There are still generous landowners around...

[roundball]

Been driving past a set of 3-4 cornfields for the past couple years on my way back and forth to the range. Last weekend I decided to stop and knock on some doors, find out who owned that land to see if I could try a dove or a squirrel with a Flintlock this September/October.

Ended up talking to a lady who said they lease the land to a farmer who grows the corn, and that I could call her son to see about hunting permission, gave me his number, etc. I called and left a detailed message on his answering machine last weekend.

He'd been out of town and returned my call today, had a good chat, and gave me permission to hunt there...said the corn fields were scheduled to be cut by the end of August for silage and that would probably bring in some doves for September...said he knows there are squirrels in the woods around the fields.

Thought that was very generous of him to grant permission sight unseen to somebody over the telephone...although his Mother had met me and we'd talked a few minutes so she may have mentioned it to him before he called.

Anyhow, I'm excited about the possibilities...the Mother lives in an older house on the property and he lives further away in a town...planning to walk the property tomorrow and drop off a couple of nice NC Wildlife coffee mugs at the Mother's place while I'm there, just a gesture to close the loop back with them, leave my name and #, etc.

 

[Pork Chop]

Good going! I bet that the old woman would probably enjoy the company if you visit her after the hunts.

 

[BrownBear]

Well done!

You'll have a friend for like if you offer to "be there" for the son any time mom needs a hand, but he can't get there right away. Heck, hunting or not, that's just a right neighborly thing to do. But of course, if there's a little hunting thrown in........

 

[PreglerD]

Very well done. Here in Germany most of the hunting areas are farmers property and a good relationship is very necessary. Are there any deers huntable too?

How is it in general there? Has every landowner the right to hunt on his property, equal how small or big it is?

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[roundball]

The laws regarding 'tresspassing' vary among the 50 different states that make up our country...sometimes they even vary in different parts of the same state.

If land is "posted" against unauthorized hunting & fishing...posted meaning that "No Hunting/Fishing/Trespassing" signs are put up on trees periodically along an owner's land border...you must get permission first and have a signed permission slip with you while on that owner's land;

If land is not posted, and there is no regulation listed anywhere saying that you must have the owner's permission, depending on the location you may be able to just hunt it without permission.
But the general rule of thumb is to extend the courtesy to the landowner and always ask permission first.

The land that these cornfields are on is not 'posted', and when I talked to the owner he even mentioned that he did not have his land posted, but made a point of thanking me for asking anyway...I think it shows respect, particularly when there are houses in the immediate area and people aren't so nervous when they've met you, talked to you, etc.

When I stop by there today with those little gifts, I'll give them a card with my name, address, phone #, vehicle description, etc, as an example of being open and honest, to build some trust with them in case some property vandalism occurs in the future they might not automatically assume it was me.

 

[bigbore442001]

Kirrmiester:

Landowner rights vary from state to state. Here in Massachusetts a landowner can hunt their own land without a license if the land is used primarily for agriculture and the business is the major component of the landowners income. In addition, the landowner has to follow all of the rules and regulations of the fish and game. So a farmer can hunt his own land without a license but needs to hunt within the seasona,follow the rules and regulations as well as bag limits.

In New Hampshire, landowners follow the same rule for the most part. If they want to hunt their own land with a bow or muzzleloader them must purchase the special license in order to legally do so.

In Connecticut, landowners with 20 or more acres can apply to the state for a free deer permit. The landowner and lineal descendents are allowed to hunt deer from November 1st to December 31st. They can use a rifle, bow, muzzleloader or shotgun with slugs.

Each state is different.

 

[bucktales]

bigbore, I might add, finding private land that is not already locked in around this part of Ct. is like finding teeth on a hen. :shake:

@roundball,
Very nice find. :thumbsup:

 

[Little Wattsy]

:hatsoff: :hatsoff: Thats FANTASTIC!

 

[10 gauge]

Hey Roundball, is public hunting land hard to find where you live? I know nothing about eastern state hunting, but Ive heard lots of stories of what you poor guys have to go through to go hunting.
Most all our land in AZ is public land, National forest, Wilderness, BLM and State Trust land.
This means you can walk out the door and go hunting when ever you want as long as its in season. Mt lion, coyotes, fox, bobcat, rabbits, raccoon, ring tail, weasel and badger are pretty much open all year round. All's what the state asks is that you discharge you weapon 1/4 mile away from an occupied building or have permission from the owner of the building and that you have your general license.
Well I'm glad that you found a chunk of dirt that you can hunt on. My brother in-law has 112 acres of land in the state of MO and I've seen it, That's not much land to really try to hunt off of. so I can understand your hunting dilemmas.

 

[oneeye]

We have lots of public land here in Michigan. Access to private land used to be very easy, but the whitetail explosion and the current leasing craze has made it much more difficult now. I spend most of my time on public land here, but I have a couple of friends that let me bring my kinds on their land during the season. I cherish this privilege and make sure that I do whatever I can to help these landowners out during the off seasons.

As for private land trespass, beware of trespassing in the Western states of the US. Many of those states still view trespassing as they did during the Old West.
Dan

 

[roundball]

Hey Roundball, is public hunting land hard to find where you live?

No, they're not hard to find...the state does a good job of preparing and maintaing for distribution a Game Lands map book...online and hardcopy...I usually get a GL book when I get my license and regulations book, but haven't gone on a GL for 10-15 years. So it's not hard to "find them" but I do think most folks feel there should be a lot more game lands to hunt.

I'm very, very lucky to have a couple of farms to hunt by myself which is where I do my deer & turkey hunting...they're both mostly fields with a few strips of woods between fields so I stay out of them except for the last 3 weeks of November when the rut kicks in here.

And believe me I know how lucky I am...I try to take care of them througout the year...flats of fresh strawberries in the spring when a strawberry farm goes into operation...I just delivered $50 gift certificates for a nice Seafood restaurant to each of them...come Christmas I'll deliver Christmas Hams, Christmas presents for them and family members, etc...probably spend around $350-400/year on each of them but that's dirt cheap...they could easily get $2000-$3000 from a couple of folks if they wanted to...or more.
On one farm alone they have 60 acres of soybeans growing...if you walk around the fields just inside the edge of the woods right now you can almost step from one deer bed to the next...they just eat, step into the shade and lay down, go back and eat some more, etc.

So this particular find here was an effort to get a place to try some Flintlock doves & squirrels without tramping all over those two small places I deer hunt before the season opens.

 

[10 gauge]

That's a good idea not to molest your deer hunting spot, just to shoot some rats with wings. :wink:

 

[roundball]

Ya know, the Internet is just fantastic...we've had a lot of monsoon showers here this morning so I've put off driving up for a walk around on the property til next weekend...in the meantime I have found and saved perfect sets of aerial photographs of the property and am pleased to know that there is a large expanse of woods...larger than 2-3 of the corn fields...surrounding 2 sides of the fields...so whether the woods are the field owners or not, deer and turkey don't know anything about boundaries.
The next big unknown is going to be finding out how many other local folks already hunt this property...may be covered up with hunters since it's not posted.

 

[Vaino]

Not too many years ago farmers allowed hunters on their land if asked, but that has changed w/ the "new generation" of farmers. Whatever the reason for the "new generation farmers" to not allow hunters on their land, it's "forced" us "land poor" to hunt public lands. We're fortunate in Wisconsin to have hundreds of thousands of acres of federal and county forest land and not to be overlooked are the lands owned by private companies that are open to hunting. Have hunted the West and in lieu of paying extravagant fees to ranchers to hunt, have hunted federal forest and BLM lands for free and have had good success. The "make a buck" landowners and "no hunting" properties are very discouraging to young hunters and probably is the main reason for the decline in the numbers of hunters. Property owners of all kinds have the right to do whatever they desire and in this age of "the buck", they've decided to make some extra money. The Europeans have been doing this for ages....Fred

 

[BrownBear]

There's another factor, too. Under the umbrella of "hunters" in general, there are some real unethical slobs that need exposing. Problem is, when the slobs screw up things on one property, all those in the area usually get posted right along with the original property.

Land owners talk to each other just like any other neighbors, and just like any other talk, the horror stories grow with each telling.

We've got our place posted not just because of very bad things that have happened to us, but because of things that have happened to our neighbors. It's kind of a self-defense thing. If your neighbor is blocking the slobs out, where are they going to go the very next time they show up? Right onto the nearest piece of unmarked property.

Until we can figure out how to isolate the slobs and completely break away from them as "hunters," we're going to be wearing and paying for every single one of their abuses.

 

[Vaino]

I wonder if "slob hunters" are a common reality or just a trumped up excuse to post the land. Sure there are these guys, but I don't think there's very many. Have grouse hunted the same area since 1948 and have experienced more and more posted land that's unavailable to hunting and many times the land is freshly posted after the son takes over the farm or when it's bought by non-farmers. This area had very light hunting pressure and it was common to not see another hunter all week, yet the farms became posted in ever increasing numbers. Since 1980 we've hunted only public lands to avoid the hassle w/ landowners....the last time I hunted on a farm was 1980 when an irate farmer came at me w/ a pitchfork and was told to calm down and was told he didn't know the boundaries of his land. We were on his neighbor's land on which we had rec'd permission to hunt. Relatives later told me he was the biggest trespasser and poacher in the area and respected no signs whatsoever. No...I'm not convinced that "slob hunters" are the main reason for posted land. Could be the me, me generation and all that it entails.....Fred

 

[10 gauge]

I've heard that it was legal reasons, like lawsuits that involved hunting accidents.

 

[paulvallandigham]

It doesn't take a whole lot of rotten apples to spoil the barrel, unfortunately. As for landowner liability, MOST states have passed laws that give immunity from suits for injuries arising out of ordinary negligence to private land owners who allow their property to be used for recreational activities, including hunting, without payment of a fee. Those that charge a fee are liable.

Land gets closed to hunters for lots of reason, and most are from pure ignorance.

In Illinois, for instance, all you have to do to post your land is put up a NO Trespassing sign at the entrance to your main drive. There is no longer any need to post signs every 500 feet. The Hunting code now requires that hunters get permission to hunt someone else's land. It can be oral, or written, but they have to have permission to hunt the land.

And, its the responsibility of the hunter to know the boundaries of the property he is allowed to hunt on. If he wanders onto someone else's property while hunting, he can get a ticket for being there.

Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Whitetails Forever, Quail Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and other groups all have programs to educate land owners, and to convince them to allow hunters to use their lands.

You still see the No Hunting signs, but if you ask, you might be given permission.

Most landowners just want to be given the same respect people would expect of them if they wanted to use your backyard for an activity of their choosing. They don't want just anyone roaming their land and hunting without knowing who they are, and when they will be there.

YOu can easily imagine coming home and a neighbor asking you who those people are out on your back porch using your BBQ, and not knowing the answer! Boy, would you feel stupid! That is why farmers want to know who is using their lands, too.What Roundball is doing is the classic " Good Neighbor " treatment that all land owners deserve. :hatsoff:

 

[Homesteader]

I've gotta support BrownBear here. As a small land owner I've given permission to several different hunters over the years. Most have caused no problems. A few (very few) have even made me glad by sharing a bit of venison or giving me the hides.

But at least one came in with pals and made a mess of things. Destroyed some of my property, left offal where he shouldn't have, and didn't have the decency to 'fess up and make it right. So I rescinded my permission, and posted the property. (Not really necessary where I live, but I did anyway.)

Now if I don't have a good relationship with a hunter, he's not welcome. One bad apple and all that, but what should I have done? Just let anyone hunt there and take my chances? Experience has shown me that's a bad idea.

On the other hand, there's an old black fellah I didn't know from Judas but who introduced himself to me, asked if he could rabbit hunt with his dogs and sons. I told him he could if he watched out for my property, and for me and my dogs when I'm there. It's going on 7 years and I've never had a single moment of regret.

"Slob hunters"... They're a bane to good ones.

 

[Emet Huntsman]

As a landowner I have to say we cannot be too careful about who we allow to hunt on our property. I have had hunters who no problem with cutting new roads through the pasture for their ATV's; harvested bucks before their prime; shot up my windmill for target practice.
As a result I took the land off the market until I could find hunters who would take care of it. I ended up leasing to a family who had leased the land when it was still in the hands of my grandfather (I inherited it a few years back and consider the trust that was placed on me a huge responsibility).
This family knows they will have the right to hunt the land so long as they continue to be careful with it. In fact, I have cut them a lower lease fee simply because I know they will take care of it.
All this is to explain that if we are losing available land to hunt, perhaps we need to be willing to call the hands of those who abuse the right and let them know without doubt they are to blame.
Now let me got out of my pulpit! :wink: