to late to stop being a sissy?

[fireball31]

Well after some fruitless public land hunting.  I think my sissiness may have hurt me this time.  i hate asking permission and convinced myself that I could find plenty of deer on the tract of public land that I have easy access to.  Well after many fruitless afternoons thus far, I'm seeing the error in my ways.  Do you guys think once hunting season has started that it is to late to ask permission still?

[crotch horn]

Tough question to answer for those of us not living in your area. My feeling on it is I try to always ask prior, but the worse thing they can do is say no. Give it a try IMO.
Good luck.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

If you do, don't arrive on the doorstep decked-out in camo. Where normal, tidy, respectable, everyday clothing. Good luck!

[Mudd]

No one has to say no to you that is unless you go ask.

The way it stands right now you can't hunt there anyway so you might as well go "hat in hand" and ask respectfully.

IMHO

God bless,Mudd

[ishoot4thrills]

Take a kid with you when asking for permission to hunt new land. It's harder for the landowner to say no when he sees there's a kid involved, even if the kid's not hunting or isn't of hunting age.  

Also, only ask for permission to hunt with bow only. Explain that you won't be hunting with a gun, unless the landowner wants you to get rid of some 'yotes as well.

I wish you well.

[madness522]

If it is a farmer you are asking offer to help around the farm. I have to help put up hay 2 or 3 times a year to keep the farm I have permission to hunt.

[magnus]

All good advice. Especially Ben's. Don't show up expecting to hunt that day. Get permission and plan to hunt later on. Also if you do get to hunt and harvest a deer it builds good relations to share the bounty with land owner. Good luck.

Keeping the Faith
Magnus

[Bonebuster]

Fireball, I`m on the other side of the state from you, but have some of the same problems.

I used to be shy, but through the years have landed some great hunting through just asking.

This year, some of my private "honey holes" have been depleted, and, or taken over by crossbow hunters. Our early antlerless season had the rifles booming for a second year in a row, and our deer population simply cannot stand up to that kind of shooting. Many folks are going to get a wake up when firearms season rolls around.

Is it too late? Not by my way of thinking. BUT...

If you have a place in mind, and you think someone is already hunting it, then you are probably out of luck. On my side of the state, baiting is business as usual, and people do not want others snooping around.

 If you have a place in mind, and think it is not being hunted, just approach the owner and ask.

Tell them you notice several deer hit by vehicles, or some other reason why your access to their property will be a benefit to them. Tell them you do it the "old fashioned way"...like Fred Bear. I`ve used that many times, and it works!! (even non-hunters in Michigan know who Fred Bear was)

If you don`t have a plat book for your area(s) GET ONE. They will show you possible public land options you are unaware of. Also, with a plat book in your hand when you ask permission, you show the owner you are informed and know what you are doing.

I too used to be a sissy, but no more. Good hunting in Michigan can be had, but it is not going to be as it was. You`ll have to search for it. This trend is going to get much worse if we let it continue the way it has been going, so YOU have to adapt. As hunters we in Michigan have no voting influence on decisions made concerning wildlife management. The NRC has full power and they are appointed, not elected.

Go hunting...then GO HUNTING!!!   :D

[RC]

I once started on one side of the highway and asked ever land owner for nearly a 10 mile stretch for permission to hunt. This was a very large group of farms and timber tracts near the River. Very prime land . All but one person said no. Mrs Alice Coleman and elderly Widow let me hunt. I killed 13 deer in 3 years from her 10 acre tract.It was a small overgrown horse pasture with a lot of Live Oaks. All the ajoining land was planted pines. A deer hunters Paridise. After she passed the land was sold and the new owned bought it for hunting.I asked in September.RC

[lpcjon2]

I asked permission for a piece that I hunted the last month of the season and saw plenty of deer.Sometimes the land owners dont like the way people ask or the way they act if denied,things can change on the land owners side as well.I make up a letter asking permission and it has a little bio about me and a reference from someone of stature in the community. I give this to them when I go and ask.I they are not home I put it in an envelope and in the mailbox and check back in a few days.I add my contact info as well.Oh and dress nicely when you go to ask appearance is everything.And touch on the how you will care for the land,help work around the land,And when I say I will post it for free they really go for it.A hundred dollars worth of signs is worth a piece of land.

I would get laughed at for asking permission in my neck of the woods, before or after season. I hope you find yourself a good spot to hunt.

Bisch

[fish n chicks]

Originally posted by Bisch:
I would get laughed at for asking permission in my neck of the woods, before or after season. I hope you find yourself a good spot to hunt.

Bisch

Yeah but EVERYTHING is different in Texas bro.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I find that being willing to put in a weekend or two around the farm opens a lot of doors.  I had more land open than I could hunt in a year in college.  I bucked hay, branded cattle, whatever the land owner needed for a weekend or two and had the run of their farms.  

Dress nice, be polite, only ask to archery hunt, and always remember to go back with something around Christmas to say thank you.  Hillshire Farms gets a lot of business from me around Christmas it keeps the door open.

[rascal]

If you were to drive an hour or less north of Grand Rapids you might find more opportunities to gain access to land.  Lots of public land up that way as well as more than a few small farms and out of work families that could use a few bucks (no pun intended).  As others have suggested an offer to share the bounty if you get a deer, help around the place or donate a few dollars for access goes a long way.  If you do offer to help someone out though be genuine, nothing worse for your future access than stiffing the owner after offering your time or services.  Great advice concerning going someplace asking permission to hunt that day from a couple of the guys above as well.  Take a drive on a Saturday with the plat map, be prepared to get your truck dusty as well as some sore knuckles knocking on doors and most of all be prepared to get told no.  Let them know you respect their position and thank them for their time, been called back on my way to the truck a time or two after a smile and a handshake given to an owner who just said no.  No can turn into yes if you play your cards right and dont get grumpy with the owner.

[finkm1]

I bow hunt public land by the Maple river and love it. But I also do some pheasant hunting. I hate to ask also, but you have to. The best pheasant cover is on private land. I have been turned down often but you need to be polite. Giving a gift at holiday time goes a long way. One time a farmer said no when I asked permission to hunt, all season I would see hunters in the field on my way home from work. The next season I asked again and the farmer said ok. I stopped back before christmas with a card and a tin of cookies as a thank you. I said to him, "there is a lot of people hunting your land" and he said "yes there is and your the only one that asked for permission, you can hunt next year".