Getting Permission Question (UPDATE)

[turkeybow]

I'm heading out this weekend to see if I can lock up a few new private places for this turkey season.  One place is really getting to me and I'm not real sure what to do for it.  The land owner is never home as he has a girlfriend on the other end of town.  We know some of the same people and one of them oversees his property while he is gone.  I want to catch him in person so I can talk to him face to face.  I don't want to call him and I have rode by MANY times.  I'm wanting to meet him because I like for people that don't know me to have a chance to get to know me in person and get a sense of who I am.  If you were in this same boat how would you go about it?

[turkeybow]

My thoughts is to go back to the guy I know that oversees his property and talk to him.  I asked him last time if he knew when he would be around and he just said he comes and goes.  I have been by every day for at least a week and he hasn't been around.

[redarrow]

As a last resort ,I would call.

[turkeybow]

As a last resort ,I would call.

That's exactly my thoughts!  I ran out of ideas so I was hoping someone on here may have experienced the same thing before.  I just don't want to wait until the last minute to do so.  I want to have plenty of time to scout and do all that I can to give me the upper edge.

[njdevilsb]

I would call and maybe ask what he thought about you hunting it and to set up a time when you could meet him and talk about it.

[socalturkeyman]

I had to do that a few years ago. And by talking to him on the phone I was able to sell him on me hunting I think.

So after we finished talking on the phone,he asked me to spot by the ranch about 9 am. When we arrived at the ranch he gave us one look and said okay. But he did stress that I would have never got permission if it wasnt for all my dads grey hair lol.

[hookedspur]

I would call and maybe ask what he thought about you hunting it and to set up a time when you could meet him and talk about it.

[mnturkey]

I would call and talk to him first, maybe even invite him and his girlfriend out for a coffee.

[Muskie03]

I have talked to over 30 farmers, phone calls are a coin flip. Your best odds are waiting it out. Sometimes you can't scout a property before season. Even if you don't get to him before season starts, scout while you hunt and learn it for next year. I had a property I didn't hunt for three years because I could never catch him at home. Now I hunt his 500 acres, his families 1,000+ acres and his friends have tons of land too. I've also used his name to get onto to properties others can't. Good things come to those who wait.   

[Gamblinman]

Call him and offer to buy him, and his girlfriend lunch. Discuss the the hunting then.


Gman

[turkeybow]

Well I believe it has all worked out and I am PUMPED!!   

This weekend I decided I was going to go out and knock on a few doors.  I first went to the property I had permission to hunt last year to ask about this year.  I knew I would get it and it would help boost myself.  One down but I won't be alone.  Others hunt there as well but he has a really cool set up.  The land owner has a call in system.  You call in and request a day you would like to hunt.  If it is open then you have the place to yourself for the entire day.  Well I didn't get any others as no one was home on such a pretty day.  I went to a new place a buddy hooked me up in February to scout a bit.  Didn't see any turkey sign at all but the neighboring property should have some birds.  On to the property I have been wanting to hunt.........I mentioned it to a neighbor Saturday night and he said he would see what he can do for me.  It kind of made me nervous as I didn't think it would work in my favor.

On Sunday I was riding past the farm to watch the birds.  On my way up he comes down in his truck and tells me that he is going to talk to the land owner about me hunting right now.  So I rush up to turn around seeing 4 gobblers on the way.  After a 15min conversation he pulled it off and got me in!!!!  His only concern was the cattle as he is bringing in 65 head this week.  He said they would be in today or tomorrow.  I didn't see them today so I'm guessing they will be there tomorrow.  His only concern was the cattle settling in but as long as they did he don't see why I couldn't hunt.  He told me to call him before the season opens so hopefully he will think the cattle are good and settled in their new home!  The cattle have 18 days to settle in.  The land owner has this concern because one time he and my neighbor had shot a pig one time and it spooked the cattle so much one busted through the fence.  So I told him I wouldn't shoot if the cattle were in the way or to close and if one busted through the fence I would round it up and fix the fence.  I also said I would take care of the other critters on his property that he doesn't like (snakes, groundhogs, and coyotes) and offered any other work in order to get to hunt.  Looks like I'm going to have to do some work for this place..........

Doing work to get to hunt it is ok with me as I have seen as many as 52 birds.  That was on Feburary 22nd and there was 4 gobblers in the flock.  1 was strutting and he gobbled 3 times.  I have also seen another flock of just 8 gobblers.  I have been back almost every day for almost 2 weeks now and I see birds every day there.  I haven't seen as many birds at one time but now it seems like the big flock has split up.  I watched the 8 gobblers this evening and 1 was bullying one around.  Only 18 more days to go 

[TRKYHTR]

Congrats on the new place. Thats the way it's supposed to happen. I hope you kill a monster gobbler.

TRKYHTR

[hobbes]

congrats on the success with access to hunt.  It sounds like a great farm.  Good Luck!

[Muskie03]

Congrats. Sometimes a little patience goes a long way. Good hunting.

[njdevilsb]

Glad it all worked out for you.  Good luck getting into those birds.