Fence lines and No Trespassing signs can be a hunter’s best friend. Posted land often holds great trophies and wonderful hunting opportunities if you can get permission to hunt. Critical in this process is knowing whom to ask… and do it right. The ScoutLook Property Lines app put this critical information in the palm of your hand.
Rick Wilson taught his two sons to bow hunt on a very exclusive hunting club. The property had thousands of acres of wooded land that was primarily used as a bird shooting reserve for members. My friend learned the name of the person who managed the property, met him personally, and asked if he and his two sons could bow hunt at times when the property was not in use. The manager agreed, and father and sons enjoyed a very unique hunting experience as if they were wealthy landowners. I’ve known about the property for decades, just never thought to ask.
Who’s in Charge?
“Deal with the person in charge” is the well-established rule in sales and marketing. Companies have procedures so that requests go through a well-regulated chain of command, yet savvy business people know it’s best to talk directly with the decision-maker. Problem is, who is that person?
ScoutLook Property Lines is a phone app that can answer this critical question and allow you to request permission to hunt land that many feel is unapproachable. Instead of going to the local courthouse and working through deeds and land plots, you can consult the ScoutLook app and learn the owner’s name.
If you don’t know the individual personally, you may know someone who does or an organization he or she belongs to. Getting to “yes” is often a networking proposition, and you will have greater success if you deal directly with decision-makers and use references to reinforce your reputation.
Fence Line Frenzy
I’ve hunted a wide variety of properties around the country from plantations to western ranches to Indian reservations. Inevitably, I end up near a property line. Perhaps the neighbors do not allow hunting or have crop fields that draw deer. If you bow hunt near a property line, you run the risk of making a lethal shot on a deer that jumps the fence and causes a dilemma.
Private property laws are very strict across the country. Even if you have a solid blood trail and blood sign on the post, it’s probably illegal for you to follow a trail onto private property. Here’s another case where ScoutLook Property Line come in handy. Using information from the app, you can quickly search and call the landowner or neighbor for help.
Western Boundaries
If you are lucky enough to hunt in the American West, don’t be surprised if boundaries are not well marked. Given the number of National Forests, BLM land, and state properties, boundaries are often grey areas.
Unscrupulous Westerners are notorious for confronting out-of-state hunter about trespass, claiming that public land is their private property. If you are new to the area and boundaries are not well marked, it’s easy to be intimidated. However, if you can show that you are well within the identified public land, you have proof that you are within your hunting rights.
App Features
With two taps on the interactive map, users can see property lines, property sizes, landowner information, and other helpful property details for 97% of the United States with coverage in all 50 states. Locations can be cached for offline viewing with no cellular service.
For those who go off the beaten path where cell service is a luxury, offline functionality is a major priority. ScoutLook users can now save locations for offline viewing—this generates a 1-mile radius on the map that can be viewed without a cell connection and can be used for real-time navigation using a phone’s GPS.
ScoutLook Property Lines is available for a free 7-day trial. Unlimited access costs just $5.99/month for full nationwide coverage. See a video and learn more.
