I grew up in the SW and even 60+ years ago getting permission to go on private property to hunt or fish, often was next to impossible.
My Dad was able to fish on the big pond of a family he knew decades ago. They allowed me to hunt as long as they were notified. No goose hunting as geese often had mates for life. When my Dad gave up his Driver’s due to vision problems, the property owner/s allowed my mother, a sibling or me to drive him to and from the pond. Dad’s first cousin became the allowed driver when my sibling and I went to college. My mother would only go if it wasn’t too hot or too cold.
One of my teachers in high school recommended me to the probably richest family in the county. I could walk or ride my bike to their locked gates. I had their combo and just had to call to let them know, I would be there. That owner became a long time Congressman. After a long interview, he let me have a key to locked gates. I could not bring anyone including my Dad.
The homes on these two properties where immense. The later one looked like a regal home in Scotland. The other home was huge and was built like smaller ranch/farm homes in that area. The smaller home was on a full section of land, and the bigger one was probably on 4+ sections.
There were all types of rumors re how the owners ended up with their properties, and how they made money to live in and staff those properties.
Wow neat stuff. I’ve never managed to fall in with that chunk of society. Probably for the best, I’d probably do something dumb.