Access to land

[topher]

If I had a sled I'll come.. If I coild hunt there next year..

[GBuck]

I dont think you will find many land owners lurking around a hunting and fishing site looking for someone to hunt there land. Most land owners on this site hunt and have hunting family and friends that use there land. You need to get out there and knock on doors, there is no easy way to get permission from behind your computer.

^ what he said.

I believe that most people who bellyache about lack of access haven't done much in the way of trying to get access. 'Too shy to ask' - well you just have to get over that if you want someone to let you use thier property.

[Gilroy]

I am sure that there are untold thousands of private acres not hunted and that will not be hunted for one simple reason LIABILITY.

With that being said the OFAH could probably be a little more pro active and push both government and private owners to help out.

If I were in the position of the OP I would do as has been stated, get together with 5 other guys,chip in buy land and build a simple camp.

Here you go only took me 20 minutes to locate, 6 guys x $4,000.

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/f-real-esta...-W0QQCatIdZ641

[trimmer21]

Anytime I've been denied permission to hunt on private property,owners always site "liability" reasons. Some folks have been badly burnt,so,who can blame them? It may be as simple as absolving landowners of all liability when allowing hunters on their property which can be done with amendments to the Trespass to Property Act and the Occupiers Liability Act. Landowners may be a lot more accommodating when they knew they couldn't be held responsible if someone got hurt.

[greatwhite]

Most people seem to have a hard time finding free private land to hunt on because of two reasons. They are afraid to go ask land owners and they are unwilling to to give a helping had to the owner. In 30 years I have been declined access 3 times and that's it. I have hundreds of ac to hunt on and can very easily add to this.

If you don't go out and meet people and show an interest you will not get access plain and simple.

[Snowwalker]

As a landowner I find it more logical to let people I already know hunt my land than strangers who just show up to hunt then leave.
In a few months I will need my maple syrup trails packed down. Just need someone with a skidoo to drive over them a few times between now and then. Can't seem to get last years hunters to leave town to give me a hand..... Things like this go a long way.

Just to cast some light on the other side, being the guy in town. If you let me come out and run my sled around to pack trails for you, and I try to help you with some things over the year. That is what you would like right? Ok so you and I agree that come deer season I can put a stand or two up in the back forty, Seems like a fair deal no? Now come deer season you tell me that I can't hunt because some outfitter has offered you money for access for only him and his clients.
This type of thing happen to me with geese hunting access to a few places around London. The outfitter never even showed up with clients( or money for that matter) and as far as I know no geese were hunted on the farms.

Now I ask after you burned me over the access for deer season, would you think it is ok to call me in January to come out pack trails again. Now I did enjoy sledding around your place, didn't mind running a saw to clear some of the trails. I did this even when I was coming out to your place on the only day that I was home. What I mean is that Tuesday night I got home, Even though I have not seen My wife or friends for three weeks I get up early Wednesday and come to your place. After being out at your place I go home have a shower and my wife drives me back out to the truck and I leave for another two to three weeks.

How warm do you think I will be to you when the phone rings this year?

By the way one of the landowners that burned me last year have already called about pigeons and rats in the barns. Seems I am the only one he can find in Ontario that hunts with an Air Rifle.

What do you think I should do.. and keep in mind I am out of Lipstick and Vaseline.

By the way if I had a sled I would come pack trails for you too.

Just because four or five other landowners burned me, doesn't mean I would not give you a chance.

[greatwhite]

Snowwalker I think sometimes those are the chances you take. The first chunk of land I got access to here in Ottawa was a fella who grew Xmas trees. I remember that year well, after talking with him I remember I offered to prune the Christmas trees for him at 6/hr in exchange for the low price I would get sole access to hunting the property. I hunted that property for several years my final years was when his wife and him had a messy divorce and they both tried to use me. I was still owed some money for several reports I had done on his property after I stopped hunting it. I never did see that money. Not totally the same but sometimes we have to roll with the punches.

[Gilroy]

Snowalker,

You are a hunter with a vocation,unfortunately still way to many hunters looking for a vacation.

But like a vacation ANYWHERE there is a price to pay to play.Plenty of hunters simply dont want to pay any price and kinda expect hunting properties to be free.

Guys will buy the best of guns,gear,ATV,s clothing, but cant find a buck to put into the properties they would like to hunt.

[HuntCamp'r]

i agree leasing and outfitting is ruining hunting....

and it is the "Hunters" who have created the market.

[werner.reiche]

I also saw that Kijiji ad and believe it is more of a brokerage where they are trying to lease up the land for a price and then re-lease access to hunters for a profit. I am basing the following purely on hearsay so feel free to correct me, but I believe such an arrangement may be illegal in Ontario.

Not sure what you have heard, but I cannot see anything that would be illegal about this.

I can also tell you I think that it would be a slippery slope if that is the case. For example, I know that in most states, the vast majority of priivate land is leased by huge outfitting companies and that is why their national forests get such pressure. I would welcome more input from someone with more information about this company and the legalities of leasing private land for hunting. Feel free to contact me by PM or post directly here (or perhaps start a new thread, as I am not looking to hi-jack the post). Tks.

Maybe in Texas, where there is almost no public land either, but not in most other states.