Don't let this happen to you!

[jhngardner367]

For the past 28 yrs,I,ve had the priviledge of hunting a large area of farmland.I've taken great care to cultivate a great relationship with the land owner,and his family,and even helped on their farm.Last November that all came to a screeching stop.I had asked permission to have a "friend" record my hunt,and was granted it.However,unknown to me,this "friend",set up no less than 4 tree-stands,and proceeded to not only HUNT,but threaten the landowner's sons and two of their guests!Needless to say,I got an ANGRY phone call,telling me I can no longer hunt the land!Since then,I've been slowly trying to re-establish my friendship with the land owner,and family,but it's an uphill battle.At least,now they're talking to me!

 

[mothernatureson]

Yea, Ive made the mistake of taking "friends" to private land, where I had permission to hunt. Then I found out later my friend and his buddy's were hunting it when I was not around. I had another experience with another buddy. I learned the hard way, from then on, only me and my family. I work hard to establish trust with a landowner and then some slippery dick busts in there on his own. Hard lesson learned, I feel for ya! Better luck next time, good hunting.

mothernatureson

 

[suzukisam]

Dude that seems a little fishy to me...you spent 28 years hunting and either you took someone you didn't even know there, or you havea quality of friends that you shouldn't have. And after 28 years you weren't able to just explain to them that you didn't tell him he could hunt? Seems weird...I think there is more to the story

 

[FITASC666]

I've lived another frustrating experience of the sort. After getting the landowner's permission to hunt on his property I got contour maps and plotted the deer movements right after the season's end to prepare for the next hunting season. With his permission and help we cut trails and set stands. He even helped in setting signs around his property. Wow, this was great! With exclusive access, I was scouting early season and even found large sheds from last year’s bucks.
A week before rifle season I called in to inform the owner that I was to be an early bird in his backwoods. Then I got the ''Euh, my wife doesn't want any deer harvested on our land''. My arms dropped! I was speechless. It was all over. Frustrated but respectful, I drove out to the farm and had a chat with the ''owner''. The bottom line is that one of his wife's relatives was overlooking my work and decided to pay $ 1,000 to get rid of me.
I was fuming; all that work for this other guy. Well I couldn't do a thing....or couldn’t I?
I called the local game warden and invited him to lunch and explained my story. He called the owner of the land and verified my story. He then called me and said it was sad but that without the landowner's permission I couldn’t access the land.
3 weeks later, the warden called me to inform me that he was pressing charges against this relative for discharging a firearm before the official half hour before sunrise. It doesn't change things but at least I know the warden cared!
We met again and he suggested I write up a ''hunter - landowner'' agreement for the future stating the intent, the terms and the conditions for other ventures. Not a bad idea but I guess it can't beat a handshake!
Good Luck!

 

[alsaqr]

i have permission to deer and hog on several farms and never take anyone with me close except family. i always call before taking family hunting on those places.

 

[jhngardner367]

NO,Suzukisam,the only thing i left out,was that I couldn't go out the first 4 days of the season,because I had to take care of my customers at my business,first.I did find out,later, that the same guy has gotten caught there,and across the road,2days later,and tried to use my name for a reference.I'm still going to work on reviving my friendship,with the landowner,as I stated.

 

[suzukisam]

thats cool man I'm just saying around here it is crazy difficult to find hunting land, people are either anti's, old and crotchety, or are looking to lease for large sums of money.. I never even consider taking people I'm not intimately close with to these places... I guess you don't either anymore.. I just can't believe after that many years the land owner wasn't more understanding..

 

[TNboy]

I've never liked taking anyone out to private property that I have permission to hunt. I believe in introducing newbies to the sport but usually do so on my land or public land. I'm not going to let somone else's actions get me kicked off of a farm.

 

[Davek1977]

As a landowner, there's few things that will sour a hunter's reputation faster than littering,leaving open gates, and believing that "you" having permission is the same as you and all your friends having permission. At abut 1o yrs of age, I kicked a group of hunters off our land that tried pulling that. I was seated between two grown men, and the hunters (a local and his 'friends') didn't see me sitting in the truck....just two people tthye didn't recognize asking them if they hadd permission, which they stated they did. At that point, i leaned ahead and said ..."NO YOU DO NOT!!!! Dad said YOU could hunt, but that he DID NOT want your "crew" involved!!!" At this point, the local.....who I knew well.....became EXTREMELY embarrassed, and quickly left. Apparently, he had brought the same people huntng before, with as many state and tribal tags as they could acquire, an proceeded to shoot any and every legal deer that presented itself. I had heard dad complaining about it earlier, and took it upon myself to handle it. Since Dad typically lets people hunt who ask permission, I still take every opportunity to kick a trespasser off the ranch, or at the very least, direct them to the land we have enrolled in the Walk In Program, which allows for free access to those willing to walk

 

[Cob]

I am a small landowner (50 acres, and wifes family land that i could be thrown off, of if events don't go in my favor), and have routinely given permission for certain people to hunt on land that i own... BUT, If i feel like that I am being taken advantage of, then I will be quick to end that permission.

Bottom line, If you have permission, then YOU ONLY have permission. Don't ask to bring your "cousin, friend, long lost relative, etc".... and most definitely DON'T bring more than 1 guest at a time, or a stranger twice in the same season. (if it's an extremely close relative, like a young son or daughter, that's OK... & if introducing them to hunting, and it's their first deer, so much the better)

With a limited amount of game, If you harvest 1 animal, then you have had a successful season, and your are done (for the season). If you slaughter 2-3 deer one morning, then want to bring 1 or 3 strangers next time, You are done for eternity.

The "best guest" is one who comes and does not kill anything, or "earns" it , by working a little bit (or at least offering) to help keep the land in better condition.

 

[MCgunner]

Not a problem in Texas. Money talks, BS walks. Permission only for the paying customer.

 

[dogrunner]

And that's the trouble with TX............hunting has been truly been turned into a business!

 

[jhngardner367]

update

I recently talked to the landowner,and he said HE didn't mind if I hunted,But HIS ELDEST SON,who now manages the farm for him,wants to lease the area to some out-of-area "hunt-club" members.I told him I could understand,if it was because of the guy I wanted to film my hunt,and he said it wasn't that,but they are going to lease the land.We shook hands,and I left.By the way,--during those 28 yrs,I helped on the farm,when I could!

 

[armoredman]

That's a burn, sorry, amigo, hope something else crops up for you. Or just wait until the son's greedy ways get mired down and they get stuck with out of staters who trash the place.

 

[suzukisam]

Or just wait until the son's greedy ways get mired down and they get stuck with out of staters who trash the place.

thats a poor statement.. are you a socialist? there is nothing greedy about trying to get the most profit out of your land. he is a business owner. it sounds to me like guy was very generous to allow free hunting for 28 years.. in this economy I would kick free hunters out if I had paying customers, and I'm a hunter... for farmers land is just business...

and as to my first post.. I was right there was more to the story... the op just diidn't know it yet..

And that's the trouble with TX............hunting has been truly been turned into a business!

so has food and toilette paper... I bet you won't stop using those...

 

[Cob]

As an option, You could offer some $ to landowner to either 1. divert the lease the agreement back to you, or 2. try to be incorporated into lease agreement somehow... You ought to know that blood is thicker than water...
and family should win the overall fight everytime.
I somehow think that your idea to film the hunt might have worked as a disadvantage to you, to the point that the LO realized he was sitting on something worth some $. Offer him $3 - $8/ ac for the lease, and you just might get hunting opp. back... I have seen some leases go as high as $12/ac, you probably already have a feel for general value for the property

 

[armoredman]

are you a socialist

Short answer; no. I refer to the original landowner who apparently let his son manage the property and kick off a family friend in favor of only paying out of staters. If family friends are worth less than that to some, then so be it.
I would have to state you probably have never read anything else I have posted nor seen any of the myriad firearms rights posters I have made to attempt to stick that label on me.

 

[suzukisam]

armoredman- I would think that a reasonable man would find a way to lease the land and allow a family friend to hunt.. I don't know the situation, so I will not speculate further.. however, you stated that it is pure greed to want to lease an obviously nice piece of land.. and greed it is not and owed no one is.. now how gentleman should act, me and you would agree on... but on the flip side of that a gentleman never would expect to be owed something, and to label someone as greedy because they want to get the most use of the land is not a fair assessment.. maybe he is maybe he isn't.. I'm just saying there is a gimme attitude in our country that has permeated even the hunting culture.. go read the game ranches thread on this forum.. people really believe they are entitled to the elk on others ranches.. and to be clear the OP, though disappointed seems to have acted like a true gentleman ... he shook hands thanked the man and walked away.. I got a sneaky feeling he'll get to hunt there again someday

 

[alsaqr]

i own several pieces of property in SW OK. The hunting clubs would love to lease a couple of them but i don't need the money. i especially don't need the liability associated with hunters i know nothing about.

The kind folks who let me hunt on their places have keys to my gates. Some of them don't hunt but they like the gesture. One rancher takes his grandkids fishing at my stocked pond.

 

[One-Time]

it doesnt make hima socialist, back in the days where men were honorbale and honest you could have an agreement and shake on it and it be ironclad, nowdays people allow their other to push 'em around and go back on their word

 

[suzukisam]

it doesnt make hima socialist, back in the days where men were honorbale and honest you could have an agreement and shake on it and it be ironclad, nowdays people allow their other to push 'em around and go back on their word
__________________

HE DID for 28 years! and "nowadays" there are a lot of people willing to pay to have a good place to hunt... this whole attitude that people who have enough to spend a small fortune to hunt are bad, is stupid, and the attitude that someone looking at his assets and finding more value in them is greedy, is stupid also... too many people are buying into the attitude of "if your rich, your a crook".. like I said no one deserves anything that is someone elses..

"go back on their word"? did he promise to let him hunt forever....seriously that would be a really ungrateful attitude if you were in the ops position.... doesn't sound honorable to me, sounds self centered.. an "honorable" man would do as the op did.. thank him for all the years, shake his hand, and walk away appreciative..

but hey thats just me...

 

[Art Eatman]

Enuf...

Addendum: Leasing land for hunting as a business? Remember, the school tax folks don't care if a farmer or rancher profits or if a drouth wipes out crops and hurts the cattle market. They're gonna collect, regardless. For many, the greenback cash flow from leasing for hunting is often a year's only net profit.