Hunter's Digest: Getting Permission

                
Intro
It's been a long morning.....he gobbled a few times on the limb and by now you are sure he is on the ground. Only he is silent now, and the only vocalizations are the fading chatter of hens. You sit and think of your next move, and when you make your move, you realize that your running out of ground and that the bird you are chasing has conveniently placed himself in your neighbors cotton field. This is what I call a runaway gobbler. He's not spooked, but he has gotten away. You struggled to find that lease all summer, and while sitting in the deer stand, your hopes were heightened by the large droves of turkeys picking through your food plots...only to find out that when Spring finally arrived that there were only few big gobblers to chase. Fear not, for you will have fun chasing just a few birds......unless your property is just of temporary use to them.
                                                                                                                                                                                          
New in Town
First thing first. Something I not only preach, but practice more than most people I know. BE A NOSY NEIGHBOR! When you acquire a lease or a property to hunt, immediatly investigate to find out who your property neighbors are. Whether it is by knocking on a door, checking your county parcel map, or simply reading a posted sign....FIND OUT! 


Get Greedy
Now that you are aware of your surroundings....think about the turkey hunting opportunities at your fingertips. Now think of how awesome it would be to have an endless amount of acreage to romp on for a happy-go-lucky turkey hunter like yourself. Sure, your not expecting an evil ol' gobbler to give you the slip under any circumstances, but you'd be crossing barbed-wire fences like a pro..... a legal pro! Is it wrong to think that people are willing to consider granting permission to ONE low profile turkey hunter for a 6-7 week season? Not all landowners are hunters and not all landowners lease their land out. Given, one of the main reasons (to my knowledge) is that landowners usually don't want a bunch of people with guns running a muck on their grandaddy's land blasting everything in sight.......I call those people deer hunters. A turkey hunter shoots a short distance weapon, and defiantly doesn't share his big bird haven with another soul. So just think about it.


Pop the Question
You know the lay of the land....your surrounded by big timber, beaver swamps, cut overs, and agricultural fields. You've played it out in your head over and over of how your going to ask old man Johnson about stepping foot on his turkey paradise of a farm. Just do it already! The worst he can say is no. It's like asking a millionaire for $100,000...it's worth a shot. On the other hand, he could say yes......but under the circumstances of payment....uh oh. When you engage in the conversation of an offer for turkey rights immediately offer a helping hand around the farm. Try trading a service for the rights. Heck offer him some free turkey breast! If he's hard on receiving money for the rights, start low. This isn't a year round lease and its only for 6-7 weeks. Let him know you want the rights but that you also know the scale of what is at hand. In reality, if he sees you as no harm and he's a nice guy, he might just say sure....come kill'em all!

In Closing 

Getting permission isn't the easiest thing in the world. There are people out there who if you offered them a million bucks, they would still say no for reasons beyond any other human being. But like I mentioned, it's worth a shot. If you don't ask, you won't know. If you think you need to, try and expand your hunting area by doing so. Some parting advice....don't act desperate....don't offer money right off the bat....explain the gravity of the situation and that you will be of no interference to the landowner. BE POLITE!!!!