How to Gain Permission to Hunt on Private Land
written by staff writer
Finding success on public land is a big deal. The hunting pressure is usually high, resulting in wary animals that don’t let their guard down. Many hunters take a lot of pride in only hunting public land, and if that’s what they love to do that’s great. But you can’t argue with the success rate of hunters with access to private land. You’re much more likely to harvest an animal in an area that has less hunting pressure and you probably won’t run into any other hunters, so you’re not competing with every yahoo with a tag in that unit.
Bill Winke of Midwest Whitetail received this question in his “Ask Winke” blog and we thought his response was excellent.
“Bill, I was wondering if you and the guys can do a video on how to gain land permission to hunt for the season?” - Michael from Indiana
Winke writes:
“Michael,
There are basically two ways that our guys have gotten permission (and how I used to do it before I bought my first farm). The landowner is either a close friend or they do some work to achieve the permission.”
“It comes down to working outward from your circle of family and friends. It may be the friend of a friend or the friend of an uncle, etc. But you should still offer to do some work or trade some skill in exchange for hunting rights. If you aren’t willing to do that, your opportunities will drop really fast.”
Image from midwestwhitetail.com
In essence, if you want to gain something, you’ve got to be ready give something.
“If you get known as a hard worker and responsible, word will get out and you will eventually find good places to hunt.”
While some landowners may be receptive to a simple knock on the door, others may be quite the opposite.
To read Winke’s full response, head over to the article below.
GAINING PERMISSION TO HUNT
midwestwhitetail.com
more hunting content
Gear up for when your season starts with some great hunting content.
WATCH MIDWEST WHITETAIL
Stream S11:E1 “190-inch Giant Comes Running, Public Land Team Effort” where Bill Winke weighs in with his strategy for getting bucks to come in.
watch CHASING NOVEMBR
The story of a hardcore group of deer hunters as they meet the challenges of the season. From the creators of Midwest Whitetail.