The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

I can’t believe the pheasant season in Minnesota is more then 2/3rds over for this year. My bird harvest is better than all of last year and there is about three weeks left. The weather has made the latter part of the season more difficult. With no snow and warm temperatures there is a lot more company when hunting on public lands then would otherwise be. Last weekend I did my promote Nobles County PF (Pheasants Forever) drive around, and by noon on Sunday I had talked to more then 25 hunters, all on public lands.

The hunting pressure combined with mild weather has allowed the birds to move out of the better cover available in Wildlife Management Areas and into sparser cover on the acres that surround these areas. They can easily survive in lower quality habitats when temperatures remain above zero for weeks at a time.

Hunting pressure absolutely moves birds around and when they can find a spot where they are not pursued, they will certainly move to those spaces. After four consecutive outings on public lands without shooting my gun, I opted to hunt on a few private land areas for which I have permission. My luck in these spots was spectacular. Pheasant roosters will seek out habitat where likely no hunters or dogs regularly roam.

Hunting on private land is not all that easy to do. Land owners will get asked over and over by anyone who can read a plat map or use the online OnX phone app. Hunting on private land is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. I could go into a long list of do’s and don’ts on private land and I might well do that in a future column. What I will focus on today is what hunters should be willing to do to deserve permission to hunt private land.

The vast majority of hunters will stop, knock on a door and hunt if permission is granted. When the hunt is over, they will get in their truck and either head to the next spot or head home. What has that lucky hunter done to deserve to hunt on this spot again? In far too many cases, the answer is nothing.

Any time I ask permission to hunt on private land and am successful in getting permission, the first thing I do is ask the land owner if they would like a bird or two to eat if I happen to get any. Most will decline my offer, but for the ones that do take me up on it I will always return with two birds cleaned and in a Zip Lock bag. When I clean these birds on the tailgate of my truck, I make certain when I leave that you cannot tell a bird was cleaned there. I pick up every scrap and feather so it was like I was never there. Dropping off two birds and then expecting the land owner to have to deal with cleaning them makes me feel like you really did not appreciate the opportunity to hunt their private land.

On several spots I have traded the permission to hunt for labor done earlier in the year. For example, I will volunteer to remove invasive trees that will undoubtedly take root in CRP set aside acres. Landowners are busy folks and this then is one less thing they have to worry about. Getting help with CRP management is one way to induce farmers to enroll in these vital programs in the first place.

On one very special spot I hunt annually in South Dakota, the four of us who hunt there will drive to the farmers residence in August and volunteer one-two days of labor doing anything they would like or need done. I have cleaned up debris piles, removed fence, installed fence and any other chore that can be completed by four guys – way easier than the landowner having to do it solo.

I would much rather trade labor then to offer the land owner money. Once you get into the money chase there will always be someone who can pay more then we can. You start the snowball affect and sooner or later you will no longer be hunting on those spots. Money talks once that game gets started. I can never win at that game.

As a diehard pheasant hunter, I understand just how fabulous a private land’s pheasant hunt can be when all of the public lands have been walked 200 times. Many public spots in my area might get walked three-four times in one day!

It might be a little late for this season, but next spring you should figure out what you can do to be different then all of the other hunters who ask that landowner for permission. Stick out in a crowd. Be different and be willing to show them how much you appreciate the opportunity.

You may or may not be willing to do what it takes to cement a relationship with a land owner. Time and talent are always in short supply for donation to a worthy cause. I on the other hand can’t express how much fun it is to walk into a great spot that is un-pressured.

The difference between a good day and a great day is hunting on a great un-pressured spot. Having access to a spot like this takes commitment. Great private lands spots are disappearing faster then native prairie. How many spots that you used to hunt are no longer there?

I’ll finish by asking you a question.  What are you willing to exchange for the opportunity to hunt private lands? Some of your time and toil should be your answer. Good luck afield and remember to only shoot the pretty ones!

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If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.