I almost didn’t write this article because the topic is something that I see as a well-kept secret. I am consistently surprised at how the subject of gaining hunting permission is talked about in the hunting media. Everything you hear about gaining access to hunt private property seems to completely skip over the easiest way to gain permission.
I just counted the number of properties I have permission to hunt (not including public land) that I will seriously consider hunting this year: eight. I gained access to three new properties this spring that I will be scouting heavily as part of my property pipeline process. These numbers do not include the approximately 40 properties over the years to which I have gained permission, scouted, and ruled out.
That puts me around 50 private properties I have gained permission to hunt. If you had to guess at the number of doors I’ve had to knock on and how many ‘no’ responses I have heard to get permission on 50 properties, where would you put that number? A hundred? Two hundred? Five hundred?
The answer is that I have knocked on approximately 55 doors to get permission on 50 properties over the past ten years. That’s a 91% success rate of getting a ‘yes’. I can count on one hand the number of times I was told ‘no’ or just did not get a response. I did not grow up in the area I live and hunt and thus I only knew two of these people personally prior to asking permission.
Why Is This Important to a Basic Hunter?
Before I tell you how this can be accomplished, it’s important to understand why this is an important subject for me. As a Basic Hunter, I simply do not have time to spend hours or days knocking on hundreds of doors to gain access to a few properties. It’s just not realistic. I have access to public land just like everyone else, and meet the same amount of high hunting pressure you’d expect. So, I had to figure out a way to gain permission on private property without wasting a bunch of time.
Gain Permission Through Relationships
It starts with the idea that gaining permission to hunt someone’s property is based on relationships. Those relationships come down to two basic categories: social and transactional. Gaining permission to hunt a property through social relationships is just like you’d expect – someone gives you permission to their property because they like you and believe you to be a trustworthy person.
This social relationship can come in many forms. It can happen via family, friends, and people in your community who know you well. They may also know your family or friends well, and while they don’t know you personally, because you’re associated with people the landowner likes and trusts, they give you the benefit of the doubt.
This form of social relationships was not really an option for me as I moved away from the area I grew up hunting. I have cultivated relationships in my new location that has led me to a few permission properties. I live in a rural area with many small towns where everybody knows everybody, and since they didn’t recognize my name or could place me with any of the families they knew, taking the social approach was not a winning strategy for me.
This moves into the gaining permission through a transactional relationship. This relationship can be established by quid pro quo. I give something to or do something for the landowner, and the landowner gives me permission to hunt. At its most common level, this is what hunting via a lease is all about. I did not have the money nor the interest in getting into lease hunting, so I had to find another way to establish the transactional relationship.
Before I move on, one more note about relationships – these two types of relationships are not mutually exclusive. You can have a mix of a transactional and social relationship. If you go the transactional route, try to turn it into a social relationship as well. Don’t just gain permission and never speak to the person again. Bring them venison from your hunt (even if you didn’t kill a deer on their property. You might one day). Offer to help with chores. While these all sound transactional, it will give you the opportunity to simply talk with the landowner and build a relationship. Sometimes folks just want someone to talk to.
Hunter Access Programs
The reason for my 91% success rate of getting permission to properties is due primarily to the fact that my state has a Hunter Access Program (HAP). The idea is simple and powerful. Instead of you directly offering something to a landowner for property access, the transaction occurs by the state wildlife agency offering some product or service to the landowner. In return, the landowner agrees to open their private property to some form of hunting access to the general public.
My state has a program like this, and it is how I get so many ‘yes’ answers when asking for permission. The overwhelming majority of properties I seek permission to access are properties enrolled in the HAP. When I walk up to the door to ask for permission, I am already expecting a ‘yes’. The initial transaction of the relationship has already been completed, supported in part by my taxes, hunting license, and hunting dollars.
For me as a Basic Hunter, this is an absolute game-changer on how I look for access to land and efficiency in time. These gracious landowners have already agreed to grant permission, all I have to do is ask. No more knocking on random doors, no more having people threaten me (which is extremely rare, I’ve only had this happen once on a non-HAP property).
A quick internet search turns up quite a few states with some form of HAPs. States like Iowa(!) and Kansas(!) have HAPs. States with high hunter populations, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, have HAPs. This slideshow from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and REI Co-op gives a quick list of different states with some form of programs that received federal funding in the last few years. A quick internet search of your state, perusing your state’s wildlife agency website, or a quick call to your local wildlife agency’s office will get you all of the information you need about what your state offers and how the process works.
Understand How the Property Fits Into Your Strategy and Goals
Once I understand how to identify different Hunter Access Cooperators, I can simply look up properties near my desired locations. When I pair this with OnX scouting, I can quickly determine which properties I’d like to access. Based on the food-cover-water value of the property and my stated goals, I can look for good ag fields that might be an early-season doe spot, or maybe a swampy area that a farmer can’t use but might hold a great rut cruising spot.
This brings up an important disclaimer. Some say it’s a ‘catch’ to the HAP, but for the Basic Hunter, it’s just a piece of the puzzle to understand. There are often times when a landowner only enrolls property that would be considered less-desirable hunting ground into the program. I’ve seen a number of times when cow pastures or ag fields with zero cover are enrolled as the property available. This is not always the case, but for someone who’s targeting only big bucks, this strategy might not work. For the Basic Hunter who is targeting a full freezer or a buck that hasn’t been alive for two presidential elections, this quality of land is less relevant as long as the property can help you accomplish your goals.
I have a great example of a property like this. On the HAP map, I could see the landowner had 200 acres enrolled in the program. When I looked on OnX, I could see the whole parcel owned by the landowner was just under 300 acres. When I knocked on the door and got permission from the landowner, he showed me on the map where exactly I was allowed to hunt. He said that his nearly 200 acres of ag field was all available, as well as the first fifty yards into the woods all along the field edge. The rest of the woods was off-limits to me because he and his family hunted the woods and that’s where the bucks were. He also told me that I could not shoot a buck on his property until everyone in his family did as well.
For someone hunting a mature buck, this property would be a complete waste of time. For a Basic Hunter who has a freezer to fill, this will work just fine. I didn’t argue, I didn’t push back, and I didn’t just write off the property. When I told him that I would only shoot a doe on his property, he perked right up. When I shot a doe later that year in late season, I knocked on the door to thank him, and was greeted with a smile and congratulations. I don’t know that I would have received the same greeting had I gotten lucky and shot a buck off of his property.
Go from Transactional to Social
This interaction brings up another important point when gaining access through a HAP – always ask permission. Even though the landowner has technically agreed to grant access to the public, it’s still not your land. Be respectful and friendly (like you should be anyways). Ask if there are any restrictions, who else has permission, even where you should or should not park on the property. Show that you value their property and relationship.
Don’t just stop at being cordial – turn that into a social relationship. I’m not saying you have to be best friends with the landowner; I’m saying that it’s good to stop in and talk. Offer to help with any chores. Ask about the farm or the history of the property. Build a good relationship with the landowner.
Even before written permission was required in my state, I always had landowners sign a slip stating they gave me permission to their property. I actually keep a folder of blank permission slips in my truck at all times, in case I find myself with an opportunity to gain permission. On that permission slip is my name, the vehicle I would drive, my phone number, and a place for the landowner to sign, indicating they gave me permission. I’ve written this up in a word document, and there are many generic permission slips available online. The landowner may even have their own permission slip to give to you. Make sure the landowner has a copy as well.
Three Useful Habits for Gaining Permission
There are three useful habits I’ve found over a few years of knocking on doors. You want to come across as a trustworthy hunter that will respect the landowner’s property.
1. Have a script with a presumptive ask
2. Look the part
3. Have a leave-behind ready
Have a Script with a Presumptive Ask
Regardless of how many times you have knocked on doors, there is always a hint of nerves when approaching a stranger about their land. This is why I have a script that I use over and over again when I go knock on doors. Yes, I actually practice it in the truck on my way over to the property. This helps me get the words out clearly and quickly, without sounding like a stuttering fool. My script goes like this: “Hi, my name is Dan. Sorry to bother you. I noticed that you are enrolled in the Hunter Access Program, and I’m hoping to get your permission to hunt your property.”
Simple and easy to remember. I also throw in the part about the Hunter Access Program to a) show that I’ve done my research and b) remind them of the benefits they receive from my tax dollars. I am coming just short of telling them I am going to access their property, while also being a little presumptuous that my permission will be granted. I absolutely don’t come across as a jerk or demanding, but I am giving a reminder about their enrollment in the HAP.
Look the Part
When it comes to looking the part, I do not mean look the part of a hunter. I advise against asking for permission in hunting clothes. What I mean is look the part of a trustworthy human being. That means you should be dressed nicely and presentably for the area you’re in. I’ve made the mistake in the past of stopping at a farm on the way home from my suit-and-tie office job. I looked completely out of place. The farmer in this case thought I was working for a law firm of someone he was in a legal dispute with and told me to get off his property. It wasn’t until after I explained what I was doing there did he change his tune. Now, I generally go with clean jeans and a nice shirt.
Have Leave-Behinds Ready
Leave-behinds have become another incredible tool for me to gain permission on properties. Depending on when you go ask for permission, people may or may not be home. Personally, I recommend Saturday late mornings or afternoons. If you can’t make that happen, be prepared to leave a permission slip in the door or wherever will be noticeable to the landowner when they return home. Write a quick note on the back of it explaining your request and asking they contact you at your phone number. I would say one-third of all of my permissions gained have occurred this way. If you don’t get a response, try to stop at a different time of day or during the week.
The Hunter Access Programs available across the country are one of the best-kept secrets for people who need more access to hunting land. Once you identify properties in your area, go try to get permission on one. Just one. Get over the hump. The more times you do it, the easier it gets. This method beats the heck out of constantly getting doors slammed in your face.