Heaven is a good farmer friend

[roundball]

Landowner that let's me post & hunt a farm of his just called to say his workers had lost the key's to the cable gates I have across a couple of access lanes, wondered if I could bring up a couple more keys, etc.

I drove them right up and in talking about upcoming hunting season, he told me he had bought two other small farms in the area and was planting soybeans on them...didn't want to be bothered by dealing with people asking to hunt there...wondered if I'd mind going ahead and posting them and hunting there, so all he has to do is tell people "it's leased"?

As soon as my heart started working again, I allowed as how I'd be glad to find time to post that for him!!

:: :: ::

 

[KyFlintlock]

SCORE!!!
:RO:

 

[bob1961]

two other small farms in the area and was planting soybeans on them

yup them thar deer sur do lik soybeans :thumbsup: ............bob

 

[Hoyt]

Must is nice.

 

[soggy]

:applause: I hope you stopped to buy a lottery ticket on the way home. That kind of luck don't come along every day :imo:
Soggy

 

[roundball]

Must is nice.

Yes, it is...started with this farmer in the late 80's...had spent a few weekends during the summer one year driving the country side, knocking on doors, introducing myself, leaving personal BIO flyers with them, etc...25-30 rejects but a couple landowners like this one said they'd give me a chance...built it up from there...have had two such landowner relationships for about 15 years now.

I do things for them and their families throughout the year...it takes effort, diligence, respect, courtesy, a little money now and then for some Christmas hams, Christmas presents, gift certificates at a nice restaurant dureing the year, etc...and it's grown into an important part of my life beyond just the deer hunting...one of them makes me write him a check for $1.00 / year, then has fun when he stops at his bank to deposit it.

Anyway, once deer discover the soybeans, they congregate in the woods all around the fields and just stay there from June through October/November when the beans are combined or baled...and even then they usually wander back and check the fields occasionally until a killing frost in November, looking for a stray leafy weed or mushroom that might have popped up since sunlight hit the the earth field after the harvest.

Scouting around the fields during July/August/September timeframe after they've been gorging themselves, it's not uncommon to find large droppings that are a solid mass the size of a small bananna...they put on an awful lot of weight during those months...just eat, drink, & sleep.

My season on those farms opens a few days into November, and starts with a week of ML only...the pre-rut/chase is in full gear...the Ladies have been hanging around those fields for months and the Bucks know it...so there's a lot of movement in the woods around those fields most of late October and early November...find a couple good trail crossings for morning and afternoon stands, take a couple weeks vacation, live in the woods every day, alternate stands between farms every day, etc...and doing it now with Flintlocks makes it really special
:redthumb:

 

[The Baron]

It's always a thrill to get a new spot! Here's to a big buck in your sights there this fall, roundball :front:

 

[roundball]

It's always a thrill to get a new spot! Here's to a big buck in your sights there this fall, roundball :front:

I rather get one of your "big ones" up there ::...you've got some bruisers up at those lattitudes... :master:

 

[Pittsburghunter]

You will not like my answer to your post at all.

I am not one who thinks the posting of land so only one person or group of persons can hunt it is at all American. This view probable comes from where I grew up and now live but I find the posting of land against some hunters but not all very offensive People who pull this manure are causing people to give up hunting their heritage and ultimatly their guns.

Enjoy your little piece of heaven knowing there is a 14 year old down the road that can't hunt there.

BS

 

Good for you roundball!!!! Obviously the landowner values the relationship you two have built up over the years.

Better yet is owning your own land.

Pittsburgh, when you find gates left open and cattle on the road, for which you are responsible should someone hit one with their vehicle, crops driven thru, litter left on your land, fences torn down, dead game in the woods that someone couldn't find or didn't even take the time to look for or more hunters on your land than there are places to hunt because you've taken the time and spent the money to build up the deer herd in your area and it has a reputation for lots of quality deer and most not even making an effort at gaining permission, you'd post yours too. Mine is posted and will remain so, furthermore, violaters will be shot and survivors will be shot again, (not really, but I will prosecute).

It used to not be that way.

roundball approached the situation correctly, took great pains and spent some time and money to cultivate the relationship and now look at his abundance. Being a landowner I'd wager a considerable sum that the relationship he's built is good for both parties. Not all people who go out during hunting seasons are conscientious. I'll not dignify those slobs by calling them hunters.

Vic

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I understand posting of land because of vandels and all and if someone was messing up my property I to would post it. I would thouggh post it with "landowner permission only" so I would get the creeps off my land but still leave it open.

After I posted that last night I read a story in the local paper where some jerks have torn down the gates blocking trucks and other 4X4's from riding on snowmobile and ATV trails. The truck owners literally pulled the gates out of the ground with chains drove all around messing up the trails and leaving gobs of litter (mostly beer cans).

Now these trails are on private property and what should the owner do?

The good thing about this story is the snowmobile club has put up a $500 reward to catch the creeps and two four wheel drive clubs in the state also have added $1000 to the reward to find the vandals too.
Those clubs don't want everybody thinking that jeep and other 4 wheelers are all bad guys ruining private property.

So to sum it all up I just get upset with a hunter saying how happy he was to post land when I feel open land should be shared yes with land owner permission but shared.

 

Exactly. It used to be easy to find hunting ground, and folks didn't care if you hunted their property because hunters respected it. Now, thanks to "slob hunters" who leave beer cans everywhere, shoot things they're not supposed to (like cattle... ever hear the story of the farmer who would paint the word COW in blaze orange on the side of his cattle before hunting season?), I don't blame landowners one bit for wanting to keep that kind of rabble off their land.

Roundball will sleep well at night knowing that if the 14 year old kid up the road wants to go hunting, North Carolina has plenty of public game lands available that are never posted that anyone with a license can hunt. And yes, there are deer on those lands and folks take a respectable harvest from them every year, some of them more than others, but they are available. Also, if I'm not mistaken, in North Carolina even if the land isn't posted one still has to have written permission from the landowner to hunt it regardless.

Roundball, thanks for the tips on building a relationship and finding a good hunting ground. I think I will start talking to some folks. I might not only get a good hunting spot, but make a new friend or two as well. :redthumb:

 

[roundball]

Good for you roundball!!!! Obviously the landowner values the relationship you two have built up over the years.

Better yet is owning your own land.

Pittsburgh, when you find gates left open and cattle on the road, for which you are responsible should someone hit one with their vehicle, crops driven thru, litter left on your land, fences torn down, dead game in the woods that someone couldn't find or didn't even take the time to look for or more hunters on your land than there are places to hunt because you've taken the time and spent the money to build up the deer herd in your area and it has a reputation for lots of quality deer and most not even making an effort at gaining permission, you'd post yours too. Mine is posted and will remain so, furthermore, violaters will be shot and survivors will be shot again, (not really, but I will prosecute).

It used to not be that way.

roundball approached the situation correctly, took great pains and spent some time and money to cultivate the relationship and now look at his abundance. Being a landowner I'd wager a considerable sum that the relationship he's built is good for both parties. Not all people who go out during hunting seasons are conscientious. I'll not dignify those slobs by calling them hunters.

Vic

Exactly why the landowner wants the land posted...when a band of 4 wheelers drives recklessly across a soybean field just days before it's going to be combined, flames come out of a farmer's ears...and this one moves cattle around from one farm to another occasionally, has several horses in one large pasture on another, etc.

And I'm sorry, but it's 's not a case of some poor 14 year old not being able to hunt there because "I'm" posting it...if I didn't agree to simply do the legwork and post it for him, he'd have one of his workers do it...he doesn't let anybody else hunt his properties, period...so the land was going to be posted, it's only a matter of who was going to do it...by me agreeing to do it I saved him paying one of his workers a days wages to do it...my reward is being the only one able to hunt it...so "the 14 year old" is irrelevant to this discussion...I simply earned the right to hunt his land based on years of trust built up with him...he knows I won't leave gates open, vandalize his farm equipment, won't shoot his cows, won't shoot his horses, etc.

And yes, there are huge tracks of state owned land available, and tracks of land made available through negotiations by the state with landowners in general and corporations...the state even publishes a free annual "Game Lands" book of about 50-75 maps showing the locations of free land access for hunting and fishing.

By and large, people can no longer roam free on other people's land due to the terrible reputation we all are tarnished with by the "hunters" who think they can just park and then trespass onto someone's property and start shooting at anything that moves without knowing what's on the other side of a few trees, etc...and that was already the case at least a quarter century ago when I decided to set out to try to build a hunting relationship with a couple of landowners.

And anybody can do it...but it does take effort...and you can't give up when you get rejected because 99% of the responses will be rejections...but you only need one to start...then after a few years, maybe parlay that relationship into a referral to another farmer in the locale, etc
eace:

 

[roundball]

Roundball, thanks for the tips on building a relationship and finding a good hunting ground. I think I will start talking to some folks. I might not only get a good hunting spot, but make a new friend or two as well. :redthumb:

Probably don't want to dress like a city-slicker and drive up in a limo...just use an everyday down home style that would not stand out in a crowd...I typed up a "BIO" hand out sheet that listed all the information possible that would convey a sense of sincerity, honesty, trust-worthiness, etc...name, address, phone # where I live, same thing for where I work, description of my vehicle and plate #...plus a list of things that you know they'd be interested in such as:
I never shoot flat out across open ground, always hunt from elevated positions shooting down into the ground, don't use drugs or alcohol (clear head), don't smoke (no accidental fires), will never drive across fields, leave gates open, break down fences, will never bring uninvited guests, will be willing to help out with some farmwork, etc, etc...and leave a copy with them...even those who tell you no at the door, might actually read it after you've driven away...might just be impressed enough to call you back.
Things that guide me are:
1) Nothing ventured, nothing gained;
2) Any relationship worth having is worth working on constantly;
3) Never take the right to hunt for granted and convey an attitude that you now own the place once you get permission;
4) Keep the relationship going with periodic visits...drop by after the season is over and tell them how the season went, how much you appreciated the right to hunt there;
Stop by in the spring with some little something (I've taken a big bucket of fresh strawberries from a produce farm in the area, a nice pocket knife, etc)...visit for a while...drop by again in the summer with a gift certificate to a steak house or something, do something nice for them over the Holidays...you get the idea...be stopping by every 2-3 months for a visit...and in our fast paced everyday lives, you'll probably find that you really enjoy it too.
:m2c:

 

[Bob J]

Way-to-go Roundball :thumbsup: You spend the time to cultivate relationships that last. When i was a kid we used to shoot at a private range (one covered bench) at a friend of my dad's. He would go sit on the porch and shoot the breeze with this guy, sometimes not even shooting a gun :shocking: I asked him one day, why he spent so much time yacking (I didn't say "yacking" :winking. Dad said, "how many people do you think come out here just to shoot? And why are you coming out here?...'just to shoot'"
His point was, you have to give something back, not just try and take advantage of folks.

You're giving, not just taking, Roundball :m2c: :RO:

 

I didn't meant to blow up and I hope it didn't sound that way. You said you took offense when folks posted their land and thought roundball was perhaps overjoyed that he had some land "locked up", which evidently isn't the case. It's going to be posted regardless and he has exclusive permission to hunt it.

What miffed me most is that it sounded as if you were offended with what landowners choose to do with the land they most likely paid good money for, improved, pay taxes on and in a lot of cases try to make a return on their investment. Obviously we have to abide by what state and federal agencies dictate but beyond that, it's our land and in a capitalistic, constitutional republic private property and the rights attendant to it is the root of the system. Private property rights are under attack at all levels by those who would take them away. So far we can include and exclude whomever we choose.

All my neighbors are landowners and every one of them share their land with someone, me included. Often times it's only family because the place simply isn't big enough to support more than a few hunters. Our youth minister hunted on our place last year and is coming out to hunt squirrels with me in the morning, if he can get up early enough....hehehe. My sons live too far away to return for just deer season, and they're young enough to not be established in their respective careers so they have little senority for choosing vacation time. If they both came home there would be no room for anyone else. There's always more to an issue than meets the eye.

At any rate, I apologize if I offended anyone, that certainly wasn't my intent. However, it's still my land and I'll do with it as I choose.....and if that 14 year old kid wants to come down and go squirrel hunting with me he's more than welcome to ask...or maybe I'll ask him.

Vic

 

[Pittsburghunter]

No offence to me if anything I am the one who did that.

Like I said I fully agree with the right to post but the act it self is depressing to me. It is usually caused by people doing things on it they should not do. At some point there may be no place left to hunt for future gens coming up.

Oh well I did not mean in any way to say that what Roundball is doing is wrong in fact a good score for him. I just hate seeing good hunting land posted. :sorry:

 

[roundball]

I just hate seeing good hunting land posted.

I think this is the whole point Sharps is trying to get across...the bottom line is that in most states now, land is no longer legally available for anybody/everybody to just stop, tresspass, and hunt on without permission anyway...posted or not.
So just seeing posted signs up doesn't really change anything...you can't just stop and hunt there anyway...the absence of posted signs is not a waiver of needing permission...used to be the courteous thing to do, now it's the law in most states.

Landowners got fed up with the manure they've put up with...it's not the[url] hunting...in[/url] fact deer hurt their crops so they're glad to see them shot...but it's the "hunters" vandalizing their equipment, shooting out headlights on tractors parked across a field, gas tanks, tires, etc...that's big money on large farm equipment, and more big money lost during the days of down time getting repairs done...or a cow, a horse, a child playing out behind the barn, etc.

It's been serious for decades...hunter's didn't treat other's property this way back in the 40's/50's...it seemed to start in the 60's, about the time that anybody could walk into a K-mart, buy a .30-30 and a box of shells and "go hunting"...then they just have to shoot at something after the hunt is over and they're sitting on the tailgate drinking beer, and the damage began...gotten worse every decade since...then states started passing laws requiring written permission and the landowners started saying no...can't blame them a bit.
eace:

 

[Slamfire]

:applause: I hope you stopped to buy a lottery ticket on the way home. That kind of luck don't come along every day :imo:
Soggy

It'd take a lot more luck than that to win a lottery that's got enough money to make a difference. :nono:

 

[redwing]

And every morning when the sun breaks over the snow
capped peaks on the Bear river, I say thanks for
being in the middle of all this public land. Sure
sounds rough back there.
I hope all of you can find a nice hunting area, its
terrible to lose a Fall. We have too few in our lives.

Redwing :redthumb: