Looking for a place to hunt….

Hey guys, I’m looking for a new place to hunt for the ’09 deer season. I’d like to find some place better than the couple spots I go to now, my spots I have now are very small, one is 5 acres and the other is 30 acres but only a few acres of woods, these spots hold some deer but they get hunted pretty hard and not much QDM in the area. Anyways, a couple friends and I are thinking about leasing some land, in which case we’d like to find something good but fairly close to Eau Claire, maybe northern buffalo co. or pepin co., or even northern trempeleau. How does a person go about finding a good lease? Otherwise, if I could find a spot for myself, doesnt have to be a lot of land, to hunt in exchange for some meat or a little work or whatever that would be good too. Basically I’m curious how you go about finding a place to deer hunt if you dont already have family land or a farm or know somebody w/ land.

I lease land in Buffalo and Pepin counties and I’ve been doing it for over 10 years. It’s not an easy task and much harder than most people think. Knocking on farmers doors simply won’t work anymore. These farmers are very smart and they will not lease their land to just anyone. Typical leases are going anywhere from $30-$50 per acre(sometimes bow only). It’s all about trust and getting to know the locals. It’s somebody who knows somebody who knows the land owner and then you get an introduction.

Your best bet is to reach out to some local realtors who know the area and let them know your intensions. They may be able to point you in the right direction.

Mike about 5-6 years ago, a guy I know and myself went knocking door to door with the attitude…”what’s can they say, no” We figured if we knocked on 50 doors and only 1 said yes we were in business. Well we found 1 and for $100 we were able to hunt 680 acres.

Look in local papers, or just post a flyer in the area that you’d like to hunt and maybe the right guy will have just what your looking for.

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Knocking on farmers doors simply won’t work anymore.

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That is not true Brad. I can think of 3 people I know that if someone were to stop and ask them to bowhunt the answer would most likely be yes. And 2 of the 3 have nice chunks in good areas.

It’s not always about the greenbacks

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Knocking on farmers doors simply won’t work anymore.

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That is not true Brad. I can think of 3 people I know that if someone were to stop and ask them to bowhunt the answer would most likely be yes. And 2 of the 3 have nice chunks in good areas.

It’s not always about the greenbacks

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I agree muskyman – it’s not about greenbacks. In fact, money to most of these farmers and landowners ranks down on the list. They are more concerned about their land, crops, trees, livestock and their privacy. There are other ways to compensate them such as helping them around the farm doing chores. I believe if you truly want a place to hunt, start building relationships with the locals that hunt in the same area. I’m just stating what I’ve experienced hunting land in Buffalo and Pepin couties over the last 15 years.

You’ve also pretty much summed it up yourself – you knocked on 50 doors yourself before someone said yes.

And BTW – if you know three landowners who will let you bow hunt on their land – why don’t you tell mikemac10 one of them so he has a place to hunt?

Please tell me to!! I would love to hunt over there!

Believe it or not, my youngest son got permission to bow hunt a few hundred acres by getting a job harvesting tobacco near Cambridge, WI. He goes to school at UW-Whitewater, and needed a few bucks and a place to hunt. I told him to stop at the first farm he saw tobacco at. My Father in Law raised tobacco for his entire life, so working in it is second nature for me and my boys.

He stopped at the first farm he saw, and they were amazed that anyone would want to help them harvest tobacco, because its back breaking work. He told them his background and they hired him. He made about $500 in a couple of weekends and then he casually asked if anyone bow hunted that farm. They said “no” and he asked and they gave him permission.

The point of my long and rambling story is this: Show a farmer that you are a hard worker who’s willing to trade a little sweat and muscle for the hunting rights and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. When they can get to know you and see that your a regular guy and someone who they trust, they will usually let you hunt.

It was stated to make a point and apparently your missing it. Plus the 2 are in Pierce County and 1 in Northern Dunn…not the area he wants to be in.

It also helps dropping some names of neighbors that you have made relationships with. Asking for permission Saying your from “MN” probably isn’t the best approach to getting on land with no fee. Getting to know the Realtor in town would be a smart start.

There are always adds in the Wisconsin Outdoor News for leasing land in Buffalo County. My guess is they are not gonna be cheap.

Thanks for the advice guys, I understand that a good buffalo co. lease will be pricey, but usually worth it. Ive knocked on a few doors here and there and I just dont feel right walking up to someone as a complete stranger, and I’m sure they feel the same. I like to drop names of neighbors as a reference if I do go knocking. Again, for myself I’d be happy finding a smaller piece of land that has good potential and in a area that doesnt get pounded, and maybe be allowed to plant a food plot. Up until 3 yrs ago I only hunted on my aunt and uncles 5 acres, unless I was invited to go elsewhere, so anything could be an upgrade from what I’ve been hunting, I never even saw a shooter buck this year, and can probably count on one hand the number of 130″+ deer Ive had encounters with in my life while hunting. I cant believe how awesome it would be to see a half dozen shooters in one sit like some guys experience, maybe some day.