My last post created a lot of messages asking about the ranches I got permission to hunt and instead of telling everyone no or even worse telling them yes and having the ranchers swarmed with calls I decided the best thing I could do is tell you exactly what I did that got me a “YES” on more ranches than I could possibly hunt.
The first thing I did was look at the map on OnX and pick a unit. While most pick a unit with as much public land as possible I knew having zero points that was a bad move for me. My thinking was the limited public would get pounded so I picked my unit based solely on the fact that I knew it was 100% second choice.
Next I waited until I had been awarded a tag. Once I knew I had a tag and what unit (always a chance I drew 1st choice no matter how small the chance) I went back to OnX and started writing down a list of all the ranch owners who had considerable amount of land. I also got the county road map and found all the public that could be accessed from the road and made waypoints on those chunks of public.
Now the work really begins. I sat down with a pen and notebook and hand wrote letters to each rancher on my list. The reason I chose hand written was because it’s personal. Everyone calls or shoots an email. Typing the letter is better than a call but in my opinion hand written is the best. I have bad penmanship so I wrote slow and as clear as possible with the words.
My letter contained who I was, why I was writing, a little bio about myself, a little history about me, and how they can contact me. At end of this post I will give an example.
I mailed a few letters the first time. I think somewhere between 10-15. All hand written. I heard back from 6. I got a few that were trespass fees more than I wanted to pay, I got 2 that were within my range. I also got a couple responses letting me know that the answer was no.
After the first wave I went back on OnX and made another list of ranches and sent another 10-15 letters. The second batch didn’t get as much response but it got me my first free ranch.
At this point I chose 3 ranches I was going to hunt. 1 was $100 and I could camp right on the ranch. 1 was a roll of barb wire. And the 3rd was free.
I know some guys refuse to pay anything and others will pay a good amount. I can tell you most of the responses I got that had a trespass fee were between $300 and $750. I thanked them for responding but declined. I saved their info and have sent other hunters to them who were willing to pay.
So here is an example of a letter I would send.
Hello Sir or Ma’am,
My name is ___________ and I am from ________.
The reason I am writing you today is I drew an Antelope tag for unit _____ and I am hoping to secure private land for my hunt.
A little about myself. I am 42 years old and I drive a semi for a living now but most of my life was spent in construction. I am a veteran who served on active duty Army. I grew up working on farms both dairy and crops. My first job at 11 was picking rocks out of fields after school so the farmers could plant. I know how to leave gates how I found them and know not to shoot around livestock. I also believe in leaving the land better than I found it.
I’m not opposed to paying a reasonable trespass fee but plan to bring some Wisconsin staples to show my appreciation.
I plan to be in Wyoming from _______ to _____. I will be hunting myself.
Im not going to waste any more of your time. If you would be willing to let me hunt your property this fall you can reach me at _________ or my email is ________.
Thank You,
I hope this gives you some ideas. It worked well for me.
Last piece of advice. When they call use Sir or Ma’am and thank you. If it’s a yes be sure to tell them you appreciate it. I feel this goes a long ways.
The first rancher who called me didn’t give me a yes right away. He said he was considering it and told me to call back closer to October. I honestly believe that first phone call was an interview. He hasn’t let anyone hunt his ranch besides family or friends for over 10 years. I am 100% confident my letter got me that phone interview and my phone etiquette got me the permission.
Hope this post is helpful.
The first thing I did was look at the map on OnX and pick a unit. While most pick a unit with as much public land as possible I knew having zero points that was a bad move for me. My thinking was the limited public would get pounded so I picked my unit based solely on the fact that I knew it was 100% second choice.
Next I waited until I had been awarded a tag. Once I knew I had a tag and what unit (always a chance I drew 1st choice no matter how small the chance) I went back to OnX and started writing down a list of all the ranch owners who had considerable amount of land. I also got the county road map and found all the public that could be accessed from the road and made waypoints on those chunks of public.
Now the work really begins. I sat down with a pen and notebook and hand wrote letters to each rancher on my list. The reason I chose hand written was because it’s personal. Everyone calls or shoots an email. Typing the letter is better than a call but in my opinion hand written is the best. I have bad penmanship so I wrote slow and as clear as possible with the words.
My letter contained who I was, why I was writing, a little bio about myself, a little history about me, and how they can contact me. At end of this post I will give an example.
I mailed a few letters the first time. I think somewhere between 10-15. All hand written. I heard back from 6. I got a few that were trespass fees more than I wanted to pay, I got 2 that were within my range. I also got a couple responses letting me know that the answer was no.
After the first wave I went back on OnX and made another list of ranches and sent another 10-15 letters. The second batch didn’t get as much response but it got me my first free ranch.
At this point I chose 3 ranches I was going to hunt. 1 was $100 and I could camp right on the ranch. 1 was a roll of barb wire. And the 3rd was free.
I know some guys refuse to pay anything and others will pay a good amount. I can tell you most of the responses I got that had a trespass fee were between $300 and $750. I thanked them for responding but declined. I saved their info and have sent other hunters to them who were willing to pay.
So here is an example of a letter I would send.
Hello Sir or Ma’am,
My name is ___________ and I am from ________.
The reason I am writing you today is I drew an Antelope tag for unit _____ and I am hoping to secure private land for my hunt.
A little about myself. I am 42 years old and I drive a semi for a living now but most of my life was spent in construction. I am a veteran who served on active duty Army. I grew up working on farms both dairy and crops. My first job at 11 was picking rocks out of fields after school so the farmers could plant. I know how to leave gates how I found them and know not to shoot around livestock. I also believe in leaving the land better than I found it.
I’m not opposed to paying a reasonable trespass fee but plan to bring some Wisconsin staples to show my appreciation.
I plan to be in Wyoming from _______ to _____. I will be hunting myself.
Im not going to waste any more of your time. If you would be willing to let me hunt your property this fall you can reach me at _________ or my email is ________.
Thank You,
I hope this gives you some ideas. It worked well for me.
Last piece of advice. When they call use Sir or Ma’am and thank you. If it’s a yes be sure to tell them you appreciate it. I feel this goes a long ways.
The first rancher who called me didn’t give me a yes right away. He said he was considering it and told me to call back closer to October. I honestly believe that first phone call was an interview. He hasn’t let anyone hunt his ranch besides family or friends for over 10 years. I am 100% confident my letter got me that phone interview and my phone etiquette got me the permission.
Hope this post is helpful.
