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Landowner Hunting Rights and License Costs, State by State

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2017
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Where the skys are so blue!
So I've been saving a little cash and considering buying a piece of property. Maybe in Alabama, maybe elsewhere. The idea is either:

Short Term (next 3 years or so)
No financing (cash for full amount)
Adjacent or near good public land
Just big enough for a camp (quarter to a few acres)

or

Long term (maybe next 10 years or so)
Maybe finance
Large enough to hunt (40-100 acres)

Kicking around both ideas. Mainly just tire-kicking and researching. One question I have is what landowner rights get you in each state. In Alabama, you have to be a resident to be exempt from possessing a hunting license on land you own. I'm curious if there are states where you can hunt your land if you own it without getting the gub'ment involved. I'd also be interested in hearing what qualifies you as a resident in each state, and if being a nonresident landowner gets you any perks or discounts when it comes to hunting costs and licenses.

I figured I can't be the only one interested. If folks from different parts of the country could fill in the picture, I'm sure others would benefit. :) I'll start. If we get enough responses, I may try to make a spreadsheet to make it easier to read.

ALABAMA
RESIDENT landowners can hunt their property for free, as can their immediate family (https://www.outdooralabama.com/license-information/landowner#:~:text=A RESIDENT landowner who possesses,they are RESIDENTS of Alabama.)
Resident hunting license is $28.20, non is $325 (both annual, https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunting-rec-nr)
Residency is explained here: https://www.outdooralabama.com/residency/alabama-residency-requirements
 
I don’t have the data for Tn. Sorry
But my plans are to buy an acre with no restrictions. Use a nice shed as a camp. They can be finished out in to a really nice cabin for little money. I have been looking at land that has old trailers on them so they already have septic and power.
As close to public hunting land as possible. I would love to do this in Al, KY, Tn, Miss, Ga and Mo
Before I move out of Tn I will buy my lifetime lic so I can come hunt here for the rest of my life without buying a lic. I want to do the same in Al

I spend all my money in Al live on the Tn side and still have to fork over $400 a year to hunt Al. I think it sucks.


See you in a tree, Ricky
 
So Virginia is a bit complicated. If you’re a landowner or kin you don’t need a license. What gets complicated are the resident requirements. As follows:(hold on to your butts)
Residency Qualifications
  • Persons who have been a bona fide resident of the city, county, or state for six consecutive months immediately preceding the date of purchasing a license.
  • Persons who have been domiciliary residents of the state for at least two months upon approval of a completed affidavit to be furnished by the Department.
  • Legal voters in Virginia.
  • Any member of the armed forces of the United States, or a member of the immediate family of such a member as defined in § 2.2-3101, upon execution of a certificate of residence if the member (i) resides in the Commonwealth, (ii) is on active duty, and (iii) is stationed at a military installation within, or in a ship based in, the Commonwealth.
  • Students (including nonresident students boarding on campus) residing in Virginia who are enrolled in bona fide Virginia schools.
Any unnaturalized person who owns real estate in the county or city and who has actually resided there not less than five years preceding the date of the application for the license in the county or.

License Exemptions
All persons, except those listed below, must purchase the proper licenses before hunting or trapping. Where exempt, the exemption means the individual is exempt from the basic hunting license; bear license, deer/turkey license, archery license; muzzleloading license; trapping license; and Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp. All seasons, bag limits, and checking requirements apply.

  • Resident or nonresident landowners, their spouses, their children and grandchildren and the spouses of such children and grandchildren, or the landowner’s parents, resident or nonresident, do not need a license to hunt, trap or fish (on inland waters) within the boundaries of their own lands.
  • Tenants, on the land they rent and occupy, are not required to have a license, but must have the written permission of the land- owner. Persons who lease property and do not permanently reside there are not exempt from license requirements.
  • Residents, 65 years of age and over, do not need a license to hunt or trap on private property in their county or city of residence.
  • Resident hunters under the age of 12 are not required to have a hunting license or hunter education. Nonresident hunters under the age of 12 need a hunting license but do not need hunter education to purchase one. All hunters under the age of 12 may not hunt unless accompanied and directly supervised by a licensed adult.
  • Residents under the age of 16 are not required to have a license to trap when accompanied by any person 18 years of age or older who possesses a valid Virginia trapping license.
  • Any person who is not hunting, but is aiding a disabled person to hunt when such disabled person possesses a valid Virginia Disabled Resident Lifetime hunting license or a Vir- ginia Resident Disabled Veteran Lifetime license is not required to have a license.
  • Any Indian who “habitually” resides on an Indian reservation or a member of the Virginia-recognized tribes who resides in the Commonwealth is not required to have a hunting or trapping license; however, such Indian must have on his person an identification card or paper signed by the chief of his tribe, a valid tribal identification card, written confirmation through a central tribal registry, or certification from a tribal office.
  • Stockholders owning 50 percent or more of the stock of any domestic corporation owning land in Virginia, his or her spouse and children and minor grandchildren, resident or nonresident, do not need a license to hunt, trap and fish within the boundaries of lands and inland waters owned by the domestic corporation.
 
Ohio you can hunt deer without a license or permit on your own land.

6) An owner who is a resident of this state or an owner who is exempt from obtaining a hunting license under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code and the children of the owner of lands in this state may hunt deer or wild turkey thereon without a deer or wild turkey permit. If the owner of land in this state is a limited liability company or a limited liability partnership that consists of three or fewer individual members or partners, as applicable, an individual member or partner who is a resident of this state and the member's or partner's children of any age may hunt deer or wild turkey on the land owned by the limited liability company or limited liability partnership without a deer or wild turkey permit. In addition, if the owner of land in this state is a trust that has a total of three or fewer trustees and beneficiaries, an individual who is a trustee or beneficiary and who is a resident of this state and the individual's children of any age may hunt deer or wild turkey on the land owned by the trust without a deer or wild turkey permit. The tenant and children of the tenant may hunt deer or wild turkey on lands where they reside without a deer or wild turkey permit.

(C) A resident of this state who owns lands in the state and the owner's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the lands without a hunting license. A resident of any other state who owns real property in this state, and the spouse and children living with the property owner, may hunt on that property without a license, provided that the state of residence of the real property owner allows residents of this state owning real property in that state, and the spouse and children living with the property owner, to hunt without a license. If the owner of land in this state is a limited liability company or a limited liability partnership that consists of three or fewer individual members or partners, as applicable, an individual member or partner who is a resident of this state and the member's or partner's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the land owned by the limited liability company or limited liability partnership without a hunting license. In addition, if the owner of land in this state is a trust that has a total of three or fewer trustees and beneficiaries, an individual who is a trustee or beneficiary and who is a resident of this state and the individual's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the land owned by the trust without a hunting license. The tenant and children of the tenant, residing on lands in the state, may hunt on them without a hunting license.
 
Since I'm from Alaska I'll throw their regs in too. And talk about regs. Alaska might just be the most heavily regulated state to hunt in because it's such a bucket list item for most hunters. Here's the nuts an bolts. TLDR version is, if you're 18 or older you best have a license and tags on your person. You DO NOT want to get caught without them. The fine is heavy. AK Fish and Game Wardens are not issued a sense of humor when they get their badge.
An Alaska resident is...
- a person (including an alien) who is physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinitely and make a home here, has maintained that per- son’s domicile in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately pre- ceding the application for a license, and is not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another state, territory, or country; OR - a member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has been sta- tioned in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the ap- plication for a license; OR
- a dependent of a resident member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has lived in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the application for a license.
A person who does not otherwise qual- ify as a resident may not qualify by vir- tue of an interest in an Alaska business.
If you have any questions about your residency call your local Alaska Wild- life Troopers (phone numbers listed on page 4).
Alaska residents ages 17 years or younger are not required to possess a license to hunt. Alaska residents ages 18 years or older must possess a valid license to hunt. Alaska residents ages 60 years or older may apply for a free permanent identification card in lieu of a license. In addition to a license, all hunters must carry any required har- vest tickets, permits, locking-tag(s) and duck stamps while hunting. Children under 10 years old are not al- lowed to have their own harvest tickets or permits.
A nonresident...
- is anyone who is not a resident of Alaska, but is a U.S. citizen.
- who hunts for brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat, must be accompa- nied in the field by an Alaska-licensed guide or resident relative within second-degree of kindred age 19 or older** who possesses a valid Alaska hunting license. The guide or resident relative must be within 100 yards of the nonresident when they attempt to take game.
See guide information on right side of page.
A nonresident alien...
- is a citizen of a foreign country who is not a resident of the United States.
- must be accompanied in the field by an Alaska-licensed guide to hunt any big game animal. The guide must be within 100 yards of the nonresident alien when they attempt to take game.
All nonresidents, regardless of age, must have appropriate licenses and big game locking-tags. Hunting licenses and big game locking-tags are valid for a specific calendar year. In addition to licenses and locking- tags, all nonresidents 10 years or older must also have appropriate harvest tickets or per- mits. Nonresidents under the age of 10 will not be issued harvest tickets or permits. (See youth hunting information, page 13.)
 
I belong to a small hunting club in the western Adirondack region of NYS. The yearly dues are cheap and I can use the camp 365 days a year if I want. I hunt 20 minutes up the road on state and county properties and its great hunting for does and the occasional nice buck. With that being said I would love a chunk of land of my own but I think if I didn't have the camp I can use whenever I want I would do that first. I have heard that if I moved out of state because I am a lifetime licence holder I will still get it so I could return. No clue on if a landowner can just hunt his property without a licence here or not....I'm guessing no because if NYS looses money they quickly make a change to get it back
 
Maine
-Residency must be permanent to be considered a resident, owning land does not count.
-Licenses are broken down significantly by weapon and season, non-res is usually triple the price of res.
-Anyone engaging in hunting any wild game in the state, regardless if they own the land or not, must have the applicable license and have it on their person while hunting.
 
Lots of states will allow non-resident landowners to hunt their own land, some will only if the resident state also allows it. Ohio, Kentucky are places I always look because of location to where I live. Kentucky also allows. I will never own hunting land in an area that allows hound hunting again! Nothing worse than paying big money to own close to 400 acres and watching it become unhuntable the second the dogs start running, but that payment doesn't stop.
 
MICHIGAN:

Licensing Requirements:
Everybody hunting needs to have a license regardless of land ownership. Fees for said licenses can be waived for some very specific conditions (Full Time Active Duty Military Residents, Resident Veteran with Disabilities). There is no fee break for non-resident Michigan land owners (still need to buy non-resident licenses).

Residency:
To qualify for any adult resident hunting or fur harvester license, you must
meet one of the following criteria:

• Reside in a settled or permanent home or domicile within the boundaries
of this state with the intention of remaining in this state. The ownership
of land in Michigan by itself is not a qualification for a resident license.
“Resident” status can only be claimed in one state.
• Be a full-time student at a Michigan college or university and reside in the
state during the school year.
• Serve full-time in the U.S. military and be officially stationed in Michigan.
• Serve full-time in the U.S. military and maintain residency in Michigan.

EDIT: As near as I can tell, licensing-wise only, the only benefit to being a hunting landowner in MI is that there is increased access to landowner doe tags.
 
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So if im following right:

Landowners CAN hunt without a license on property they own, even if they are not a resident, in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky. They CANNOT in Alaska, NY, Alabama, Maine, and Michigan.

8 out of 50. :)
 
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Pretty certain you can in Missouri as well (based on some dated research on my part)
 
A non-resident who owns land in Kentucky
must purchase nonresident licenses and
permits.

- copied from the reg book.
 
Minnesota you have to buy a specific tag for each game animal you want to take no matter your residency.

Definition of a resident from MN Regulations Handbook:
To qualify as a resident, a person must maintain legal residence in Minnesota for at least 60 consecutive days before purchasing a license.
  • Residents 21 years of age or older must provide a current Minnesota driver's license or Minnesota public safety ID card or have a receipt for an application for a Minnesota driver's license or Minnesota public safety ID that is at least 60 days old.
  • A nonresident under age 21 whose parent is a Minnesota resident is considered a resident.
You are considered a nonresident if you do not meet the criteria of a resident. There is also extra exemptions for full time students and military personnel.

Resident deer license- $34
Resident bonus tag- $18

Nonresident deer- $185
Nonresident bonus- $91

So in other words owning land in MN gets you no special privileges. It may be the land of 10,000 lakes but it's also the land of 10,000 laws :rolleyes:
 
I belong to a small hunting club in the western Adirondack region of NYS. The yearly dues are cheap and I can use the camp 365 days a year if I want. I hunt 20 minutes up the road on state and county properties and its great hunting for does and the occasional nice buck. With that being said I would love a chunk of land of my own but I think if I didn't have the camp I can use whenever I want I would do that first. I have heard that if I moved out of state because I am a lifetime licence holder I will still get it so I could return. No clue on if a landowner can just hunt his property without a licence here or not....I'm guessing no because if NYS looses money they quickly make a change to get it back
Same here, I own a small camp in the adks on some lease land, it’s supposed to be a club but I just foot the bill and let all my friends come for free to keep the peace and have fun, I also own 50 acres and my family has another 250 acres for hunting, guess where I hunt 99% of the time, camp. Having a camp by big tracts of public is awesome, nobody has to step on each others toes, if an extra truck pulls into my camp full of friends theres always someplace for them to hunt, I love it. For me a small cheap camp next to public is the way to go, between taxes and neighbor problems owning private isn’t for me.
 
License and permit exemptions
Exemptions from hunting license and permit (including Florida waterfowl, migratory bird, deer, turkey, management area, and archery, crossbow and muzzleloading gun season) requirements are:
  • Persons hunting in their county of residence on their homestead or homestead of their spouse or minor child; or minor child hunting on the homestead of their parents.
  • Florida residents age 65 or older possessing proof of age and residency (a valid Florida Driver License or Florida ID Card meets this requirement) or a Florida Resident 65+ Hunting and Fishing License. Also exempt from furbearer trapping license. Residents age 65 or older may obtain these complimentary hunting and fishing licenses at county tax collectors’ offices and at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
  • handicapped_logo_small.jpg
    Florida residents possessing a Florida Resident Persons with Disabilities Hunting and Fishing License. Information for this license is available at MyFWC.com/ADA, and applications can be submitted at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
  • Florida residents in the U.S. Armed Services not stationed in Florida, while home on leave with orders for 30 days or less.
  • Children under age 16 (also exempt from federal duck stamps
 
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