How to Ask for Hunting Permission

Article Excerpt
"Can I Hunt Your Property?"
Ohio Game&Fish 2007

Use Common Sense

Convincing a landowner you're one of the good guys comes down to common sense, especially when approaching property owners you've never met. Here are a few tips:

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  Don't knock on the landowner's door at 5 a.m. the first day of deer season. Call ahead and set up a convenient time to meet.
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  If you're not certain of a property owner's name or phone number, pick an appropriate time to stop by the landowner's home. Saturday afternoons or weekdays before dinner are good bets. Leave a note, if no one's home, with your name and phone number.
  If a mutual friend or relative is involved, mention their name in the initial introduction.
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  Look the part of the responsible hunter. No torn t-shirts or mud-covered jeans. Remember, allowing a stranger to bring weapons onto your property is a serious decision.
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  Use the "Permission for Hunting and Trapping on Private Land Form" in the back of the current Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet. The form may be photocopied and used by all Ohio hunters. Any written permission is acceptable, but the more professional-looking the agreement, the better the chance of gaining permission.
• 
  Many landowners are concerned about liability issues related to allowing hunting. According to Officer Rick Louttit, the Ohio Department of Wildlife's Medina County wildlife officer, the "Permission for Hunting and Trapping on Private Land Form" has a release-from-liability statement.

Tips for Hunting Private Property in Ohio

Article Excerpt
"Can I Hunt Your Property?"
Ohio Game&Fish 2007

Give & Take

"Most importantly, this issue is one of basic ethics," Wildlife Officer Marshall said, "It's the law: You must have written permission to hunt someone's property. Any ethical hunter is going to seek that permission."

Historically, farmers have relied on hunters to control deer populations and other game-related threats to their crops. Hunters will often give the farmer a portion of their bounty or offer their labor in trade.

Even though the times have changed, veteran hunters may need to remind younger generations on the importance of fostering the hunter-landowner relationship."Hunters should take care of their hunted property as if it were their own," Marshall stressed.

"They must leave the property in as good, or better shape than when they arrived by picking up litter and closing gates."If they see suspected violators or trespassers, hunters should advise the landowner."

The idea of "give and take" is particularly important when it comes to the stereotypes that many landowners hold about hunting in general.

As more of Ohio's land gets developed, the chances of encountering an "anti-hunting" property owner increase. Farmers aren't the only ones who own acreage anymore.

In order to offset the preconceptions some people still hold, hunters must work hard to foster good relations with every landowner.Hunting without permission makes for angry landowners and each year, the mistakes of a few are putting more acreage out of reach of law-abiding hunters.

"Can I Hunt Your Property?"

Article Excerpt
Published in
Ohio Game&Fish
November 2007

One November morning last year, I noticed a flash of orange in our back woods. My husband is an avid hunter, and I assumed he was back there using our property on the first day of deer season.

With more than 200 acres of undeveloped woodlands behind our home, there's prime hunting ground around us. On our daily walks during hunting season, the kids and I use caution. This morning, however, I knew my husband had gone hunting, and I wasn't worried.

An hour later, I saw the hunter again - in plain sight this time - crouched behind a tree. A few minutes later, my husband walked into the house. He had gone with a buddy to another spot for the morning.

It turned out the trespasser was a friend of a friend of a new neighbor, someone we had never met.When my husband confronted the trespasser, the stranger made a few empty excuses and ran.

Out of frustration, my husband declared, "No one but family will hunt our property."Hunting without permission makes for angry landowners, and each year, the thoughtless mistakes of a few hunters are putting more acres out of reach of law-abiding hunters.

"All it takes is one guy to cut a wire fence on a farmer's property, letting the cattle out," said Jim Marshall, the Ohio Division of Wildlife's (ODOW) District Four wildlife manager. "Then, the farmer decides that's the last time he's letting anyone hunt on his property."

With only a single wildlife officer in each of Ohio's 88 counties, responsible hunters must take the intiative on this issue before more privately owned land gets closed to future generations.Where do we start?

Know the Facts

Losing your direction, a change in property owners, or even tracking a wounded deer is no excuse for hunting on private land without permission."It's incumbent on the hunter to know where he is hunting and to acquire written permission," said Rick Louttit, the ODOW's Medina County wildlife officer.

When hunting on private property, hunters are required to carry written permission at all times. If there's a chance of crossing property lines, hunters are expected to speak with adjoining property owners and seek permission from them as well.

In the state of Ohio, hunting without permission is a third-degree misdemeanor and carries a maximum find of $500 and/or 60 days in jail. A second offense carries a maximum fine of $750 and/or 90 days in jail.

Tim Godard met Officer Louttit shortly after purchasing land where he and his 16-year-old son could hunt. After decades of hunting the property (before Godard purchased it), some local hunters had become overconfident.

"One day, we were sitting in our blind when we heard gunshots on our property," Godard recalled.He saw seven men with guns walking across the property and, among the seven, he was surprised to see someone he knew.The group told him they'd hunted the property for the past 40 years.

"Obviously, they saw me," Godard continued, "and they saw my 'No Trespassing' signs."Despite the confrontation, the seven hunters returned three weeks later. With Officer Louttit's help, Godard has prosecuted 10 trespassing hunters in the past four years.

"If you want to be a good sportsman," Godard said, "you have to give more than you take."