It’s a hunter’s version of a nightmare. Opening day is just around the corner. You’ve patterned a trophy buck, have your stands set, and the season’s plan ready to roll. Anticipation is high – then suddenly, it all unravels. Permission is revoked. The property sells. A lease falls through. In an instant, the dream of a perfect season is gone.
Most hunters can relate. I once read that the only constant in hunting land is this: if you don’t own it, you’ll eventually lose it. Having already lost several hard-earned honey holes myself, I knew those were some of the truest words ever written.
The ways it can happen are countless. Maybe a neighbor backdoors you on a lease. Maybe the landowner’s views change, or the farm gets rezoned or sold. Sometimes the ground itself simply goes bad. Cover is cleared for cropland, a road carves through prime bedding, or heavy hunting pressure shifts deer elsewhere. Natural disasters can do the job, too. With so many forces working against us, it’s clear that securing and maintaining a place to hunt is as much a skill as filling a tag.
And no one knows more about the pressure of retaining prime land than today’s outfitters. To them, it’s survival. So, I asked three who’ve made an art out of keeping access. Their combined strategies, blended with my own experience, offer a roadmap for anyone chasing deer on land they don’t own.
Keep What You Have
The first priority, every outfitter stressed, is doing everything possible to avoid losing current ground. Jake Roach, co-owner of Performance Outdoors, summed it up best: “Making and maintaining personal contact with landowners is an important part. Being face-to-face builds relationships, trust, and can head off problems before they start. Whether you lease or have free permission, being friends with the landowner gives you a big advantage.”
