Knocking on doors?

GSP

New member
I'm not bashful and don't mind knocking on land owner's doors to ask for permission to hunt their farm. Here in MI getting permission to deer hunt is all but impossible, but I have had good luck with getting access to small game hunt. That said, MI really doesn't have a program like KS' WIHA.

Is it safe to assume that if a land owner was open to allowing people to hunt their farm, they would have it enrolled in the WIHA program so that they get paid?
 
nope, there is lots of land, posted and unposted.......doesn't hurt to ask for permission to hunt any of it....you will get enough yes answers........
 
I for one do not think that is true. I have family land and I myself have 480 acres of land in Kansas. My uncle and cousin who farm there will allow people to hunt their land for the asking (no charge, nothing in return), but I think a lot of farmers for the money they get paid for allowing their land to be a WIHA think it is not worth it. This was the first year I hunted WIHA in Kansas, and I was really surprised how disrepectful some hunters were (leaving trash and pop and beer cans, driving through fields, cleaning birds and leaving the feather and guts on the road). All farmers work hard on their land and are proud of their land, when people leave shell casings, trash, etc. So yes I believe if you were to ask on private land in Kansas and do what all of us and you do (be respectiful) of the land then yes there are a lot of farmers who will let you hunt their land because you care enough and they do not want to open it up to everyone for the small amount of money they get paid to make it a WIHA, because of all the problems that occur.

Rod
 
Knocking on doors can be effective. You will always get some no's. But the yes's will come too. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but I always offer to bring them birds if we are lucky enough to get any. I also like to bring a small gift to someone who has given my permission the next time I stop to ask.
 
Thanks guys. I guess that's good and bad news... I'm sorry to hear that the WIHA aren't more respected. That's the type of thing that ruins it for everybody. I can't even walk by an empty hull in the field without picking it up.
 
My whole family has gone to shooting doubles with the ejectors disabled, or extractors, for the same reason, no lost hulls. Hunted for years and honestly never gave it a thought, finally lived long enough to get some sense! Try to leave things as I found them, I got religion after finding countless empties in various stages of decay, some having been there for years, down to the discolored brass, realized what a issue it is, and what a sinner I had been. Trying to do better with the next generation, because I believe now we can leave no detail un-addressed, if we are going to continue to have access to pursue our sport.
 
I found some good looking places that I wanted to hunt this year but it was plastered with No Hunting Without Permission signs. I took that to be a sign that they allowed hunting WITH permission. So I knocked on a few doors till I tracked down the owner. They were extremely nice people and I just sat and talked with them for an hour or so. They were also kind enough to give me a walkthrough of all their operation, as I was very interested in it. I'm just a poor Okie and spend all my money just to get to Kansas to hunt, so I can't pay someone with cash, but I did give them a couple of rolls of venison sausage in appreciation. When I was out on their land I saw that someone had cleaned all their birds at the corners and left feathers and carcasses all over. While still being "natural" trash, it is still disrespectful to me. On my way out I stopped by to thank them again and let them know it was not me that deposited the leftovers. You can get by pretty far in life on kindness and respect, and that applies to hunting as well.
 
I found some good looking places that I wanted to hunt this year but it was plastered with No Hunting Without Permission signs. I took that to be a sign that they allowed hunting WITH permission. So I knocked on a few doors till I tracked down the owner. They were extremely nice people and I just sat and talked with them for an hour or so. They were also kind enough to give me a walkthrough of all their operation, as I was very interested in it. I'm just a poor Okie and spend all my money just to get to Kansas to hunt, so I can't pay someone with cash, but I did give them a couple of rolls of venison sausage in appreciation. When I was out on their land I saw that someone had cleaned all their birds at the corners and left feathers and carcasses all over. While still being "natural" trash, it is still disrespectful to me. On my way out I stopped by to thank them again and let them know it was not me that deposited the leftovers. You can get by pretty far in life on kindness and respect, and that applies to hunting as well.

good for you, keep asking around, be respectful, spend some time talking to folks, ask if they know of any neighbors who might let you on...you will be fine...good luck!
 
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