First shotgun season I am standing by my gate when a hunter comes walking up my road with his light on. I wait until he gets close and ask what the hell he is doing? He is in a panic wearing no orange and tells me the neighborhood outfitter dropped him off on the property to the west of me and told him not to wear orange. He knew he was in the wrong place and who I was I gave him an ass chewing and called the outfitter. The outfitter put it all on his hunter and said he had permission to the east and thats where he should have been. I later called that land owner and he did not know that outfitter or give anyone any permission. I ended up leasing the property and was asked to post it and keep people off. Second season got a call that the outfitter was on the property to the east shooting with 10 paid hunters. I called him he says they shot a deer 2 miles away and saw it run onto property, and fired 0 shots. I called that land owner told him what happened and he said the outfitter had leased some land from him and not paid in 2 years but still runs hunters on it. I ended up leasing it as well just to post and keep this guys hunters off it. Outfitters and paid hunters will turn Iowa into illinois in my opinion especially crooked ones! Wondering what you guys would have done?
Medicine Man
Member
Kinda wondering what county this incident occurred in. IMO there are only a few reputable outfitters. Most are only after the $$ and could care less about your hunting experience. Had a friend tell me this year an outfitter in Appanoose Co. charged 5 NR hunters $3,000. each and after collecting their money told them he really didn't have a place for them to hunt. Wouldn't refund their money. This was suppose to be a trip of a lifetime for a son and his 70 year old dad who cashed in saving bonds to hunt with his son. The outfitter had already served time in jail for doing the same thing in Missouri. The same outfitter place hunters on my friends farm and moved his "NO HUNTING " signs a 150 yards off of his property...........some real scum bags out there.
sep0667
Land of the Whitetail
IMO outfitters are slowly ruining hunting. Maybe out west in the Rocky's they are needed, but in Iowa now. They buy and lease up to much ground then charge several K to hunt on it a few days. Hopefully the Iowa regs never change and we only have a small amount of NR's come to hunt, or we will soon be like IL, OH, etc. overrun with outfitters.
bloodhoundhandler
New Member
If I read that right it sounds like you picked up two new farms to hunt. Sounds to me liked it worked out well for you 
mplane72
PMA Member
Honestly I think you and your neighbors and any others you can find in your area that have the same problem should contact your state reps and talk to them about your problem and push them for legislation requiring "outfitters" (I use that term loosely) to be licensed by the state.
Nontypcl1
Member
mplane72 said:
I think that is a great idea as well. I don't even live in one of iowa's "big buck" counties and i have heard now from a couple different landowners that they had given one guy permission and all the sudden they find a few out of state guys hunting on their ground. They are then told by the hunters that they paid so and so $1500-2000 to hunt and the "outfitter" had told them that the landowners farm was fair game. Needless to say that was the last time he gave permission to said "outfitter"
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I have a couple friends that are outfitters. I know some shady outfitters too. Obviously they have a right to do it. BUT, I tell you what.... If one pops up next to my ground, I'm not a happy camper & 99% of my buddies who own land are very afraid of outfitters popping up next to them. In SHORT.... Totally contrary goals as we have... Too many guys, too many 3.5's, etc getting slayed, churning guys through to pay the bills and the guys who pay to hunt don't care about the longterm goals of land like the neighboring land owners do. Most outfitter land gets destroyed and I'd put MOST of it a small stack above public land. Hope it never pops up next to my land BUT again, I do have friends that do it, hope the bad ones go outta business and I hope it doesn't grow to where it dominates our country side. IA would be toast, far worse than IL if the floodgates opened on outfitters (because unlike IL- we only have 5.7% timber in our state, easy to take that over).
goatman
I hunt days ending in Y
Outfitters are licensed in IL. That doesn't stop the crooks. They just move. Food for thought. Pike County didn't have a booner entry in 09 or 2010.
SouthernIowa
PMA Member
This was in Wayne? Could I ask the name of this outfitter? I live in Wayne and I know of a couple good ones, a not so good one and terrible one lol.
loneranger
Well-Known Member
I am afraid it is growing. Like the large tract across from me. Not sure who is overseeing hunting there. The actual owner lives in Florida, but 4 guys from Louisiana, were there this Nov, saying they paid to bowhunt there. One of them for sure,,maybe two got a buck. Now if this was their first year NR bow hunting, how did they get buck tags? Not sure on the details,,non of my business,,but don't like to see this happening, near me. Not large bucks either...
mplane72
PMA Member
I was thinking about that in the back of my head as I entered my first post. I know what your saying about legitimizing the outfitter business. I think it would take a pretty detailed set of regs to work. Something that made it take some work to be get licensed as an outfitter.
If it where up to me the outfitter would have to register all the land they legally controlled, weather it be own, lease or even if they just had permission, with the DNR. I would make them submit said contracts for land they don't own. That way the local CO knows who to keep an eye on. I would also make them liable for the actions of their clients when things like what the OP described happen. This would also give NRs someone to file a complaint with. I am not big on lots of rules and regulations but when you profit off of a public resource I think it should be expected.
it seems to be the worst during shotgun seasons due to the party hunting and pushing deer. this seems to bring out the worst in this guy. i think he knows who owns every piece of ground around him and tries to know where there at before he runs through there property. I am planning on contacting the dnr after the season to report my incident as well as another landowner who got permission on some ground behind him and found several of outfitters stands on property. he removed the stands and left them laying on the ground beside the tree and posted the property. when he returned 2nd season the signs were gone and stands back up. the landowner lives out of town and never heard of the outfitter even though he claims to lease the land!
risto2351
Well-Known Member
That is very interesting.