Find state programs that pay or support landowners who open hunting access.

Who may qualify: The compact recognizes ranch owners already working with AZGFD to provide recreational access. Prospective partners should discuss fit and available access or habitat funding with the appropriate regional landowner-relations specialist.

Owner control: Each participating ranch keeps its own enforceable access rules, which may govern passes, fees, dates, roads, vehicles, gates, camping, and other use conditions.

Next step: Contact the AZGFD Landowner Relations specialist for the property's region.

Who may qualify: Rice producers or qualifying Wetland Reserve participants must leave post-harvest food, flood with surface water or rainfall rather than a well, rank well for proximity to waterfowl-focused public habitat, and allow managed weekend draw hunts.

Owner control: AGFC selects hunters and manages the weekend draw. The accepted field, flooding method, access option, and contract terms determine the owner's obligations.

Next step: Contact the WRICE coordinator and monitor the official WRICE page for the next owner application window.

Who may qualify: The pilot invited owners in Arkansas alligator country whose properties were frequented by alligators and who were willing to host AGFC-drawn hunting parties.

Owner control: The owner application specified the number of parties allowed, and owners could choose whether to communicate directly with the drawn hunter. AGFC coordinated the limited hunt.

Next step: The 2026 pilot is closed to new owner applications; monitor AGFC's alligator information for any future cycle.

Who may qualify: Owners or managers of private land with potential hunting or other recreational opportunities may submit the landowner enrollment form or contact the SHARE coordinator for evaluation.

Owner control: Property opportunities and access dates are established through the partnership; CDFW sells Access Permit applications and issues hunter access through random drawings.

Next step: Submit CDFW's SHARE Landowner Enrollment Form or contact the SHARE coordinator.

Who may qualify: A qualifying ranch must meet the 10,000-acre rule and enter a CPW wildlife-management partnership that supplies free public hunting to residents who draw the ranch-specific licenses and requires habitat work.

Owner control: Hunt seasons, public and private license allocations, ranch access, and habitat commitments are established through the approved ranch plan and CPW program rules rather than an owner-run booking marketplace.

Next step: Contact CPW for current Ranching for Wildlife proposal and management-plan requirements.

Who may qualify: A property must meet the 5,000-acre threshold, support a predictably present sustainable Rocky Mountain bighorn herd, stay within one herd unit, and satisfy the rule's private- or State-Trust-land herd-use test.

Owner control: CPW and the owner establish ranch access through a cooperative agreement. Public and private access must generally be equivalent, the owner supplies the public hunter's property packet, and the ranch may not charge the public hunter an access fee.

Next step: Contact CPW to evaluate the herd and prepare a Bighorn Sheep Access cooperative agreement.

Who may qualify: Eligible partners include individual owners, agricultural producers, timber companies, and timber investment management organizations with land suitable for hunting, fishing, or wildlife-viewing access.

Owner control: Participating owners retain flexibility to set access dates and types of public use in the negotiated agreement.

Next step: Complete the Georgia WRD Landowner Interest Form for VPA-HIP review.

Who may qualify: The owner or authorized applicant submits proof of ownership, property and habitat details, proposed access, and requested compensation. Regional review committees rank bids against access value, wildlife opportunity, cost, and management needs.

Owner control: Owners propose dates, species, hunter capacity, vehicle use, camping, contact requirements, and other access conditions. Accepted properties are signed and published by IDFG, which acts as the owner's agent for access-rule enforcement.

Next step: Contact the regional Landowner Sportsman Coordinator before preparing the official bid application.

Who may qualify: Owners of suitable Illinois land apply for one or more supported activities. IRAP reviews the form, visits the site, confirms eligibility, and prepares the lease.

Owner control: Owners choose the activities to offer. IDNR controls reservations or assignments, dates, times, capacity, signs, and participant waivers; the leased portion cannot be used by the owner during contracted activity windows, with safety closures coordinated through IRAP.

Next step: Submit the IRAP landowner enrollment form; applications are accepted during the agreement year.

Who may qualify: Owners in eligible counties work with a district biologist to identify suitable huntable acreage and species. Acceptance and the payment level depend on the property and access offered.

Owner control: Owners choose the enrolled area, safety or no-hunting zones, parking and access points, offered species, and practical hunter capacity with the biologist. DNR applies statewide rules and administers every hunt through its reserved-hunt system.

Next step: Call or email the local Indiana DNR district biologist to evaluate and enroll the property.

Who may qualify: The owner or a person with authority to sign a land contract works with a DNR private-lands biologist on a habitat plan and application. Projects are ranked against other submissions in each 30-day review period.

Owner control: The owner chooses the portion to enroll. Enrolled acres are open for public walk-in hunting September 1-May 31 under public-land-style rules; Iowa DNR posts the boundary and conservation officers patrol it.

Next step: Contact an Iowa DNR private-lands biologist to develop the habitat plan and application.

Who may qualify: Owners, tenants, farm managers, trust managers, and similar controllers of qualifying private habitat may apply. KDWP biologists evaluate size, location, habitat, access period, and likely hunting opportunity before offering a lease.

Owner control: The negotiated lease sets the seasonal access period and safety limits. Standard WIHA is walk-in; iWIHA adds daily capacity and app check-in. KDWP signs, maps, and patrols enrolled tracts so hunters do not contact owners.

Next step: Contact the appropriate KDWP regional office or wildlife biologist with the property's legal description.

Who may qualify: KDFWR evaluates private crop fields for dove potential, usable public access, location, and the field-management arrangement. The current public pages do not promise acceptance or publish a universal owner application.

Owner control: The agreement identifies the private field and public dates; KDFWR regulates the hunting opportunity and provides heightened law-enforcement activity. For 2026, cooperative private fields are open only on the dates published by KDFWR.

Next step: Contact a KDFWR private-lands biologist and ask about the next Cooperative Dove Field owner cycle.

Who may qualify: Large landholders in Kentucky's elk zone may negotiate a public hunting agreement with KDFWR; each qualifying 5,000-acre block earns one transferable landowner-cooperator elk permit.

Owner control: Land enrolled under the agreement is open for public hunting under statewide rules unless the property is specifically posted otherwise, and KDFWR facilitates the public access arrangement.

Next step: Contact KDFWR's elk program to discuss a landowner-cooperator public hunting agreement.

Who may qualify: An owner or lessee controlling at least 100 acres in the 16-county restoration zone may request follow-up from an elk biologist and, if accepted, host KDFWR-assigned quota hunters.

Owner control: Hunter capacity is set with biologist discretion, owner input, and elk use. Owners determine access timing and may close elk hunting while other hunting seasons are underway.

Next step: Submit KDFWR's live Voucher Cooperator request-for-follow-up form.

Who may qualify: MDIFW invites a landowner interested in having additional hunters, or a landowner with DMAP permits to distribute, to use its dedicated contact for help locating hunters. Eligibility for DMAP permits is separate from this assistance path.

Owner control: The owner chooses whether land stays open, requires written permission, or closes, and may set property-specific access conditions. Agency help finding hunters is not presented as public parcel enrollment or a grant of permission.

Next step: Use the dedicated DMAP hunter-assistance contact published on MDIFW's Landowner Support page to ask for help finding hunters or distributing DMAP permits.

Who may qualify: A Massachusetts landowner domiciled on 300 or more contiguous acres of undeveloped property, or a qualifying farmer who derives at least half of annual income from listed agricultural practices, may apply. Except for legal safety zones, all qualifying land must remain unposted and open without restriction to public hunting.

Owner control: Participation is annual and voluntary, but an applicant cannot close or selectively restrict public hunting on the qualifying land while relying on this permit. The owner and eligible family members may use the issued tags only on the approved property and must follow statewide rules.

Next step: Complete the official Farmer/Landowner Permit application, mail it to MassWildlife, and allow at least 30 days for processing.

Who may qualify: Owners with at least 20 acres in listed parts of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas may apply during an open enrollment period. Forest, wetland, grassland, and cropland can qualify, subject to regional habitat review.

Owner control: The owner selects allowed hunt categories from the options available in that region and can limit the number of hunters. Properties use a designated registration or check-in process, and participants may also seek habitat-project funding.

Next step: Use the HAP landowner page to contact Michigan DNR and confirm that enrollment is open for the property's county before applying.

Who may qualify: Qualifying habitat must be accessible from a public road and maintained through enrollment. Conservation-program acreage is prioritized, while other land may qualify when it has high-quality natural cover.

Owner control: Enrolled habitat is open on foot for legal hunting from September 1 through May 31. DNR posts the tract, motor vehicles and several non-hunting uses are prohibited, and either party retains the published termination right.

Next step: Contact the Soil and Water Conservation District for the property's county through the official enrollment page and ask for the current enrollment window and rate.

Who may qualify: Private owners, regardless of residence, may offer a qualifying tract with public-road frontage. Hunting tracts generally need 40 contiguous acres and at least 20% quality wildlife habitat at application.

Owner control: The owner chooses one access category and may keep using the property personally. Public users self-register and walk in without contacting the owner; more restrictive youth-only or archery-only options are available, but participant counts are not capped.

Next step: Contact the MRAP coordinator or submit the official application linked from the landowner page; MDC ranks offers throughout the year as funding is available.

Who may qualify: A private owner or tenant may apply by offering public hunting on land under their control, or a corridor to public hunting land, generally from September 1 through January 1 or during another commission-established season.

Owner control: The participant and FWP establish when, where, and how hunters enter. Within program guidelines, owners may cap hunter numbers, limit dates, exclude species, and use self-administered or managed permission while FWP supplies maps, signs, and management help.

Next step: Review the official landowner page and contact the local FWP office about the next application cycle; the published 2026 deadline has passed.

Who may qualify: Nebraska owners may offer suitable grassland, wetlands, woodland, cropland cover, ponds, or streams. Current recruitment prioritizes six pheasant areas and WRE/WRP land, while other quality properties may be considered as funds allow.

Owner control: An owner may enroll all or only part of a property and select from available access periods, including options that exclude rifle deer season or allow only spring turkey. Access is on foot, staff post boundaries and patrol tracts, and owners need not handle individual permission requests.

Next step: Contact a Game and Parks biologist or office at any time of year to request evaluation for the next spring contracting cycle.

Who may qualify: A landowner willing to leave most of a property open to public hunting may submit the participation agreement for access-management signs and support.

Owner control: Owners can use program signs to identify safety zones, parking, motor-vehicle restrictions, and other management needs while keeping the majority of the participating land open.

Next step: Complete the Operation Land Share participation agreement and request the signs needed to manage public use of the property.

Who may qualify: Owners may offer some or all of a property with quality hunting, fishing, or trapping opportunity, or a right-of-way to otherwise inaccessible public land. Each proposal is individually evaluated; a lessee needs the lease and notarized owner authorization.

Owner control: The owner and NMDOW negotiate the enrolled acres or route, allowed activities and species, dates, roads, and property rules. Signs communicate the agreement, and annual or long-term payment timing is set in the contract.

Next step: Submit the official Open Gate application with the recorded deed, legal description, and boundary map; lessees must also provide the required owner authorization.

Who may qualify: DEC describes cooperative agreements that provide access and management services on privately owned land to increase public hunting. The reviewed page lists current areas but does not promise that new owner proposals are being accepted.

Owner control: Access rules vary by cooperative area. A prospective owner should confirm the proposed boundary, public-use rules, management responsibilities, agreement duration, and exit terms directly with DEC because standard terms are not published on the public page.

Next step: Use DEC's regional directory to contact the Wildlife office serving the property and ask whether a new Fish and Wildlife Management Act cooperative agreement is currently possible.

Who may qualify: A North Dakota owner may work with a PLI biologist on CRP access, working lands, habitat plots, food plots, private forest, wetland, or tree-planting options that combine habitat work with walk-in public hunting.

Owner control: The owner and department select the appropriate PLOTS option and put the access, habitat work, payment structure, and term in the agreement. Accepted tracts are signed and included in the annual PLOTS guide for walk-in hunting.

Next step: Contact a PLI biologist through the official owner factsheet now to discuss the next enrollment cycle and the option, payment, and term suited to the property.

Who may qualify: Ohio landowners statewide whose properties have at least 10% habitat may apply; properties with substantial established wildlife habitat or designated conservation-program enrollment receive preference.

Owner control: Owners must retain ownership and control, maintain or increase habitat, and post the agreed signs throughout the agreement period. ODNR's 2025 report says about 75% of participating owners elected to allow firearm deer hunting.

Next step: Use the county-based wildlife-district contact on the official fact sheet to ask about enrollment and confirm the current agreement, payment rates, and timing before relying on the undated terms.

Who may qualify: The legal owner, the owner's representative, or a lessee with operational authority may propose land that is reachable from a public road and meets the applicable activity and habitat criteria.

Owner control: The signed lease sets the activities, dates, restrictions, and compensation. Owners may temporarily deny access while ranching or agricultural work is underway.

Next step: Submit the online or printable landowner application, or contact the OLAP biologist or technician for help and a property evaluation.

Who may qualify: Individual or groups of landowners, conservation organizations, and agencies may propose a project that improves habitat, increases public hunting access to private land, or addresses wildlife damage.

Owner control: The proposal and final grant agreement define the property, access method, work, schedule, and restrictions; approved access projects are publicized so hunters can use the agreed opportunity.

Next step: Contact the regional Access & Habitat coordinator before completing the grant application, then submit the proposal through that coordinator.

Who may qualify: Oregon owners willing to offer scheduled, no-cost hunting access for game species may work with the coordinator on a property-specific opportunity and wildlife-management goal.

Owner control: Owners retain precise control over when, where, how, and how many hunters may enter. ODFW can run reservations, permits, parking passes, communications, maps, signs, and property rules.

Next step: Contact the Hunt by Reservation coordinator; property recruitment is year-round and begins with a call, email, or meeting.

Who may qualify: Private owners willing to provide lawful public hunting and trapping access may ask the Landowner Resources Office or a regional office to evaluate enrollment.

Owner control: For 2026–27, owners choose Open, Reservation, or Permission Access, may choose species, equipment, and hunting types, and may prohibit Sunday hunting. Reservation owners set daily capacity.

Next step: Contact the Landowner Resources Office, a regional office, or the program email to begin the cooperator process.

Who may qualify: Pennsylvania owners—especially farmers experiencing material crop damage from deer—may enroll property for access by trained, screened, and qualified hunters.

Owner control: Owners retain full control, create a property usage guide and hunt plan, and receive a direct agency liaison plus annual harvest reporting.

Next step: Email the Certified Hunter Program to learn more or begin the landowner application process.

Who may qualify: Owners of private land with useful habitat or hunting opportunity may ask a GFP private-lands habitat biologist to evaluate an access agreement.

Owner control: WIA is the broad-access option: enrolled land is generally open for unlimited public hunting during the agreed seasons and is foot-traffic only. Contract restrictions can be reflected in payment.

Next step: Contact the private-lands habitat biologist serving the property's area for an evaluation and current contract offer.

Who may qualify: Owners of working farms, ranches, or other private land who want limited—not unlimited—public hunting may ask GFP to evaluate a CHAP agreement.

Owner control: Owners may limit hunters per day, species, seasons, methods, and open dates, and may manage access by direct contact, self-service check-in, or the online reservation system.

Next step: Contact a GFP private-lands habitat biologist to design a limited-access agreement and current enrollment offer.

Who may qualify: Eligible cropland or marginal pastureland in the James River or Big Sioux River watershed may be proposed through the participating CREP process.

Owner control: All enrolled acres are open to public walk-in hunting and fishing for the contract term; the owner chooses whether to enter the long-term agreement and which eligible acreage to propose.

Next step: Work with a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologist, GFP, and the USDA Farm Service Agency to determine property and CRP eligibility.

Who may qualify: Private land within a South Dakota elk unit may qualify, especially where elk use exceeds the owner's tolerance and additional hunter harvest can address the problem.

Owner control: The owner controls how many hunters may enter, when they may enter, and where they may hunt. GFP shares owner contact information only with individual elk hunters on request.

Next step: Contact GFP's private-lands or Rapid City staff for a property review and a one-season EHAP contract.

Who may qualify: Private Texas land with huntable wildlife—particularly dove, waterfowl, pheasant, quail, feral hog, squirrel, rabbit, or other useful public opportunities—may be considered.

Owner control: The negotiated lease defines dates, species, acreage, and access conditions. For short big-game opportunities, TPWD draws hunters and the owner controls how the hunt is run.

Next step: Contact the TPWD Public Hunting Program, private-lands leasing biologist, or a local wildlife biologist to propose the property.

Who may qualify: Texas owners with surplus white-tailed deer and a suitable property-management objective may propose limited drawn hunts for management bucks and/or antlerless and spike deer.

Owner control: Owners administer check-in, state ranch rules, direct hunters to assigned areas, monitor activity, and may remove a hunter for unsafe or noncompliant conduct; guide service, food, and lodging are not required.

Next step: Contact the TPWD Public Hunting Program, a local wildlife biologist, or a game warden as early as possible to discuss a lease.

Who may qualify: An owner or other party with the legal right to grant access may propose suitable private land, water, or a corridor that opens otherwise inaccessible public land.

Owner control: The written lease identifies allowed activities and property conditions. Owners may authorize vehicle routes or impose reasonable restrictions, although restrictions can reduce compensation.

Next step: Contact the regional Walk-In Access program manager listed by DWR to discuss the property and provide ownership and boundary documentation.

Who may qualify: Private Vermont landowners seeking help controlling deer damage may create a confidential profile for matching with registered hunters.

Owner control: Owner information is kept confidential for matching; a database match does not itself grant a hunter access, so the owner retains permission control.

Next step: Create a landowner account in the official Landowner-Hunter Connection system and complete the matching profile.

Who may qualify: Virginia owners looking for qualified, experienced hunters to assist with deer, bear, or other wildlife-management needs may register.

Owner control: Owners search by their chosen criteria, decide which hunters to contact, keep property details confidential, and retain complete control over access and property rules.

Next step: Register as a landowner in Hunter Finder, complete the property-management criteria, and search the qualified-hunter database.

Who may qualify: Washington owners willing to open private land to public hunting may contact WDFW about Feel Free to Hunt, Register to Hunt, Written Permission, or Hunt by Reservation access.

Owner control: The selected agreement and site rules define whether access is open, registered, written-permission, or reservation-based. WDFW works with owners on signs, technical help, and hunter management.

Next step: Use the WDFW regional contacts on the landowner resource page to discuss the property and the access model that fits it.

Who may qualify: Owners whose property can provide public big-game access or help manage deer or elk damage may contact WDFW private-lands, district-biologist, or wildlife-conflict staff for evaluation.

Owner control: Permits may be distributed through WDFW or landowner pathways, and hunters must still obtain written owner permission and follow posted property restrictions.

Next step: Contact the WDFW regional private-lands staff listed on the official landowner resource page to discuss program eligibility.

Who may qualify: Private grassland, wetland, forest, and some agricultural land may qualify, including some land already enrolled in CRP, WRP, or closed-status MFL.

Owner control: Owners choose how much eligible land to enroll and retain normal owner activities, but enrolled access must be open to all users for the allowed activities; owners cannot cap hunter numbers or species within the VPA lease.

Next step: Complete the official interest survey for future enrollment and contact the VPA coordinator or a local Public Access Liaison with questions.

Who may qualify: Private land offering quality spring turkey hunting may qualify, including some property enrolled in CRP, WRP, or MFL.

Owner control: Owners choose the acreage to enroll and retain normal property activities, but the enrolled tract is open to public spring turkey scouting and hunting without separate permission during the program window.

Next step: Register interest for future enrollment and contact the VPA/THAP coordinator or a local Public Access Liaison for current guidance.

Who may qualify: Private property that can provide hunting access, or a route into otherwise difficult-to-reach public or state land, may be considered for a Walk-In Hunting Area or Hunter Management Area agreement.

Owner control: The owner and WGFD negotiate the enrolled area, species, open dates, agreement length, and ranch-specific rules; WGFD then handles maps, hunter instructions, and the applicable access process.

Next step: Contact a regional Access Yes coordinator, local game warden, wildlife biologist, or regional office to discuss a current property-specific access agreement.

Who may qualify: Wyoming owners seeking a limited number of hunters to reduce agricultural damage or manage wildlife populations may ask WGFD to list a property contact opportunity.

Owner control: Owners set the species, number of hunters, permission terms, and other property-specific needs, and may have their listing removed once the desired harvest is reached.

Next step: Contact a local game warden, biologist, regional office, or Access Yes coordinator to request inclusion in the owner-assistance listing.