The Permissions Letter and Attachments

THE MEATEATER PERMISSION LETTER HAS BEEN MOVED HERE:



Comments

  1. Didn't get through the whole podcast yet, but what is your timing of sending the letter? Spring? Do you follow up via phone or in person? What has been your success rate?

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    1. Timeframe:
      I attempt to gain access after hunting season has ended, this way if it takes time to get everything straightened out, I still have plenty of time to scout and perform some of my tasks before I hunt.
      So, in NC, our season just ended, so I may start seeking new spots now. I just scored an additional 25 acres nearby to an area I have been turned down on so this time frame is perfect for scouting, cleaning, marking and hunting next season.

      Follow up:
      Because I have always got a response, I haven't had to determine a good follow up time. If you have done your homework and know you are contacting the correct person, no response my mean "no". Usually these letter go out to people I don't know a direct telephone or are at physical locations I can't follow up on or it is WAY to far. One property I attempted was owned by a guy that was over 1,000 miles away who ended up calling me.

      Success Rate:
      Success rate is going to vary wildly. I expect zero percent and so when I gain access it feel like 100%. Over time, I would expect 5% or less but this is just for those places that you can't find some other means of making contact. It shouldn't be your single approach. Just a tool in your arsenal of gaining Permissions!.

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  2. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

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    1. It was my pleasure to put it together. So far it has been seen over 30,000 times!
      Hopefully the people that use it, edit it and make it their own or use it as an example to create a completely new permissions letter specific to their situation.

      Now is also a time to put together a thank you letter for the property owners that gave you access to their land. I may share one of mine on this blog soon.

      The owner on one property I was successful on this past season received steaks, a roast and some grind from the deer that was taken, along with some canned bone broth. At this offering, it is a good time to discuss next year permissions.

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  3. Wow, this is awesome. I had started transcribing what I could from the podcast but this is far beyond what I could have some up with. Thanks for sharing your hard work!

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    1. Also, where you at in NC? I am in Durham, I might owe you a beer or two if this works!

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  4. Thanks so much for sharing! Hope this works out in my neck of the woods. I'll definitely be sending a few out! :)

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    1. I added another bit on "retaining permissions" today and a few things I do.

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  5. Thank you for taking the time to share this info. I now hunt in Catawba and Burke County areas of NC but was looking for a better way to seek permission in the Charlotte and Huntersville area. This letter looks amazing !!! Again thanks for sharing.
    Daniel Miller

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    1. Do some aerial homework and some driving. It is my pleasure to share. Make the letter your own and use it if you can't find another method to establish a connection to the land owner. It is always safe to assume farms and open pastures are heavily pressured by hunters for permissions so I like to look for undeveloped properties that are tucked away and might be hidden deer sanctuaries no one has thought to look at. No one method will work so be prepared for rejection but keep trying.

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  6. So what would be the benefit to the landowner to paint purple on their trees? Would most landowners be okay with that?

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    1. In North Carolina this is a legal way to mark private land per the NC Land Protection Act.
      http://www.ncwildlife.org/Hunting/Laws-Safety/Landowner-Protection-Act
      This is just an offering used as a suggestion that should be changed according to the laws of your area. This type of marking could be omitted from the offering or changed to no trespassing signs, etc.
      On one property, I was contacted by the land manager and informed they couldn't let anyone on the property because of insurance reasons and then they had the property marked with the purple paint I described to them. Telling me, as Steve said, "Buzz off".

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  7. Is permission required to hunt unposted property in the NC counties where you are requesting it? If not, I feel this letter is a selfish, self-serving attempt to limit the opportunities of others in the area, who may not have the time, money, education level (i.e. linguistics skills) or general interpersonal skills to pursue gaining and retaining hunting permission on this level. Specifically, your unsolicited offer to post the landowner’s property is what I take issue with. If permission is not required to hunt unposted property, which I understand it is not in many parts of NC, than what is the purpose of this offer other than to protect it for yourself while discouraging other hunters? I have seen an explosion of posted signs in my rural county in my home state (where one does not need permission to hunt unposted property) over the past few years, and have often wondered what is driving it. Now I am wondering if someone isn’t doing the same thing you are.

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    1. Most of the time permission is required to hunt on private property that has not been posted and I am not going to enter a private property without the consent of the owner. There are a number of states that, unless posted, a hunter may access a property but along with that are a number of varying laws that may change from county to county and state to state. I think there are a few counties in NC that permit this but not in my location. Navigating those laws can be confusing so clarification from the local or regional wildlife officer is recommended.

      As for me offering to post property, well, I am certainly not opposed others hunting the property if the owner wishes to grant them permission, it is their land. In NC, the type of posting I am suggesting is an indicator that tells our wildlife officers that hunting may occur on that private property and therefore, they may be more inclined to inspect it.

      And, as far as locking out someone without time, money, education, writing skills, etc. well, that was the entire reason I shared my method and even provided downloadable documents for this, to make it easier for people that may not have that abilities to assemble such documents. And I certainly am not out gathering up permissions to hunt land just for myself, I can barely hunt all of the properties I have access on, and by all, I don't have many, just handful of quality property and a few other smaller plots with game activity that are more challenging due to other private property borders , surroundings and terrain . At this point, trying to gain access to property for me is a low priority. My advice is if someone does gain access to a promising property is to focus on how to hunt it effectively rather than trying to access more property because they just feel like they can walk in, plop themselves in a permanent tree stand and watch bucks just come rolling in.

      We also live in a time where "pay to play" hunting is becoming more prevalent. I personally know a world class bow hunter and writer for a well known hunting magazine who lost permissions to hunt numerous private properties due to the growing "hunt club" land lease environment. This can be another reason you see those signs everywhere. Of course, you can't blame these land owners, they are paying the taxes, mortgages, etc on these properties, why not support that with leasing the land for hunting clubs when it would otherwise just sit there.

      Permissions to hunt have been a challenge for many people, especially on the east coast or in states like Texas where public game lands are almost non-existent. Homework, be it by foot, by mouth or by computer or a combination of them all is required in this day and age to gain legal access to property. I hope you have or find quality land to hunt and if you need some help with some technical aspect or wording of a "cold call" letter, please don't hesitate to reach out.

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  8. I'm curious what your success rate is? Any is good of course, but how many of these letters would you say you've sent over the years and what's the response? Do landowners usually respond back with the letter, or do they call? How often do they want to meet up? I've taken this approach but with a very different letter. I'm looking forward to responses.

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    1. I am very selective where I send letters so I have gotten responses from all the ones I send out. I am sending out another coupe for turkey hunting this Spring so my 100 percentile response rate may change. That 100% doesn't mean I gain access but that at least the owner or representative reaches out to me. If you are selective and do your homework, you should expect a response from a good percentage of your letters.

      I think if you were to send out 200 letters just to test the water, those 200 would not be tailored to each property and therefore the owner may feel that the letter is more of a mass mailing rather than a singled out focused letter and just be pitched in the trash.

      The ones I have gained access to I keep in as good standing as possible to retain the permission to hunt (communication, assistance, gratitude, etc). This keeps me from having to continuously search for new property to hunt on.

      I would say I have a 10% success rate to gain access but expect zero. That number is high but since I am very selective and tailor each letter to each property owner I don't send out that many. I didn't try to gain access to any additional properties this year because I am trying to focus on what I have and not what I don't (and it has been productive with meat in the freezer).

      I have received responses with phone calls and email. I haven't ever just had the permission letter granted and sent back to me but I still include that option.

      As for meeting in person, Oh yeah! They definitely want to meet you at first so put on your most respectful attitude, treat them with respect and be humble. For continued meetings, I try to keep them updated on when I am in the property, when I am successful and what I see. No communication with them is a recipe to loose your permission to be on the property.

      As for the letter, there is no perfect way to write it. The one provided here is my own version that I modify for each property, you may feel your letter is more personal to you and can just take ideas from mine or others to make custom letters for each property you are looking at.

      Good luck!

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  9. Very good information that you have shared here, thanks a lot for this god idea. i recently started this website about hunting topic, check please here

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