What’s your Game Plan? 5 Things You Need To Know Before Talking To A Landowner

How many times have you walked up to a landowner’s house to ask for permission only to be turned away? 5? 10? 15 times? At what point in the conversation could you tell the landowner wasn’t interested? Could you have been better prepared to deal with the landowner’s questions? Here are 5 things that you need before stepping foot on the front porch:

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5. Know how many hunters you want to bring onto their property

Landowners like to know who is on their property. Whether you plan on hunting by yourself, just with your family, or with a club, know before you head over how many people you plan on bringing with you on the hunt. If you add more later or bring more than the agreed upon amount of people, the landowner may not allow you to hunt there anymore.

4. What kind of hunting will you be doing?

Bow or rifle? Tree stand or ground blind? Before talking with the landowner, get a good idea of how everyone wants to hunt and make sure the landowner is okay with your methods. If you only tell them that you bow hunt but then they start hearing gunshots, they may not be too happy, or they may think they have some trespassers on their property. Always agree upon the type of hunting with the landowner before you go!

3. Be willing to negotiate a price to lease

While not all landowners will want financial compensation for the hunting rights, you may want to offer them some in order to secure exclusive rights on their land. Do some research on the area and know about what the average lease is going for per acre. Offering compensation can help keep a relationship healthy and can help the landowner cover costs for general maintenance and repairs on the property.

2. Bring a copy of your liability insurance policy coverages

Making sure your landowner has peace of mind is important. If an accident happens on their property, they want to be sure that they will be covered from any liability. Having an insurance policy that’s affordable and covers all parties could save you and the landowner a lot of headache. Bringing a copy of your policy and coverages can relieve some of the stresses of leasing for the landowner right out of the gate and may open them up to the idea of letting others hunt on their property.

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1. Bring a sample lease agreement

While a liability policy can definitely relieve some stress for a landowner, showing them that you are serious as a hunter by bringing along a lease agreement with some basic clauses can assure them that you are reliable and interested in keeping them happy. Leave a copy for them to look over after you’ve left and give them a few days to think about what they would like added. Set the terms of the lease and make sure you get what you feel you need as well.

Now you’re prepared to take your first steps towards a new lease! You can find all of these resources and more on our website, including our free lease agreement, our industry leading liability insurance policy our free e-book The Secret To Hunting Private Land, and our front porch kit that includes everything you need to get up on that front porch. Good luck this season and hunt safe!