how to find alternative to public hunting land in Ohio

[akolleth]

Anyone have any bright ideas about how to even start looking for private hunting land when you aren't from that area, and don't have any network connections from there?

Basically I am looking for an aternative to hunting public lands in Ohio. I live in a big city (Akron) and therefore don't know any farmers to let me use their land. I don't have any relatives who live in the country, nor know anyone outside of the city.

I am tired of the overcrowding in public hunting land, and had a rather scary incident last season with a dumb ass hunter who almost shot me. But I can't afford the 2-3K most places want for a hunting lease. I am drawing at straws here, I don't even know how to begin to try to find someplace to hunt at in SE Ohio when I don't know anyone there.

 

[bearmgc]

What about looking at neighboring states for nonresident hunting opportunities?

 

[Samuel Adams]

I live in a big city (Akron)

You wouldn't be one of those big city guys that go to Piedmont Lake and shoots everything that moves, would you???

 

[akolleth]

I am an ethical hunter, and was mentored by a great guy that taught me right. You only kill what you are going to eat, and you only take what is safe for the land to recover from. (the only exception being damaging feral animals like yotes and wild pigs)

Just wondering how people find land to hunt on out of their area. Are there any sites you know of that list farmers looking for hunters to help out with herd conservation? Do you really have to know someone, who knows someone?

 

[John4me05]

Run a ad in the paper... Also going out and searching personally is very worthwhile... I started small... Went out to farmers with large fields and cattle or such and asked if they had groundhogs and if they would permit me to shoot them for them... Many would love it because cows step in the holes and break legs... horses do as well.. Maybe even include Yotes...
If you get on 1 then always stop by the owners place and let them know your going in and out... Offer to help with some of the work... Be overly nice and offer to help with everything from sitting on the porch drinking tea to unstopping their toilet...
If you are permitted to hunt anywhere for deer and such when you stop by on the way out offer up a roast or a Tloin eek or even half of the animal after butchering...

This is all if you dont have to pay to access the land..
Big thing is to start small... Like i said ask if you can work on nusance species to farmers and work up from there...

1 guy may let you take Ghogs and yotes but save deer for him and his family.. But if you clean out some of them hogs and clean up the carcases and stuff he would probably turn you on to some of his friends who have land and reccomend them to allow you to hunt their land

 

[markallen]

I usually hunt down in carroll county, with family friends of my father-in-laws.
There is mining company property next to the private property where I hunt.
I talked with a hunter who was hunting on mining property. This person searched the internet for mining companies in Ohio, started calling, visiting the offices. Most often he got a no, but finally got written permission for two different mining properties in carroll, and harrison countys.
I think the one he was hunting on last year was the Rose mining Property.
Worth a shot ( pun intended).

 

[redneck]

Just have to network. Ask around to see if anyone you know might know somebody or have an idea where to look. The hunting situation just isn't that great in Ohio right now. Least not from my perspective. I work for a farm, and know a lot of farmers and its still difficult to get permsission to hunt. There is too much cash rent farming in Ohio, which leaves confusion as to whether the landowner or the guy leasing it gives permission. This leads to multiple parties thinking they both have permission that trumps the other guys to hunt the same spot. Arguments spring up and folks stop giving permission all together.

 

[308win]

When the beans are about an inch high drive around and ask the farmers if you can shoot the groundhogs. If he has groundhogs eating a few acres of beans he may let you shoot them out. Stay in touch, ask if he allows other hunting; he will have a relationship with you then and may let you hunt. Offer to help with harvest even if it is only running errands helping unload the combine/picker, cleaning up around an auger, etc. This is when they will be short-handed and can use the help. If you can haul grain to the elevator and he will trust you to do that, hunting shouldn't be an issue. Be sure you give him some game if he eats it.

 

[Grumulkin]

I work for a farm, and know a lot of farmers and its still difficult to get permsission to hunt. There is too much cash rent farming in Ohio, which leaves confusion as to whether the landowner or the guy leasing it gives permission.

There is actually no confusion here. Ohio hunting regulations are very plain. The property owner has to give WRITTEN permission or one has to be a first degree relative of the property owner or the renter of the property. I doubt that a farmer renting property for the purpose of farming would have the right to hunt there and he certainly would have the right to give permission for others to hunt there. Furthermore, if the renter of my farm property took such liberties with my property, he wouldn't be farming it next year.

In short, the best way to find land to hunt on would be, as others have mentioned, networking.

 

[redneck]

What the law says and what takes place aren't always the same. When you have a situation where a farm is owned by one guy, who rents the house to one person and the fields to another, and maybe gives both of them permission to hunt it can breed confusion. The guy doing the farming may not even be involved but he's the easiest to find when a dispute rises.

Its not a problem caused by responsible hunters, its just a problem that makes it harder for us to find a place to hunt. Same as the jerks who leave gates open, dump trash, and shoot up everything in sight.

 

[308win]

Attitudes have changed a lot since the 50's. Used to be most men hunted and landowner's were usually happy to let you hunt if you asked. Now, many landowners don't hunt and don't want the aggravation of people hunting; that is partly due to the many slob hunters around and partly due to the litigious nature of what passes for society these days. Add in absentee landowners who don't know you and don't want to and the fact that hunting rights have value as an income generator and it isn't hard to understand why most privately owned land is unaccessible to most hunters today. If I owned enough acreage to be hunt-able I probably wouldn't be sharing it with just anyone either.

 

[1911 guy]

It's getting tougher.

It's getting pretty tough now to find land to hunt anything but varmints. I've got a couple farms that will let me come anytime to pop groundhogs and the occasional coyote, but are not at all interested in letting me hunt squirrels or deer. It's gotten to the point where most of my hunting is on public land or one farm that I have permission to hunt, provided I don't bring anyone else. I wasn't holding out on you, Adam, I couldn't take you there, although it was ten minutes from where we were on Rapids Road. Sorry. I'll run it past him again and see.

The best approach is to talk to the proverbial "friend of a friend" and show up once in a while with no intention of hunting, just help throw hay or other chores. You'll strike out a lot (my average is abysmal), but once in a while you'll hit on one who will let you hunt. Used to be almost the opposite.