Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Things You've Done To Secure Hunting Permission

This conversation put me in mind of a fellow student' dad who used to travel out here to Montana to hunt every year.

My buddy arranged access as he worked with ranchers all over the state. But his dad always made sure he brought along plenty of gifts for those who's land he hunted on.

See, Frank owned a liquor store in the upper Midwest so he would load up a 12' trailer full of beer and liquor. A lot of premium regional stuff not readily available out in our neck of the woods. While driving out here, Frank would stop at every little bar he came across. Would sit in the bar and visit as long as someone would chat with him. After a while, he'd excuse himself and come back in with a 12-pack of this and a bottle of that. A case of something else and give something to most everyone. Bartender, customers, owner, it didn't matter.

He would do this all the way across during an 800+ mile, one-way trip. He obviously liked his drink and enjoyed sharing booze with anyone and everyone. He would always have some special things for who ever owned the places they were hunting on. One year, Frank had just gotten into Montana and was pretty well out of booze. Called one of his boys back home and they showed up a day later with a pickup bed FULL of booze.

Pecans have always been good trade material for folks north of here with too many pheasants.

A neighbor of mine once "leased" the hunting rights on a neighboring piece of property that was owned by an old Black man for a bushel of sweet potatoes.....at least that's what he bragged about. Then came the day that he caught a man hunting on the land, and tried to run him off. The man told him that the old Black fellow gave him permission. So, they went to the old man, and he verified that he told the guy he could hunt. "But I have the hunting rights, and I gave you a bushel of sweet taters for them" said my neighbor. The old Black man said....."I said you could hunt, I never said you had all the rights". Come to find out, the other fellow had given him a pint of whiskey for letting him hunt.

Just between us, I hate to admit it but my throat never recovered from what I had to do to gain access....

Lets just say he had "access" so I could get access.

I am not proud and wouldn't do it again but .... YES


I chugged my moonshine with the land owner and after that it was all mine.


What were you thinking you pervs?????

Have a place in Wyoming to trout fish and shoot gophers that we drop off 30lbs of Flathead belly meat to every year. Don't need to but the rancher loves catfish

1) Asked nicely, in person of course.
2) Provided wild game meat.
3) Free arborist work. That one cost me.

When I was in high school, there was this elderly lady that lived about 100yds off the road and had a small front yard. I would drop by a few times each summer and bush hog between her yard and the road. For this they let me hunt on there property. I would also bring her fish and a deer ham or two every year.

I repaired and kept a fellows automatic gates operational for hunting privileges on about 1000 acres, for a few years.

I had to put up a gate on some property one time so others could not access the land. I didn't buy the gate, just installed it. I got to hunt this place until it sold a couple years later.

An elderly lady let me hunt on her place, just to make sure no one else was.

I promised to shoot one of the 'pea eaten does' to hunt on a fellows place one time. First time I hunted on his place, I killed a doe. He let me hunt anytime I wanted to after that.

Gave a rancher a new set of binos once because he allowed me to hunt elk there.
He had already given me permission to hunt. I just liked him and wanted to say thanks.
Later I gave him an antelope roast.

Good Campfire conversation. Sweat equity is all I've had to do. Fence, ditches.

I patted a pair of Dobies on their heads and scratched their ears. That wasn't supposed to happen, but it somehow impressed the owner that he gave me access for that reason. Some of the best private ground I ever got to hunt.