Permission Queston

[GooseHunter 667]

So for this upcoming waterfowl season i firgured i get a head start and secure permission on some decent potholes i been watching, i've done all the nessasary things like getting county maps and finding landowners titles Etc.

My problem lies in the fact that on these county maps its gives names and not numbers of land owners which of course is understandable but if there is not a structure or house to knock on what way can one get a hold of the owners. See i know who owns the land but in many cases i never know where to ask or who to call etc, i tried canada 411 not sure if thats the best way to get in contact with these guys.

Maybe get phone book of the county i wish to hunt but even still seems to be a pain, any advice is appriciated thx.

[Rockymtnx]

GooseHunter, I use County/MD maps. If possible I make a personal visit to meet the landowner and let them know who I am. If I am unable to meet the landowner I then use local phone books or superpages.ca to get their contact info.
Remember to always question the landowner on the specific piece of land. Many County/MD maps are outdated and may have the wrong land owners name on them.

[SBE2]

A couple things...
If it's too much of a pain to get a phone book and look up a guys number, how badly do you really want to hunt their land? Doesn't seem like too much work to me, and not saying this pertains to you but it does seem like more and more people are not willing to do the work to get the hunts and basically want stuff handed to them.
Also, not sure how much success you will have come hunting season by getting permission on water and potholes now, what if the birds aren't using these bodies of water very much come Sept. 1st? Sort of like some guys all pumped that they have permission to hunt birds on Farmer Joe's couple of quarters from last year, and not realizing it is planted with canola this year and not knowing that means no birds! :sign0161: lol. More for me I guess...
Just my 2 cents.

[GooseHunter 667]

So i did't want to come off as negative or w/e but it seems my post was taken that way anywho yes i do want to hunt and get permission and if i thought things were a pain to do i would't be at them so early in the season, its understandable yes that holes that yielded birds last season might not give me the same results this season but i know the area well and i know that food sources well always be there.

Just wanted to see how everyone else dose it, so its good to hear a second option and if i have to get county phone books to give land owners a call then thats what well be done, just firgured i would approch the problem early so that its not all a mad scramble come august thx! more posts pls

[Whiskey Wish]

You are on the right track so don't get bogged down in details or negative posts.
If you have the name(s) there are a number of ways to find the people. You can drive to the nearest neighbour to the hunting spot and ask if they are (insert name here) or if they could give you directions to their house. This will also work if you don't know the name of the owner and are trying to track them down.
If you have the name stop in the nearest town and ask to use the phone book at the gas station, cafe, hardware store etc. If you have no luck now is a good time to chat up the person behind the till and see if they will give you the info you need.
At any of these places if they are reluctant to give names or directions ask if you can leave your business card to be passed on to the people you are trying to contact.
The waitress in the local town can be your best friend as a hunter. Stop often, tip well, chat politely and once she gets comfortable with you they can be a fountain of knowledge. Hunters, fishermen, quadders, etc that eat at their restaurant put money into her pocket and money into their local economy. Guys that speak well, take their hat off when they eat and treat locals with respect get noticed and are much more likely to get permission for land access.
As a last resort you can leave your business card in a ziplock attached to the gate into the field you are interested in accessing. A short note along with the card would help.
As an aside: I believe that all hunters ( any people requesting access actually) should have a "business" type card with their pertinent info on it. It is a quick and easy way to pass along contact info, legitimize your presence and reassure people.
Name
Address
Phone number(s)
Cell number(s)
WIN number
Vehicle description and licence number
Back side - Notes. Times you are available to call, reason you are leaving your card, etc.

Hope some of this helps.
Keep Your Powder Dry,
Dave.

[GooseHunter 667]

thx for the post, this is great information helps me think outside the box a little and gives new ideas on how to approach things.

[Arn?Narn.]

you are going about it exactly right... even if you have the permission for a ****ty spot,...it's YOUR spot and chances are you'll have a good day and a few shots .... keep at it until you have permission for everything South of Grande Prairie.

[Pudelpointer]

I burn a few gallons of gas every year driving around for some landowner "face time", and then I call (at a reasonable hour) during the season. Most of the landowners have given me open access to hunt whenever I want without calling first; they know my truck from my visits, however I still call once or twice throughout the season, usually to report anything I see that may be of interest to them: stray cattle, fence wires down, cougar/grizz/wolf tracks, etc.

Back to your original question about finding the landowner, I am sure you know that the red dots on the county maps represent buildings/residences. So that is where I start, and if I have no luck there, I start talking with the neighbors (good way to gain additional access and find out the general attitude of the area and the land owner you are looking for) because someone always knows who owns/leases the next chunk of land, and usually how to find them - often they live in the next county. In that case, it's off to buy another county map.

Lucky for me, the purchase of county maps can be written off as they are needed for my business. I've got quite a collection, unfortunately they are mostly the big ones, not the booklets.... Okay, there is a tip: buy the booklet type if the county has one. Much easier to look at in a vehicle!

[TheClash]

I burn a few gallons of gas every year driving around for some landowner "face time", and then I call (at a reasonable hour) during the season. Most of the landowners have given me open access to hunt whenever I want without calling first; they know my truck from my visits, however I still call once or twice throughout the season, usually to report anything I see that may be of interest to them: stray cattle, fence wires down, cougar/grizz/wolf tracks, etc.

Back to your original question about finding the landowner, I am sure you know that the red dots on the county maps represent buildings/residences. So that is where I start, and if I have no luck there, I start talking with the neighbors (good way to gain additional access and find out the general attitude of the area and the land owner you are looking for) because someone always knows who owns/leases the next chunk of land, and usually how to find them - often they live in the next county. In that case, it's off to buy another county map.

Lucky for me, the purchase of county maps can be written off as they are needed for my business. I've got quite a collection, unfortunately they are mostly the big ones, not the booklets.... Okay, there is a tip: buy the booklet type if the county has one. Much easier to look at in a vehicle!

if you can afford it i say buy both......put the sheet style up in your gear room and mark in the book which pages and sections you are interested in...easier to find places on the sheet style imho than flipping through page after page....:)

[nube]

There is no use getting permission now for a pond shoot. You don't know if and when the birds will be there. The chances of someone else being there at the same time will be good as well if it is a real good shoot becaue you did not tie it up a few days before you go and shoot it. Lots of guys get ticked becaue they get permission that lasts the whole season adn then there is a shoot and when they show up in the morning their shoot is screwed because another person is hunting it. i get it all the time. I ask the farmer and he says yes someone asked but that was weeks ago and i don't know what happened to him. Then I get blamed for screwing a guys hunt up when i hunt it. i ask for permision on my shoots and let the farmer know when i will be there.