When all you work for is all but lost is a HUGE letdown! I posted about a month ago I was looking for land for me and my dad and couple close friends to lease. Although I am currently in a pretty good hunting club. I enjoy going out and in the spring time, climbing up on my tractor and planting summer plots to help maintain and contribute to our deer heard. We do the same, of course, for fall and winter. But and that's a big BUT! When the club that joins u, that is supposed to be on the same program, that being, 3 1/2 year old and better, are not abiding by the lease contract and you are, it really hurts! It's really discouraging when they, (being the joining club) are not contributing to what's supposed to be a deer management program. We re supposed to be a team on the same page so everyone can look forward to having the opportunity to take trophy deer. It really hurts seeing small buck after small buck hit the ground and they even go as far to say they're a wildlife managing club BUT! That's where the management stops! Guidelines being 6 point with a 12 inch spread is not exactly wildlife management. I can't grasp the concept.... LET EM GO THEY WILL GROW

It definitely can be discouraging when you have a situation like yours since I have seen a lot of people shoot deer just so the people on the neighboring property won't have a chance at killing it. I have had to deal with a similar situation. It also sucks when you kill the biggest buck of your life and then everyone that hunts within a 2 mile radius of you is pissed off and says "He killed my deer that I been watching for 3 years" like the deer had their name branded on it. They can say what they want it doesn't bother me because in the end I put in the time and effort and he's hanging on my wall.

I hate to hear that. I can certainaly feel for you. I never will understand why so many people want to kill small juvenile deer. I know many people around my area who believe that what makes a good hunter is the ability to kill a large qty of deer. These people know no concept of animal maturity. It's a notch in their belt to say "I got my limit this year". You can see them beaming with pride when they say it. Always discouraging to hear it.... Everyone that knows me knows I trophy hunt and don't just take one for the heck of it. One of these guys recently said to me "we're going to get you A deer this year". All I can think is wow. Just wow.

This is where deer hunting has gone WAY wrong. Grown men fighting over damn pine goats. Its pretty funny and downright pathetic at the same time. A deer isn't gonna make a hill of beans difference in anybodys life, but talking to some hunters you'd think nothing else exists.

I don't think I exactly understand your lease. Both your and the neighboring club signed a lease contract that says you are not suppose to shoot anything younger than a 3 1/2 old deer? If so, then contact the ownership of the land and file a complaint, they might lose their lease.

What I don't understand is why people like yourself want to knock somebody else for what they shoot. If its legal and a man wants to shoot it, what's the problem? You hunt how you want to hunt and let everybody else hunt how they want to hunt. If your not happy with what the adjoining property is doing, find you another place to hunt.

Now hawgwild, don't come up in here making sense and having good points.

I'm right there with ya hawgwild. You can't control what others do. Hunt and have fun. Can't eat the antlers anyways..

Different strokes for different folks. It sucks but if I paid the dues on the adjoining club and I wanted to kill a deer that met the club standards but not your standards.....youre just going to have to be mad. For the record it pisses me off too. When I was about 10, me and my dad were hunting a huge field and only a thin strip of woods separated our property from the neighboring club . The smallest 8 point ive ever seen walked out and chased a doe around for a good 15 minutes with me begging my dad to let me shoot. We were 8 pt or better club and he was legal for me to shoot but got the no he is too young /small speech which really pissed me off at the time He chased the doe thru the strip of woods and no more than got out of sight and BAMMMMM.

At the end of the day you have to remember this is a hobby, not a job or means of survival. Be thankful you have the health and finances to enjoy what free time you have with friends and family.

If someone's legally killing deer on they're own property or lease they pay for its nobody elses business.Trophy hunting has turned way to many hunters into idiot ass greedy basterds.

Ain't that the dang truth

Ummmm.... Read the entire post before u comment... Just saying. Maybe the trophy minded folks on this forum are not the idiots here. But opinions are like ass holes, some just stink worse than others! We and our surrounding clubs lease from the same timber company and it's in the lease contract 3 1/2 year old and older on bucks. Our lease agent has been contacted and it's being investigated. Thank goodness

Waste your time no one cares! That is the mentality you got, so just go brown it's down on them and see how quick they turn on you! You doing all the work and they are enjoying the fruits of your labor! Been there no thank you!

Yeah, and this was the whole reason I joined my club two years ago was because of us and surrounding clubs are "supposed" to be on same Westervelt program but obviously that's not the case seeing as how the joining club has posted numerous pictures of spikes , little 6 points etc... That are not 3 1/2 year old bucks. If u wanna eat shoot a freaking doe, there plentiful and game wardens even say they need thinning out.....

I feel your pain. You fellas that are saying not to worry about others methods, need to read the dang post. You can bet your ass if I join a lease that is part of a wildlife cooperative in the leasing agreement, you damn well better follow it. If I was in your position tide, I'd send letters to each and every member of that club. I'd copy the part of the agreement that they were breaking, mention instances in which you have proof that they broke them, etc. Then I'd tell them to change it or you go to the leasing company.

I agree with the OP in that it is disappointing to put in time and effort, have rules in place and then have grown ass men blatantly disregard the rules. Everyone makes a mistake from time to time but some people agree to the rules and then break them. However, I also believe we have a responsibility to introduce youth into the sport. Part of that responsibility is making sure the youth remain interested and experience a little success.

If I were in complete control of the rules on a lease I would say that all adult members get 1 doe (meat in the freezer) and 3 mature bucks a year. Mature being at least 8 points outside the ears with big bodies of 190lbs+. That would insure that the bucks taken would be at least 3.5 years old. I would allow additional does taken with a bow up to 2. Now for the exception, as stated above, I believe we have a responsibility to introduce and cultivate an interest in hunting for our youth. But i also think we should teach our youth responsible management so here is what I would propose. Kids are held to the same standards as the adults but if it gets to the second week of January and a youth member has not killed a buck, I would drop their standard down to 6 points and outside the ears for the last three weeks. I would also encourage that the club identify "Cull" bucks at the start of the season and all members actively help in putting youth members in a position to take out these identified "Cull" bucks. I would post pictures of these culls beside the sign out board along with location/date/time information for each cull. A "cull" would be any MATURE buck with less than 8 points.

And that is what I would do if I were the dictator if a lease, but I'm not. I think it is criminal to teach a kid the "if its brown its down" way of thinking. It teaches the kid to have zero respect for the sport or the game we pursue.

Atoler, we went straight to the horses mouth. We have skipped the first step of talking to the club breaking the lease rules because if they're open enough to post all their baby buck kills on a freakin Facebook page and open enough of posting their own rules and stipulations over ruling the timber companies rules then they could give a rats ass in the first place so we figured it wouldn't do any good talking to them directly. If they would just let em make it to the right age range we d all reap the benefits. The genetics are there and awesome potential but not under the circumstances.

Maybe your neighbors are doing something better than you at game management if they are killing all "your" deer. Make your place better so the deer don't have to walk over to your neighbors land.