Obtaining land owner permission to hunt

[jim Glass]

While in Florida last January and February, I discovered a colony of wild hogs only 1/2 mile from the RV resort where we were staying.

While in Florida I was able to find phone numbers of 3 different property owners. One denied owning the property, another couldn't tell me NO fast enough and another granted me permission to hunt the hogs.

Back in Illinois now where I have a printer, I mailed 8 different land owner letters explaining my interest in hunting the wild hogs on their property and included a return envelope with postage so they could send me a reply. I also included my phone numbers and my email address so they could easily reply that way. I told them I would hunt with either a bow or shotgun.

It has been 2 weeks now and not a single reply from the property owners. Quite possible myself being an Illinois resident was a turn off. Without knowing the land owner, hunting permission is difficult near home in Illinois.

Anyone here have a strategy for obtaining land owner hunting permission? What could I do different? Should I wait a few months and contact them again? Only this time include pictures of the hogs on or near their property?

Thanks,
Jim

[Duece]

Im not sure how it works down there but around here it is getting harder and harder to find a lamdowner who will grant permission,i actually had one guy ask me if i labeled my arrows with my name and phone #,when i asked why he responded when i run over an arrow in the feild i like to know who is going to be paying for my new tractor tire!!? Too many A$$ holes,poachers and people with no respect for others propertieshave ruined it for the rest,keep trying thats all i can recommend,its what i do

[hunter63]

Sometimes...... No is No....They don't need a reason....They own it....You don't.
I have lost hunting land....for no reason, or at least so it seems(?).......They just changed their minds and said "No"

Sounds to me like you have covered all the bases and went to great lengths to win them over.

If really interested, try again....but at some point you will be making it worse.

[james1313]

Also alot has to do with money almost all land owner lease the land to hunt and with hogs it is a money making deal for land owners there are alot of people making money taking people out to hunt on private land

[kyratshooter]

Here in the south it is often money that speaks for permission to hunt.

It has become customary for owners of large tracks to lease out the hunting rights to the highest bidder. Most of the time when you ask permission the reply is that the land is already under lease but you are welcome to submit a bid for hunting rights on the following year.

Small farmers usually reserve their game for hunting inside the family unit.

I think you should consider yourself very lucky to have been granted permission from the single land owner that gave you a positive response.

[jim Glass]

I wish I would have included pictures of the wild hogs and the areas where they have been rutting along the roads. Inform the property owners if the hogs are left unchecked their lawns will look like the road sides.

In most cases I wrote letters because the property owners do not live on the property. Some of the owners don't live in Florida.

I have permission from one land owner but all they have is a lot and I have know idea exactly where the lot lines are. I thought if I could get permission from the adjoining neighbors the lot lines would be a smaller issue.

I know from experience cold calling for my machine shop business that face to face contact is the best way to build relationships.

Someone told me I should have included a business card with my letter for people to keep in case they wanted to contact me later.

[DSJohnson]

You should try to locate some local hunting clubs. Look for local groups on FB or next time you are down there try to meet the local "good old boys". I would visit the local guns shops/pawn shops/Academy type places looking for club meeting notices. I am a land owner and not interested in "strangers" feeling like they have open access to my place. It goes a long ways when they have someone local to "vouch" for them.

[jim Glass]

Have a few updates: Out of 8 letters mailed out to property owners for hunting permission only 2 were returned and both were a NO to hunting. A week ago I mailed out 4 more letters but this time I included photos of the pigs and encouraged people to contact me by phone.

Just got off the phone with a property owner that decided to call me up. We visited over the phone for quite a while and mutually agreed to meet and visit further when I get back to Florida next winter. I think this guy will be a good person to get to know. I encouraged him to let the other neighbors know that we talked.

He was shocked to hear I had permission to hunt from one of the property owners.

Jim

[madmax]

We gave permission to coon hunters to collect their dogs and shoot the damn coon if they could in NC last year. FL is another story.

Dad used to let hunters on our land in IL when I was growing up. But the "times they are a changing"...

[hunter63]

Congratulations......
Big part of hunting is research....something a lot of people don't want to mess with.

Our out west hunts always started in the fall of the year, for places and permission for the following year.
Reason being was partially the need to apply for permits in many states (out of state and drawings) early in the spring.
Reviewing contacts and getting ahold of them, takes awhile......so it's good to plan ahead.

Was also fun to have a "hunting meeting" at a saloon....and we also collected money for the "Kitty" for the trip.

Contacting the state Fish and Game, DNR, or what ever they call it some time helps with lists of possible places, and contacts.

I have turkey hunted on the same ridge for 10 years, guy farms my land.....BUT I still ask for permission and also ask permission to another property owner.... just "drive across" his field to get there.

They seem to appreciate my efforts, as it let them know who, what and when...and that I'm a responsible person.

[Rick]

Hunter brings up an excellent point. He asks every year. When I was much younger I hunted and older man's farm every year. One year I went there to hunt and was confronted by an extremely upset son-in-law. The older man had died and the SIL had inherited the farm and was NOT pro hunting. Lesson learned.

[LowKey]

The thing about charging money, at least around here, is you suddenly become legally liable for any accidents to "paying guests" on your property.

Any landowner permitting use of his or her property for recreation without charging a fee is not liable for injuries to recreational users of the property except in cases of willful, wanton, or reckless conduct by the owner.

[hunter63]

The thing about charging money, at least around here, is you suddenly become legally liable for any accidents to "paying guests" on your property.

Be interesting to see if that true in Texas and Louisiana....Lots of leases there.
If you want to hunt....you really gotta know some one or have a lease.
We hunt on a 450 acre lease....at about $450 per year....in La.

[jim Glass]

Another phone call a couple of days ago. A woman property owner called me up. Told me to call her when I get back to Florida and she would show me where the lot lines were. I assume this one will be a green light for hunting. The first property owner to give me the ok to hunt was also a women.

The last few letters I sent out included pictures of the hogs and I encouraged people to call me up just to visit. I think the older people found visiting attractive. I think I have three property owners that are on board with me hunting the wild hogs. I'll contact the other property owners again this fall, hopefully some of them will come on board.

I'm pleasantly surprised.
Jim

[natertot]

Hunter brings up an excellent point. He asks every year. When I was much younger I hunted and older man's farm every year. One year I went there to hunt and was confronted by an extremely upset son-in-law. The older man had died and the SIL had inherited the farm and was NOT pro hunting. Lesson learned.

I had a similar situation last fall. Fall before last, a friend and I had permission to hunt and we set up stands and helped clean up a ravine. We also assisted with a few other odd jobs the following spring. Week before deer season started, we headed out to the property to make sure all was well. Turned out the month before the owner had fallen ill and his son had received power of attorney over everything and he decided no hunting for us. He did allow us to retrieve our stands, but I am still kinda ticked off for the free work we did for the property. Oh well........

[jim Glass]

May have struck gold on this one. I contacted a property investment company. My buddies all said the property was some kind of refuge and know way they would allow hunting but I contacted them anyway.

This investment company contacted me and said I could hunt on their property for the sole purpose of controlling the hog population. All I need is hunting insurance at a cost of $175. Not sure if that is per year or what. I'm in Florida for only 10 weeks. Those details need to be worked out.

This investment company goes back to the 70's when the EPA mandated if someone destroys swamp land they must re-create another swamp elsewhere of larger size than the one they destroyed. This is what this company is about. Businesses pay them to build swamps and other natural habitat and then the land just sits there under their control.

I'll get back to you on this. Jim

[hunter63]

Yes you may have struck gold....
There are many partials in Wisconsin that are considered to be a "land conservancy" and are generally closed to any sort of hunting or other outdoor activities....

But as you found out, there are permits granted to a select few in the name of conservation...some are open ended, so some one has to die or give one up to get one.
This is where all the research and leg work comes in......every once in a while ..you do strike gold.

If you oass through Kenosha County from Illinois on I-94 and big bunch of undeveloped land on both sides of the "I" road was in a conservancy...and a friend of mine had permits to deer hunt this land...with a bow.

He took several trophy bucks out of there, within sight of the interstate.

Hard work can be rewarding...good on you.

[TXyakr]

Sounds like a good deal don't give out too many specifics on a public forum. Like Hunter63 said even a Wildlife Refuge needs to have its game managed such as deer and others, all hogs shot on sight. Ranches where I have hunted are owned by close friends and relatives I always try very hard to pick up every spent shell and certainly every plastic bottle, aluminum can, trash of any kind, leave as little trace behind as possible. If a blind is getting old I either repair it or remove it. Don't take poor shots that might wound animals, tack all that are wounded and finish them. etc. etc. Just be very responsible. I am not against bow and arrow, I like that method but some people are just idiots about it, lose arrows taking stupid shots or wounding animals. Bottom line many reasons for land owners to say heck no hunting on my property due to fools who don't know what the heck they are doing. Evidently learned everything they know about it reading a magazine while sitting on the toilet at work. Just my biased opinion.

Edit: Obviously don't shoot when you are not certain what is behind the target, landowners get really ticked off when they find farm equipment with bullet holes or dead livestock in the field. Most of us were taught that by our daddy many years ago. I learned it with a pellet gun when I was about 10 years old and nearly hit someone shooting plastic army men on a fence rail in the barn.

In Texas many people sign a lease agreement, if original land owner dies then son-in-law cannot easily just kick you off the lease without getting a lawyer involved. This stuff is big business in Texas.

Looked it up Hunting in Texas $1.84 Billion, also occasionally you can find a hog hunt for about $500 or less per person per weekend in Texas on Craigslist but doing the leg work yourself or just knowing people is better. No reason to go to Florida an not to hunt. Knock on some land owner's door show them a photo of a hog you saw there tell them they have hog, they may say "No duh, there are also mosquitos on my property did you find any of them Yankee? Now get the heck off!"

http://texanoutdoors.com/hunting/tex...state-economy/

Links to surveys from many different states 2011 and earlier; number of participants and $ spent by Hunters, Anglers and Wildlife watchers broken down and itemized. Note that many Hunters are also Anglers and Wildlife Watchers so obviously those numbers are going to be higher.
https://www.census.gov/prod/www/fishing.html

Edit: BTW some public lands in TX/OK within a few 2-3 hours of me are shotgun/bow or bow only for safety reasons because these do not have the range of a high powered rifle (I assume). Always check, call and ask. Only a small percentage of Texas is public land so it gets crowded with Yankees looking for "free" hunting places... OH I'm only joking ha ha ha, pay a little and some outfitter will set you up with a hog hunt where you will not get shot or shot anyone or any livestock.

[Adventure Wolf]

As a land owner, I wouldn't mind giving permission to hunt on my property, if I knew them. The problem with giving a random person that I have never met before access to my property, is that if I'm not there one day, I am afraid my possessions may wander off. Also someone who is my friend will be more likely to respect my property then someone who I do not know. A friend of the house respects the house.

[Duece]

I hunt on two private plots that i have permission to hunt on and one govt owned pasture land,one private plot i have to be very careful in though due to the fact that the neighbour is a bit of an a$$ hole,he got right in my face a few years ago threatening me with a bat because i was walking the fenceline and he thought i was had been on his side of fence.i did have one fellow that told me i could hunt on his property as long as all my arrows had my name and address on it so if he got one in his tractor tire he would know where tp send the bill! Lol i can still use his property as well but dont usually.archery season starts in a little over two weeks here is sask and im starting to get edgy,wasnt able to go last year due to my back and hand surgeries,super anxious to get back out and spend some time out in the blind.i heard that one of the farmers whose land i hunt has bought a couple bison,gonna hafta really keep an eye out for them,i really dont want to bump into them in field!!!! I hope everyone has a safe and productive season this year
D.