Does everyone say no!

Jimmy B · #1 10/02/07, 09:10 PM

I'm finding it very difficult to find property to hunt in Ohio. I moved here from
PA and have a cabin still there. I enjoy hunting deer, archery, muzzleloader, and rifle in Pa. I've even had doors slammed in my face. I'm guessing others have disrespected the different farmers in my area (Richland County) so much they've shut all outsiders out.

tallpines · #2 10/02/07, 11:23 PM

Now that we've built a house in our 40 acres of woods we say "no".
I don't like worrying about stray bullets.

And in this "sue" happy day, a land owner has to worry about a law suit if a hunter fell off a log and broke a leg.

We are very fortunate to have many, many acres of county owned forest nearby so most hunters have a place to go for hunting----although during opening deer weekend, that tends to be a busy place, too.

#3 10/03/07, 12:27 AM

It's not just you Jim. It's becoming a nation wide problem. I read the other day in the paper that hunting is at an all time low and the main reason is the older more experienced hunters have given up cause of having a hard time to find a place to hunt. So with the older more experienced hunters quitting there is very few to pass on the tradition to the younger hunters.

I know what you mean about getting the door slammed in your face. The game department use to advertise for hunters to always ask permission before hunting on private property. The majority of the time my nose would end up pointing in the opposite direction on my face.

Hang in there, hopefully someone will let you do some hunting. Does your wildlife department own any public lands for hunting?

EDDIE BUCK · #4 10/03/07, 01:25 AM

Spend a little time around country stores, Grain and feed stores and church. That will give you a way to get to know some of the farmers and for them to get to know you. Walking up to a farmers house and out of the blue ask for permission to hunt his land is asking for the door to slam in your face. Get to know them, and you might not need to ask.

You might even offer your services to help them sometime on jobs on their farm.

tallpaul · #5 10/03/07, 05:11 AM

Eddie buck had it sooo right...

Gee maybe ya can think of something to offer FIRST instead of wanrting something for nothing. I find plenty of opportunity here in ohio but I usually find out if they need help in some areas and see what I can do to help... funny thing is that not only they but thier friends and family always seem to open up resources then.

I soo look foward to the day that I have enough land that I can happily waste my time talkin to folks that want to use my land for free and then grant them access to tramp over fields and fences I invest time and money into,pay taxes on and then worry about lawsuits etc if they get hurt.... NOT!!!

There is plenty of public hunting land in ohio... there is nio reason for the "poor me- th e landowners are mean here in ohio"

Jimmy B · #6 10/03/07, 06:35 AM

Thank you for the information about getting to know some of the farmers and where to possibly meet them. I'm aware of the sue happy people and certainly not a poor me person. It is frustrating that a few wanna be hunters have disrespected alot of these farmers and landowners to the point of not being able to hunt on their lands. Yes it is their property and they certainly have the right to refuse. I like the idea of helping them out if given the opportunity to maybe able to hunt aswell. Thanks for your replies.

Jim

ovendoctor · #7 10/03/07, 06:39 AM

as a young man I had more acreage to hunt and trap than I could ever use
worked my butt off all summer haying and rock picking,milking cows and such
come hunting season no problem

and it still holds true today

hillsidedigger · #8 10/03/07, 06:44 AM

You got that right. NO.

Its amazing that people, mostly young guys 25 years old or less, will drive right up here to our place, park, get out with a gun in hand and ask if they can wander back into the woods behind the house and shoot whatever they might see.

There's about 80 acres of wooded area behind our place of which only 10 acres is ours. All around the fringe of the 80 acres are houses and highways. No point back there is more than 600' from a house. So there may be 3 to 10 deer at any time back there. You are not crossing my place to get at them. Most evenings and Saturdays there are children running and playing back there.

No, hunters are not somehow entitled to enter private land and shouldn't even ask.

Purchase or lease a place of your own or as a group or see that more public lands are acquired for wildlife habitat and public hunting.

magnolia2017 · #9 10/03/07, 07:14 AM

Well a few years ago we were startled to hear a loud shot so close to the house and determined that someone must be hunting next to the fenceline on our neighbor's property. About fifteen minutes later here come neighbors up our driveway asking my husband to help them drag in three deer they'd just shot on the neighbor's property while shooting from ours. My husband told them NO. He wasn't going to trespass on someone else's property to help drag in illegal deer and that they weren't to drag them onto our property since we hadn't given them permission to hunt in the first place. They took another route to drag in the deer and just happened to get caught with illegal deer when the landowner's daughter turned them in for trespassing.

Other neighbors had to put a gate up to keep people from driving up and acting like they owned the place.

The farmers in your area may have dealt with situations like this or with hunters that have left a camp filled with garbage when they left. Your best bet is to become acquainted with the landowners and earn their respect before you ask. If they don't grant permission, don't throw a fit. Instead tell them you respect their decision and if they should change their mind, to please let you know.

Maggie

goatsareus · #10 10/03/07, 07:35 AM

We own 70 acres in south central ohio and do not hunt. We allow hunting on our property with our permission. We request they check in with us every season. generally we have three different parties coming every year, for various animals and various weapons. They are all local folks.

I liked the idea of hanging around feed stores to learn of potential acreage. We landowners need to encourage hunters. I might suggest that you offer some of your bounty to the landowner in exchange for the priviledge of hunting on their property.

We've had two bad experiences. The first year we owned our property, 1984, we were walking the back acres and came upon a hunter in a tree stand. He was of the mind that he had hunted this property his whole life and new owners were of no concern to him. Now he is still one of the parties we allow to hunt, and he has since apologized for his attitude. For many years when I was still working we allowed one group of neighbors to hunt morels. In the 15 years they hunted the morels, they never gave us one mushroom. When I retired, I informed them they no longer had our permission to hunt mushrooms again, and they got quite hostile with me.

Haggis · #11 10/03/07, 07:40 AM

We don't allow hunting on our land, except by our family and the odd invited friend, but then, our little 100 acres is surrounded by very many thousands of acres of public land; let those without their own land hunt on these public lands. We only hunt on our own land, we very rarely ask others to come here to hunt, and we only very very rarely hunt on land belonging to other folk (and even then only when invited).

I understand that many states have depressingly little in the way of public hunting lands, and that privately owned hunting lands in such states are horribly expensive; it has become a fact of American hunting life. Hunting in many of these United States has become not unlike the days of fuedal Europe: game is plentiful, bag limits are generous, but only for land holders (the modern lairds); everyone else must become poachers, trespassers, beggars, or give up the pursuit of wild game.

magnolia2017 · #12 10/03/07, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatsareus

For many years when I was still working we allowed one group of neighbors to hunt morels. In the 15 years they hunted the morels, they never gave us one mushroom. When I retired, I informed them they no longer had our permission to hunt mushrooms again, and they got quite hostile with me.

Yes, always offer part of your bounty.

I've had the same problem with people picking berries without permission and with a friend who gathered wintergreen berries and sassafras to make teas and never offered to share the finished product when I'd shared several jars of jelly and juice from her grapes that I harvested.

Maggie

Jimmy B · #13 10/03/07, 08:24 AM

Thank you again for all of your insight and suggestions.

Jim

Michael Kawalek · #14 10/03/07, 10:05 AM

I agree with Paul. I bought our land in part as a place to hunt and the only people allowed to hunt there besides myself are those friends that have been willing to put in some labor when help was needed. One friend now comes with me on Quail hunts because he was there when I need help getting rafters up for the new roof. You shouldn't expect to get hunting priviliges just because you ask. I for one do not want someone I don't know to be slinging lead around in any direction they please. The last incident at my place was when I was working in the orchard and I suddenly heard a shotgun blast just 100 yards away. The guy was clueless that I was standing right there and I could have been easily shot. I called out and asked if he saw the "No Trespassing" sign. After he said yes, I asked "Well, do you know what that means?"!
Michael

JJ Grandits · #15 10/06/07, 07:23 PM

One of the best things about New York is all the public hunting land available.Within 15 minutes of my house is over 18,000 acres. Within a little better than an hour and a half you could add a zero to that number.

DavidUnderwood · #16 10/07/07, 08:01 AM

In the near 40 years I've owned land
I've never once said no. Never once
had a bad experience. Theres as much
wrong about expecting some return for
a kindness offered as there is not offering
it in the first place. Theres no public land
around here. Young folk want to hunt.
I'd rather they were in my woods than in
town looking for something to do.

busybee870 · #17 10/07/07, 05:22 PM

well, I made a deal with a few friends. they can hunt on my land in exchange for half the kill. I have to pay for the land , and the taxes and the upkeep. I think its only fair.

sugarbush · #18 10/08/07, 06:14 AM

Yeah you are in lease country now.... Nobody hunts for free. Your best bet would be to get on a lease with somebody else or hunt public land.
For those land owners who do say no I don't think they are very bright.... Somebody had the decensy to ask and you turned them down??? If you own woodland and there are deer on it there are people hunting on it... You grant the person who asks permission to hunt and they can help keep others off of it as well as allow you to know who is hunting on the place.

#19 10/08/07, 12:23 PM

If I owned several hundred acres of land, my posted signs would say "Hunting by Permission Only". Because I'm with David Underwood on his thread. I too would rather see young men and women holding a rifle or fishing pole instead of what most of them do now days.

There's nothing wrong with sharing what you got. Just because you had one bad experience doesn't mean everyone should be punished. And if you get a group of hunters who share your value of the land they will help you weed out the bad guys.