iHunter app

I love the iHunter app, it helps me easily identify public land. However, that's all we can do in Ontario as we dont have landowner information accessible to us. I can see that becoming very annoying an frustrating as a landowner... but if landowner information is readily available to sources like apps, this seems like an issue to be taken up with the province.

I don't think any landowner wants to keep their contact information a secret. It is the way people use the information now-a-days that is changing how landowners view allowing hunting on their land. I've had it many times where someone contacts me and asks for permission, which is granted, but I never see hide nor hair of them. Meanwhile, I have hunters at the gate that I turn away because of the area access already being given to another party, who never shows up. If I let two parties on, you can bet they will both start blazing away at any herd of elk or big trophy out in the open, often resulting in them wanting me to decide who's kill it is, charge the other guy with some sort of wildlife offence, etc. Just a full on hassle that never ends unless you manage access well.
 
I've never used the iHunter app

guess I'm old. I do have copies of several county maps that I have used to find landowners. Always a hit and miss proposition.

I almost always hunt crown land anyways, but a big herd of elk would be tempting enough to buy a bottle of Weisers for the landowner :)
 
I would only take walk ups. In Ontario IHunter just gives the PIN number. If I want to know who owns it I’d have to go to the municipal office. No big deal. I love the app, because while I have family land to hunt on, and permission on a number of farms, my area is polluted with public land and IHunter keeps me from accidentally ending up on the wrong patch. I can see how it would be a problem in your part of the world!
 
So, if there's no trespassing signs, im guessing knocking on the door isn't a good option. What about hand-written snail mail in that case?

All of our land is marked no-tresspass, but that only applies to those who haven't received explicit permission. Entering a yard site in order to request permission is completely different in my opinion, typically we look upon those who actually seek permission as being good responsible folks who deserve access, and it's not uncommon for me to grant random folks who have stopped in access to our lands for the purposes of hunting.
 
All of our land is marked no-tresspass, but that only applies to those who haven't received explicit permission. Entering a yard site in order to request permission is completely different in my opinion, typically we look upon those who actually seek permission as being good responsible folks who deserve access, and it's not uncommon for me to grant random folks who have stopped in access to our lands for the purposes of hunting.

Basically same approach on our land. Only taking walk ups as mentioned earlier is certainly one direction many may go as well to help reduce the time factor and eliminate the no shows.
 
I've never used the iHunter app

guess I'm old. I do have copies of several county maps that I have used to find landowners. Always a hit and miss proposition.

I almost always hunt crown land anyways, but a big herd of elk would be tempting enough to buy a bottle of Weisers for the landowner :)

same, double the bottles.... haha
 
I've never used the iHunter app

guess I'm old. I do have copies of several county maps that I have used to find landowners. Always a hit and miss proposition.

I almost always hunt crown land anyways, but a big herd of elk would be tempting enough to buy a bottle of Weisers for the landowner :)

Those big herds, and the current state of our whiny “well I managed to dig all your info up” and not even stop in to talk to you hunters, Is exactly the reason I’m starting tell people no now.

The elk population isn’t slowing down. I got reported to the co’s for not allowing people to hunt when they seen elk damaging bales. Who ever did it, didn’t realize I know the CO they reported it to. Next time I seen him, he brings it up, and I was just dumbfounded enough I laughed. After I was done explaining that I set some bales out in their current path in hopes of keeping them near field A long enough that I could get all my hay out of field B so they didnt destroy a tonne of bales on me he understood my point in not wanting hunters blasting away and chasing them into different land on me.

Thanks to that anonymous complaint. I’m now banned from the livestock feed protection program in Alberta. So what incentive do I have? I have the 3 cell numbers that all asked to hunt saved as “no hunting allowed”
 
I had a herd of 200 elk get into the hay yard a few years ago. They ate or destroyed 12 tons in one night. It was my fault though, they were just hungry elk. But this year, hay was selling for a top price of $300 a ton because of drought reducing the hay crop yield by 40% to 60% depending on region (40% for me). That's a lot of damage ($) in one night; even back then it was a costly mistake. Allowing some hunting is good as a ranch management practice, but you certainly can't take your eyes off the ball controlling hunt access for very long. Only two phone calls so far today and it's just Muley hunting as the elk remain in the high country, but I'm still not looking forward to Saturday morning.......
 
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Thanks for the info!
Do people actually no-show??? That's crazy to me, as hunting out here is scarce publicly.

All the bloody time, or else want blanket them only permission.

If you’re walking on to ask permission. Try to remove as much camo as possible. A lot of the old timers around me refuse a guy if he can’t be bothered to get out of his gear.

Bring the human, not the hunter.

Most guys have dealt with hunters and poachers who do stuff like,(stuff thats happened to me)
-cut gates
-cut fence
-drive through cross fencing while poaching at night
-throw the cross fencing they drove through into the dugout after they got it unwound from their driveshaft
-shot and stole a calf
-pull staples on fencing to try and sneak quads on
-drove through standing wheat
-scope a farmer(3 times in a day was my record)
-ask permission, get told no, try to sneak on and ruin the person’s hunt who did have permission.
-grant their buddies permission because well I told them yes.
-call my dad while he’s on holidays because I refused them permission, due to the fact I was actively hunting. I texted him to tell him, and they were on phone with him. I could still see their truck from the farm yard.(calls to the neighbours to make sure they get kicked off any permission land at that point works effectively well). Funny when people wanna be pricks, and it gets fed back to them.
-drive across standing hay, and canola trying to find the entrance to a cabin they spotted from the river, and get confrontational when running into the landowner because they are cutting said hay.
-oh and I love looking at sd cards as I burn game cams that magically appear.
-call me when my dad tells them no on his titled land to try and get permission for his land, and vs versa

So yeah bring the human not the hunter. You’ll find you get a better success rate.
 
That's actual insanity. What the hell is wrong with people? I'm new to hunting, but I know everything on the list is explicitly in the CORE manual's "Do not" list.

As for the knock with no camo part, that makes sense. If i were to answer the door to someone dressed to hunt, that would give me the idea they were assuming and expecting permission. That's not a good thing.
 
Thanks for the info!
Do people actually no-show??? That's crazy to me, as hunting out here is scarce publicly.
Yes, fairly often. I think it is because of the "permission collecting" I mentioned earlier. That and likely the fact no vehicles allowed until they tag an animal and tell me where they want to drive. Screws up both other hunters and my efforts to manage the hunt with one party per area per day. If you can't make it, at least let the landowner know.
Keegs, my list ain't as long but looks like:
-Hey buddy, I'll need to borrow your tractor. That one still makes my blood boil. Entitled little a$$hole. The drag wasn't even that difficult.
-Gates left open and cows all over the place as a result is pretty well a given. I lock em shut now.
-Shooting a deer at dusk, having no knife, going back to the truck to get it and then not being able to find their kill in the dark. I was away for that one, my wife had to be his guide (young kids in the house alone) and help him with his incompetence. Then she had to explain to him how to gut a deer, as he didn't know how. That one still makes her blood boil.
-Stuck to the axles in a place that was obviously a no go to anyone who had eyes and a brain, but hey, they got 4x4 AND a lift kit.....Had to look at those ruts for quite a few years.
-Drive through standing grain crop, yep.
-Pull staples and push fencing to the ground to drive in, yep.
-Get permission for themselves and then collect a pack of buddies to blaze away at a herd of elk, yep.
-Guide outfitter asks if he can bring his young daughter to hunt an obviously book Muley, shows up with two paying clients and no daughter instead.
-Get told no, shoot a deer on my land long range from a neighbour's property, wound it and then have the audacity to ask for permission again to "finish it off." He got to chat with the CO instead.
-Stand there and argue with me on why he should be allowed to hunt elk because his family is starving, then walk dejectedly back to his $90,000, heavily modded testosterone truck.
-Tell me to stuff my permission where the sun don't shine when told they would have to hunt on foot.
But, the majority of hunters I encounter are skilled and ethical. Too bad the other type represent the good ones with such success......
 
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I have the app but rarely use it as a call now permission source. We already have permission for tens of thousands of acres from a handful of ranchers. We use it as a means to identify their lands including rental lands. The owners I deal with have known me many years and I talk with them regularly year round. Most have just told us if you see ___ names on the map that's mine (including rentals) and just go ahead and hunt it. I always confirm each year we are good to go and check on land rental changes if any then that's it. No need to pester them each time. If they are going to hunt a certain parcel themselves or have someone else they text me to let me know when and we stay clear. A few now even tell me it's all yours and anyone else asking is a no or they can ask you and they give them my number. I love the exclusive spots and spots that outfitters aren't allowed on. Those are my priority spots.
 
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Yep that is a good example of how it should work and the type of hunter landowners are interested in finding to help manage their resident game. I'm a bit the opposite in that I like to know each time a hunter wants on my land, but otherwise, same same. Thank you for learning how to hunt properly and using the Ap responsibility. Good luck this year. I especially like to host the skilled oldtimers that tag out in an hour or two year after year and the ladies that hunt hard and can put many a tattooed meathead to shame with their shooting skills. I was happy to drag two deer out with my tractor for a 68 year old the day before Halloween. You guessed it, took him under two hours to fill both doe tags. I have even been known to phone the best hunters on my list when I have a respectable animal lurkin about.
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I gotta say I find the camo thing weird. I’d be a lot more concerned with the guy that shows up wearing sneakers and a light jacket in November. A guy like that is most likely a truck hunter. I would expect a bow Hunter in September to come knocking in full camo and be happy to let him try his luck.

I admire your patience. Most ranchers I know would tell a hunter to pound sand if they came looking for help with locating and loading their kill. After all the boneheads you’ve endured I have to say thanks for still allowing hunting on your land.
 
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this thread. Good luck on the hunt this year. YOY survival was very good last winter so there will be some great hunting opportunities for a few years I think. Take care.
 
I use the Ihunter App to find public land here. Works great for that. Never hunted private land. I track down wildlife land that is posted hunt on foot only. Do that and you never see another hunter.
 
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