Knockning On Doors

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Elusive78
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Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Elusive78 » Thu Mar 29, 2018 10:39 pm

Best Month to start Knocking on private land doors for the upcoming season ?


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Haus86
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Haus86 » Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:17 am

Knock on doors before or after planting season, or whenever farmers aren’t busy.
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Uncle Lou
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:18 am

Here is my 2 cents on knocking on doors. You are hoping you are either damn charming, or you find your prospective new found friend in a very good mood. A mood so good he is going to give a complete stranger something that he could charge for to someone he knows better.

I knocked on a few doors. Some back in the 80s and had excellent results, I could connect with farmers as I spent much time around them. But since I moved to MI, I was about 1 for 20 knocking on doors. Plus we have a lot of absentee landowners. You have to go to the deed office to find out where the tax bill goes.

I highly recommend putting together a nice letter, get their name and address and send it out. But don't just send 1 send 20. Put all your contact info, email, phone, address in the letter. Tell them something about yourself, but not too much. You have a few seconds to get their attention and not hit the trash can.

Then you can meet them when it is not a bad time for them.

Besides telling them what you want from them, tell them what you could do for them. Pay them, help with something, etc.. Something could be anything. I have told people that if you don't allow hunting it is very likely someone is sneaking in, and it is good to have someone else help them with "keeping an eye out for them".

Bottle of wine, case of beer, venison sausage, salmon fillets, a couple pheasants. These are all things I have done, I didn't just read this in a story on Outdoor Life.

Coyote control could be a good topic to work your way in.

Just a few thoughts. Good luck

I pretty much hunt public these days, getting private around here is torcher. I may succumb one of these days and pay to lease, but so far I have not
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Uncle Lou
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:23 am

Oh, sorry didn't answer your question.

I would think this month is as good as any, especially in the upper midwest. Maybe on a warm day you could catch a farmer out greasing some equipment.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby mihunter101 » Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:11 pm

Here's a good thread on the topic. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24090
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Mar 30, 2018 3:57 pm

Right now. The longer you wait the more likely someone else beats you to it, plus like Haus said they aren't busy in the field right now. I think it also shows that you're a driven individual which is a good thing.

I've knocked on TONS of doors over the years. When you walk up to the door, be happy but expect a no for an answer. If they do say no, keep talking to them if they want to talk!! You'd be surprised how helpful some people can be and what they'll tell you about the property itself and the surrounding area.

Like Uncle Lou said letters are good too. In 2015 I requested permission from 39 landowners. If I remember right I sent out 24 letters and visited 15 in person. Got two yes's from the letters.

Lastly, never assume a property is too good to be true. When I moved back to MN from SD in 2009 I ended up getting permission for what I considered the best property of them all. I shared it with another bowhunter and wasn't allowed to gun hunt it. Ended up killing what is still my biggest MN archery kill on that property in 2012.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:19 pm

I feel each individual's circumstance is different. For myself knocking on doors works fine for the simple fact it's a small rural town I have lived in practically my entire life. I know the majority of everyone in the county. And when someone moves whether I had permission or not I go out of my way to meet the new owner and bring a welcome to the neighborhood gift.

In my experience networking is your best bet, get involved, make friends, donate to church's, 4H groups, drink morning coffee with the farmers etc... Best hook up I ever had was from a farmer who raised cattle and leased grazing rights from dozens of folks and he just asked if it was ok if I bowhunted. I had thousands of acres at my disposal that all started from a cup of coffee and me asking if he likes fish.

But Landowners aren't stupid if you are asking for permission in a location where there buddies are getting thousands for leasing fees don't expect an oh ya go right ahead. Low deer number areas, no one wants to hunt or they don't know there is deer makes getting a nod much easier. Anyhow in any circumstance you don't know if you don't try! The worst thing that can happen is they tell ya no.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Elusive78 » Fri Mar 30, 2018 10:00 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:I feel each individual's circumstance is different. For myself knocking on doors works fine for the simple fact it's a small rural town I have lived in practically my entire life. I know the majority of everyone in the county. And when someone moves whether I had permission or not I go out of my way to meet the new owner and bring a welcome to the neighborhood gift.

In my experience networking is your best bet, get involved, make friends, donate to church's, 4H groups, drink morning coffee with the farmers etc... Best hook up I ever had was from a farmer who raised cattle and leased grazing rights from dozens of folks and he just asked if it was ok if I bowhunted. I had thousands of acres at my disposal that all started from a cup of coffee and me asking if he likes fish.

But Landowners aren't stupid if you are asking for permission in a location where there buddies are getting thousands for leasing fees don't expect an oh ya go right ahead. Low deer number areas, no one wants to hunt or they don't know there is deer makes getting a nod much easier. Anyhow in any circumstance you don't know if you don't try! The worst thing that can happen is they tell ya no.


Hey thanks! I draw Iowa tag this year for Zone 3. Scouted public land there last month now going down there to knock on doors next week. Was told on forum here not impossible to knock on doors their so going to give it a shot.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby MN_DeerHunter » Fri Mar 30, 2018 11:29 pm

I did the letter thing back in 2016 and got permission on a pretty good chunk of land I thought was a goldmine. I had cameras out all summer and got more pictures of human activity than deer so I never even hunted it. Early that fall the neighbor of that property shot a 173” buck I had no clue was in the area lol.

Another thing about knocking on doors and hunting private is be ready to tell the landowner you would sign a liability waiver if it makes them feel more comfortable.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby beartruth2 » Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:59 am

know is a good time to ask I recently wrote a letter to a land owner explained what i was after offered to pick up trash on the road side told him i would be more than happy to sign a waiver.2 weeks later i get a phone call from him granting me permisson.I get turned down more than getting permisson but i move on to the next place.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby ihookem » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:23 pm

I will never knock on another door to hunt again. I will hunt public land till the day I die. I never got permission and I knocked on quite a few. Most were down right rude , so I bought a little chunk up north almost surrounded by public and now live 4 miles from 5,700 ac. of public land . It is nowhere near as good as most public though.
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Hawthorne » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:49 pm

ihookem wrote:I will never knock on another door to hunt again. I will hunt public land till the day I die. I never got permission and I knocked on quite a few. Most were down right rude , so I bought a little chunk up north almost surrounded by public and now live 4 miles from 5,700 ac. of public land . It is nowhere near as good as most public though.


X2. I don’t like the politics of it. All the time building relationships you could be scouting public
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby Dpierce72 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:28 am

I'm like most in that being able to simply go is liberating and thats why I'm moving to more public. With that said, I tried letters this past season for the first time ...on land that adjoins a private parcel I have access to.

My statistics:

Sent 5 letters (landowner info obtained from OnX Maps) and received:

- 1 Yes
- 1 No
- 1 Return to sender
- 2 Non-Replies

My letter was professional. I asked landowners who join property (or close by) that we currently hunt so I figured it wasn't that much work. It took more time to craft the letter but now that I have a template, I can fire off at a moments notice.

I definitely get that live meetings are best, but the letters were easy and not too much risk involved.

In the packed I included:

1. Personal info about myself & my son ...and adjoining landowners who have granted permission
2. What I could offer in return (oversight, work, processed meat etc)
3. Waiver of liability
4. Form for them to sign granting permission for 1 year or until further notice (their decision) - giving them a choice between simply "yes or no".

I also included copies and self-addressed stamped envelopes for them to send back to me.

This year, I plan to only ask permission for archery or predator (coyote) and see if this makes a difference in the "no and non-reply".
"Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make your a better person." ~Fred Bear
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby john1984 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:46 am

Good luck. :lol:
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Re: Knockning On Doors

Unread postby ihookem » Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:21 pm

I like public land. I never been kicked off or refused yet, but one time when i was on my own land a guy approached and told me " this is private land and you aren't supposed to be here." I said. " IT'S MY LAND!" He said with little words " oh, i didn't know".


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