A bowhunter who wanted to reach public hunting ground said the easiest route required crossing a strip of private land, but his question became more complicated once he mentioned what he planned to carry.
The bowhunter shared the situation in a post on r/bowhunting titled “Permission to trespass Private land”. He explained that he wanted to access public land and was looking into whether he could get permission to cross someone’s private property to get there.
That kind of request is common for hunters. A public parcel may look great on a map, but the legal access can be awkward, far away, blocked by water, or surrounded by private ground. Sometimes the difference between a miserable hike and a reasonable hunt is one landowner agreeing to let a hunter walk across a field edge, logging road, or fence line.
But asking to cross private land while carrying hunting gear is not the same as asking to walk through in sneakers with a backpack. A bow, knife, pack, climbing sticks, stand, or game bags can make a landowner wonder exactly what the hunter plans to do once he is out of sight.
The poster appeared to understand that he needed permission. He was not asking how to sneak through. He was trying to figure out the right way to ask and what would be acceptable. But commenters quickly made clear that the wording, the gear, and the landowner’s comfort level all mattered.
If a landowner gives permission to cross, that permission needs to be specific. Otherwise, a simple access favor can turn into an argument over hunting, weapons, liability, damaged fences, wounded deer, or where the hunter actually went.
Crossing Land Is Not the Same as Hunting It
The central issue was access.
The bowhunter wanted to cross private land to reach public ground. That is a much smaller request than asking to hunt the private property itself, but it still depends entirely on the landowner saying yes.
Several commenters treated that distinction as important. A landowner may be willing to let someone walk a defined route across the edge of the property but not roam, scout, sit, shoot, or recover game there. The hunter needs to make that clear from the start.
That is where trust comes in. Once the hunter disappears into the woods, the landowner has to trust that he actually crossed through and did not stop to hunt. If the hunter later drags a deer back, the landowner may wonder where it was shot. If he hears a bow shot or sees a blood trail, the whole arrangement can become uncomfortable.
That is why some hunters suggested being extremely specific when asking. Tell the landowner exactly where you want to enter, where you will walk, how often you plan to use it, what time of day you may pass through, whether anyone else will be with you, and that you will not hunt on their land.
That may feel like overexplaining, but it can make the difference between a quick no and a cautious yes.
A landowner is more likely to trust someone who sounds prepared, respectful, and aware of the difference between access and hunting rights.
The Bow and Knife Made the Question Feel Loaded
The poster’s mention of carrying a bow and knife drew attention because those are not neutral details to a landowner.
To hunters, they are normal tools. A bow is the hunting weapon. A knife is basic field gear. Nobody bowhunting public land is going to leave the bow behind while crossing private land. But from a landowner’s perspective, someone asking to cross with weapons may raise extra concerns.
Is the hunter going to shoot from the private side? Will he stop if he sees a deer before reaching public land? What happens if a wounded deer runs back onto the private parcel? Will there be broadheads, blood, gut piles, or tree damage? What if livestock, pets, kids, or houses are nearby?
Those questions may not feel fair to a responsible hunter, but they are exactly the kind of things a landowner may wonder.
Commenters seemed to recognize that. Some said the hunter should not hide what he is carrying, because surprise is the fastest way to break trust. If he asks to cross and then shows up with a bow, knife, stand, pack, and camo, the landowner may feel misled. It is better to be upfront and let the owner decide.
Others suggested offering to leave the knife packed away or explaining that it is only for field dressing if he legally harvests an animal on public land. Again, the point was not that carrying a knife is unusual. The point was that the landowner needs to understand the plan before saying yes.
Hunters sometimes forget how hunting gear looks to people who do not hunt. Clear explanations help.
Commenters Told Him to Get Permission in Writing
Several commenters urged the bowhunter to get any permission in writing.
A verbal yes might be enough socially, but written permission protects both sides. It can explain that the hunter has permission only to cross a specific route, not to hunt private land. It can include dates, times, parking rules, whether guests are allowed, and what to do if a deer goes down near the boundary.
That kind of clarity can prevent a lot of trouble later. If a neighbor sees the hunter crossing and calls the landowner, the landowner knows who it is. If a game warden questions the hunter, he can show that he has permission to pass through. If there is a disagreement later, everyone has the same terms in front of them.
It does not have to be a formal legal document. A text message can help. A signed note is better. Some states or programs may have their own permission forms.
The important thing is not relying on a half-remembered porch conversation after something goes wrong.
That is especially true when the hunter is carrying a bow and entering before daylight or leaving after dark. A landowner who forgot about the conversation may see a headlamp and a weapon and react very differently than expected.
Written permission takes some of that uncertainty out of the arrangement.
The Best Advice Was to Make It Easy for the Landowner to Say Yes
The thread’s most useful advice came down to presentation.
A hunter asking for access should not show up looking entitled. He should be polite, clear, and willing to accept no. The landowner does not owe him a shortcut to public land. Even if the public parcel is legally open, the private land between him and that parcel is not.
Several commenters likely told him to approach in person if possible, introduce himself, explain the public-land access issue, and ask if the landowner would consider allowing a simple crossing route. Offering a phone number, showing a map, and promising to stay on a specific path can help.
Some hunters also suggested offering something in return. That might be helping with chores, sharing venison, checking gates, reporting trespassers, or simply being a respectful presence who keeps an eye on the property. It should not feel like a bribe. It should feel like neighborly appreciation.
The hunter should also be prepared for the answer to be no. A landowner may have had bad experiences with hunters before. He may worry about liability. He may not like weapons on the property. He may have family using the land. He may simply not want strangers crossing.
That answer may be frustrating, but it has to be respected. A refused shortcut is not an invitation to sneak through.
What Commenters Said
Commenters generally told the bowhunter that asking permission was the right move, but the details needed to be handled carefully.
Many said he should be completely honest about what he would be carrying and what he planned to do. If he needs to cross with a bow, knife, pack, or stand, the landowner should know that before agreeing. Hiding those details could make a harmless access request look dishonest.
Others emphasized that permission to cross is not permission to hunt. The bowhunter needed to ask for a specific route and make clear he would not shoot, scout, or linger on the private land. If a deer crossed back onto that property, he would need separate permission or a plan that followed local law.
Several commenters recommended getting permission in writing. A text, note, or signed agreement could protect the hunter if someone questioned why he was there, and it would also protect the landowner by defining exactly what was allowed.
A few users reminded him that the landowner had every right to say no. Public land may belong to everyone, but the private strip needed to reach it does not.
For the bowhunter, the access question was simple on paper: could he cross private land to reach public ground? The real answer was more careful. Ask honestly, explain the gear, define the route, get it in writing, and respect the answer even if it turns a short walk into the long way around.
