I'm the president of 2 clubs. I rarely have any turn over on my leases. New members are recruited by other members who share our way of thinking. I'll talk with any new member before I accept a check from them. If I think you'll fit, your in. After that you do something we agreed you wouldn't and your gone. No ifs, buts, I didn't know, no excuses. I don't want drama where I hunt. You bring drama with you, I'll send your ass packing.

This is the formula we have used going back 30 years. Best way I have ever heard it put.... and it works.

I think in many ways this is the best set up. My family has been in charge of a "club" for decades. We purposely don't call it a club because we don't vote on anything. Rules are what they are, take it or leave it. Everyone in the group is considered a guest. But we have very little turnover and almost all new hunters get a year or 2 trial period before the "return membership/guest" is granted.

But I will say, I have been the sole dictator for about 5-6 years now and now I see why my dad didn't like to hunt as much as he got older. Not much difference between grown men and junior high girls. This setup puts a ton of responsibility on the person running the show, so it really takes the fun out of hunting for the leader. We have probably 20 total hunters but really only 10 that are there more than 4-5 do says a year. And it is exhausting.

I sign the lease on the place I hunt (private land) and I guess that makes me the "President". I make the rules for the club. However, I do try and listen to suggestions and ideas from our members and if I feel they will benefit the club then I will implement them from season to season. I will personally show the property to any perspective members who are either already known to me personally or have been referred by one of our members. We have very little turnover in our club, so finding new members is not something I have to do very often. I have a one year probation period for new members. If I don't feel that you fit into our overall concept, then you will not be asked to return. I try to be fair to everyone and I have been known to bend a rule for a member if I feel it is warranted but this does not happen very often. Our rules are written and posted and when you as a member sign the Hold Harmless Agreement, you are acknowledging that you have read and accept the rules. I am past the point in my hunting career where killing a big buck is important to me. I would rather see each of our members take a trophy buck each year and have an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with their kids. I have passed up so many bucks over the past few years in hopes that one of our members kids or a member himself will get a shot at them.

I was in a club in Bragg before joining this club as a regular member several years ago and we did overthrow the "President" of that club, who also happened to sign the lease but it was not private land, it was paper company land. We discovered that he and a couple of his cronies were baiting deer and we immediately called the game warden and obtained the proof that we needed. He was ticketed along with his buddies for hunting over bait and as a result of this he was immediately dismissed as the lessee and someone else in the club signed the new lease. We sat up a 5 person committee and operated the successfully from that point forward until the land was sold years later.

Exact same thing I do.

Nobody ever answered the question about what that gal looks like though...

The problem with our group is we have really only added those related or good friends to original members over the years. So when a member should be kicked out it is tough because his dad or brother may be the nicest guy you ever met and you want to give the idiot too many chances. The drama is in having to keep guys that shouldn't be there cause you value family. Other thing is drama between "trophy" hunters and average hunters. Problem occurs when the average guys start killing the big deer and the trophy guys get real jealous and secretive about what they see. Doesn't make for a fun camp.

Family members need to step up there. If not, thats where leadership comes in. Trophy hunters and meat hunters shouldn't be in the same club to begin with.

What gal?

I have never seen a trophy hunter be able to deal with a meat hunter longer than a couple weekends. Usually ends badly.

This will and has work for us in the past. Upfront, honest and fair to all goes a long way.

As long as the rules are known it doesn't create huge problems, just more animosity than I would like. We have loose rules that bucks should be 8 points and 16 inches wide. I just like the enjoyment of hunting with others and it sure would be more fun if "trophy hunters" could just be happy for others rather than getting pouty when those who they perceive having lower skills shoot the biggest bucks. I disagree that trophy hunters can't be in the same club as others. In many ways I think it can help them appreciate hunting benefits outside of how many total inches each kill has. I enjoy the company of both trophy hunters and the more meat centered ones. In fact, because of my hunting beliefs and goals the balance of having diversity in a club (under known guidelines) can be helpful.

My original point was a dictator can help produce a well run club that can deal with different attitudes while voting creates factions that lead to greater infighting. It just puts a ton of headaches for said dictator when he'd rather just sometimes be a loyal subject that shows up for the enjoyment of hunting.

I believe the problem with some clubs is the money and time they invest is so high(for the crappy lease) that the meat and trophy hunters probably can't coexist.

Beat me to it!!! I was reading this thread to see if anybody had said it before I did.

We can beat around the bushes all we want to, but in the end, 99.999% of hunting club problems (no matter what we "think" the problem is or call it) comes down to meat guys vs rack guys. These cryptic rule changes always are about "4 on one side" or "no does on food plots" or "no guests after Christmas", or something like that based on meat vs horns. I've said it on here before numerous times... I learned a dozen or more years ago, I simply cannot be in a club, period. I know there ARE other "non-hunting-related" problems in clubs (like the dude above who sold the tractor, dear Lord), but I literally cannot think of a single situation I've been exposed to that wasn't directly or indirectly related to meat vs horns. If I was going to join a club today, or try to lease a block of land with another couple of guys, the VERY FIRST and MOST IMPORTANT thing I want to know is "Do any of you have kids or wives, intend to bring other kids, invite friends with kids, or ANY other "novice" hunter that you will instruct to indiscriminately shoot any deer on this place???" If so, I'm out. I completely admit and understand how that sounds and makes me look, but it's just not compatible with what I enjoy about hunting. I couldn't really afford to do this, but ideally I would've liked to been in a club where our kids could spread out on food plots and wear the place out, then have my own other place where I can rack hunt. Probably the biggest argument I've ever been in my whole life (still have very strained relations with these people today, 15 years later) centered around bringing guests, wives, and children, and letting them shoot just anything that moved. THAT was when I learned that I can't be in a club. No, I wasn't right or wrong, they weren't right or wrong, it's just that none of us were mature or wise enough to know we shouldn't have leased that land together to start with. We never discussed things like that. It appalled those guys that I was against bringing kids, wives, and every #@$$@# friend and coworker you have, and sitting them all over the "club", and telling them to shoot whatever they wanted to. Their background and understanding of hunting, and really their core personalities in general, were all about that...THAT'S what hunting was about to those guys. They were the kind of guys who said stuff like "every deer is a trophy", "I didn't see anything, but I'm just enjoying God's creation and time with family", "I'm happier about my coworker shooting that spike than I am about myself shooting X deer". Again, I don't know if anybody is wrong or right about any of those things, I just know I can't be on the same land as those kinds of people. I haven't gotten in a club or leased land in multiple years now, and it actually gives me anxiety thinking about ever doing it again.

Yep, club president this year decided to change rules from can't kill does on any field except 5, to himself and a few others could kill one on any field one afternoon. Heck, we even have a member going around stealing cards out of cameras. He stopped stealing them all together to just stealing them and replacing them with another. However he forgot to delete the pictures off one he put in my camera last week and I got all his pictures from Oct-Nov and the last pic is of of him checking camera. He also drove his truck right past another of my cameras like 8 minutes before. The president has been notified and evidence given to him. According to our rules, he is supposed to be kicked out of the club as the rules directly state "anyone caught messing with another's cameras or stands will be terminated", also the president sent a group text earlier stating if he caught who was stealing cards they would be terminated. It's going to be interesting if the guy gets kicked out of club because it just so happens to be the presidents buddy.

That wouldn't fly. If someone stole my cards out of one of my trail cams without my consent and I had rock solid proof, me and him would be throwing hands at camp. Ask the last jackass that stole a camera from me how that worked out for him.

no doubt about it. A thief is a thief....if he will steal a memory card, he will steal alot more than that.

That guy should get the boot. Now you will find out if your pres. has a pair or not.

"anyone caught messing with another's cameras or stands will be terminated". It's a shame that a rule such as this has to even be written.

Squatch, if things are how you claim they are, I bet he'll be staying. Who steals camera cards?? POS.

Dr. B