I have posted a new picture of one of the clover plots from this weekend on our FB page. The clover is coming on strong in large part due to the lime we spread 2 years ago. We will be spraying weed specific poison 2 more times this summer. According to our biologist the clover is critical to antler development over the next few months. Additionally, we will soon be loading our gravity feeders with protein pellets/corn and replenishing the salt/mineral dumps . This fall most of our plots will be planted in clover. There are a few fields that are too shady and will be replanted in Outfitters Blend and Deer Radish.

One last item. The owners have agreed to waive the $500 sign up fee as long as any new member joins prior to the end of this month. Our land owner lease payments are due in May. You will be included in the monthly assessments (along with the rest of us) when you join. If you have any questions please PM or call me.

Update on the membership search. We picked up a new member today. We’re still looking for 3.

When turkey hunting gets included I’d be interested

I’ll have an update to that issue at the end of turkey season.

All of the clover fields at NSHC we’re poisoned again this week. It is a weed specific (expensive) herbicide that targets grasses other than clover. We specifically are eliminating Buttercups at this time. As you can tell, we take our year round QDM program seriously.

I wanted to post an update to our club openings. We have picked up 3 new members. In the interest of full disclosure, the Dr decided not to renew his membership this year. He wanted his 18 year old son to be able to come over with his little brother and hunt when the Dr wasn’t present. To be clear, the boys are welcome, when they are accompanied by their father. So currently, there are still 2 openings at North Sumter Hunting Club. I promised to have some information about turkey hunting at NSHC after turkey season. We are negotiating for 300 acres adjacent to our property. If it’s successful we will have turkey hunting on the new property. I expect to hear something next week.

In further developments, our guys put 50 lbs of mineral/salt on each of the salt licks this past week. The salt licks are located at all of the 40 food plots. Soil samples from a couple of food plots indicate a need for more lime. Despite the several tons of lime spread on each plot 2 years ago, we will be ordering and spreading more lime in the next few weeks. We will also have to spray for weeds a couple more times this summer on our clover plots. The clover plots all look great and the deer are browsing them pretty heavily.

If you are looking for a club in the Sumter County area I encourage you to give us a look. We’re managing for trophy bucks with very low pressure. 12 members at our current 4000 acres is 333.33 acres per member.

Well the wait is over. For all the hunters who said “No turkey hunting is a deal breaker”, I have good news. NSHC just picked up an additional 309 acres of property. The new property directly adjoins our eastern most property line. The new acreage extends to Hwy 17. We have full hunting rights including turkeys. This property is only for our deer hunters. Mossy Oak will not be included on the new lease. I have not been on the new property yet but I can attest that turkeys are there. I see them every time (literally) I hunt on that side of our current property line. As I said earlier, we are still looking for 2 members. The $500 join up fee is still waived but that won’t last much longer. All the current members are still paying monthly expenses. We will have new expenses coming in as we order more lime, expand a few green fields and grade some interior roads. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hunt mature bucks with very little hunting pressure. We are still keeping the membership at 12 hunters on 4300 acres.

Another update on our membership search. The sign up fee will be waived until the first of June. At that time the fee will be $150 and will increase every month until it reaches $500. We will have a bulldozer on sight the first week of June to commence our expansion plans. The following weekend we will have 12 tons of lime delivered and begin spreading. That is the reason for a sign up fee. We will be averaging $150 a month membership assessment for the rest of the year. As you can see, managing for trophy bucks goes far beyond just letting young bucks walk. It’s a year round commitment to the QDM program. If you think this is a commitment you would like to undertake, please give us a call.

If you missed it in my previous post, we have picked up an additional 309 acres that includes turkey hunting rights.

Also, last week all the gravity feeders were filled with protein pellets.

I’ll be going up to the NSHC next Tuesday (6-2-20) to help oversee the bulldozer work. On Friday (6-5-20) we’ll take delivery of the lime and start spreading. Next weekend most of the members, including the 2 camp owners, will be at camp to assist. If there are any potential members wanting to take a look at our property and meet the members, next week would be a great time to come look. I also added a couple of pics last week to our FB page. Deer standing in the clover feeding. The deer are so fat you can’t even see their ribs.

New pics on North Sumter Hunting Club FB page today. We spread over 40 tons of lime this week. Freshened up existing fields and built several new fields. We had a bulldozer there all week. Several roads were fixed and new fields cleared.

We are still in need of 2 members. Response to this ad has been anemic at best. So with that in mind I would like to open the door for discussion and serious feedback. I see a lot of hunters looking for leases and I’m sure there are many more not posting, just browsing. We’ve had over 5300 views so I feel confident a lot of hunters have looked us over. What are you all looking for in a club that we don’t offer? I know the turkey hunting rights were an issue, as stated by several. But we did pick up 300 more acres with exclusive turkey rights. So how about it?

Is 300 acres too small a turkey woods?
Is having to bring a trailer in a problem?
Is the cost too high?
Are hunters waiting until the last minute to commit?
Has the China Flu screwed up employment and consequently the ability to join a new club?

Any feed back would be appreciated.
Thank you and Happy Birthday America.

Since you asked I will give my opinion on the place

1. 300 acres is barely enough land for 1 turkey hunter
2. The club is very expensive for mediocre deer at best.
3. All the added monthly and joining fees come across as being a money grab. I know things are expensive but it’s hard for me to believe it takes dues+joining fee+monthly fee per member to pay for the place.

I'll second that.

I'll add one more just from my perspective:
4. I'm done with "trophy" clubs.

I hunt North Sumter in the Panola area, so your post caught my eye. I do agree that with the rules and type of club you are running, I feel sure the hunting is pretty good and the possibility of killing a really good buck is there.

That being said:

- theres only so many people who can afford a place like that
- I tend to personally agree with zero/few guests on a trophy club, but it can turn people off who are looking at the $$ aspect
- the club sounds like you are pretty particular about the way one chooses to hunt. Nothing wrong with anything you’ve said, but it could strike folks as being a place where it’s difficult to fit in and avoid running afoul of “accepted hunting practices”

I think a place like this fits best with word of mouth with like minded people who you already know personally, know their hunting values/trade offs, and are comfortable with spending that type money.

Good luck with your post. If I had more money I would possibly be interested in a low pressure place like that in North Sumter. I feel like you’ll eventually find someone, the hunting is just too good in that area. You may have to settle for a “die hard” type though who tries to “hunt a lot”. Never know, you might find the perfect fit here as season approaches.

Maybe I’ll see you at M&M’s one evening! Good luck again

Since you asked, I would say lump all the costs together into one price. All those different fees sounds like a scam and the waiving of fees and stuff. I hunt all public land now to avoid the hc drama. Sounds like a nice place though. DUmp the mossy oak turkey guys and you will have no trouble filling the lease. Do those guys use the facilities too. I wouldn't like that, dump them.

Since you asked, dump the Mossy Oak guys OR make them pay enough to cover all those "monthly expenses". They have enough bank to cover it.