Food For Thought

[LYON]

When it comes to hunting grounds what's your stance? Are you willing to share or is what's yours, yours? I was just thinking back over my 14 year hunting "career" and I am very happy with how my dad, my brother and I have treated our land we had/have available for hunting. Over the years, we have allowed several different people to hunt with us during late muzzy season. At the time we always allowed others to hunt with us because we are nice guys and saw a need and did our best to fill it. Some of the people who have hunted or still hunt with us did so because they didn't have anywhere else to go, others have tagged along because they are friends. Through all the years, we never had a motive for letting people hunt with us other than the reasons already mentioned. However, over the last three or four years, due to various reasons, we have lost some of the ground that we once had permission for. We still have some decent areas to hunt, but the ones we have lost access to have been a big hit. But, also in the last 3 years or so, we have been "adopted" by some of the very people who used to run with us. We have been making at least one weekend hunt on their ground that has recently become available to them. It makes me wonder, would we be hunting with them now if they had never been allowed to hunt with us to begin with??? What goes around comes around, but in this case it's a good thing. Keep this in mind the next time someone asks to join your hunting group, besides the fact that you might be making somebody's day today it may also come back to make your day later on.

And just so we don't get a fight started on here. I know there is no party hunting allowed during late muzzy season. Party hunting is the act of shooting and tagging each others deer. We do hunt in a group but each shoots there own deer:way:

 

[retiredmurph]

I bought my first 120 acres in 1985 and 2 years ago I added 40 more that attaches to my back 40. All of it is mostly timber.
My brothers and I have always hunted the early muzzy season and bow season. I don't remember ever hunting a year that we did not have a relative or a couple of friends hunting with us.
Now that I'm retired I live on the place and we have a couple of youth hunters come down every year and try their luck.
I have also opened the shotgun season to disabled vets since we don't hunt them at all. So if there are any diabled vets reading this PM me if you need a place to hunt.
I think it would be totally selfish to own a piece of hunting ground and not be willing to share it to some degree. just my thoughts on the matter for what it's worth.

 

[Sligh1]

I share what I'm able to. Obviously, the reality of not being able to own 5,000 acres (or whatever) limits how much you're able to "give" so that's my only restriction. If I had infinite land and infinite monster bucks, I'd be happy to pass that along to some friends & stuff like retiredmurph does (which is awesome & commendable!!!). I will share & the amount I share will naturally be restricted to the amount I'm "able" to share while keeping my land top notch & managed at the level I want it. I think you both make some great points & it's great you are able to enjoy hunting with friends and look at the big picture.

 

[180class]

Skip, can I hunt on your land this year? :way:

 

[wegner36]

On the Wegner ranch we generally let people on, I'm a little more stingy during deer season, but I still let friends/family on.

I really enjoy seeing people get out and get pumped up when they put the smack down on a critter, I'm usually as excited as if I had shot it myself!

 

[JNRBRONC]

I like having new hunters out and helping them get started in deer hunting. But after a couple of years, I encourage them to move on so I can bring in the next gen. Maybe kind of cruel but I don't want them to take things for granted and think they have lifetime hunting privileges or something. Learning how to gain access is just another part of the hunting experience. Get them started, cut them loose. :way:

 

[jmoose]

On the Wegner ranch we generally let people on, I'm a little more stingy during deer season, but I still let friends/family on.

I really enjoy seeing people get out and get pumped up when they put the smack down on a critter, I'm usually as excited as if I had shot it myself!

i've had a good time hunting the old wegner ranch a time of two! the night life at the lodge aint bad either!

 

[jkratz5]

We have always had people (usually friends) come and hunt our place in IL. Anymore it is a great opprotunity to get with friends that I haven't seen for awhile, gives me at least one gurantee on getting together with them every year.

Also, my ground in Indiana isn't really mine. I have gained access through establishing friendships with farmers, working for them, etc. Depending on the ground I will allow others to join me (if the landowners are ok with it). I usually hunt it by myself for a year or so to feel the landowner out to ensure he won't mind if others join. By allowing people to hunt with me here in Indiana I have probably gained access to 2-3,000 acres of whitetail ground and 10-20x that for waterfowl. I don't mind sharing land at all with friends and family as hunting is always better with a buddy, I know that they appreciate it and would do the same for me and lastly keeping a place to myself just isn't that important anymore as I have killed lots of critters and know that their are plenty more out there for myself and a few others to try and outsmart.

Kratz

 

[oBIGBUCKDOWNo]

Anybody have land on the west side of the state I can hunt. I don't feel like eating my tags for the third year in a row.?!

 

[SaskGuy]

My family owns some land, in the 1000's of acres if you count extended family. In Sask. it is pretty customary to grant permission. When I resided where I actually went on family land it was land that others with permission hunted. Now I reside to faraway to hunt that land and simply have access from friends and neighbors who grant others the same access rights as me. I'm cool with that. There have been countless times in my life where I asked a person for permission to hunt their property. Many times I have been given permission,....I sure do not mind sharing the land with the many others in the same boat as me.......in fact I'm just thankful for the chance.

 

[AIRASSAULT]

I've had my little 10 acre paradise for two years now... I pretty much keep it to myself until I shoot something, then, I let a couple friends sit it and I let my step-dad sit in a stand during shotgun. I've also given an invite to a few friends that don't live so close to come out for a hunt when they get a chance. It's small, but, there is a lot of activity and different bucks cruising through the area. Just never know what I'm going to see out there.

 

[jmoose]

We have always had people (usually friends) come and hunt our place in IL. Anymore it is a great opprotunity to get with friends that I haven't seen for awhile, gives me at least one gurantee on getting together with them every year.

Also, my ground in Indiana isn't really mine. I have gained access through establishing friendships with farmers, working for them, etc. Depending on the ground I will allow others to join me (if the landowners are ok with it). I usually hunt it by myself for a year or so to feel the landowner out to ensure he won't mind if others join. By allowing people to hunt with me here in Indiana I have probably gained access to 2-3,000 acres of whitetail ground and 10-20x that for waterfowl. I don't mind sharing land at all with friends and family as hunting is always better with a buddy, I know that they appreciate it and would do the same for me and lastly keeping a place to myself just isn't that important anymore as I have killed lots of critters and know that their are plenty more out there for myself and a few others to try and outsmart.

Kratz

I am one of the lucky ones that have been invited over to the Kratz ranch in IL. Jarin, I can't thank you and your family enough for the invitation. I look forward to this hunt more than any other each year just to hang out with good friends and laugh at the same stories all over again! I guess to me, having good ground to hunt is great, but if you don't have a few friends and family to share the experience with, then whats the point? Thanks again Jarin, you know that as long as I have a place to hunt in Iowa, so do you....if you ever feel like dropping the coin to come over.

 

[skyleralan]

Just depends on the year. There are certain years where there is a particular buck I am after and if I get him, I am fine with letting other friends hunt that specific area of the farm. We have just under 800 acres and I have access to hunt probably about another 400 acres of friends and other farmers.

On our farm, I am very specific about what stands can be hunted and when depending on wind, etc. It is fun to hunt with friends and family, but there are definitely lines and rules that have to be followed.