A lot of good answers, but the first thing that popped into my mind from reading the OP was, why did the owner have to tell the man "sternly" not to hunt it, if the man asked for permission? Wouldn't a polite no work? The man was doing right at least at some point.
I know this land owner Chuck is talking about and he's completely against any hunting on his property and if he says no he aint kidding and he'll say no in a way you wont forget that he said it
No need to be an ass about it if someone shows you the courtesy of asking, unless he already knew he was planning on poaching. This is why a lot of hunters, especially young ones are afraid to ask. It is easier to just risk it than to get an undeserved ass chewing for asking.
His land, he can allow or disallow hunting or access in any manner he sees fit. I've had tons of people ask if they can hunt my land...sometimes I let them, sometimes I just laugh at them, sometimes I tell them "HELL no!". I've also had a couple that I allowed to hunt that I had to turn around and tell they were no longer welcome.
