Ask now to hunt on private land

Indicators that Idaho’s great fall hunting seasons are just around the corner are all around us. Archery targets are being set up for bowhunters to get in some pre-season practice before Aug. 30 when many Idaho archery deer hunts open. The number of hunters coming to the Farragut Shooting Range to sight in rifles is increasing. Most rifle big game hunts open in October, but some southern Idaho controlled rifle hunts open Aug. 15. One controlled rifle deer hunt in the Panhandle opens Aug. 30.

Now is a good time for hunters to make contact with private landowners to ask for permission to hunt private land during the approaching seasons. According to a survey of rural Idaho landowners, 88 percent will allow hunting on their property if hunters ask permission first. Landowners who do allow hunting are more likely to grant access to their land to people who ask well in advance.

Hunters have the best results if they contact landowners at least two weeks before they want to hunt. Hunters should ask even earlier on prime properties because some landowners set a limit on the number of hunters they allow on their property. The limit makes for a higher quality hunting experience, and helps the landowner keep track of who will be on their land and when they will be there.

Sportsmen may pick up free hunter courtesy cards at Fish and Game offices before asking for hunting permission. These cards contain spaces for the hunter’s (or angler’s) name, address etc. to be given to landowners who grant access to their land. Landowners in turn sign a card the hunter keeps which verifies permission to access the property. These cards provide proof that the landowner has been personally contacted and gave permission. The cards do not increase the landowner’s liability in the case of an injury or accident.

Sportsmen can improve landowner/sportsman relations considerably by looking at things from the perspective of a landowner. Landowners want gates left the way they had them (opened or closed) before the hunter arrived. Landowners do not want vehicles driven on soft ground, creating ruts or damaging crops.

One illegal practice that causes great irritation to landowners and creates safety hazards is “road hunting.” Hunters who shoot from roads or right of ways onto private property near buildings, livestock and people cause endless frustration for landowners. In addition, shooting from or across a public road or from a vehicle is illegal and dangerous. Multiple people moving in and out of vehicles with loaded firearms can result in a tragic firearms accident.

A common misconception is that railroad tracks are open for public hunting. However, the land along railroad tracks is typically owned or managed by the railroad. Railroad companies will not give hunting permission because of safety concerns and Homeland Security rules.

Hunters also often assume that power-lines and gas-lines are open for hunting. Utility companies purchase easements to run transmission lines across private property. However, ownership of the land is almost always kept by the landowner. To hunt a posted power-line, permission would need to be obtained from the deed holder of the land.

If you have any questions about the upcoming seasons or if you have general wildlife questions, look for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at the North Idaho State Fair, Aug. 24 through Aug. 28. Fish and Game employees will be staffing the North Idaho Wildlife Education Center near the main entrance to the fairgrounds.

Even if you don’t have questions, stop by and take a look at the hundreds of mounted specimens on display. It is a great opportunity to see species of wildlife up close that you may not have the opportunity to see very often in the wild.

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Phil Cooper is a wildlife conservation educator with Idaho Fish and Game in the Panhandle Region.