Permission to Hunt? - Denied
Posted by Bryan on August 18, 2007
Recently, there have been a few informative posts on obtaining permission to hunt. Tails and Trails offered several tips to increase chances of obtaining permission, and Upland Feathers discussed a new state law in Connecticut that will help hunters and landowners alike.
I’d like to share a common occurrence in my attempts to hunt private land in Ohio. As you may know, Ohio is home to some of the country’s largest whitetail deer. A combination of flat farm lands, a well-balanced herd, and relatively low hunting pressure (well, relative to my home state of PA where there are a million hunters in the woods…literally!) offer a perfect recipe for monster bucks. In years past, Ohio has been referred to as the nation’s “best kept secret” for trophies. However, the secret is out, outfitters are in, and large quantities of private land are now leased.
Let me share a story. I complete my Bachelor’s degree at a small liberal arts college in central OH (Denison University), which is a hotbed for trophy bucks. However, my hunting time was limited due to participation in athletics. One Winter I had a weekend off, so I asked one of my coaches if I could hunt on his farm. I worked on his farm the summer prior and had a close relationship with him, so I thought I was “in”. His response, “Well, you know these guys are paying top dollar…I mean top dollar.”
My point: hunting leases are beginning to consume prime hunting real estate, at least in my neck of the woods. I am wondering if anyone else has experiences similar issues. Please share your opinion.
Please keep in mind that I am very fortunate to hunt exclusively on private land. I’m now attending graduate school in northeast OH (Kent State University), and I have permission to hunt a small farm and a small wooded area. I’ve asked approximately 35-50 landowners here for permission, and not one has informed me that their land is leased (I’m usually just told “No”). So, the lease issue is likely tied to geography. On one hand it makes hunting accessible in these areas if you’re willing to pay “top dollar”. On the other hand, it limits opportunities to hunters not willing or not able to pay.
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Hi Bryan!
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, I was gone for the weekend again. Exchanging links sounds great! I added yours to my blogroll. Way to go on the switch to Skinny Moose!
August 19th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Ever since I moved to NC 13 some years ago I’ve had to deal with land leases. Little land is available for just asking for deer, turkey, and bear hunting. You can get access for geese, woodchucks, and coyotes but that is because they are problematic creatures. There are some parts of the state where outfitters bid up the land but for the most part it’s just other hunters. People are careful not to talk much about food plots and trophy animals they maybe seeing for the fear that someone will show up on the land owners doorstep with a bag of money so to speak and lease the land out from under them. I suspect as time goes on we’ll see this just about everywhere in the country.
August 20th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Moose, at least I know I’m not alone with this concern. I think it’s crazy that some of the land is basically up for auction. To the extent that popularity of leases increase, I believe other hunters will have a difficult time obtaining permission to hunt without ‘forking up the dough’. But, until that day comes, happy hunting!
August 20th, 2007 at 5:40 am
Some of these people have a lot of their ‘dough’ invested in their land and in just paying the taxes on it. Although, I hate that ‘leases’ are quickly becoming the only option for hunting on private land, I understand why the landowners do it.
August 20th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Darrell,
That is a very good point. I never thought of that, so thanks for broadening my horizons. I guess it’s a “good for them, bad for me” deal…
August 20th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Hunting leases are big business here in CA, especially for hog hunting. I think there are plenty of great public land opportunities for deer, ducks, and most small game in this state, but if you want hogs, you almost have to go on private land.
I moved here right at the end of the boom times for free hog hunting, I guess. It used to be (according to many locals and long-time residents) that you simply asked and the farmers were thrilled to have you come out and shoot pigs. Then someone found out how much hunters were willing to pay in order to hunt private ground, and the free hunting dried right up.
Added to that, of course, is the fear of lawsuits in this litigation-crazed society.
I don’t knock the landowners at all for this, though. It does help pay the bills, and it’s their land. As I’ve said so many (too many?) times, the market will decide. If it gets out of hand, the number of folks participating will drop and business will suffer. Otherwise, hey… free market, baby.
What’s scary, though, is just how much people ARE willing to pay. In many cases, a private land hog hunt, that was free just a few years ago, is more than the average guy can afford any more.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
You are right…can’t blame the farmers. But, you are also right that it is quite scare how much people will pay. My concern is that if hunting pressure increases, the market will be driven even higher in years to come…
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 pm
[…] few weeks back, I expressed my frustrations with hunting leases: Permission to Hunt? – Denied. I received some very thought provoking feedback, including comments from Darrell at Alpha Trilogy, […]
September 4th, 2007 at 7:02 am
[…] been having here about hunting leases, private hunting property, and public hunting (see post on leasing and landowners), I thought I’d share some tips I use to increase my odds when hunting […]
September 5th, 2007 at 5:31 am
[…] Tom Remington wrote a recent piece about this issue on his Black Bear Blog. I also wrote a piece about the frustrations of finding private land […]
October 18th, 2007 at 7:13 am