Landowner Appreciation Gifts

[Dubbs]

Good morning everyone, with hunting seasons coming to an end here in North Dakota I've had the opportunity to look back at the various seasons from the past year and reflect on their trials/tribulations as well as the successes. In this reflection the one recurring thing that comes to mind is where would I be without such generous landowners. Throughout the past few years I've had the opportunity to gain a rapport with landowners, some of which let me hunt and some that don't (which is ok). Some of the permissions I have gained put me into astounding pheasant habitat and hunting, which is at the top of the list for the pooch and I every fall. Which brings me to the point of this thread. Every time I talk to the landowners I try to make sure they know how much I appreciate the opportunity but I was looking to do more. I am looking for suggestions as to what I could give them or do for them that would continue this relationship. What do others give or do to show their appreciation?


-My apologies if this has already been covered.

 

[MuleyMadness]

I have been very successful volunteering to help work calves in the spring and farmers usually are not fisherman and do not have access to fresh bags of walleye. Those are my go to landowner gifts.

 

[Lungdeflator]

I have a guy I'd like to get something for. He has had a ton of trouble this year with people tearing down his posted signs, hes just been using the cheap ones stapled to fence posts. I'm thinking of trying to find some metal ones for him that aren't as easy to mess with.

 

[Meelosh]

Nothing a rancher appreciates more than a day’s labor IF a guy knows what he’s doing. While it can take a long time for a guy to learn any cow-sense, fortunately a guy can learn to learn to fix fence rather easily and quickly.

 

[Taylorman55]

I have a guy I'd like to get something for. He has had a ton of trouble this year with people tearing down his posted signs, hes just been using the cheap ones stapled to fence posts. I'm thinking of trying to find some metal ones for him that aren't as easy to mess with.

I bought some nice ones on ebay, 10 pack for about $25. They are a light aluminum but are actually quite heavier duty than I thought they would be. I put (5) 1.5 inch wood screws to each of them (corners and one in the middle). They handled the wind amazing, and all are still up and doing well.

 

[Maddog]

Several years back a friend of mine got us permission to turkey hunt on a farmer's land that had never been hunted for turkeys. The first morning we both shot monster toms. The next year I talked the farmer into buying a tag and taking time off from farming to hunt. We finally got together one afternoon when he could take off from working and I called in a pair of gobblers as a flock exited the field. He shot one. The next year he applied for a tag again. Before the season started, I showed up with a ground blind, a pair of decoys, a slate call and a ground chair for him. He hunted by himself and got his own bird. That was several years ago and each year he has been lucky enough to get out and get his own bird. I have stopped by with home-made sauerkraut and smoked/shaved turkey breasts for him too. Perhaps a little overboard. ??

Or even simpler: Other landowners I try to make a point of stopping in during the dead of winter. Just to visit and talk with them. They really enjoy the company. And I enjoy hearing their stories and what they have been seeing on their property during the winter months.
One of my favorite duck hunting spots, I stop in with either some summer sausages or a 12 pack of beer. And make sure I have time to sit and shoot the breeze with them.

They all seem to appreciate someone taking the time to talk and visit VS just a quick phone call.

 

[Walleye_Chaser]

I've given gift cards to local cafe's. They seem to like that

 

[3Roosters]

Fish, gift card at a nice steak house, some of your day's bird success, thank you note mailed to them.

 

[scrotcaster]

I get a $50 gift cert. to local butcher shop,, they seems to appreciate the gesture with a hand written thank you letter

 

[Allen]

I know some who like walleyes, because they don't fish.

Others, especially the older ones, I like to deliver warm meals, caramel rolls, etc. It gives us an opportunity to sit and BS as well.

I shot a nice buck off a fella's land who usually doesn't let other hunt. It was such a fun hunt (regardless of the antler size) that I took him a bottle of Jamison a few weeks later. He seemed to really enjoy it. Another guy picked up a bottle of Woodford Reserve as a thank you for letting him hunt my place, it too was/is being appreciated even though it was quite unexpected.

Lots of good ideas, but for the most part it's all about knowing the person.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

We used to go help ranchers out in the badlands where we hunted many many years ago. Being we raised livestock and farmed we pretty much knew what to do just had to adjust how they wanted it done or in the order they wanted it done.
We also sent them gift cards to a nice steak house because the wives ALWAYS liked to be taken out for a nice meal. Many of the ranchers out there years ago didn't go to town much as everything was manual labor on the ranch and that took time and lots of time! They were some good old boys and have long passed away. One even wanted a buddy of mine and me to buy his ranch and gave us a heck of a deal but back then money was tight and we didn't want to stick our necks out by buying it. One of the biggest mistakes we made in our lives was passing on that deal. To make matters worse the mineral rights went with it too. Makes me sick everytime i think of it! Oh well we had some fun times on their ranches.

 

[ktm450]

One thing my grandpa taught me when he first started taking me hunting is appreciate the opportunity and never take it for guaranteed. He would take me with him down to the landowners to visit during season, the off seasons on a random sunday drive, and all thought at that time (young) I never understood why we needed to drive down not during a hunting season to just sit and BS with them. It was always so boring, and I wanted to be out terrorizing the country side. lol It wasn't till I was a little older that I figured out why we needed to do that and I started enjoying it as I could participate in the conversations, 20+ years later and I still have a place to go, the landowners are like family. Every year we take them Christmas baskets, and usually a good bottle of booze, and at the end of seasons we get them gift cards for a nice steak place for there families. They really seem to like it, even though they all say that we didn't have to do that.

The kind gesture goes a long ways these days.

 

[8andcounting]

I am a landowner and hunt only my land , however I let a few different folks bow hunt the last few years and for me the best gifts has just been appreciation shown , I like to do my own food plots and build my own stands but when they stop by with a case of beer or throw some jerky in my shop fridge I like that . One guy even bought me a few trail cameras and helped pay for batteries for them and just little stuff like that . One gentleman stays over when he comes and he always shows up with steaks or burgers and just acts like he’s very appreciative.

 

[Rut2much]

We’ve become a good team liquid apple pie mini-brewery in the kitchen (hot/cold=your choice) for those that go out of their way for us and my oh my do they appreciate it like we appreciate them.. And we seem to make more and more of it every year which must mean something.
Christmas time tends to be a little fun..

 

[2400]

I offer help on the ranch such as welding broken equipment, leaky tanks, making stuff for him, fixing trailers (they always need rewired, bearing greased, lights replaced), fixing fence and gates. I also stop by several times a year just to shoot the shit and visit. I send a nice card with a note in it at Christmas. If I see them at a local cafe I pick up their check, if I see them in town I always stop and visit and thank them again for letting me come out and hunt/shoot/call.

One thing I never do is bring anyone that wasn't invited with me. They appreciate that a lot too!

 

[NDwalleyes]

This might be playing dirty, but in addition to some good steaks or booze for the landowner, I always get a little something for his wife. If you know farming mama is the anchor of the operation. I usually get a gift certificate for a massage or pedicure. Farmwives rarely get to be pampered and they appreciate it more than any city girl ever will.

 

[johnr]

I take care of the landowners daughter, doesn’t help any, but I sure like it.

 

[Up Y'oars]

I've removed large fallen branches in fields when high winds snap them off. It allows the farmer's combine to capture more harvest, even if only pennies.

I've delivered a jar of chokecherry jelly as a thanks for allowing access and time with my dog.

A bottle of whiskey/bourbon seems to work well, too.

 

[shorthairman]

Sounds like many (me included) lean toward the same things. I've given bags of walleye, cleaned up some roosters and brought them back, booze of whatever the landowner likes, worked calves, fixed fence, also I make pulled pork and take them a container with some buns and BBQ sauce (I always figure there will be a day when the cattle get out and they could use a quick meal that doesn't require much effort), also we have made pans of apple crisp as well. Never have done gift cards for eating places, but I will use that...thanks for the idea!

 

[KDM]

I am a landowner and hunt only my land , however I let a few different folks bow hunt the last few years and for me the best gifts has just been appreciation shown , I like to do my own food plots and build my own stands but when they stop by with a case of beer or throw some jerky in my shop fridge I like that . One guy even bought me a few trail cameras and helped pay for batteries for them and just little stuff like that . One gentleman stays over when he comes and he always shows up with steaks or burgers and just acts like he’s very appreciative.

This^^^^^^^^^^