# How many people ask for private property access?



## cowmilker (Dec 17, 2008)

With the antlerless guidebook coming out soon (out on draft now), there are a ton of hunts that are on "all or mostly private" property. 
My question is, have any of you got the guts up to go knocking on doors of people you have never met and ask them to hunt their property? If I was a property owner (besides the .18 acres that I will own in 29 more years) and some schmuck came knocking on my door I'd tell him to take a hike.
Is antlerless hunting meant for only farmers/ranchers and their family and local friends. It seams that the DWR is only (or should I say mostly) putting Doe hunts on private property. I would be happy to offer help with summer chores (mending fences, shoveling manure, etc.) like they tell you in hunters ed, but I don't want to be a burden to the land owners. Are my feelings on this wrong? 
Does anyone have experience with this? Anyone own land, that can tell me how land owners feel about this?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

The question that you should be asking is "do I want to hunt on private property and treat it as it should be treated while I am hunting and go to the effort to make a new friend." 

I ask every year to hunt on private property when I head to North or South Dakota to go pheasant hunting. I have been turned down a few times but usually I get the right answer along with a few ground rules, such as don't SHOOT towards my animals, stay on the roads, and leave the gates as you find them. As far as deer and elk I have done the same thing but I will usually ask as early as I know that I have a tag or suspect that I'll get one. If you are going to do this there are a few common sense rules to follow. Don't wait until the last minute such as Friday night when the season starts on Saturday. Go by yourself or your hunting partner and let him know just how many people are going to hunt with you. Leave the dogs, wheeler, and kids at home. If the land owner says no don't argue, depending on how the conversation is going you might ask he why but don't push your point. Thank him and leave. If you do have some spare time and a specific skill ask him if he needs any help in that area, but don't expect him to say OK as far as doing chores around the property that is up to you. Just remember he may already be paying a hired hand to do them. And the big thing treat him with respect. There are a few times that you will have to wait a couple of weekends before you can get out and hunt since his family might be hunting during the early season so you might even need to be flexible. Now if all goes well and he says yes and you manage to harvest an animal in his hay or grain field try and get the animal to the edge of the field before you field dress it. If not bury the entrails instead of leaving them to the crows or coyotes. Then on your way out stop and thank him again for the opportunity to hunt on his property, perhaps even offer him some meat, not while it is still dripping with blood but after it has been cut and wrapped. And not some tough round steaks, perhaps some back strap or even some tenderloins. Usually they don't need the meat and will say no thanks but it goes a long ways to showing your appreciation for the chance.


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## Doc (Sep 11, 2007)

I and one son hunted last year on predominant private land. It was mostly farm land, corn/alfalfa fields that the owners really wanted the deer gone. I had five permission slips before the hunt started. We kept the owners aware of where we would be and let them know of our kills. This year if another son gets a tag for the area he can go around with some deer jerky when he asks. :wink: 

It took some work to find out who owned the land and where they lived. They didn't all live on the farms but in a couple nearby towns.


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## cowmilker (Dec 17, 2008)

OK thanks. It looks like I have got to go find an area and start knocking on doors, get some self confidence and stop being so shy. Gulp.


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Yes, If I have their contact info and know their name, I will ask them even if I don't know them. What is the worst that could happen?


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## hunter_orange13 (Oct 11, 2008)

2 summers ago, my dad was trying to find a place where I could go bowhunt some deer at. So, he somewhat knew a farmer down the road. My mom made some cookies, and I went and asked him. He said, "for sure kid, I might even be able to get you a mitagation tag too." I work for him for free, but i'm able to hunt it WHENEVER I want. His property touches public, so i had access to that too. Just yesterday I was helping him with calfs. It started out as trying to find land to hunt, but has turned out to become a friendship. Most of the time he turns down meat, or work when I offer, but it makes me feel better when I work for him to get a reward that big. 

another thing to add to Critter's list is picking up your garbage, and other hunters trash too. Nothing ticks him off more when he is nice enough to let people hunt it, and in return they trash his property.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

It depends on the situation! When I hunt antelope, especially does, out in the west/southwest desert where the land ownership is a big ever-changing checkerboard with private, BLM and State Trust Lands and it's hard to know exactly where you are, I usually don't ask or need to ask permission as long as the land is not posted and as long as I drive only on the roads, leave the gates as I find them, clean up after myself including the gut pile, don't shoot toward houses, barns, sheds, windmills, livestock, etc. and as long as I set up without disturbing the livestock or damaging fences or equipment, or dig a pit. The ranchers and farmers there hate pronghorns eating their cattle feed, but are sophisticated enough to post their land if they don't want hunters and/or will leave you a note on your setup. I've been turned down only once when I asked to set up near an old unused tractor at a water hole, but I've never had any other problems. I once visited with a rancher while checking out waterholes and he just told me to be careful climbing the windmill and to shoot all the coyotes I could. I always set up before the season and have found my blinds are left alone all season long.

Hunting deer and elk on Cedar Mountain is a little different, but not much. There are more postings and locked gates, but my same rules apply and I've never had a problem.

Most Utah ranchers and farmers would much rather raise beef, sheep, and horses then deer, elk, antelope, and moose (CWMU's being the exceptions.) and are happy to get rid of wildlife. That's why many of them don't bother to post or fence their property. I suppose there are exceptions, maybe more than I know, but I've never had a run-in in the 50+ years I've hunted.

Maybe you think this approach is rude, but it's worked for me and I've been able to hunt the same places year after year.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

I asked for permission on over 30 pieces of private land last year hunting foxes. I knocked on probably close to 60 doors to find out who the owners were on them. It wasn't always the first door i knocked on that owneed the land. All but 4 turned me down. 
I have also asked for permission on probably close 20 pieces of land to hunt deer and elk and only been turned down about 6 or 7 times. The way you approach them and conversate can make or break the deal. It never hurts to ask(unless they have a mean dog that tries to attack you when you get by the door :| ).


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

I assume Utah county administrations are set similar to the ones back south; down home you can go the county clerk’s (or recorder’s) office and buy a plot book which shows you the location of, along with who owns every piece of land in the county. I think the last one I bought cost around $25 but again it was several years and down in OK. These can cut down the time it takes you to locate the owners.

I haven't asked for permission to big game hunt here in Utah, but I asked several dozen for permission to goose hunt and was turned down by all.

When I was young, me and a buddy were grabbing some food one day in a diner in the middle of nowhere New Mexico after a hard morning of bird hunting when got to talking to an old timer setting next to us. In the course of talking, he asked us if we wanted to go hunting on his place. At first we weren’t sure about judging by the way he dressed, and acted. We finally said sure we would come out and give it a try. Best decision we ever made, that old man owned over 50,000 acres of prime hunting land. He has passed on since but I still keep in touch with his son, and retain an open invitation to come on down to hunt.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

I've received permission to hunt upland birds and geese on several properties. I've gotten to know some of my students' families and that helps. Some dads are happy to come along with their boy in tow and I make sure to bring a few release birds so the kids can get some shooting in over a dog that knows what to do. I've also gotten permission to hunt deer on a couple of properties, both of which would require some real luck to take a buck with my bow. 
Only once in my life have I ever received permission from someone I didn't establish a relationship with first.


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