dilema

[tree stand]

so i have been hunting this property, 125 acres for 16yrs.  suddenly two days i get this call from a young who says he has permission also to hunt now.  i told him there were 3 rifle hunters and two bowhunters using the property.  did not seem bothered and was rather pushy when he was going to hunt anyway.  funny thing is he has two other pieces of property to hunt but stated "you can't have too many places to hunt"  unfortunately this is my and my son's only place.  any suggestions?

[TOEJAMMER]

If the land owner gave him permission as he has to you and the others, not much you can do other than what you have done.  Unfortunately, that attitude seems to be all too common these days.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by TOEJAMMER:
If the land owner gave him permission as he has to you and the others, not much you can do other than what you have done.  Unfortunately, that attitude seems to be all too common these days.

Not your land. If he has permission, then its his right. Sounds like its time to knock on doors and try to get another parcel so you have options also.

[jt85]

Before my Dad passed away he went through the same situation had leased a piece of land for 25 years for him, me, my brother, and uncle. One day Dad goes to get in one of his stands and sees a ground blind pointed right at his stand, Dad gets down immediately and goes and talks to the land owner(not so polity) turns out it was the brother in law. The next day the blind was gone and the brother in law was not allowed to hunt there anymore. It's worth talking to the land owner and explaining your side see how it goes, but I would be a little nicer than Dad was.

[monkeyball]

We get spoiled sometimes. And when that time runs out it is hard to deal with.
   I had bow hunting rights only on a nice piece of real estate for several years. No gun hunting allowed (there are houses all around the perimeter) by the land owners.

  I kept the property posted, kept people off the property that did not see the signs whether they were hunters or 4 wheelers, and just went out of my way to help whenever I could.

  Peoples minds change, and all of a sudden you find friends and family of the landowners, along with a few neighbors hunting the same ground you have had the privilege to hunt for the last however many years. Crossbows, inlines, and possibly rifles are now seemingly ok. Go figure.

 Frustrating, and it will eat at you if you leave it. Bottom line is they are the owners and unless there was some kind of contract written up there is no sense trying to figure it out. You either continue to hunt the property and make the most of it or find some new stomping grounds. I feel your frustration.

                                                           Good Hunting,
                                                                        Craig

[Russ Clagett]

My wife and I had permission to hunt this dandy little property along the Red River in north Texas back in the mid 90's....we were the only ones...

Till one opening morning two fancy dudes showed up...turns out the owner allowed them to pay him a thousand bucks each...they were lawyers from Dallas if I recall.

When we asked him (our friend) he said.."hell, I could never charge you guys"....

They ruined the place and we moved on.

[longbow fanatic 1]

I would suggest a gentleman's agreement with this young man. Perhaps a rule not to place stands within 100 yards of one another or dividing the property into sections, so each bow hunter has their own area...

As previously stated, there is nothing you can do about it. If you raise heck with the landowner about the new hunter, you could be asked to leave instead of him.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

I agree with Cyclic-Rivers...its probably time to look for another place to hunt, especially since you have three rifle hunters already hunting there, that alone would cause me to look elsewhere  due to the safety issue unless you do not hunt the property when the gun hunters are there.  Or... you could work with the young hunter despite his attitude and show him we traditionalists are a pretty good group of hunters.

[Cavscout9753]

Im with longbow fanatic, if you HAVE to hunt that property I would secure some overhead imagry and call a gathering to divvy up the hunting areas. This will ensure safety, keep the pressure down, and make sure everyone has enough breathing room.

[MnFn]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma.  It seems to be much more common these days.  I certainly have had it happen to me over the years.

Although I hate to see it happen, I think the time is arriving where if you  are not financially invested in hunting land one way or another you may end up on the outside looking in.

From the perspective of a land owner,  it is not getting any cheaper to own land either.  When I bought my land in 1995, the taxes were about $300 a year.  I am now up to over $1000. And they are going up next year. It (land) is a great cash cow for Minnesota with land values rising and since I moved out of the state I have no political representation as a non-resident.

Maybe it would help your situation if you offered to help pay the taxes. Just a thought.

[Stumpkiller]

I hunted for years and years (25+) on thousands of acres of woodlands owned by a furniture company.  Then one year on opening day two guys walked up to me and said they now were part of a hunting lease and I had to leave.  Sure enough - the company went to leased access.

That was a BIG motivation in us buying a home out in the sticks with land.  Sunday I took an adult doe on my own property - to add to the annual deer I have taken here since 2006.  It is a GREAT feeling and very satisfying.  I've been dancing around with an eight point and will be happy to take him - or not.  Hard to describe.  We also raise sheep and chickens & turkey so I have lots of control over the meat we eat.  A hobby and a lifestyle.

The only way to be semi-secure is own your own land or find public lands so inaccessable that no one wants to bother.