How do you approach landowners

Bleak Ridge is a family-run business, selling country clothing and workwear
Hook'N'Bullet

Hook'N'Bullet

Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, how do you all approach land owners for permission?

I've been lucky with my shooting, a lot if not all of my ground is either paid leases, ground that friends have shared with me or ground I managed to obtain through connections many moons ago. I've never really gone door knocking!

I'm planning on doing a days door knocking and have a few potential properties marked on the map and wondering how best to approach it?

  • Sundays finest and a simple ring on the door asking?
  • Put together a sample deer management plan? (I'm currently part of a planned cull so can reuse a lot of their material on benefits of culling etc)
  • Or simply stick a letter through a post box?

I don't know if its just me but I feel sort of dirty entering a property asking can I walk around with a gun.
 
Well, my personal experience has been that speaking directly with the landowner is pretty crucial when first looking for permission to stalk. I was very fortunate in that initially I met a chap through work and it turned out that he was farming on the Beara Penninsula and had a serious issue with Sika. While out shooting on his lands I met with some of his neighbours and after a short time they invited me to stalk on their ground, subsequently their neighbours have also requested that I thin out the Sika.
My good fortune has rolled on from there. I met another chap while out at work only last week and he farms pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle and he and his farming neighbours are concerned with the potential for Sika to transmit TB to their stock. As soon as he realised that I stalk deer he contacted a group of his neighbours and I now have a new and sizeable group of permissions east of Bantry. As in many things it's the getting started that is most difficult, a direct, civil and personable approach is the best tactic and one may need to have a capacity to bear rejection well. Once you're established, opportunities tend to seek you out. Or else I have a guardian angel working overtime! :):)
 
RescueMe0007 said:
Well, my personal experience has been that speaking directly with the landowner is pretty crucial when first looking for permission to stalk. I was very fortunate in that initially I met a chap through work and it turned out that he was farming on the Beara Penninsula and had a serious issue with Sika. While out shooting on his lands I met with some of his neighbours and after a short time they invited me to stalk on their ground, subsequently their neighbours have also requested that I thin out the Sika.
My good fortune has rolled on from there. I met another chap while out at work only last week and he farms pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle and he and his farming neighbours are concerned with the potential for Sika to transmit TB to their stock. As soon as he realised that I stalk deer he contacted a group of his neighbours and I now have a new and sizeable group of permissions east of Bantry. As in many things it's the getting started that is most difficult, a direct, civil and personable approach is the best tactic and one may need to have a capacity to bear rejection well. Once you're established, opportunities tend to seek you out. Or else I have a guardian angel working overtime! :):)
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't mind bumping into people and chatting and asking for permission or if they know anybody that does. I've got 1 or 2 small bits of ground for pigeon shooting from that but actively driving up somebodies drive - there's something about it that doesn't sit well with me
 
supersport said:
Gaining trust is your biggest hurdle door knocking has never worked for me.
Good luck your going to need it.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I mean - If I was a landowner, I'd be very dubious of letting a stranger on my ground firstly for insurance purposes (i am insured) and secondly with a firearm.
 
Hook'N'Bullet said:
Thats exactly what I mean - If I was a landowner, I'd be very dubious of letting a stranger on my ground firstly for insurance purposes (i am insured) and secondly with a firearm.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, having some good references from your current permissions might assist, yet one still has to approach a new landowner unless one has been referred to the chap.
 
To be honest I’ve never really done the whole door knocking thing but might be worth asking your current landowners if they know if anyone having problems with deer ( surprising how often they do ) as other have said trust is crucial
 
  • Like
Reactions: VSS
Hook'N'Bullet said:
Yeah I don't mind bumping into people and chatting and asking for permission or if they know anybody that does. I've got 1 or 2 small bits of ground for pigeon shooting from that but actively driving up somebodies drive - there's something about it that doesn't sit well with me
Click to expand...
From my experience you need something the break the ice that's not about you shooting. The best is a recommendation from someone they know if you haven't had a chance to get to know them already. The other is if you're with them for another reason. For example the local postman round my way has loads of stalking, way more than he could ever manage. He's on their property for another legitimate reason, seen every day and then when he mentions stalking there's already some trust built.

Rather than cold calling think of another way to be around some suitable landowners and build a bit of rapport.
 
nun_hunter said:
From my experience you need something the break the ice that's not about you shooting. The best is a recommendation from someone they know if you haven't had a chance to get to know them already. The other is if you're with them for another reason. For example the local postman round my way has loads of stalking, way more than he could ever manage. He's on their property for another legitimate reason, seen every day and then when he mentions stalking there's already some trust built.

Rather than cold calling think of another way to be around some suitable landowners and build a bit of rapport.
Click to expand...
I have got all my shooting other than on a couple of my mates farms that way . I am a rural stonemason and Hetas engineer and as such work on lots of farms via word of mouth Having my Ess come to work every day also helps . I tend to get asked rather than me asking and I do turn down quite a bit of shooting.
 
As others have said… trust, trust, trust.

You’re very unlikely to be given permission as a “stranger”. I’ve always picked up ground via recommendation by landowners or because I’m known (via beating or something else).
 
Yep my current area followed 2 seasons of beating .Previous 1 due to a stint working for a tractor dealers .
Trust is the key ,once they know you doors open up.
 
My last round of letters netted me 1300 acres of unshot land.
I highlighted the issues in the area re growing deer populations and the impact on crop damage and potential spread of TB and explained how I work.

Letters were all hand delivered and if I saw any of the farmers then I had a chat, else I left the letter and didn’t hassle them.

Two responded out of c45 letters, so a reasonable result.
 
.222roebuck said:
To be honest I’ve never really done the whole door knocking thing but might be worth asking your current landowners if they know if anyone having problems with deer ( surprising how often they do ) as other have said trust is crucial
Click to expand...

Yeah one lad I shoot crows for has another field with deer coming in and destroying his crop. They're eating and sleeping in it. I asked him if he'd like me to thin out the numbers but he said no, because the neighboring farm likes the deer. I told him once they're on his land causing problems, there not much the neighbor can say but he wasn't too keen on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

How do YOU tip?
2 3
Replies
51
Views
3K
kenbro
kenbro
Best approach for managing deer in young plantation?
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
Hook'N'Bullet
Hook'N'Bullet
FINALLY!!!
Replies
5
Views
1K
bottletopbill
bottletopbill
Bang flop vs Bang ‘wtf’ 😳 & an old dog saves the day!
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
John Gryphon
John Gryphon
how did he get the safes out?
Replies
2
Views
343
John Gryphon
John Gryphon
1967spud Reloading Supplies Ltd - UK Suppliers for Reloading Equipment supplies, We also stock Bullet Heads and Bullet Cases Guns Cabinets, Night vision and much much more...
Back
Top