Would You?

R

roy reali

New member
Lets say you own a large peice of land. Say several thousand acres. Your land supports plenty of game animals, both furred and feathered. Would you let others use your land to hunt? I don't mean family members or close friends, I am talking about relative strangers that may ask your permission.

I have thought about this. I hate to say it, but I really doubt I would give an unfamiliar person permission to use my land. What about you?
 
I would....Well, at leat I say that.

They would have to follow my rules though. If I even thought they were breaking they would be off.

What rules? Heck if I know, but I won't be in that situation for many years.
 
I own a small piece of land here in NC that I hunt myself which I get at least a few requests a year for permission to hunt. But other than close friends and family, I will not allow anyone to hunt it. I would be too woried about some idiot (a) shooting me or someone else, or (b) ruining a hunt by showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time. Selfish... maybe, but I don't have strangers stopping by offering to help me pay the taxes on said land, just asking to hunt on it.
 
We own hunting land in northern MN. We only let family and close friends hunt there. Before anyone hunts we make sure they are safe hunters, any unsafe behavior and they are not invited back.
 
How times have changed. You used to be able to wander up to a farm and ask permission and it was typically granted. We never owned land, but I used this method religiously as a kid when we would visit relatives in IL as well as around the county in MI where I grew up. I can understand the sentiment though with the litigious society we have morphed into. It's a sad testament of our ability to take personal responsibility for our actions. It was understood that you left gates as you found them, you didn't shoot up things that weren't supposed to be shot, if you got ran over by a bull you deserved it because you got too close, and if you shot yourself in the foot; it was understood that you were responsible for shooting your foot.
Since those days are gone. I guess I would have to agree with the others that I would use it as my personal hunting ground and not have to worry about being sued because someone decided it was a good idea to try and milk the bull.:(
 
We farm roughly 2500 acres of land and anyone that hunts can go out there, strangers ask permission, neighbours and family dont have to.

Thats the way it is around here. If you hunt you can go anywhere that isnt posted as long as you dont wreck anything. When people break things and wreck things there is a tendency for no hunting signs to go up.

There is one guy who posts his land so that only him and his buddies can hunt there but they have no problem going off that land and hunting wherever they want too. Most of us find that to be kind of selfish.
 
Why Not?

We have a close family friend. He owns a piece of the most beautiful property around. It is a couple of mountain peaks away from Lake Tahoe. This property sets at 7,000 feet. A small pond, lake, and a couple of streams are located here. It is one of those places you call "God's Country." It is a sportsman's dream. Fishing and hunting are great here.

Our friend, the owner, used to allow folks to use this property to hunt, camp, or fish. I say used to.

One year he had to haul five pick-up loads of garbage off his property. Now signs adorn the heavy duty gates he has put up. These signs are not welcome signs.
 
I have 58 acres here at the house that I don't hunt on myself.It's mostly pasture and deer wander through it, but typically not enough to hunt.A couple of years ago I heard a shot right behind the house and found a man and his son squirrel hunting.He gave me the usual crap about so and so said he could hunt.I told him I was glad to see him taking his son as there are alot of bad things they can get in to at that age.Well, they proceeded to stay back there for the next few weeks.One day as I was walking to the shop I heard a close shot.When I approached the man he explained how a deer had run between him and my shop and he was framming at it with a 12 guage pump.Only about 75 yards and probably 6 shot which makes it even more stupid since he couldn't have killed the deer with it anyway.I think landowners have different attitudes now because people are different.
 
No, only family hunts our land and friends when acompanied by a family member. I spend a lot of money on taxes,tractors,seed, etc. and want my family to enjoy it. We are all experienced hunters and are very selective about what we shoot. If it's an 8pt. it better go at least 140 and a 10pt better make book or be so close that you couldn't tell in the field. This is why I won't even take most of my friends hunting. few people can field judge well, and even if they can, once that 150 class deer is dead he is not going to pass on those superior genes any more.
 
Most "hunters" won't show the landowner and his property any respect. Gates left open, fences cut, ATVs tearing up fields, garbage left everywhere etc. My biggest reason why not; most hunters are not proficient marksmen. These guys ruin opportunities for the conscientious hunters.
 
I let friends hunt on my land quite regularly. Letting a stranger hunt is a "maybe", which depends a lot on his first impression. Even then, I'd most likely limit him to one tract that's good for quail but not much else. Shotguns are less harmful, and it would give me a chance to observe and to see if it might become more than a one-time event...

I certainly don't mind helping people who are competent and ethical.

Art
 
There's not enough public land in Texas to get lost on. Most of the hunting is done on leases. In South Texas, where the famed "Muy Grande" bucks are at, the average Joe can't afford to hunt- it's far too expensive. Figure around $10.00 per year per acre, and there aren't many small places so you are looking at spending in the tens of thousands of dollars per year. And most of the ranchers only want to see you during deer season, otherwise, stay out. Some ranches at that price limit you to one deer and no does. Dove hunting was around $10.00 a day but that has gone up and a field may have 20-30 folks shooting at the same bird. It's not how it used to be that's for sure. Hunting in most parts of Texas is expensive and a real money makin' business.
 
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