Can I Hunt If I Don’t Own Land?

 The Truth About Hunting Access

Finding hunting land is one of the biggest challenges new hunters face. Hunting is challenging… there now you can’t be surprised. However, hunting for hunting land is hunting too… and it’s often a challenge. The idealized hunting industry is not showing you the truth. They have 10s of thousands of acres of land to curate and plant and manage and perfect to produce the results they want. The hunter who is hunting with less or hunting on a budget may not have access to such luxuries. In your state, near you, there is free land; thousands of acres of public land and probably hundreds of private land available too. Finding it and getting access is not difficult. You just need a few free tools:

·        How to locate free hunting land

·        Strategies for locating free public hunting land

·        Locating and accessing free private land

·        You Can Hunt Without Owning Land

              The first step in finding land is knowing what you will be hunting. I talked about this a little bit in a prior post. If you are hunting ducks, you will need different land than if you are hunting deer. Once you know what you are hunting, the trick is to find where your animal likes to live from the comfort of your couch, saving you as much time to scout high-odds properties as possible. My experience is mostly in Kansas with deer hunting, but the same strategies apply anywhere for any hunt.

E-Scouting: The Free Way to Find Hunting Land

              E-scouting is the term we use for scouting using digital maps and tools, over lunch break, while watching the kid’s sports event, or from the comfort of your recliner. The goal of e-scouting is not to make a hunting plan yet but to locate the high-odds locations that you want to go check when it’s time to put boots on the ground. While there are dedicated hunting apps to help you do this (I use HuntStand free level), for e-scouting you don’t need costly subscriptions. You need 3 simple and free tools.

1.      Digital aerial map (preferably with elevation lines): Google, Apple, etc.

2.      Landowner contact (for private land): County property database

3.      Public land map: Free state conservation resources such as Kansas Hunting Atlas

What you are looking for on the aerial photo map is land features that are likely to attract the animal you want to hunt. There are many YouTube videos and free information to learn the specifics of what to look for when e-scouting your hunt. I am primarily a deer hunter right now so I will speak from that experience. Things to look for include travel corridors, bedding cover, small ponds or creeks near cover, and agriculture or food sources. Examples of other land features to look for include large ponds for waterfowl, public lakes and water sources, prairie grass near agriculture for upland birds, or maybe forest for turkey roosts.

Pick 10-12 properties that you will want to go see later. I would recommend half private land and half public land. Private land is harder to access and better to hunt while public land is easy to access and harder to hunt. The point is both are achievable but I would recommend making a short list in both categories because the reality is that some landowners will say no, some public land will be way too popular, and some properties won’t have your target game.

Private Land Is More Possible Than You Think

To look like the TV hunter you would need access to thousands of acres in professionally managed private land. This can lead many people to think they need a costly hunting lease to hunt private land. However, in Kansas the Free Land Use Act and similar laws in other states, allow hunters to access private land at no liability to the landowner, as long as the landowner grants the hunter written permission. (K.S.A. 58-3202) This is good news for you because many landowners may be concerned about lawsuits if they let you hunt. Laws like the Free Land Use Act can put their worries to rest and pave the way for your free land access. You must have written permission to hunt private land. While this may seem daunting at first, think about how much harder it will be to sneak around to try to hunt land where you shouldn’t or getting arrested for trespassing.

Start Hunting Private Land With Written Permission

There are fancy subscription tools that you can pay upwards of 80+/month for. But if you are hunting on a budget or getting started hunting with less, there is a very simple – tried and true – process for obtaining permission to hunt private land. For accessing private land you will need your county (or the target county) property database. From finding your target address to asking permission there are 5 simple steps.

1.      Search for the address of the property in the county database.

2.      Open property details to find the property owner.

3.      Connected to the property owner will be the mailing address of the property owner.

4.      Go visit the property and ask for permission if the owner lives on the target property.

5.      Craft and send a letter if the owner does not live on the target property.

If accessing private land is a high priority for you, it’s important to have it always on your radar. Keep your ears open at work, around family, at church, wherever you are, for a potential opportunity for free hunting land.

Public Land: Available Right Now

Public land is much easier to access, but can be more challenging to hunt. In Kansas there is a hunting atlas that shows all walk-in and public access hunting. Look for similar land features that you would want to hunt but with the added layer of thinking about how other hunters may be hunting that same parcel, how they are accessing it, what would that do to change the game. Using the hunting atlas will give you much of the information you will need to hunt public land. Be sure to check details on accesses, season dates, and weapon restrictions if applicable.

Stop Scrolling. Start Scouting.

Finding hunting land is easy and achievable whether you are just getting starting in hunting or looking to expand your next adventure while hunting on a budget. A couple of free tools and the hunter’s mindset are all you need to get started today. Keep practicing your e-scouting tactics in the pockets of free time you have. Scroll maps instead of doom scrolling and come back next time to learn more about scouting by putting your boots on the ground to verify what you saw on your e-scouting.