Acquiring new land

[CCP]

How many use the summertime to acquire new land?

I use the summer to talk to land owners and acquire new hunting ground. I find talking to land owners at this time to be real productive. I find they are not bothered by other hunters during the summer and are more receptive. Business cards pay off this time of year. They will remember you when they are hearing the young of the year getting vocal and tend to call telling you they hear them all the time.

I usually go out and do some scouting and let them know I will be back in September or earlier if they start having a problem.(real or perceived)

So do any of you do this and if so what technique do you use to acquire the property.

[studabaka]

I don't do cold calls on farmers I don't know. They generally aren't real warm to it around here. If they don't know you then they don't what ya on their land and they don't much want to be talking to you.

My best success is through networking with the farmers I know and currently have me on their property either for paying ADC work or recreational hunting/trapping/fishing. Regularly talking with them about what I'm doing often generates a lead with them helping to open the door.

Example, I recently stopped in at the grain mill to pick up some salt for tanning. The guys that run it are brothers, own several farms in the area, all of which I have permission to hunt /trap on. While I was there chatting with them another farmer came by and joined the conversation. One of the brothers said 'you really need to go over to Sam's [this new farmer] farm cause he has a bunch of coyote on his place and been having trouble with them'...... one thing led to another and now I have a new farm to work.

The key to this approach is establishing a level of respect from the farmers who know me. That means being aware of what they are doing and being a positive contributor [often in little ways]. Respecting them and their property and through actions demonstrating responsibility and trustworthiness has not only helped me to find additional properties, but also ensured me a priority access to the ones I have. On several farms I am the only one allowed to hunt or trap.

So for me it's really a year round process.

[possumal]

I have been real successful getting more land to hunt by stopping in at country stores and leaving a one page sheet that shows the names of other farmers who have given me permission and a list of services I give regarding depredation control.  A couple of pictures does not hurt either.  When I actually call on a farmer who has given me a call or just a name someone has referred me to, I show them a notebook of pictures and services offered, complete with a testimonial signed and dated by other farmers. I also leave them a card, just like a business card. The part where other farm owners recommend you as being safe, not tearing down their fences, and operating sort of like a watchman for them seems to impress most of them.  I caught some characters preparing to cut through a farmer's fence with their big trailer backed up ready to load his cattle, and called him. He had the sheriff and local police out there so quick I couldn't believe it, and they arrested the culprits.  Needless to say, I got a lot of farms off his referrals.  I have always found that if you treat farmers with the respect they are due, you will get permission on a lot of farms that normally do not allow hunting of any kind.  Only problem now is I can't afford the gas to hunt all the farms I have to hunt. 

[Bopeye]

That's good stuff Possumal and Stu.........let's hear a few more boys....



Oh yeah........you to Rich......

[KySongDog]

I appreciate the tips, fellas.  Being new to coyote hunting, I am finding one needs a lot of acreage to hunt.  I have a couple of farms I can hunt which is OK for deer and turkey but the coyote population is limited.  Sometimes they're there but mostly not.

As Kee Kee says, ya have to have coyotes to call coyotes.  And that means to me you need lots of places to hunt where the coyotes are at.  Getting permission to hunt is the key but getting that key is pretty difficult to do.  I think the farmers around here are related to Stu's farmers.   

[blakcoyote]

I'm with studabaka  and possumal. Its a year round process,and aquiring properties develops overtime when you prove yourself,I have farmers actually picking up ground for me.The main thing is showing respect for the landowner and his property and treating the property exactly as he/she ask to the T.I also look to see what other thing I can do for the landowner,some deer hunt,so I cut and wrap their deer at no charge,others may need a hog butchered,I do that.I also send out Christmas cards and Easter cards to them all.And when I have my deer trim made into brats or summer sausage,I share that with them as well,I have alot of ground to trap and hunt coyotes on and it's more than worth the extra effort.

[centerfire_223]

One of the things I do is put up a flyer in all of the feed stores in the counties I hunt. I have found that I get the best reception from cattle farmers. Then I work off of that farm to accuire another. I also use the buisness cards.

Just remember first impressions carry a lot of weight and apperance is a biggy. Dress nice, remember to smile, and don't be in a hurry; sometimes farmers just want to get to know you a little bit before they give you permission to shoot guns around their cattle.

[keekee]

I use the summer to scout and find new places as well. Its a year around thing just like most but I do most of my scouting and finding places I want to get permission on during the summer. After I spend my nights out howling and finding new areas that have coyotes. I get out the plot book. After I find the names of those farmers I want to talk to I will make a trip down to the feed stores, local general stores and just have a visit with the owners and see if they know them. If they are close to other farms I hunt then I go see the farmer I have permission on and see if I can get a referral.

I don't like to just pull up and knock on doors but I have done that some. If I can get my name threw out there to them first it helps allot. Or have the general store owner drop my card to them. I also stay in real close contact with the 4 county wardens here. They get me allot of referrals. I have took good care of them over the years and they will drop my name most of the time when it comes to coyotes.

Also they have agriculture meeting here several times a year and water shed meetings. I always go! And just about every time I can walk out of there with a couple new farms. All the wardens are there as well and it shows that I am in this for the long haw.

I take good care of the farmers I hunt on as well. Picking up trash, helping them around the farm, what ever it takes. Free pop, chewing tobacco, and always Christmas cards. It helps allot that I don't ask to hunt anything but coyotes. If I get to deer or turkey hunt a place that's just a bonus.

I go threw somewhere around 1000 business cards a year as well. And when I go see the farmers I never were camo. I always were street close, I also take pictures, and referral letters, along with a folder with all my written permission slips in them. And I always leave them with several cards, not just one.

I also put up cards in the feed stores on there bulletin boards and make sure all the store owners have a good stack of cards on hand.


Brent

[Roundman]

I've put a big Tennessee coyote hunting decal on the truck. This has sparked some interest and I haven't even hit the small town areas yet. I also tell the farmer/land owner up front I have NO plans on shooting anything but predators. Getting in good with one farmer my land you several places to hunt. I have yet to make up business cards but I'm sure it would work great.

Mike

[awh]

Around here all the farmers we know have leased their land out. This makes it easy sometimes and harder others. If the farmer knows us it's pretty easy to get permission as they have know us forever. If the land is leased they will talk to the people leasing for us and usually get permission. But some of the people leasing just don't want anyone on or around for any reason.

Another thing that has helped us is Cam goes with me everywhere I go and most of the time he has a call in his pocket. More times than often they have asked him what it is, what it calls....ect and when they find out he 1st) made the call, they begin to ask more questions. Then they will offer to let us hunt before we ever ask them. It usually cost him a call , or me helping to pick up hay. What really surprised me so far this year was the number of farmers that have went and bought a fox pro and have had no luck. And they welcome you with open arms if you will take them and show them how to set up, where to set up, what sounds to use....ect. Which leads to them telling the neighbor and pretty soon you have several farms side by side.

And the last thing I have been doing is telling the guys here at work. There are 400 people here and I know just about everyone by name. I'll walk out on the floor and shoot the shit with them about hunting and fishing and at lunch & break they start stopping in the office to chat. When they see the pics of Cam I have on my desk with the foxes they start offering to let us come hunt with them. Once again it is because they have tried and not called anything in. But they always tell me they see the yotes coming to work or on the weekends.
Did have one guy here that I had asked several times and always had been told some lame excuse as to why he didn't want me & Cam over on his farm. This spring he lost a few calf's and came to me. I just gave him a lame excuse as to why I didn't want to help him. I've known the boy for 20 plus years and he is the type that knows and has done everything. Expects everyone to help him but he doesn't help anyone. Little does he know the farms on each side of him are going to be hunted by.....Lil-man & myself this fall. So in a way I guess he still got the help.

[cb223]

This is good stuff guys!!

[FinsnFur]

Good material for the Primers 

[bigben]

generally when ever I go out looking for more ground it is basically after the new liscence year which is july 1 every year.  I bassically look on a map that the county provides on the internet of all the land boundrys and such.  it is public information and it gives detailed info on property lines and who owns the property.  here is a sample  http://gis.ccpa.net/taxmap/  this is the main county that I hunt in.  after locating a decent pc of property more then 20 acres i go to the farmer and ask for permission in a professional maner in something that doesn't look like I just came out of the back woods.  I tell them my name what I would like to do in this case I trap and hunt.  so most of the time I ask to do both.  I have found that in this area that there are a bunch of farmers that welcome you with open arms.  the only problem is most do the same for everyone else.  so I have some farms that the farmers allways say only you are allowed on here.  so I normally save them for later in the season and hunt the others early to avoid crowds.  and yes this year I had other hunters come in on me after hearing me call out in the fields.  one thing that I can't stress enough atleast around here is do not show up around diner time most farmers like to sit down with the family to a meal and get really pissed when they have to awenser a door.  so I generally ask em around 3 or so in the afternoon.  most around here are milkin or feeding so they do not really care if someone shows up to ask about hunting.  as long as you stay out of there way.  another thing I do is if someone else has allready asked the farmer or land owner to hunt there I generally say thanks for hearing me out but I do not want to encroach on another hunters area.  most see it as a sign of respect and I have gotten areas out of it the next year. 

[ErictheRed]

Finding out who actaully owns the land seems to be the hard part for me.  I see a place I would like to hunt, but don't know who see about it.

[FinsnFur]

Eric, do they have a plat book available where you live? They sell them in the banks here for like $25.00 and are updated every 2 to 4 years.

They will have all acreage and it's owners, marked, measured, listed and mapped for your county. Their good tools to have. I write right in mine and mark spots I wanna call. Your looking down on all the land so it's also easier to pick out good stands.

[bigben]

I am not sure which county you live in but I just typed in cumberland county tax mapper.  and that is where I got the link for the county I hunt in.  it is a really great tool and I know pretty much everyone that I have looked up countys for in the state of pa said that it was easier to find places to hunt with it.

[keekee]

You can go to the Court house here and pull them up on public record. You can also buy for just a few buck copy's of the area you are looking for. They sell them in sections by county.


Brent

[Jerry Hunsley]

Usually I go out and do a little ranch knocking early in the Spring. Things have quieted down from Winter and it is a good time to be out. I try to find some places that I haven't trapped or called and just tell them what I want. I like to talk to them face to face. I don't believe in calling on the phone to get permission unless you have hunted there before and they know you. Also, going earliy in the Spring assures you of sealing a spot for trapping later on. The early bird gets the worm if you know what I mean. Competition can be tough when cat prices are up.
  A lot of the ranchers tell me to check with them later on in the Fall  and then I get into more of a detailed discription of their land layout. If you are doing a good job on the predators , they usually tell a neighbor and it just snowballs after that. I believe it is very important to do your early homework as it will pay big dividends when season rolls around.