure. If you wanna stomp around on my land and kill the critters I work hard to feed and grow, at least have the spine to look me in the face and shake hands.

my

[gurkster]

Private land is great and all, but I agree with Cheetah don't dismiss public land. I see you are in the north metro. A 2 hour drive will put you into tons of public land that is really untouched or lightly hunted. So do as others have said, be polite, ask nice, bring the kids, etc. BUT if you get shot down don't pack it up. Find some public land for small game, there really is lots of it out there.

[MJ1657]

This is a little narrowed down to certain areas but i'll throw it out. If the farmer you are going to ask makes hay and is an area with alot of pocket gophers offer to trap them. I know of a couple people that have exclusive rights to alot of land because they do this.

Best part is most countys pay a gopher bounty so you can make a few bucks as well.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

A stack of plat books with phone directories, a tank of gas, and the confidence to knock on a door and ask permission will get you access eventually. Many times I will call first, and through the course of conversation, if I get permission, I will follow up with something like "would you like us to stop by after we are done to let you know how we did?" Many times the farming land owners are extremely busy, and when I do stop by in person, get the wife at the door and end up with the husband's cell number because he is combining or plowing, or hauling grain 45 miles away. Getting permission before harvest is great, but it usually only works for water spots, or a blanket permission for all acres owned. That can be nice, as long as the guy remembers you when he comes flying out in the field at 7:30 wondering who is shooting.

[graingrower]

Ask in person, drive the same vehicle you will be using at hunting time, and leave the landowner with your a list of your name, address, phone number. If permission is granted, also ask where to drive/park, when you must be done, where are cattle grazing, ect. If you intend to walk through standing corn, ask if the ear shanks are fragile so as not to create dropped ears. Ask if there is a farm dog to work around. A Christmas time token goes a long way for next year. If the owner is also the operator, do not flag him down in the combine; if a cart/truck/wagon is waiting on the headlands, ask the driver to contact the owner.

First impressions are everything, if there is a shadow of mistrust your chances of gaining access are nil.

[goblueM]

I went out and knocked on 2 doors tonight, and got permission to bow hunt on both. The night before opener. Crazy...I violated my usual "don't ask immediately before season" rule and things worked out well.

but! we dressed nice, looked up county parcel data so we knew the name of the landowner, referenced neighboring landowners, property boundaries, had a form to release them of liability, and talked to them for awhile instead of just saying "hey can we hunt". Like others said, we also asked about areas to avoid, if there were dogs, where to park, if they wanted a call/email before or after hunting/shooting something, etc

[Wanderer]

Lot's of great advice above. On both the public and private land aspects.

Above all, be genuine and courteous. These are just simple traits that anyone can recognize. You don't have to walk on eggshells when asking. It's something that happens to landowner's often. They'll know wether they want to talk to you for more than a minute in less than 30 seconds.

Like recommended above, try to avoid interrupting them while operating their machinery. But if they're doing yard chores it can be a good time. I like to start with a friendly "Good morning" or good whatever time of day it is. If you know their name, ask if they are that person. If so, introduce yourself and then ask THE question - the safe one that keeps both parties at ease because it's not a judgement on your character right away, "Do you allow hunting on your land?" It's way softer than "Can I..."

The rest will be easy.

[MuskieJunkie]

Best part is most countys pay a gopher bounty so you can make a few bucks as well.

But if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key.

Sorry had to do it.

[goblueM]

GOPHERS! the brown furry things!

/we can do that. we don't even need a reason

[NIBOWMAN]

I know the Gophers are not playing well, but do you think killing them will help.

Seriously, I tell my students in hunter safety to be courtious, polite and give them the 4 W's.

Who will be hunting.

What will you be hunting.

Where would you like to hunt.

When will you be hunting.

Also listen to what the land owner has to say. Not only will they tell you where you can and cannot hunt. If you listen they may even tell you where they have been seeing the game and when they have been seeing them.