If you're a member of a hunting camp and you're one of say, 5 plus members... if you don't have time to put in the work getting food plots, shooting houses, camp house, etc... ready for the season, then you should not have time to hunt around Christmas and when the rut comes around in Jan!!!!

Every club has one or maybe several members that don't show up until hunting season and you can't keep'em away during the rut... however, they didn't do chit for the club pre-season!

Something to think about as clubs need to crack down on such members. If you're one of "these type members" and you pay extra money to cover the fact that you're not there to help plant, cut limbs, clean, etc..., then that's better but don't NOT contribute and be the first one to sign out during the rut.

I feel better!

I feel your pain. Makes me glad to be out of the hunting club business. The worst issues I had came from my own family members. If it ain�t trying to get folks to work, it�s trying to get them to pay the dues or something else. Here�s a novel idea, if you don�t have the money to get into a $1500 hunting club�.then don�t sign up for one. The president of the club is not a bank handing out short term loans.

Go ahead and rant brother.....

Our club has 3 work days everyone is required to put in prior to hunting season. If someone can't make all 3 days, you are charged $100 for each day you don't work. This is payable prior to hunting season or you don't hunt. This is a low drama club and most folks have the mindset of not letting the club down so there are only a few folks that don't work or don't pay the money. There was one year that my schedule just didn't allow me to make but 2 of the days. I ponied up $100 for the day missed and it was all good.

Dr. B

And the non workers seem to be the ones that kill the best deer since they are miraculously free all the time during season

If I had a club I would say for example
$2000 dues
6 work days (you must attend at least 4)
If you are not there for 4 of the six work days you will be refunded $1000 and your club membership will be terminated.
If you know you can not make the work days you can purchase a work day credit for $250 / day.

Try having a member like that when it is you and him on 700 acres. He normally comes to plant and to tell me what I did wrong.

Or them friends that ain't never got time to come help you hang a stand and do some work but always seem to have time to go hunting

It�s hard to enforce rules and not be made out to be an arsehole. I tried being strict but fair�.yet you still had folks calling when the money came due with all kinds of stories about why they couldn�t pay now�kids needed braces�.truck tore up�.yada yada�..but if you would let them give you a couple hundred a month then they could probably swing it. Now you�ve either got to go huntin for a new member during the middle of the summer when everyone else has already gotten in a club�. or pay their dues out of your own savings account and add monthly bill collector to your list of duties. Follks seem to think that its ok as long as they pay it by hunting season even though you had to pay the landowner back in June.

Everyone always has something to do on work days as well. They may show up but about noon, a story arises and someone always has to leave. When hunting season gets there though, they would be willing to miss the birth of their child to be there and hunt. Having to deal with other people�s chit took all the fun out of it for me and most of my guys were actually good members. You�ve always got one or two though at the best you can do that make it a headache. If I ever lease land again it�ll be a small tract for just myself��.MAYBE with one buddy.

I had a buddy that had time to hunt but never had time in the summer. Last year, I did not have time to invite hie to hunt and this year all of a sudden he asking me :when are the work day...I'm coming"

its a miracle

I've gotta guy who hunts with me who can't seem to find a babysitter Feb thru early Mar nor May-Oct. But always seems to find one for the 23-24 weekends of deer and turkey season. Simply amazing.

As long as they pay the fees associated with the missed days they should have the same rights as you do.

If you feel differently then maybe the rules need changes, but that's up to the lease holder. They make the rules.

Got one member that lives in Texas and only hunts two weeks in January. He makes the drive every October to help plant and fix up things, great guy. Got a couple that live within an hour of the club and you never see them till season starts. I don't understand, I look forward to planting and working around the club. It's all about the excitement leading up to season.

Always that way in a club. Some guys give a lot of time, energy and effort and some do little to nothing. The funny part is how the guys that do the least always bitch the most about how and why things were done a certain way.

It really depends on the Club your in, and how things are done. I got an invitation to join a 5000 acre lease. This club does things a lot different then anything I have seen before. Each member has their own 100-150 acre share of the club, and they can only hunt within their bounderies. If you want to do feeders or food plots,then you take care of your own stuff. If you want or don't want to prepare for hunting season, then it's completely up to you. It's really neat how they handle new members and exiting members. They operate on a seniority basis, and vacated share rights are offered to most senior members 1st. A member is not limited to how many shares he controls as long as they pay up for them. New members are only offered shares when no other members want them. You can bring guests onto the lease as long as they stay on your share. In the off season, members can ride ATV's where ever they want up till a month before hunting season. I'm committed to Alabama this year, but am considering the new club.

In our current club, each member has their primary stand setup, and no one else hunts it without permission. Feeders in proximity to your stands are your responsibility. We do maintain some common feeders and food plots, as well as a multitude of stands that anyone can hunt. Our biggest maintenance issues seem to revolve around keeping trails open, and shooting lanes clear. The members that don't show up and participate in maintenance are going to be hunting spots that are less maintained.

Our members tend to get out of the club what they put into it, and karma almost always shows her beautiful face. Myself, I'm more of an alcoholic with a bad hunting problem.

A guy started texting me last year right when bow season started last year. I ignored him until he said that he had 3 young step-sons that he wanted to teach how to hunt and that he didn't have no where to hunt (We manage 40+ acres right across the street from his house).

I have a soft spot for folks that fall in love with their spouse's kids so I said okay, explaining that we have had poor luck with getting the people that we let hunt to help out with the never ending work.

I told him that immediately following deer season we would start working on a couple green fields. I told him that I wanted to do the work between deer and turkey so that it would still be cool out.

I called him the 1st three weekends after deer and he was unavailable so I quit calling him. Sure enough the day before youth turkey opened he starts calling asking when we could work back there.

I told him that I wasn't doing shucks back there during turkey and that I didn't want nobody back there at all unless they was invited on a turkey hunt with me.

Man, I have several stories like this or worse but I aint typing them cause I will be too mad lol.

^^^^^^^^^^This

As someone who has hunted in Texas what I can't understand is someone driving from Texas to Alabama to hunt lol.

I always make my required works days plus some most of the time and have no sympathy for those that don't.

not hijacking but y'all think a deer/turkey club is bad, try a duck club. Brushing in blinds, moving blinds, repairing blinds and improving the land, ect. ect. Nobody can drive over a weekend and do their share but by God every weekend of duck season and most weekdays, them sumbitches are at the club and bitching about getting the best holes. Oh and bringing 3 friends too.

Dr. B

We usually start going up and pitching in at the start of August and have well more than our share of work days completed way before planting time rolls around but we keep helping because nobody ever shows up to give a hand. Same way every year. Every year it seems less and less people show and they just pay their money for the missed days. Same people complain about certain things not getting tended to during the off season. Well its hard to keep up and do everything that needs to be done on 4500 acres with mainly 4 people doing all the work. I personally have no sympathy for these people and quite frankly do not care if they ever kill a deer or not. Sure as heck wont give them any tips or pointers when they cant come help during the summer but then you cant run them out of camp once season starts.