# Landowner/hunter expectations and etiquitte



## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

A responsible young man I know has asked permission to bow hunt deer on our property. This is new territory for me â neither I nor DH hunt; my parents did not hunt, nor did they permit hunting on our land, so I admittedly know little about what to expect or what requests of the hunter are fair. 

One of the reasons I think granting permission is a good idea is herd maintenance. Last winter, one of the bucks frequenting our land was a nice-sized 9-point. My gut feeling on herd maintenance is that the largest buck in the area must be dominant and smart, and since those are the genes that would be passed on via natural selection, Iâd like to ask the hunter to leave that buck if he should see him. Is that reasonable?

We have 10 acres - approx. 330' wide by 1300' deep - and neighbors to either side and behind us. My thought is that GUN hunting would be a seriously bad idea, but that BOW hunting - responsibly - is probably okay. Am I wrong?

Are there other things I should know/consider/expect/do with a permission-to-hunt arrangement?

Thanks in advance!


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

i don't allow hunting on my 16 acres for the reasons you mentioned as well as having farm animals that might be mistaken for deer. that number of acres doesn't seem like enough to me to allow hunting. say he shoots and wounds the deer and it runs onto a neighboring property. is he allowed to go onto it to get the deer? i also have a foster kid and DGK's that like to go into the woods upon occasion. not a safe situation, imo.

one neighbor here owns five acres that adjoins mine. he wounded the deer on his land then was mad when i told him my land was posted. told him i'd make an exceptoion to go get it this one time but i am serious about no hunting.

there is a 100 acre place right across the road and the owner doesn't mind if people hunt it.


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

If I only owned 10 acres I wouldn't let anyone hunt on my property. 
I have 100 acres and I still won't let anyone hunt on my property; it might be different if I didn't live here, owned no livestock, and there were no improvements.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

Phantomfyre said:


> A responsible young man I know has asked permission to bow hunt deer on our property. This is new territory for me â neither I nor DH hunt; my parents did not hunt, nor did they permit hunting on our land, so I admittedly know little about what to expect or what requests of the hunter are fair.
> 
> One of the reasons I think granting permission is a good idea is herd maintenance. Last winter, one of the bucks frequenting our land was a nice-sized 9-point. My gut feeling on herd maintenance is that the largest buck in the area must be dominant and smart, and since those are the genes that would be passed on via natural selection, Iâd like to ask the hunter to leave that buck if he should see him. Is that reasonable?
> 
> ...


Here in Leavenworth they've instituted an "urban" bowhunting program to thin out the deer, I think their lot limit is equal to or greater than 3 acres to allow hunting. 10 acres will be more than large enough for archery. With the distances involved it really would take an irresponsible bow-hunter to misidentify one of your animals.

I think your "leave that buck" idea really is up to you, as long as it's part of the agreement I don't see any problem with it. I've made agreements to leave bucks alone completely when just trying to fill a doe tag. 

I own 80 acres and I've got no problems with a couple guys I know taking does. Deer herds do need thinning...

Chuck


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

we have 80 acres there are 3 people that hunt it beside myself but they dont come on without letting us know they are going to and they have plenty of places to hunt some times during season they will hunt or not mostly not


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I lease land for hunting. The leases more than pay the property taxes in most instances. The people that lease the property do a lot in maintaining the land. They collect litter, clean the road shoulders by brush hogging, police for trespassers and often pitch in with internal road maintenance and bridge repairs. Overall it is a good arrangement.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

10 acres isn't very much to keep a big buck from getting killed. A mature bucks range is at least 1 square mile. There's a good chance he's gonna get killed anyway on someone elses property. 

If you don't have any livestock on the place then it would be okay to let him have permission. Bowhunting is not like gun hunting. The game has to get very close before you release a arrow at it. Therefore there should be no mistaking a domestic animal for a deer. 

If you do have some livestock, then you might have him sign a written permission that he will be liable for any harmed livestock while he's on the property. Also, have him to notify you of what day(s) he will be hunting. You might have him to stop by your house to notify when he leaves the property. 'And ask him to keep an eye out for hunters without permission and to notify you immediately if he sees anyone else on your property. 

Giving permisssion to a responsible hunter can work to your advantage.


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## Pops2 (Jan 27, 2003)

Marvella
if the neighbor asked politely and you feel he did in fact wound it on his land, i don't see what the problem is w/ him walking on and dragging a dead deer off your land. it's definitely not going to win you any popularity contests. also the dead deer that is laying hidden on your property is now attracting coyotes, bobcats and any other predators in your area. they are A LOT more dangerous to the DGKs. i can understand no hunting & not allowing him to carry a weapon, but not allowing him to recover a deer he already shot thats just bad politics. further if your state prohibits the waste of game, once you know it's there and don't allow recovery you might be criminally liable for violating the waste of game law for leaving it lay.


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone. This is going to be a tough call...


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## VA.Hillbilly (Jun 14, 2008)

i agree that a bow hunter will be very little danger to livestock and a responsible bow hunter will be no danger!!as far as management around here they thin the bigger deer and the does say nothing less than 8 points and the antleers must stick out past the earsbut its your land your rules.. as far as a wounded animal check your local game laws some localitys give a hunter permission to follow his wounded game onto other property as long as the owner is notified


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

The problem I see is that while one person has permission to hunt, sometimes he needs a friend to help him/her put up a treestand, so you say ok. The next thing you know the friend is also using the stand or another person is hunting because "Joe" said he could use his treestand which came about when "Joe" was bragging about his place to hunt. The anti-hunters here who protect there meager acreage feel they are protecting the deer when in truth they are killing them through kindness and indifference, but it makes them feel better. We have anti-hunting neighbors up the road who feed and provide for us a steady supply of deer to choose from. While they can keep deer on their tiny bit of land, they cannot control hormones. We really must take them out for dinner sometime. Of all the outdoor activities, hunting is nearly the most safest. That being said, one has to be sure just who is hunting on one's land. We allow one friend to hunt here who we trust impeccably. One of our neighbors however is dangerous in that he shot a doe at 25 yards with buckshot because he though he saw horns. It was legal, but I do not trust anyone that will not take the time to insure that they will kill the animal quickly and cleanly as possible. If you cannot tell if the animal has horns, you do not have a kill zone to aim for.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have bow hunted the back of city lots that ajoind wooded areas , there is virtualy no danger from bow hunting even a poor shot witch very few bow hunters will be can keep and arrow in a 1.5x 1.5 foot area at 20 yards 

realy your maximum kill distance is about 40 yards with a bow 
if every one would open up hunting on there land to 1 responsible hunter preferably someone who you know freind of the family exectra there would be a much healthier heard one of the biggest problems we have faces in heard managment in southern wisconsin is all the people who bought 10 15 or 20 acers and said no one is hunting my land and the deer population went out of control enter cronic wasting disease 

bow hunters are seldom seen once 50 yards from thier car most people would haev no idea an area was being hunted by a bow hunter and most bow hunting is done from a tree stand 

heres what i would do 
say yes but then lay down these terms 
where he will park 
when is it ok for him to be there times dates or call day before and leave message
no-one else but him unless he gets a deer then his father, or uncle can come out to help with removal

go for a walk with him he can tell you were he would like to put his stand so long as it is at least 75yards from your house or part of the yard you would be walking in it is very safe 
especialy down ward shots from a tree stand 

the only other thing other than asking him not to take that favorite buck of yours is that he not use screw in steps for his tree stand they make lots of and most guys use tree stands that don't damage the tree at all


most bow hunters will be in while dark , and out by 9am then may be back at 3 and out at dark 

only deer look like deer so i wouldn't worry about any live stock 

my family has a place we gun hunt it is my job to take the end near the pasture i soot deer there near every year just 15-20 yards from thier fence i know i have to stop swinging and let a deer go if i get to a point i have decided on just befor the stone fence . i sit on the stone fence so that i am always shooting no more than paralel with the stone fence the actual live stock fence is a few yards the other side of the stone fence and yes i shoot running deer there there is no danger to his beef cattle. 

i don't ask most poeple to have that king of trust but my aunt is walking that same ston fence line that i am sitting on i wouln't shoot her and i wont shoot beef cattle


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I own 10 acres laid our about like yours. NO WAY am I going to let any one or my self bow hunt on my property. 330 feet wide is 110 yards wide. That makes it possiable for some one to shoot a deer in the middle of your land and run 55 yards {NOT UNHEARD OF} on to your neighbours land. If the hunter doesn't have the permission from your neighbours to recover a shot deer before hand that can make a neighbour problem for you.
Also if the hunter were to set up a stand on the fence line your neighbours may not like it as I don't like the blind next to my property line either.
There is more to consider than making the hunter mad as they are only intrested in one thing. You on the other hand have to live there every day.

Yes I am a hunter. I bow hunt rifle and muzzle load hunt. No way I bow hunt my own tiny 10 acres.

 Al


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> ...one of the biggest problems we have faces in heard managment in southern wisconsin is all the people who bought 10 15 or 20 acers and said no one is hunting my land and the deer population went out of control enter cronic wasting disease


Oh yeah. The properties on our road are pretty much all 5 - 15 acres. There's an "Acre lots!" subdivision behind us. Another one going in down the road. Still some open land for hunting in the area, but not sure who's still allowing it. Our deer herd isn't out of control - yet. It's been one doe and her fawn hanging around here all summer. Last winter, we had a herd of 6 deer come through daily until they joined up with another group, and then we'd often have a dozen come through the yard at a time. One day it was 20. I don't think that's out of control, but there's no shortage of deer, either.

Let me state again that I'd never consider GUN hunting here. Not no way, not no how. Nor would I consider bow hunting if I didn't know the hunter, and know that he's both experienced and responsible. The layout of our property is another thing: if it were wooded and/or had lots of visual obstacles, I'd be more concerned. That is correct thinking, no? However, the area we're looking at for a stand setup is a small treed area (1/2 acre?) looking over our 5-acre hay field. 

The neighbor concern is a good point, and something I have worried about. Especially the one neighbor. I think the best next step is for me to talk things over with them and see how they feel. If they don't mind, and would grant permission to retrieve a downed deer if necessary, I can continue to consider this. If they're not on board, well, that'll answer the question for me!


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

alleyyooper said:


> I own 10 acres laid our about like yours. NO WAY am I going to let any one or my self bow hunt on my property. 330 feet wide is 110 yards wide. That makes it possiable for some one to shoot a deer in the middle of your land and run 55 yards {NOT UNHEARD OF} on to your neighbours land. If the hunter doesn't have the permission from your neighbours to recover a shot deer before hand that can make a neighbour problem for you.
> Also if the hunter were to set up a stand on the fence line your neighbours may not like it as I don't like the blind next to my property line either.
> There is more to consider than making the hunter mad as they are only intrested in one thing. You on the other hand have to live there every day.
> 
> ...


 A deer with it's heart and lungs destroyed can run over a hundred yards on adrenaline alone in the 11 seconds it takes it to die.. I used to kill 3 deer a year for my sister on her 4 1/2 acres with a slug gun up in Mercer County, N.J., always after 9 Am when things settled down like trash cans rattling, car doors slamming, school buses... etc. Her neighbors were delighted I killed 3 of the big brown rats. Funny how deer can go from Bambi to big brown rats in a short time and hundreds of dollars in eaten landscaping. They got our hydrangea last night, but it symbiotic, we feed them, they feed us.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

Pops2 said:


> Marvella
> if the neighbor asked politely and you feel he did in fact wound it on his land, i don't see what the problem is w/ him walking on and dragging a dead deer off your land. it's definitely not going to win you any popularity contests. also the dead deer that is laying hidden on your property is now attracting coyotes, bobcats and any other predators in your area. they are A LOT more dangerous to the DGKs. i can understand no hunting & not allowing him to carry a weapon, but not allowing him to recover a deer he already shot thats just bad politics. further if your state prohibits the waste of game, once you know it's there and don't allow recovery you might be criminally liable for violating the waste of game law for leaving it lay.


"told him i'd make an exceptoion to go get it this one time but i am serious about no hunting."


pops, i did say he could go get what he had shot, just to not do it again. i don't want any animal laying around suffering needlessly.


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