Take care of your Permissions, and they'll take care of you...

[drewciferpike]

Last season, Tony asked if he could hunt cottontails on our farm, after I mentioned the numbers seen around an abandoned barn. The owners were a little iffy about it, but they trusted me, so approval was given.

The day of the hunt, Tony got his limit very quickly, and when he was done he collected at least one large yard bag of garbage that had blown onto our property (it may have even been two), and took it away to dispose of, himself. When I told the owners of his efforts, they blinked with surprise and gave a quiet, "Oh."

He contacted me a few days ago to ask if he could hunt cottontails, again. I immediately said it was OK, and when I told the owners of my decision, there was no hesitation or questioning.

I flipped it on Tony, though: I told him that the rules had changed, or there was no deal. NOW, he gets to hunt for cottontails, and when he's done, he doesn't pick up anything or clean anything. I told him that payback would be MORE hunting, and that he tasked with--no, required--to pest for ground squirrels in our hardest-hit orchard.

I haven't even bothered posting in this gate over the past few days because there's nothing "interesting" to report: I shot 6 ground squirrels in under two minutes, the other day, with a total of 16 for this week, alone. With a Talon SS, the shrouding keeps them from spooking, so the limiting factor was hand-loading. With mags, I know it would be better, as the GS in that one orchard are as thick as fleas, and have destroyed our pristine harvester lanes. At this point, the quantity of nuts they'll eat is secondary to the infrastructure damage. All the GS I've shot this past week were the result of me stopping the truck, shooting, getting back in, and driving away--always under a minute. I simply don't have the time to sit on them and wait, so I need someone that can.

So, now that I have a hunter that I trust, and I know that he respects our property, I'm willing to give him even more access. In return, he'll help us with a major problem.

I'm bringing this up to inspire anyone that maybe hasn't gotten a permission established, yet. Develop those relationships, and work to convince landowners that using air rifles for pesting is worth their while. There is NO way I'd get those same numbers with a PB, and the balance of safety, silence, and effectiveness is something that any land- or business-owner will appreciate.

Heck, I'll even offer to be an "air gun reference", as a farming operations manager that supports their use on our property. If you know a landowner that wants to talk to another, I'll be willing to share my experience.

Just remember to give landowners a reason to WANT to have you back, and you have it made. Tony does.

[only1harry]

Very good advice.  You have to respect the landowner's property and not take their permission for granted.

Harry

PS.
No name for the SS straw?

[Bicycleman]

One of my friends asked that I eliminated the squirrels on his property.  Those that I have killed never left his property - I cleaned them, washed the meat, cut in pieces, and bagged it for him to freeze or eat later.  I think he really appreciated the meat almost as much as I appreciate the place to hunt.   

[dk1677]

Yes, very good advice

[PBguns]

One of my friends asked that I eliminated the squirrels on his property.  Those that I have killed never left his property - I cleaned them, washed the meat, cut in pieces, and bagged it for him to freeze or eat later.  I think he really appreciated the meat almost as much as I appreciate the place to hunt.   

wow....yeah that's treating the friend/owner top notch!