# Bow Hunting on private land.



## CentaurG2 (Aug 30, 2018)

I have been approached by a local hunter that wants to deer hunt (bow only) on my land. Are their any downsides to allowing someone to hunt on your property? Thanks in advance for any tips or advice.


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## stillhunter (Aug 30, 2018)

CentaurG2 said:


> I have been approached by a local hunter that wants to deer hunt (bow only) on my land. Are their any downsides to allowing someone to hunt on your property? Thanks in advance for any tips or advice.



If he is a responsible, ethical hunter I would think there would be no problems. Most die hard hunters will pay or work/do jobs on you're property for the privilege to hunt there and obey any restrictions you may ask of them.They will often gladly give you some fresh venison to enjoy when they do harvest one. Dedicated bow hunters are highly skilled and respect the game and the pursuit of them.


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## blades (Aug 31, 2018)

Liability waver will be needed-just to protect your backside.


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## CentaurG2 (Aug 31, 2018)

Thank you for the replies. I think I am going to engage legal about this after the holiday for a good overview of liabilities. I am thinking it might be more of a headache than it is worth. Hunting season does not start until Nov 1 so I do have some time.


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## Del_ (Aug 31, 2018)

Unless you have a need for a reduced deer population I think you would be better off just saying no.

The hunter will likely bring other hunters onto your property.


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## outdoorsman0490 (Aug 31, 2018)

In ct when you sign the consent to hunt permission slip, it it also your “insurance policy”. You let this bow hunter hunt for free on your property and if he gets hurt somehow, he cannot sue you. It’s in the guide book Deep puts out.

I have bow hunted for deer since I was 17 or so, all private land, never state.

The property owner never sees me, only my truck parked when they go to work some mornings, or come home for work some evenings.

He can’t bring others to hunt the property unless you have signed consent forms for them too. The only time I would have brought someone to a property was to help me drag the deer out.

With all that said, there are some strange people out there. If he/she sounds decent, give it year. Let them know you are kinda on the fence and if you don’t end up liking giving consent, just don’t sign for it next year.
I have to get all my consent forms signed every year from the property owner.


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## capetrees (Aug 31, 2018)

blades said:


> Liability waver will be needed-just to protect your backside.


not true. If the hunter pays for the privilege, he is owed a sense of safety for that fee and THEN a liability fear would exist for the landowner. If the owner allows the hunter on the property with no fee, the hunter accepts all responsibilities of the hunt.

Been doing it for 25 years on private farms in NY and MA.


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## stillhunter (Aug 31, 2018)

Del_ said:


> Unless you have a need for a reduced deer population I think you would be better off just saying no.
> 
> The hunter will likely bring other hunters onto your property.



do you hunt?


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## capetrees (Sep 1, 2018)

As far as other hunters this person may know or others asking after seeing this person hunting, of course you have the right to say no or limit the number.

I've hunted a farm in NY for 25 years and started after I was introduced to the farmer by a close friend that hunted there, basically a reference. My friend had hunted there for 30 years prior to that (yes, he's currently 86). A number of people, 15, hunted the farm and we all had sections we hunted. We all respected each others place. I was allowed onto the farm because another hunted passed away and left an open spot.

Since I started hunting there, others have passed away and I've introduced some friends to the farmer, now it's the farmers grandson. Some friends have permission, some don't because the spots are all filled but my friends hunt neighboring properties. Year to year the farmers grandson assesses the population of deer and decides to either increase the number of hunters or keep it the same, his call.

Bow hunters are a different breed than gun hunters, quietly sitting in the woods, waiting to be within 100' of a deer to be able to get a good shot. If not the perfect specimen, most won't shoot and if they do, you'll never hear it.

One thing to keep in mind though. If you do allow this guy or others to hunt the property, MAKE SURE they comply with the hunting regs. Hunting before or after dark or not reporting the kill brings unwanted attention to you and your farm even if you didn't hunt.


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## Del_ (Sep 1, 2018)

stillhunter said:


> do you hunt?


I do, but only on my own land. I process my own. I've allowed others to hunt my land in the past and do still allow one but there is zero upside to it.


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## MontanaResident (Sep 2, 2018)

If I didn't know the guy, and he wasn't willing to do some errands as a thank you, then I'd say sorry.

Here in MT there is some monetary benefits to allowing hunters to hunt on your private land. I'm a little sketchy on the details, as I've never really looked in to it. There is plenty of public lands available that I do just fine in.


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## blades (Sep 4, 2018)

Courts to day- your land your fault- liability waiver a bit of insurance.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 17, 2018)

Just bought a piece of property from a fellow who moved out of start several years ago. He allowed a hunter to hunt his place. Archery and gun, he used tree stands with screw in steps I have Oak trees now weeping from where he had steps and pulled them about 5 years ago. He has a tripod stand set up in some pines and used rope to tie it so the wind would not blow it over and the ropes have growen into the trees he tied it to and never loosened. He has a ladder stand that is hanging from a Elm tree with the ladder on the ground because the wind swaying trhe tree I figure allowed the non pinned ladder to come loost from the stand part. I can see up where the stand part is the straps growning into the tree too.

Were it me all stands would have to come out at seasons end, No screw in tree steps. Break anuy of those rules and your done.

We hunt lots of farms for coyotes, some we have gotting permission to hunt other things because of the respect we show the owners and land.

 Al


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## Marley5 (Sep 23, 2018)

I have property that joins national forest and let family and friends hunt.....you'd be surprised how many deer they've run to my stand. Lol


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## ironman_gq (Dec 12, 2018)

Make sure whatever agreement you come up with is in writing. Most bow hunters I know are the type that you wouldn't even know are there, they come and go quietly and tend to me more ethically minded than a lot of the rifle hunters I know. Talk to the guy and get to know him a bit and then make up your mind.


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## alleyyooper (Dec 12, 2018)

Here is the rope used to tie down his tripod stand. I have gotten most out of the trees these bits I an not able to remove.








Here are some of the screw in tree steps he allowed to grow into a nice Oak tree. No way to remove them with out killing the tree. Makes it only good for fire wood.













This is the remains of one of the straps he allowed to grow into a Elm tree.





There were more straps in the trees but I havn't gotten a picture of them yet.






As I said if you allow any one to hunt your property make sure they remove all stands after the season ends, do not allow any screw in tree steps or other screw in devices.

 Al


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## farmer steve (Dec 19, 2018)

2 of my adjoining property owners leased their land for hunting. Their call. The hunters were after trophy bucks and nothing else. The deer here population has exploded to the point some area farmers have quit planting corn and beans. If you allow hunting make sure the hunters are willing to harvest bucks and does.


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## capetrees (Dec 19, 2018)

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter21/Section17C

this protects landowners

NY has something similar


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## esshup (Jan 29, 2019)

Every state is different in their rules and regs that protect property owners when allowing others to hunt. Here in Indiana the landowner is absolved from any liability EXCEPT if they know of a danger and they don't inform the hunter of the danger - i.e. a bridge over a creek is rotted, etc. Charging a fee here in Indiana puts the property owner in a different set of legal rules. Here in Indiana, on public property, you cannot use anything that penetrates the bark of the tree, AND there is a time frame when a stand can be put up before season and a time frame after season when it has to be removed. Also on public land the name/address and I believe phone number of the hunter has to be attached to the stand or blind.

Personally, I'd make sure that the hunter(s) are proficient enough with their bow that they can cleanly harvest an animal, and I as a landowner would have a harvest number that I would allow. Also have it in writing that only the hunter is allowed on the place, and if they want to bring someone else on the property, even to help retrieve a deer I would require prior notification and my consent before allowing the other person on the property.

I hunt a private property that I don't own and am the only one allowed on the property other than the family. The landowners rules are basically what I outlined above, plus he doesn't want me to field dress the animal on the property. No big deal, I live 15 minutes away. He also wants me to send him a picture of whatever I shoot. He is an absentee landowner, and with me hunting there, that has almost completely stopped trespassers from using the property when he is not around because I don't have a set schedule when I will be there.


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