boodaddy

I guess the only thing you can do is either pay him or find some where else to hunt.

Rebel Dog

I am from the east (Virginia) I have been here all my life I am 43 now. I have seen things change dramatically my Dad use to take me hunting and all we had to do was go ask the land owner now the roads are posted every 50 ft. 'No Hunting" Most of the farms are being split up into "Lots" The old farmers are fewer and far between. We actually lease some land hunt National forest and my farther bought his old farm 15years ago. But out here it is getting really tough. I am fortunate (for here) but some guys are hurting. I don't see things reverting back they are only going to get worse. It is all about money and selfishness. If I was out there I wouldn't hesitate to throw some bucks to shoot some dogs, we have some people charging $50.00 to shoot doves on opening day??

rather_be_huntin

I don't think there is anything wrong at all with buying a place for the purpose of hunting and making money off of it. But I gotta admit it's sad to see guys who put zero dollars or effort into the quality of hunting on their place starting to charge. Especially the guys who consider the animals a nuisance and cost them money due to crop damage. There are still a lot of areas around here where you can door to door and someone will eventually welcome you taking out a deer, elk, or anything else causing damage to their livelihood. The biggest reason I've seen people start charging around here is just hunters causing damage to their property while hunting. One guy complained of bullet holes in his barn when we talked to him a few years ago. So in some repsects it sounds like some irresponsible hunters may be ruining it for the rest of us.

Rebel Dog

I totally agree with respecting someones property. In some cases here I have seen where guys will night fish and leave beer cans, burnt tires the banks littered with trash. You can't blame'em for saying no.

huntnmuleys

rather be hunting you said it right on the head here.

we have a few of those ranchers who charge non residents an arm and a leg to shoot average four by four muleys (scores right around that 120 inch mark). the wierd part is that they keep getting client, when these people must see what everybody else is taking to the processers at night. i take a lot of swappers, and we hunt mostly public, some private (just as good on public) and from what ive seen, and me and my "clients" have heard from other hunters weve talked to is were doing pretty good. i dont know how many times weve been out to eat in a restaurant here and my non res's get to talking to others just to find out that they didnt pay any tresspass fee, and got bigger animals. ive seen some of these other hunters who paid get a bit upset. sad that so many people spend money needlessly on that.

i cant believe that a rancher who you have been with shooting dogs for free would start asking for money. seems to me that if hes been free for years, then there should be some sort of friendship there and that would make it free. i wouldnt mind paying a small tresspass fee where it is needed (although i never have so far), but thats just taking advantage of people who are actually doing you a favor.

my personal favorites here are the idiot ranchers who cant figure out why the state wont reimburse them wildlife damages when they wont allow any hunters. incredible

brad

Sniper151

It seems to be too much work for the landowner. Then he sees a group of guys having fun and cha ching$$$, cha ching$$$. Why not charge these guys for all the fun they are having on my property. I can not only remove the pests, but also get paid for it. I believe this is called GREED. Find another farm and let the jerk take care of his own pest problems.[:'(]

TXhighrack

You guys think its expensive to hunt in your area, take a look at this link:

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.co...tml?1116097912


The guy who started the thread is from a company who is willing to spend $25,000 for a season lease for 20 hunters. Nobody on the site thinks he can/will find a place to lease for that little of money (including myself). One guy in the thread leased out his 11,000 acre ranch for $220,000 to a company for HOG hunting for a year. Some of the premier ranches in this area get $15,000+ per hunter for a spot on the lease, which generally only allows the hunter to kill 1 trophy buck along with a few other things like hogs, quail, etc.

Slamfire

There is the possiblity that the landowner just found out how much insurance to permit a shooting sport on his property would cost, and just wants the shooters to pay for it. Shop around for some liability insurance and compare the rates for allowing hunters, agains those for keeping them out.

woodlandelk

Not trying to step on anybody's toes but i thought I would throw something else in to think about why they are starting to charge. The landowners are liable for people getting hurt on their property, unless the owner has them sign some sort of release form. I do think like a lot of other people that if you were hunting for free for years then it should remain that way if you have been respectful to their land. If anybody has any info on if they are liable or not, depending on what state they live in, I would love to find out. Cause who knows I could be mistaken. Happy Hunting everybody!

ShatoDavis

Of course there is the liability issue. Liability has always been an issue. Did you know that if you own land and someone trespasses on you and gets injured that you can be liable. Its called implied liability. God forbid you have something on your place that a lawyer can construe as dangerous. If someone gets hurt on it you are liable because you should have known it was dangerous and made it inaccessable to trespassers. I once heard of someone who got sued when a thief was breaking into his barn and he stepped onto a jump trap that the farmer had set to catch a fox that had been around the area. This guys sole intention was to steal something and he sued for injuries. My point is that it is no more of a risk to allow someone to hunt on your place than it is to get trespassed on. I know insurance is high, I will just pay the money or go to some public land. Its just sad that its come to this. I state again that I hold no grudge against the rancher.