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Things landowners dislike

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River1

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The recent posts about problems with land access and the future of land access got me thinking about this.

I know quite a few landowners that have had bad experiences with hunters. It seems a lot of hunters shoot themselves in their own foot which also damages the chances of others in getting access down the line.

Everyone knows the obvious things such as tresspassing, atv's tearing up ground, etc.

How about the not so obvious stuff.





A landowner that allows me access mentioned that he is tired of seeing guys driving by his place slow and pulling into his field entrances to glass deer.

Right or wrong, it obviously makes him uncomfortable.

Another guy once told me that I could drive on his ground. I make it a rule not to drive though. A couple years later his boy mentioned that they appreciated that I walk in.


Your opinions?
 
I think the smart thing to do, would be to get to know the landowners. Let them know what color/style of pickup you drive, that you might be glassing for deer some evenings - and be sure to ask them if there is anything they prefer you not to do. Foremost, use common sense. I don't think pulling into a field entrance to simply glass for deer is unreasonable. As long as the landowner knows who you are and what you are up to, they shouldn't be uncomfortable in my opinion.
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Edit: Let's all be sure to do our part this year to cull the antlerless deer population - offer to share the venison with the farmer/landowner, maybe even show them the deer you have taken so they can see first hand the service we have done for them and the state of Iowa (of course, after having thanked them for the opportunity to hunt their land)
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I have to agree with you. The land owner where I hunt said go ahead and drive in but I walk in too. I did however drive in through the picked bean field to retrieve my doe last week. He was just as excited about the harvest of a deer of his land as I was and had no problem with driving to get her loaded. (it would have been over a 1/4 mile drag) Treat the land you hunt on as your own and treat the owner as you would want to be treated and you can't go wrong. Just my 2 cents.
 
I think the key is communication. With my farms, I make it a point to let the landowners know when and where I will be out there and they have my vehicle description. Also, a little goes a LONG way with them. I had one guy that was a little grumpy, but open to letting us bowhunt his farm... but he still seemed a little stand-offish towards us... so one night before scouting this summer, I showed up with a bottle of his favorite Irish Creme... within 2 minutes I was sitting in his kitchen eating dinner with them and just talking about whatever was on his mind... now I am welcome back for many years to come... and all it cost me was a bit of time, a bottle of liquor, and an ear that he could bend for an hour or two... plus he got to know me a bit and what I am about...
 
I think the things that most over look is getting to know the person. So many guys ask for permission and never talk to the land owner again except for a wave as they go by or to let them know when they will be around.

Everyone wants to be the farmer' budddy when they think there may be a chance at a big buck on his property. I think there can be some resentment to that. Most the landowners I know are great people. Growing up in the same environment I know that most won't ask for anything in return but would apprieciate any offer.

Harvest time is comming up and many will be short of help. Offer your help for a day. Even if ya don't know what you are doing there are things that any knuckle head can help with.

If ya see a cow out or a fence down don't go running to tell him about it. Chase the old %itch back in if ya can and go and ask to borrow a fence stretcher and hammer and fix it for him.

My wife bakes pies and we deliver them to all the farmers who's ground we hunt on. If I can determine their favorite flavor I will drop off a few beverages also.

I don't just want permission to hunt, I want the owner to be glad he gave me permission.

You will find that if you put in a little time and effort it will pay off. You won't be "just another Hunter" to them. The next thing ya know their scouting deer for ya, giving you exclusive hunting rights and maybe even leaving a little spot of corn or beans for ya here and there as food plots.

HT
 
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Everyone wants to be the farmer' budddy when they think there may be a chance at a big buck on his property. I think there can be some resentment to that. Most the landowners I know are great people. Growing up in the same environment I know that most won't ask for anything in return but would apprieciate any offer.


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Good points.
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Great points by all. I always lend a hand (or at least OFFER to) to the landowners whos ground I hunt.

Pies are a good idea (except I can't bake), but I've given some choice steaks and processed sausage when I get it back.

The ground I Turkey hunt on I gave the landowner some fresh crappie filets and he was thrilled.
 
How about the the Golden Rule,just treat the farmer the way we would like to be treated. Everyone likes to be treated with respect.
As a photographer I make sure I know when the land owners kids are seniors and shoot their Sr. pic for free or if the kids are all grown a nice family photo session.
 
I agree with all the posts. I don't think anyone should be upset about sitting a field drive glassing deer because its county property. I spent half the summer new pipes in them.
 
if you open a gate....shut it. if you drop it, pick it up. if you damage it, fix it/replace it.

if you drive on the land, drive respectfully. open your eyes, and drive where you will leave the least impact. think as if it were your land, and you were making you living off of it.
 
I let some guys go last year and they left their litter in the timber which I found later. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was bothersome to find. They threw their used latex field dressing gloves down where they cleaned their deer and left them. BTW - they did not receive permission to return this year.

Respect the land and the owner, do not take either one for granted.
 
Alaskan,

That reminded me about another owner that refused me access. He told me he allowed one guy on the year before, but he brought all of his buddies in to hunt. Apparently those people then started coming out on their own.

Don't ya love the guys that ask once and think they have life long permission. Or the guys like above that ask for themselves, but then it's like an open invite for all family and friends.

It seems that stuff happens alot. I haven't had a problem with bringing people onto the places I hunt. Just a matter of asking the landowner.
 
I have tried lots of things to continue to keep good ties with the landowners I hunt on. Every Christmas I send them gift certificates to a really, really good steakhouse (farmers are hard to impress when it comes to beef
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). The most valuable thing I've done though is take an interest in their kids. I love basketball, so I helped out with the high school team practices a few years in a row when I was substitute teaching, just doing that opened up all kinds of doors to hunting access. And more importantly, to top it off I made some good friends.
 
I treat them as friends, not just as people who own land I wish to hunt. I suppose it is easier, living in an area relatively uninhabiited makes it easy to know everybody. I stop in at most guys places for a coffee or a drink every now and then, one guy I help move machinery with at busy times, I also help with cattle windbreaks etc. I've given one old fellow about 1000 rough cut 8 foot 2x4's for fencing. One guy I help cut wood for winter, he heats his house with a wood boiler, I haul him 5-10 truckloads of pine from my place each fall. Another older couple, I keep in fish, they were more than happy with some trout from last weekend.
Do I do all of this b/c I wish to hunt their land, no way. I'm just being a good neighbour, that's what we do, help each other out. Being able to hunt is just a dandy bonus.
To end my post I'll repeat what others have said. "I NEVER, EVER, drive anywhere, even if it's alright, they really appreciate that.
 
I'm not a landowner, but here's something that bugs my landowner.

He's a deer hunter too. If he lets you hunt his property, he wants to know what you see and shoot. He doesn't dictate what you can shoot, but he wants to know whats out there that he hasn't seen and what kind of deer are coming off his ground. He's been surprised at how hard it is to get that type of info from hunters.
 
Last night I made a visit to all of my property owners. My youngest daughter's sitter is also one of the top bakers in the state. So I hand delivered a dozen gourmet cookies to each of them. One sweet ole lady that is about 80 or so, said that was one of the nicest things she has had someone do for her, and the other land owners said, "Oh my gosh, those are our favorites cookies on earth". Needless to say $20 worth of cookies probley just secured my hunting spots for life. That's all it takes, I also give them a card that I picked up at a local shop that you put your name and number on one half, and they sign the other half and you exchange them. They all seemed to think that was a great idea.
Good Luck to all this season.
 
These are all great ideas. Once the landowner gives you permission, it wouldn't hurt to ask the landowner his/her 2 cents about the deer on thier property. Make them feel like they are able to help you out with your hunt. Be respectful and always ask permission each and every year(and not at the last second).
 
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