# Scouting Basics?



## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

I am relatively new to waterfowling and want to know how exactly do you succesfully scout for ducks and geese. Once you find where they are how do you know who owns the land? Last question, do you guys find that most people are willing to let you hunt or not? I will be hunting central Wisconsin near Stevens Point, if that helps at all. Thanks for all the help.


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## hunter121390 (Nov 7, 2006)

G.P. said:


> Once you find where they are how do you know who owns the land? Last question, do you guys find that most people are willing to let you hunt or not?quote]
> 
> start knocking on doors. thats really the only way to do it. who knows, maybe the person whos door you knocked on owns other land that you could get on.
> 
> it depends on the people, the number of people hunting the land. if their hunting the land, and whatnot.


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## daly (Jul 19, 2007)

I usually just go down to town hall and pick up a topo map, then when iam out scouting i can just put a check mark in the land i want to hunt. And when i am finished scouting, I just take to map back to town hall and ask for the name and phone number of the land owner. works like a charm!! saves alot of time from going around banging on doors. And it always seems like you get a better response from land owners when you call first, befor just showing up at there door step.

Hope this help and Good luck with you scouting :beer:


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for all the help. This may sound stupid, but what do you say when you call or go to the door? I never knew that town hall would give you the names and numbers of the land owners. Thanks again.


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## Drake Jake (Sep 25, 2007)

Alot of the people you will be calling will probably be farmers so calling them usually wont get a reply. We usually just carry a platbook around. When we find the land we want to hunt, find the farmer, go to his house. Start a conversation with him and ask him if you can hunt his land. Seems to work with all people that dont already have people hunting the land.


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

Most farmers will have some stories to tell you too, dont ust go rushing off after they give you permission if they seem like they still want to talk to you. and on the other end dont stand around and waste their time if they seem like they are in a hurry. most of the people i have talked to have been realy nice and have let me hunt their land and/or pointed me in the direction of the landowners that i am looking for (if i have the wrong house). hope this helps, i kinda get to rambling.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for all the helpful hints. Finding good areas to hunt seems to be one of the hardest things to accomplish. One last question, what exactly is a plat book and where can i get one? Thanks again.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

plat books are a book of "plats" or maps, usually of one county, broken down into townships or parishs. they show property lines, property ownership, fed,state, county, and most township roads, and also locations of rural address. they are very handy tools for a waterfowler; the only downfall of a plat book is when land is listed in an llc, corp, or in a deceased persons name and trust. then its a little tougher to find the current owners name. the platbooks i buy also contain a list of phone numbers for all rural residents of the county, and also an index by last name of property owners and where their properties are located within the plat book. as far as where they are sold, county offices like assessors, auditors offices, etc, as well as online sources. just google plat books and find a website that offers products for your area.


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## jonesy12 (Apr 1, 2008)

When I hunt ND, my family knows most of the farmers, but all you need to do is find a place to hunt, and knock on their door and ask. The worst that could happen is they'll say no. You'll never know if you don't ask. Just be polite and explain your intentions.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks you guys for all the help. I really appreciate the amount of knowledge that is shared on this site. It is truely a great way to learn and become a better sportsman. Thank you for al your help.


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## hoots120 (Aug 18, 2005)

Be sure you follow up when you get permission. When my crew goes out to ND hunting, the last day we are there we take around gifts for the farmers. We give them a bottle of wine and some cheese we bring out from Wisconsin. It gives us the chance to let them know how we did and a final chance to say thanks. It makes a big differance. We also will drop off the gifts at farms we know even if we did not hunt there land that year, but have hunted it other years.

Hoots


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## rcnut143 (Jun 21, 2007)

http://www.rockfordmap.com/Portage-Coun ... -7037.html


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

Make sure you introduce yourself properly, and know who you are talking to ( by using the plat maps, look in the library at school). Don't just say "I was wondering if I could hunt on your property" Tell them I am a college student and looking for some hunting oportunities in the area, I really enjoy duck hunting etc. Make sure you don't go there fully clad in camo ready to hunt, it is better to gain access several days ahead of time if possible. I prefer to talk face to face instead of on the phone although as mentioned before you could call and see if they will be available. If you get turned down a couple of times just thank them for there time and move on, no big deal. If you do gain access go over any "rules" they may have, they might not want you to drive in the fields or things like that. Be sure to thanks them after a hunt by phone or stopping by, it might not hurt to ask if they need help with any chores once you get to know them. I guess the further from Stevens Point you get the better because close landowners might get asked for permission often, but don't let that discourage you either. A lot of geese come off Lake Du Bay towards Wasua where there are fields as well as the other spots I mentioned on your other post.


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## G.P. (Jun 17, 2007)

Sounds like good advice. WHere is lake Du Bay is relation to the campus? Is it a large body of water? Thanks for the help.


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