Get Permission
Last Update/Review: October 15, 2004
It's an easy thing to do — ask a landowner's permission to hunt on his or her land. But many hunters don't do it. Every year in Alberta, over 200 hunters are charged with trespassing or other offences related to hunting on occupied lands without permission. And every year more landowners are turned off to hunting as something they want to see on their land.
We've all been tempted. You drive down a road on your way to a favorite hunting spot, and suddenly a deer runs across the road in front of you and jumps the barbed wire fence. You watch as it slows down and walks into the bush on the edge of a cultivated field. It would be easy to stop, cross the fence and stalk the deer. It's not spooked, and it may be the only deer you're going to see that day. What would it hurt?
Well, it could hurt plenty. First of all, you don't have permission to be on that piece of land. Second, chances are good you don't know the country, what buildings or people are just behind that bush, or whether there's cattle or other livestock on the land. In short, you'd be taking a big chance.
Sure, you'd be careful, you rationalize to yourself. You'd get in and out fast. But what if you wounded the animal and had to track it into the landowner's front yard? That scenario happens often every year and causes a lot of hostility between hunters and landowners.
And what about the vast majority of hunters who strive for good relations with landowners. Should you be responsible for reducing their opportunity as well as your own?
Each year, landowners get tired of hearing shots made on their land without their permission, or finding gut piles and other refuse left by irresponsible hunters. They decide they've had enough and post the land closed to trespassing and especially hunting. Everyone loses: hunters because they have fewer places to hunt, landowners because they miss a chance to share their knowledge of the land and the land ethic, and society in general because there are fewer chances to learn about the importance of the hunting heritage to the fabric of our culture.
Get permission before you leave on your hunting trip! Responsible hunters check out a piece of land they intend to hunt well before the hunting season - surveying access points, the lay of the land, and signs of the animal to be hunted. If it's private land, this preseason trip includes talking to the landowner, getting his or her permission and arranging dates. These conversations can be beneficial for both parties. The hunter often learns where the game can be found and where the landowner would prefer the hunter to be. The landowner learns that the hunter is conscientious and concerned enough to maybe be invited back.
Of course, access to public land is usually not a problem. But in the settled part of the province, where there is a mix of private and public land, you have to be careful. New legislation governs recreational access to public lands leased for grazing or cultivation. Under the new legislation, leaseholders must allow reasonable access to lease land. But they can restrict access under some circumstances, such as where cattle are on the land. Hunters (and other recreational users) must contact the leaseholders before going on the land. You can find out if the land is under a Public Lands Act lease by visiting http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/Documents/acts/P40.cfm, or by calling 1-866-279-0023 (toll-free).
A good rule of thumb to use is that if the land is fenced or posted, either get permission or move on to land to which you know you have the right of access. Whether hunting with permission on private land or leased public land, always leave gates as you find them, do not damage property and avoid disturbing livestock.
As our population grows and demands on the landscape increase, we hunters are being placed under increasing pressure to justify the existence of our sport. Poor relationships with landowners do not win the kinds of friends we will need in the future.
The future of hunting depends on you! Respect the Land! Ask Permission!
For more information about hunting access on occupied, private and public lands, obtain a current copy of the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations.
by Don Meredith
Adapted from an article
Copyright © 1996 Government of Alberta
(First published in the November 1996 Edmonton Sports Scene)
