Hunting Land

[M4Madness]

To be quite honest, I believe that the reason I have various private properties to hunt is due to the fact that I live in the same rural area as these properties, and everyone either knows me personally, or has heard of me. But, if you go back to the beginning, I initially had to knock on the doors of a couple of older farmers whom I was told by others would not give me permission. Guess what? They did -- because I was respectful and took the time to ask and explain my hunting values. They were used to others doing what they wanted without permission, and it left a disdain for hunters.

Permission from those two opened the door to many other places when other landowners discovered that I had permission from those farmers who normally turn everyone down. I have also gained places to hunt from those who know family members of mine. I gained permission to hunt a property a couple of years ago because the guy knew my father and brother. This guy won't even let his own friends hunt there, and turns down requests each and every year from them as well as from strangers. You know what? That property holds huge bucks, and I've been fortunate to take two great bucks from there in the last two seasons.

My advice is to find a place you'd like to hunt, and approach the landowner in a respectful manner. You may get turned down (I did on one last year), but sooner or later you'll get a place to hunt. And if you play your cards right, that place will be a stepping stone to gaining other places.

Good luck.

 

[Glock18FA]

Wow, that's a ridiculous assumption on your part. You have no idea from a single post what my character is and what kind of effort I have! I'll just say that my time on weekends is limited and I don't always have a full day to commit to the hunt. Some days I need to have a few free hours in the middle of the day. So having to drive an hour+ makes it difficult to have a separate morning and evening hunt and still have time in between to get anything accomplished. This really only applies to archery season as gun season is short enough that I can arrange my schedule around hunting.

Im sorry if I came off as being rude. Im willing to do what ever it takes to have property to hunt on. The drive time there and back is the least of my sacrifices that I will make.

If you live in Indy and think that posting on a message board to find a place to hunt with in 15 minutes of down town you may be disappointed.

First look at the people that you have a personal relationship with. If they dont have any land for you to hunt on, then you have to rely on your charm when dealing with someone face to face.

If you dont want to put the time in to develop the personal relationships, money has a funny way of overcoming the differences.

 

[ws6guy]

Im sorry if I came off as being rude. Im willing to do what ever it takes to have property to hunt on. The drive time there and back is the least of my sacrifices that I will make.

If you live in Indy and think that posting on a message board to find a place to hunt with in 15 minutes of down town you may be disappointed.

First look at the people that you have a personal relationship with. If they dont have any land for you to hunt on, then you have to rely on your charm when dealing with someone face to face.

If you dont want to put the time in to develop the personal relationships, money has a funny way of overcoming the differences.

I really don't mind your input but I think you don't understand what I'm posting. I never asked or expected to find a place to hunt on here...just posting my experience.

I never said I don't want to build relationships in fact in the spring and summer I will be knocking on doors and putting my best foot forward in hopes to find a place to hunt. If that doesn't work then I may need to hunt public ground or look to lease(as a last option). I only personally know 1 person with ground I could hunt on but he will not allow any hunters on it as he is afraid of the liability. I've tried to convenience him other wise but he just will not change his mind.

Normally the drive would not matter to me at all but I know next year my time during archery season will be limited so if I can find someplace less than hour away would be greatly beneficial but I know that means I'm going to have to put some leg work in. My only goal is to spend as much time as I can in the woods and a longer drive will mean less days I can go...it's as simple as that.

I don't live in Indy as I'm well to the north in westfield but I'm still in suburbia hell. I'm from a small town in the middle of now where and I'm still trying to get used to being in this area. Heck were I'm from you basically knew everyone and everyone knows you. Finding a place to hunt there was fairly easy and I always had the fall back option of hunting on parents property even though it's not the best area. Things are just plain different in this area. Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water around here.

Anyway best of luck to you if your hunting late archery! Hopefully this weekend I'll get my second day of hunting for the year!! It's amazing on how having a newborn can fowl up a hunting season Maybe one of these years he'll make a good hunting buddy and by then I'll have my own land!

 

[singlesix]

Being in the Suburbs isn't all that bad .. matter of fact I had two nice does in my backyard last night. All the days sitting in a tree stand on Public Land and I see two does in my backyard in Indianapolis. You just gotta laugh about things like this.

 

[AZ Hunter]

ws6guy,

Westfield puts you right smack in the middle of deer hunter heaven....IMHO. Being from Sheridan, I have hunted Hamilton County my entire life. If you put in the time this spring/summer I have no doubt in my mind you will find a farmer willing to grant you access to their property. My brother works for the city of westfield and runs into farmers all the time. He picks up new land for us to hunt on occasion. He does a good job of making sure they know we respect the outdoors and their property. We will never leave a mess and always let them know whose there. Also, he will always ask up front if his brother or father has permission to be there with him. We hunt as a family and thats how its always been. Sometimes he is the only one with permission and that is just fine with us. Anyway, I suggest getting a plat map for Hailiton County. Start looking at the owners of property on the north side of westfield (where farm land and woods still exist) and work your way north in Sheridan and even east of 31 towards Noblesville/cicero and arcadia. The land is there, just have to find the right person. Good luck and hopefully you will find yourself in a stand next season!

 

[6birds]

Yeah, I have 3 fields to goose/duck hunt in 46074, all within 12 miles of the 31/32 intersection, all private. Maybe someday I'll get permission to deer hunt, but for now, i'm not even asking, just sharing game with the land owner and offering to weld up broken farm equipment.

 

[ironjaw]

Im sorry if I came off as being rude. Im willing to do what ever it takes to have property to hunt on. The drive time there and back is the least of my sacrifices that I will make.

If you live in Indy and think that posting on a message board to find a place to hunt with in 15 minutes of down town you may be disappointed.

First look at the people that you have a personal relationship with. If they dont have any land for you to hunt on, then you have to rely on your charm when dealing with someone face to face.

If you dont want to put the time in to develop the personal relationships, money has a funny way of overcoming the differences.

can I come hunt with you sometime?

 

[Zimm1001]

My wife and I were out walking the other day and I was pointing out ditches where as a teenager I would shoot the muskrats and then sell them to the fur buyer. I had lots of fun shooting a lot of muskrats. The farmers always gave me permission because of the danger muskrats present to tractors and the very lives of the farmers (rolling over into a ditch because a tire went into a caved in muskrat den).

Here is a thought but in order to get on a farmer's good graces offer to go shoot muskrats out of his ditches. It's great thing to do this time of year and you might even get a few bucks from the fur buyer (shoot the rat in the head). Farmer's hate muskrats more than almost anything else.

 

[plowman766]

My family and I have several woods that we allow deer hunting on I personnaly dont care for deer meat but thats my preference I would rather eat beef or pork. One woods I lease out to help pay the taxes on it. The others I allow some younger guys to hunt on they check the fences when they are out hunting and always let me know if a tree is down or cattle are somewhere they dont belong and always report anything suspicious they see when going by. The main thing to remember is if you get permission it is not for your lifetime always ask again every year and stop and chat once in a while little things like that go a long way towards keeping the same ground year after year always treat the place like you would like it to be treated if it was yours P.S. always close gates nothing will get you kicked out faster than leaveing a gate open and if in doubt about something always ask the landowner Good Luck

 

[Glock18FA]

can I come hunt with you sometime?

Sure, or I could just drop deer off at your house.

 

[ironjaw]

Sure, or I could just drop deer off at your house.

you are such a swell guy!

 

[mrwil34]

public ground is not as bad a some might make it, if you get away from all the want-to-be hunters and do some home work it usally pays off. I have hunted public ground the last two years and kill my biggest ever in bow season last year. My boy shot his best ever (which is only his second) this year. We usally walk past 5-10 other hunters getting to our spot. Its not the greatest to pull one out but we do well, and i beleive the others chase them to us.
I would always love private land but when i lost it had no where else to go and made the best of it so far.