My son and i built a shooting house on a powerline where we killed 2 nice bucks last year. We're in a club with a friend of mine. He's a great guy, comes and works when it required, but other than that he doesn't do much scouting and he only has one stand up. I thought of putting a lock on the shooting house, but thought that might be a little forward. I brought 19 pallets down to the club and told him he could use them to build a shooting house and sent him plans. Would ya'll put a lock on it, or not?

Are stands that you build or hang normally off limits or considered off limits to others? If so, then shouldn't be a problem. And if so, how do y'all decide who gets to claim the spot? Could he build a shooting house next to yours, for instance?

There used to be 5 members and now its just the 3 of us. My son and i have about 20 stands up and he has just one and his son is 16 now and probably will be hunting independently from him. He doesn't hunt a lot. There is a rule that says you need 2 or more stands up to share stands. Your supposed to ask before hunting from someone else's stand. It would really be silly to build a house next to one, but yea he could. He doesn't hunt the powerline. He really is a great guy, i probably wont put the lock on, i just don't like going to all the trouble and money of building a SH and putting it in a good spot for others to hunt.

I would explain it to him and let him know you dont want him using it before I put a pad lock on it

You need to be leasing your own place. BADLY. How long have you been hunting this lease together?

At our lease we were all required to furnish an elevated box stand. We all use and share them. Finding a lock on a stand wouldn't be well received at my club.

I would NEVER hunt with someone who locked me out of a stand or I felt I had to lock out of mine. Then again, the thought of locking someone else out of a stand on property where they are paying an equal share of the lease cost and showing up when required to work would never cross my mind.

You need to be talking to him, heart to heart. This sounds like a really bad situation to me.

I've never been in the OP's exact situation, as any shooting house located anywhere on the properties I've hunted have been first-come first served. If the house is in the "right" spot on something as open and straight as a powerline or a field I can't see locking it down and denying another member the ability to hunt from that location. That said, if the surrounding terrain allows for a climber or ladder to be placed directly adjacent (same basic view) then there is some concession that could be made over use of the house.
I would never personally allow use of my climbers without express permission both for liability reasons and because if I've hung one it's because I've found a 'spot' that requires specific placement. Ladders and houses, however, go in well known and well used locations that are general knowledge to other members. They aren't top secret locations.

We lock our houses, but that's more to protect against the piddlers than our other hunters. They'd have a key anyway.

I am in the same club and I agree 100%! A pad lock on a shooting house would not last long on our club. I have ladder stands and lock ons out all around the club. Any and every member in the club is welcome to hunt them whenever they like.

Otherwise, you have members selecting the best locations on the property and basically "locking" everyone else off it.

He's been in the club for 5 years and has never had more than one stand up. The rule states at least 2 stands up to share stands. He never scouts and didn't put any money or labor into this house. I've already decided not to put a lock on it. To hunt it he'll just have to ask permission. Thanks for your opinions.

A point to this conversation that usually isn't talked about is this-

It's always "that guy" who you really don't want sharing your stands. Not sure if that makes sense....you know what I mean?

In all the situations I've personally been in like that, I've never had another one of the "good" hunters want to share my places, nor would I have cared though if THEY did. For me it was always that guy who was a lazy hunter, never scouted, probably didn't even show up for work days, then shows up on opening day of gun season and climbs in your ladder/house, with the wrong wind (which is why you weren't in it to start with). LOL Most of us were somewhat private with our spots to start with...you might have known my truck was parked at such-n-such gate, but you didn't really know I walked with my climber into that cluster of white oaks off the back side of that cutover a mile down the roadbed. Only a few of us even knew that spot was there, and even fewer would work that hard to hunt it. But if there's a shooting house on the powerline, you can bet yo fanny every one of "those guys" were always hunting it.

I don't think it's as much about YOU as it is them. If YOU built a shooting house on our club--literally it was YOUR labor and money, not "club" labor and money--then I would probably never hunt out of it unless we were tighter than usual buddies and/or you had expressly insisted that I hunt it. But many fellas don't see it that way.

I'm glad I'm in the club I'm in

I would say, if you are coming here asking for an opinion on this and haven't bothered to discuss with him over the however many years you all have been in the club together - then you don't really consider him a "friend" as you refer to him in the original post.

If it bothers you that much and he is a friend, then you should have already talked to him about it before it stewed up like this. Otherwise, if you don't give a chit about his friendship, then put a lock on it and keep making passive-aggressive hints to him.

I guess I`m just different. if I hang a stand, tri-pod or shooting house, go hunt the damn thing. most of the time, my go to spots for killing bucks doesn't have a permanent stand anyhow.

Whose name is the lease undsr

I used to have a friend who would always try to pinch off my loaf on everything. It got old and he knew exactly what he was doing. When we rented a house together we took turns going to the grocery store. I always bought ham. He always ate the ham. But when it was his turn, he always bought bologna. We aren't friends anymore.

People will continue to take advantage of you as long as you continue to cave.

wow, that's a cheap bastard. fyi, pinching a loaf is pooping reference.

LOL

Well now this is taking a turn for the ugly.

This could be the next 10 page thread

I am the same. If I hang it, or help hang it, it's community property to be used by anyone that signs out for it. We always ask where others are planning on going before claiming a spot for the day.