trespass fees, how much is too much?

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rifleman

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this past fall my buddy and i hunted some privated property in northeast wyoming. the landowner, told us that he didn't charge anything, he just took donations. he told us what ever we think its worth. now take into consideration, this was the week falling opening day and there were no other hunters beating down the landowner's door for permission to hunt. a matter of fact, we only saw a couple of other hunters on adjacent property. we had a good hunt harvesting our first mule deer. when we departed we gave the landowner "landowner tag coupons" and $100 a piece. while this seemed a good price to us, do you think that was a good price to the landowner? how much do you pay?
 
What is a "landowner tag coupon"? Does he get paid something for letting you hunt his property besides what you paid him?

If the only money he got was what you gave him, I would say you got off pretty cheap by today's standards.

Kind of hard to figure since he asked you to "pay what you thougt was fair", but if I harvested a nice 20" plus mule deer, I would expect to pay in the neighborhood of $500 plus. How did he seem with the amount? Bottom line is that he could set a minimum, so I don't think you "cheated" him in any manner. You did what you thought was fair, which is what he asked. Sounds like a great deal to me.


txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
in wyoming, at least on nonresident tags, there is a $13 landowner coupon. when you harvest a deer or antelope, you give the coupon off your license to the landowner. from what i understand he gets the money. so the landowner we dealt with got $200 plus 4 landowner coupons (2 buck, 2 doe). it kind of felt cheap to pay so little, but he didn't set a minimum and he seemed satisfied. i guess i'll see how satisfied he was when i call him up in a couple of weeks to get permission for 2005. prior to the hunt a few people told me to not pay more than $200 for a trespass fee.
 
Depends on how the hunt goes, quality of animals, access etc etc.

The landowner I hunt on for pronghorn, picks us up in HIS truck, drives us all around the ranch pointing out all the game, telling me "hop out and sneak up over that hill, theres a big'un that hangs out over there" etc etc, tells jokes, brings snacks, just makes it a really fun "puesdo-guided" hunt overall. We usually pay $200 each. Since we started this he pretty much reserves the entire ranch for us, Opening day. He has other hunters on standby for later in the day if we tag out (always have) but we get it all to ourselves until we tag opening day. Its more than worth the money to me.


-DallanC
 
I think that was a more then fair price. You don't see many fees higher than that for deer. Elk is a different story. The areas elk run around on are not a dime a dozen. I think you did right and will not have a prob getting permission again.
 
A trespass fee here on deeded land in NM on private land is worth $800-$1,250 for a regular deer. A ranch with 20-25 inch bucks should bring way more. Your rancher is very generous, gracious, and rare in my book. Mark my words......a good mule deer hunt will surpass elk prices in near future and has in some areas. Heck, a buck antelope costs more that an average elk here in NM now. There's more elk permits than antelope. A true supply and demand factor.
 
In parts of the west, like NE Wyoming, and Montana, the Dakotas, etc. Believe it or not there is alot of ranches that still allow you to hunt on their land for free. Or, for a donation. I hunted for free on 3 ranches in MT. and one that charged 3 of us $100 for a week (he asked for that amount) and let us camp on his property. I think you did the right thing. If you gave him $500 he would have expected it from you, or the next guy, or his neighbor next time.
 
You guys are all killing me. I'm an Oregon resident and hunter. For muledeer you have to hunt eastern side of state. Some of the better units are mostly if not all private. In these units almost all the land is controlled by outfitters, not much luck paying a rancher a trespass fee. I was lucky about 10 years ago and did actually find something like this, we paid $800 per gun for 5 days of hunting. Granted the ranch was 8,000 acres and did have some 25' to 30' inch deer. But, this is in the past, today you would not find anything like this. The only one I have found lately that would be good charges $1250 - this is just trespass fee. I would be happy to find a place and pay $200 or $300 and have a chance it a 24' to 26' muley. If anyone has better luck in Oregon sure would like to know.
Frank
 
hey rifleman' could you give me the phone number of the guy with the ranch in Wyoming, also what region was it in....LOL.....
 
When I hunted up there last year, most the landowners we asked were 25 a day for deer 10 or 15 for turkeys. As many deer as they had up there, they should have just been thankful for someone willing to harvest one, and save their crops the hardship. Anything under 50 probably isn't bad, a 6 pack of beer is even better.
 
I have hunted that area in the past, and you paid him a fair price money wise. If the hunting was good and you may go back, you may consider sending him and his wife a "Thank You" type of present. Just a simple tray of mixed nuts, or salami, or a gift card to a good local restaurant for two will help him to remember you the next time you come calling for a hunt.
Another thing that my hunting partners and I have done is help the rancher with some of his chores, my hunting partner is a retired mechanic and has helped several ranchers with repairs to a vehicle or farm tractor.
I have found that doing these things have gone very far in getting return hunts on a ranch that I liked. It also helps the rancher to have a good impression about hunters in general and be willing to give trespass to a hunter that comes knocking on his door.
I have paid fees in the past, and I have gotten free trespass on several ranches, but I have also seen greedy ranchers that want 350 bucks for a 13 inch antelope for a one day hunt, in that same area that you hunted.
We need to go out of our way to show respect and appreciation to the honest ranchers that are willing to allow us to hunt and only charge a fee that is reasonable and can be affortable to the average hunter.

RELH

RELH
 
If I could pay fees like that to hunt,I would never be in the office. I am looking for help on a good mule deer hunt on private land if anyone knows any.
I do not have any experience in the northern states but, in the New Mexico area I have paid 1200-1500 just for trespass rights. I guess you guys have made up that way, try Texas where I live, most tresspass fees are 2000-4000 if you want some quality.
I am jealous but I will get over it..........
 
I dont live in wyo. and I am curious if the state has a list of landowners who charge a trespass fee???I am not trying to get in on anybodys secret spot,,but any info is appreciated.TIA
 
Hummmm......I live in Wyoming, and have so most all of my life thus far. I have never been asked to pay anymore then the cost of helping out on the ranch, landowner?s tags, and the price of my permit. People on MM say they expect to pay $500.00 or more for a good mule deer? For someone who has to make that in 2 weeks of work it seems like an insult. Am I not a good hunter because I can not afford the cost? Should I be priced out of hunting because the rich want to make it a rich mans sport? I am not opposed to paying for a hunt. However, when one deer to feed my son is going to cost more the price of a cow, it defeats my purpose. Believe it or not, but hunting to me is not just a sport I love, but it is still a way for me to get by.

Michael
 
I guess if I had to pay what some here do I wouldn't hunt anymore. I have never paid to hunt private land, I know some NR have paid 200.00 per gun per day to goose hunt. I hunted the same field after them for free cause I'm willing to help the land owner with some chores. To tell you the honest truth some of the money talk assosiated with hunting really turns my stomach. I have 3 sons and hope like heck it never gets to that point here. I hunt Elk and Deer on Public land and all it costs isthe gas and hard work scouting. If that changes I'll give it up.
 
how do you get in touch with land owners who allow for trespass fees? I took out a classified ad in the news record, which is gillette wy's news paper?
 
You can get a list of land owners who accept trespass fees from the local office of the Wyoming Department of Fish and Game. For the Gillette area, the office is located in Buffalo, WY. I called them to get the list for pronghorn hunting. They may have a different list for mule deer; maybe it is the same list. You then call several of the land owners up and talk. There are different price points offered by different owners and different deal structures. Ask if they have any mule deer hunting and how it works.
 
If you look at Wyo's system of applying for tags and hunting it sure works out a lot like the good ole days. Hunters have the option of researching and applying for units, asking permission or hunting public land, scouting, and generous hunting dates.

If you compare this system to NMex rifle antelope...NMex is a bunch of croc! I still can't believe NMex residents allow a rifle draw antelope system like they have. It is almost entirely based around high $ guided hunts, high $ landowner tags, and no flexibility to public hunters.

Hopefully NMex residents will wake up one of these days and see what possibilities can and should be offered to the public! I have a feeling that NMex landowners and outfitters are pretty tickled to death with their current antelope system because they are making out like thieves! If you know me I will likely harp on NMex antelope until I hit my grave because I enjoy hunting antelope so much and I think what is going on there is such non-sense!
 
jims, guided hunts for on private lands for $1,700 when you have to pay $1,000-1,300 for a landowner permit, then meals, lodging, a guide, and gross receipts tax of 6.75%. Not to mention other fees like liability insurance, gas, vehical use, and you call an outfitter trying to make a living a thief. Wanna talk about university profs, tuitions, number of hours worked, and thievery?
 
Not to put the fire out on paying money for access, but I have hunted Colorado eastern plains probably 7 times, and never paid one dime. Regardless of what one hears, the hunter who goes out and door knocks 3-4 months ahead of seasons can get permission free. Not everywhere, and yes the outfitters are leasing up more and more land, yet I have found permission every time. Do not let anyone tell you presenting a good responsible hunter image doesn't go far with farmers and ranchers. You guys must budget more money that I do, or I simply do the old way, connecting with people and having permission on a handshake. P.S. - Ask folks where they see animals, they know, and they also know who allows hunters to hunt. Money isn't everything fellow hunters. The outfitters and forums want you to believe you can't hunt without paying money for access. They are wrong.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-21-05 AT 11:46PM (MST)[p]Rifleman,
I think you were fair. The money you gave him will offset his property tax expense. A lot of landowners from rural areas are gracious people. They are humble and are just glad to help someone out - particularly if the hunter doesn't seem to be loaded with cash.

$100 is small compared to what some people pay, don't be intimidated. A lot of people are foolish about money. $1,000+ to kill a deer? There are too many Captain Ahabs in hunting and they make the hunters look like blood thirsty, unreasonable, idiots who will sacrifice anything just so they can kill something. Some pay with their marriages. Others pay with unreasonable amounts of cash. High dollar hunting is vanity mixed with insanity.

ci
 
Call the fish and game. They will provide you a list for the region you want to hunt with participating land owners.
 
Don't count on getting permission in the area you are speaking of. I think I called around 60 to 70 landowners this spring and had one favorable response. Alot of these guys have established customers/friends and unless they die you won't be able to hunt their land. Also be careful about certain areas. I hunted down southeast Wy. and was charged $400.00. It seemed that was the price everyone in the area was charging. Was it worth $400.00? No! It's also relative because the game wardens can't or won't say what people are charging and if it's overboard. One question I had for DallanC is the ranch I hunted on they would not tell you hardly anything. Other than where the boundries were and where they wanted you hunting. They took me to a little strip of public land that was about as wide as a horse trail with private land on both sides and kept telling me if the warden stopped us to make sure and tell him they were showing me the boundries not guiding me to deer. It was a bad situation to say the least.
 
Rifleman.....good for you. i'm sure it was alittle more than driving up, door knocking on the 1st ranch you saw and boom....you got permission. Having hunted out of state throughout the Dakota's, WY and MT it takes some perserverence and determination and time to door knock. There are many, many landowners who you can build relationships with, fly out during calfing season, help out while on long weekend vacations, and just be around other than opening weekend. Sending emails, pictures, and dropping an occasional phone call goes a long way as well. Sometimes it takes 7 days of driving around for a September vacation and giving up your yearly western hunting vacation to build a small list of awesome opportunities for future years of hunting instead of hiring guides every year. There are hundreds of ranches that have monster mullies and especially eastern MT Whitetails that have minimal trespass fees or none at all....with little hunting pressure.....bottom line....good job and remember loose lips sink ships!!!!! Also for those reading this....spring turkey hunting is a great way to knock on doors, get some hunting in, and enjoy the west while doing some serious scouting. Shed hunting in April is a great thing too.
 
Very interesting reading. I appriciate all the different views expressed. There sure is a wide range of situations out there.

At one time I paid $225 per year on a ranch here in California. And that was for 2 bucks (blacktails) Now I hear they charge $2000 for one buck! The sad thing is it's booked up every year.

The times, they are a changing......

Steve
 
I also live in Oregon and a good mule deer hunt are getting tougher every day. I had to go out of state to get a quality hunt every year. For you that have never had to pay a trespass fee and live in Wyoming/Montana good for you. I have also knocked on doors and made hundreds of phone calls. I have a place in eastern Montana and a place in eastern Wyoming, but it has taken me a great deal of time to acquire the friendships. And like is suggested above they take time to cultivate. If you show up the day before season and an unreasonable time you won't get permission. I see that some of you won't pay a hundred bucks for a trespass fee but where I'm from that's a one night stay in a motel or two tanks of gas for my pickup. I guess it is all relative. I two am frightened by the almighty dollar and what it is doing to hunting. However I see a small fee to the landowner something that benefits both of us.
 
madmike -
I did the same thing last year. I got the list of land owners from the WY G&F. I called 76 landowners. Out of those 76, about 10 had openings, but since I wanted to do an antelope and mule deer combo. I think only 6 had any mule deer. Of those 6, 3 had openings for the 1st weekend. And I found the same as you, average price was $400 for a couple of days, and most were full with repeat hunters, some that had been coming for 25-30 years. It was a little frustrating.........

Lien2
 
when i was a kid my dad used to take me antelope hunting on private land with some of his buddies from work every year. for years the rancher was gracious enough to allow us to hunt because he knew we weren't troublemakers and we respected him and his land/livestock. as a thank you every year, one of the guys in the group would collect sapphires/garnets during the summer and cut them and mount them in rings/earrings for the rancher's wife. he was an excellent jeweler.

then, disaster struck and the rancher was diagnosed with brain cancer...my dad and his group of friends chipped in money to help pay medical expenses and the rancher survived (still survives to this day).

but it was odd, the season after the rancher recovered from his bout with cancer he started charging our group to hunt his land. by that time i was out on my own earning my own living and that was the last year i hunted his place because i refused to pay to hunt then as i do now.

paying to hunt sets a bad presidence and will eventually result in hunting on private land being only a luxury enjoyed by the rich hunter (which i definitely am not now nor will i ever be).

i am fortunate enough to know some really great landowners today that allow me to hunt antelope and mule deer. I am always courteous toward them and offer to help with chores or work of any kind whenever i talk with them or see tham around. i always call and ask permission well in advance of the hunt and if they have a reason for not allowing me to hunt i respect it, after all it's their land, not mine. but times are quickly changing and i'll be surprised if i can take my kids hunting on private land when they are of age.
 
When we hunt in montana I pay the ranchers $500 if i shoot a buck. If I shoot a doe or don't shoot anything I don't pay. These prices are the ranchers price not mine. We also help fix a few fences and help round up a few cows and calfs that get away.$500 sounds like a fair price to me to hunt big private ranches.
 
For those of you that would want to get access without paying a arm and a leg, do not call, but rather door knock. No rancher is going to give a total stranger permission over the phone. Get a hair cut, dress decent, and simply knock on doors in country that looks 'deerish'. If one hunts enough, you tend to know what are those properties. In 1991 I spent five trips door knocking in GMU 105?? east of Kiowa in eastern colorado. Finally found one great CRP field and took (with a lot of luck) a 202 gross score buck that netted 193. Those are the kinds of bucks in eastern colorado. They act different than most deer, so if your seeing alot of deer they most likely won't be Mr. Wallhanger. The locals I came to know said the wisest bucks there simply hole up in a huge sunflower field or yucca hills for the season. Most of the hunters hunt the river bottoms, but the hatracks are miles away. Have fun, get permission multiple places, and do something special for the landowner.
 
As a Ranch owner i say that you did what you felt. If you feel that you should have paid more to lock in a hunt for the next season you probably should have paid more.

I get $2,500.00 for deer or elk on my ranch, But it is only for wildlife and the monies recieved go into projects that create better habitat, I'm still losing thousands but enjoy seeing the animals.

In Montana I hunt a ranch that I could hunt for free but instead pay $1,000.00 for archery elk. Have never killed out there, but the people there are great and they sure do need the help, in some years.

Hunting is dividing at a very fast pace. I do not have the answer. Hopefully better management for the future kids to have some experience with their families, There is a serious value to that equation.
 
My Dad and I hunt in Wyo. and have a private ranch to hunt on. Its been 10 years that hes allowed us to hunt. He used to charge us $50 per animal (deer and antelope) which we thought was extremely cheap. The quality of antlers isnt good but its nice to hunt without fighting the crowds. Were from Calif. so we bring him plenty of local wines, pinto beans and avacados. He loves it. They dont get things like that there so its a special treat to him. Now he maybe charges us $100 for 4 animals. Last year we helped him preg. check his cattle and that was fun for us cuz we dont do that kinda stuff here. Theres give and take and youve got to earn their trust and be respectful. We do all we can to keep that guy happy so we can keep coming back.
 

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