10/18/2026
Hard lessons learned: Navigating the line between public and private hunting land.
Last night, I received a message from a friend who lives nearby about a hunter who had set up 50 yards from their driveway, across the road on public land. They were requesting a C.O.’s phone number because a hunter and his son had just supposedly shot a 6pt buck that ran onto their property. I provide them with the poaching hot line to consult the nearest officer on duty.
A few moments later, we received a phone call from the hunting party wanting a dog to help recover their deer for the 6-year-old hunter. They mentioned the private land issue, and I replied that it was a big problem. I explained that if they had been denied permission to retrieve the deer, it was out of our hands until we could gain permission from the landowner.
I know this area well because I hunt near there myself. I have cameras and blinds in the area, and so do many others. I had trouble sleeping thinking about this buck laying in the woods and the young hunter not retrieving his first deer.
So this morning, after my fishing charter, I made some phone calls and talked with the adjoining property owners using onX to help navigate the property boundaries. The consensus was that this deer needed to be recovered, especially for the 6-year-old youth hunter.
After returning a few phone calls and getting ahold of both parties, we arranged a meeting back at the driveway.
Mind you, these folks had never spoken to each other before but were well aware of each other’s presence…. Not a “hello”, a smile, a wave, or even a “Hey, can I park here in front of your house?”
This is where the line between hunting legalities and hunting ethics was drawn.
The hunt itself was legal, but here in the U.P., setting up that close to someone’s home or established hunting area isn’t generally considered good hunting etiquette. Just because something is legal doesn’t necessarily make it ethical or respectful to those around you.
The problem came when the deer ran from public land about 80 yards onto private property. At that point, the hunters no longer had the right to access the deer without permission from the landowner.
The meeting was interesting, to say the least. Words were exchanged, but ultimately, permission was granted.
The blood trail was good, making the tracking quick and easy, a few beds and a few quick turns and the deer was successfully recovered from nearly right behind the house. It wasn’t the 6-point that was originally suggested, but that really doesn’t matter, considering this was a mentored youth hunt.
What matters is that a young hunter got to recover his deer, and hopefully, everyone involved walked away having learned something.
Here are my thoughts, When we’re mentoring young hunters, our responsibility goes beyond teaching them how to hunt legally. We also need to pass along good ethics, respect for landowners, respect for fellow hunters, and an understanding that our actions in the woods can affect everyone around us.
Six years old or 70 years old those lessons are just as important as the hunt itself.
