Written permission only question

[wastickslinger]

I have had great luck with it. But you gotta get out early and be freindly.  They really do not like the guys who just pop in or call the nght before season and expect to hunt next day. 

[jjhunter]

I have had great luck with it. But you gotta get out early and be freindly.  They really do not like the guys who just pop in or call the nght before season and expect to hunt next day. 

Or, during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner - it happens, believe me.........

[HoofsandWings]

It really varies from land owner to land owner. The one's I love say sure you can hunt. I am giving you permission to hunt this section on this date during midweek.

[Old Dog]

Ask about property boundaries/ landmarks........This will help as well.....  I can't stand it when someone asks to hunt and doesn't ask about boundaries/off-limit areas/ fencerows, etc.....

Excellent advice!  It shows the landowner that you respect their property.  I do very well with the program using that very tactic.  It also helps to show up well before the season with your work gloves on.

[ThePascoKid]

Calling early doesn't always do the trick I've called months in advance only to be told "Oh I hadn't even thought about it yet call back about a month before season" so I call back and the guys gives me the run around until 2 days before season and then tells me "oh my boy is handling it all this year" needless to say I never got the permission and this was for Muzzleloader not modern rifle.  I hunt private ground now so I don't have to deal with the BS of the written permission program and I don't miss it a bit.  I love the Feel free to hunt program but for the most part I think the written permission program is a waste of our money.

[bobcat]

That's the problem I've had. I called 3 or 4 months before hunting season and they said to call back just a couple weeks before the season. So I call back then and a kid answers and says "oh you need to talk to uncle jack and he's not here right now, call back later." I call back later, several times, and nobody ever answers the phone again.  

Oh, and I was only calling for permission to hunt pheasants.

[SHANE(WA)]

I have way better luck just going and knocking on doors and asking 8 out of 10 tell me yes to bowhunt

[jeepasaurusrex]

Actually, asking during the harvest season is a good idea. Offer to help for free and put in some hours helping them around the farm. That has worked well for us. 

[jackelope]

i know of a couple members on here who got access to a lot of land from several different landowners in the program  last year down in the blues. it works for some for sure. one particular landowner i heard about won't allow anyone to hunt big game in the general season but will allow special permit hunters on and will show them around so they know the boundaries.

[scroder]

My hunting partner and I had very good success getting private land to hunt for a permit last year. We looked the area over got as many names as we could find then started calling. It does take a lot of work but it paid off for us. Just remember to be as professional as possible when speaking to the land owners. If they say no, thank them for there time and move on. We even got permission from someone that said no at first, but after he heard that another land owner had said yes he allowed us to hunt.

Try the county extention office for a map of public/private land and definitely ask if there are off limit areas.

After our hunt we mailed the land owners a small gift,(a package of pepperoni) and a thank you letter. Maybe that will make it easier for the next hunter who calls for permission.

[Fish4Fun]

I have been doing the same thing of giving gifts to the 2 farms in the Blues that allow us to come in for the late season doe hunts. The normal for me to bring is a fresh out of the salt Coho that has been cleaned, head and tail removed. fresh salmon down in that part of the state seems to make lots of happy families. The one farmers wife always asks that we come have dinner with them to help eat the fish up. just little token like that go a long ways when asking for permission. The other thing that has already been mentioned is don't look like a bunch of boneheads when you go out to meet the ranchers. To me it is almost like an interview, the rancher is sizing up the whole deal as you are chatting with them. From the way you look and act to the rig you are driving.

[yelp]

Most of the landowners that I know that are in the permission program have had problems with trespassing, littering, vehicles driving through crops, poaching , etc.  The WDFW came up with a program that assists these landowners with these issues.  I think it has opened opportunities up that normally would be closed.  Before County Deputies had to respond to a trespassing issue..which it rare to see anyways in certain parts of Eastern Washington.  Now WDFW enforcement patrols these lands to assist these landowners who allow permission.  Feel Free to hunt Areas can get overcrowded depending on where they are.  I like the permission program it spreads out the pressure and gives hunters in most cases a quality hunt.  Some guys have a hard time getting turned down and then they think its a bad program or a waste of money.  Not sure if it is but it seems to work for most.  The WDFW Gohunt site has a private land layer you can look at if that helps too.  

[Wacenturion]

Like anything else in this life......present yourself rather than call....do it early....stop by when it's an appropriate time, both hour wise and season.  Persistence pays off....just because he said no, don't assume it's because he doesn't allow folks on his property....just probably inundated with requests.
My experience has been many who complain about not getting on, wait till the last minute to ask.....not all mind you, but many folks.  I personally know of one idiot back in the 90's who knocked on a landowners door at like 4 a.m. in the morning and asked for permission to turkey hunt....and it was opening day to boot.  Gee....I wonder why he got turned down....he was lucky he didn't get shot.

[Pathfinder101]

I have a Snake River Ranch that I usually get written permission to hunt.  We always send them a thank you card and a bag of jerky, even though I have never killed a deer out there.  I think the muzzy hunters usually do pretty well on that ranch, but not much left by the time the modern season opens.

[Gobble]

Miles step away from the bong!