It seems like hunting access is getting harder to find. This thread is more for first time hunters then us seasoned and old codgers...ALWAYS ASK FIRST..
Now I am not standing on a soap box here and begging for help nor have I gotten into any trouble at all. A little back ground on me for ya. I have lived in the same small rural farming town for 43 years now. I have access to over 37000 acres for hunting. Yup thats 37thousand of em,so not a typo. I am located 1.5 hours east of Edmonton...but on with the story.
Talking with some of the local farmers here they are tired of closing gates,cattle getting out,hell last fall me and a buddy had to chase some cattle back in a fence line on a corner gate that should have never been open and get the gates shut. The main gate was only 100 yards up the hill and it was opened ( not driven over) and left like that. The land owner was happy when I called them up that night and told them about it and such.
The biggest problem is THEFT now. Everything is being stolen out here now and at all times of the year. Most of it during hunting season. To date they have stolen..solar panels for waterers,the friggen waterers,batteries for electric fences,the friggen electric fence wire,one guy had a welder trailer combo stolen( 16 grand for the combo) stock water troughs made of plastic tubs.
Too big for a bird bath and make a real ugly bathtub..but those are disappearing also.An the list goes on and on and on... An the best to date...
Ready for this...
A rock out of a gravel pit...yup a rock. About 1500 to 2000 pound rock went missing. Nice sizeable rock probably sitting in someones front yard with there name on it by now. They fired up a loader( borrowed from the same pit also) and had to have a trailer and scooped the rock during a 3 day span.I dont think there is a black market for rocks yet!!
Ask permission cause a lot of farmers all over are tired of it and are going to shut down land access completely. If you are hunting always have a county map with you and check it...it just makes all hunters look better when you stop at the farmers first. The farmers are not saying its just hunters but they own the land so therefore have the right to allow or deny access.Besides..they just might tell ya that where you want to hunt isnt good but the next 1/4 over has a nice buck on it...
Most hunters in here are very responsible...it just takes a couple of bad ones to make us all look bad....and oh ya,the land you are hunting on,try this. If you are successful on your hunt and after the deer or moose or goose is down and gutted in the bush and NOT on the friggen roadway or leaseway like I have seen. Stop by the farm house,thank them and offer them a goose or 2,tenderloin out of the deer or moose or what ever.It goes a long way for the hunter /farmer relationship. Even a x-mas card to them thanking them for access will do wonders...they will remember you and you will probably not have a problem for the next year to contnue the sport that we love...
That is Ice's thought for the day....Happy hunting season...
Now I am not standing on a soap box here and begging for help nor have I gotten into any trouble at all. A little back ground on me for ya. I have lived in the same small rural farming town for 43 years now. I have access to over 37000 acres for hunting. Yup thats 37thousand of em,so not a typo. I am located 1.5 hours east of Edmonton...but on with the story.
Talking with some of the local farmers here they are tired of closing gates,cattle getting out,hell last fall me and a buddy had to chase some cattle back in a fence line on a corner gate that should have never been open and get the gates shut. The main gate was only 100 yards up the hill and it was opened ( not driven over) and left like that. The land owner was happy when I called them up that night and told them about it and such.
The biggest problem is THEFT now. Everything is being stolen out here now and at all times of the year. Most of it during hunting season. To date they have stolen..solar panels for waterers,the friggen waterers,batteries for electric fences,the friggen electric fence wire,one guy had a welder trailer combo stolen( 16 grand for the combo) stock water troughs made of plastic tubs.
Ready for this...
A rock out of a gravel pit...yup a rock. About 1500 to 2000 pound rock went missing. Nice sizeable rock probably sitting in someones front yard with there name on it by now. They fired up a loader( borrowed from the same pit also) and had to have a trailer and scooped the rock during a 3 day span.I dont think there is a black market for rocks yet!!
Ask permission cause a lot of farmers all over are tired of it and are going to shut down land access completely. If you are hunting always have a county map with you and check it...it just makes all hunters look better when you stop at the farmers first. The farmers are not saying its just hunters but they own the land so therefore have the right to allow or deny access.Besides..they just might tell ya that where you want to hunt isnt good but the next 1/4 over has a nice buck on it...
Most hunters in here are very responsible...it just takes a couple of bad ones to make us all look bad....and oh ya,the land you are hunting on,try this. If you are successful on your hunt and after the deer or moose or goose is down and gutted in the bush and NOT on the friggen roadway or leaseway like I have seen. Stop by the farm house,thank them and offer them a goose or 2,tenderloin out of the deer or moose or what ever.It goes a long way for the hunter /farmer relationship. Even a x-mas card to them thanking them for access will do wonders...they will remember you and you will probably not have a problem for the next year to contnue the sport that we love...
That is Ice's thought for the day....Happy hunting season...




















































