Finding a great place to hunt is becoming increasingly difficult. Here are some commonsense ways to make sure you have a place to hunt. These tips for finding places to hunt will address hunting on private land and hunting on public land.
Hunting ground used to be found just by locating a good looking spot, and then politely knocking on a farmers door. Some pleasantries were usually exchanged, and then permission was generally granted to hunt unless the farmer was himself an active hunter on that piece of land. Okay, it was not always quite that easy, but the description is not too far off.
But, who can blame todays landowners for not being so willing to open the figurative and literal gate to folks who want to hunt their land for free? For a variety of reasons they just are not that enthused about that prospect. Take into consideration that a farmer or rancher can greatly enhance his farm income by leasing his ground for hunting. Hunting and ranching is a tough job that does not pay handsomely. If he knows he can lease ground to a wealthy attorney, doctor, or other professional from the city, can you blame him for wanting to do so? Couple that with the fact that some hunters over the years have not displayed good etiquette and it all adds up to more doors getting closed on the average hunter who needs to find a place to hunt. There are however options.
The most obvious is to hunt public land. Speaking on a general basis, there are two venues for private land. There is federally managed land and there is state managed land. The state lands take different forms in different states. For example, here in Missouri, state lands are designated as Conservation Areas, State Forest, State Parks, and a few others. In all states, federal lands fall into the same categories, but are not present in all states. For example, Bureau of Land Management lands are a great option in many western states, but are essentially absent east of the Mississippi River. There are great options for hunting on United States Forest Service lands in nearly every state. Also, do not assume that National Parks and/or Wilderness Areas do not allow hunting. You need to check the regulations for the specific area.
When it some to getting permission to hunt on private land, here are some general tips. First, think about the reasons landowners do not grant permission for hunting on their land. Some of these objections you can perhaps overcome. Some are beyond your control. First lets think about liability.
Many farmers and ranchers are concerned you will get hurt or worse on their land and they will be sued. Do some research for the state in which you reside and see what you can do to address this concern. Also, assuming you have completed a hunter safety course, make a copy of your certificate and be ready to present this to the landowner. If you can get this concern addressed, another hurdle may be landowners concern you will trespass neighboring ground.
You can address this hurdle by accomplishing something you should do anyway. You will of course want to know the topography of the land you will hunt. This is more true with hunting deer, turkey, or other big game animals, but is generally true for any hunting. Come to the landowner armed with a knowledge of the area. You can get this by obtaining maps or looking at the area online. We do much of our research via Google Earth. If you know the area, you can say to the landowner that you know the extent of the property you can hunt and you will not cross on to neighboring property. Of course another option is to seek permission on that ground as well. The one objection difficult to overcome is that of the landowner seeking compensation often called a trespass fee.
You might be okay with paying up. If it does not fit your budget to pay for a place to hunt, why not barter? Offer some of the harvest you potentially might have. Offer some of the choice parts of the venison if deer hunting. Or, why not offer to do some work on the landowners property? This is perhaps a fair exchange. Many landowners are very familiar with a barter system.
The place to start looking for private ground on which to hunt is with people you know. Try relatives first. If you have friends, why not ask? Some people feel awkward doing so, but I have had friends ask me later why I never asked them about hunting their property. I admit I wondered why they didnt invite me.
At any rate, if you want to hunt, you will need a place to do so. If you are planning hunts for next Fall, theres never too early a time to start thinking of places to go. Remember as you interact with landowners, you may be the impression that forms their opinion of hunters. Be a good ambassador and make it easier for the next guy who wants to hunt.
Automatic blog by iAutoblog
No comments:
Post a Comment