Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Hunting Clubs

I've never been in a hunting club. I've just always hunted family land or with friends kind enough to invite me to hunt. COuld someone break it down Barney style for me and tell me how clubs work. I assume the dues paid go towards the actual cost of leasing the land, but what else does that go towards, if anything?

Seed, fertilizer, diesel, utilities and camping areas where applicable, insurance, and to line the pockets of club officers in some cases. Be careful.

Lease your own land with a couple like minded buddies. You'll be much happier

That's an ileet thread for sure.

Agree. You get access to less land, but more access to what land you do have. I would rather have 250 acres I can enjoy than 10,000 that stresses me out.

2ndhand, I've been in bunches of clubs and hunted with buddies at their clubs. Leasing a smaller tract of land between 3-4 friends is a much better option. In answer to your question, the dues go to lease cost, insurance, seed, fertilizer etc. and sometimes the board members pockets or hunting funds. Clubs can get real corrupt real quick.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm not really interested in joing a club, couldnt afford it right now if I was anyway. Haha. Ive just heard a lot about them but didn't really know much about them. I think if I ever do decide to do something like that I'll probably take yalls advice and find a couple of buddies.

If you were to join a club and the financials of said club were not an open book for anyone to see where the $ is going, I'd not join. the right club is a great place and experience the wrong club is a nightmare

We take the expense of our club and divide it by number of members. It is non-profit. LOL I have joined clubs that were supposed to have 10 members and find out there were 15, giving the club president $3000 to pocket.

Ive been a in clubs, been President of clubs, and now have my own lease with a buddy. A couple years back about 1000 acres next to my lease came open so we considered getting it. Well it didn't take long to talk myself out of it because it would have meant more members and managing a club again. We were always fair with cost before and were not for profit. However I would not do it again unless I got something for the trouble of managing the lease. When you sign a lease its your name on that contract. The name of the club means crap. I suppose you could incorporate the club but that's more cost and work. Being a club President / Lessee is a pain, dealing with members crying about other members, enforcing rules, and the liability is just not worth it to me. I don't have a problem with a clubs President getting compensated for their responsibility as long as it is specific and agreed upon by the membership. I would take issue with club leadership that skims club funds without the memberships approval and Ive seen that too. There are good and bad clubs. I prefer my lease for now however I can foresee the time when I can't do all the work myself and its just easier to pay my dues and join a club.
Good luck!

I have been in 4 clubs over my short 15 years of hunting and had problems in all 4. I now hunt with my wife's 1st cousin and he and I have 450 acres to our own selves. Been doing this for 5 years and haven't had the first issue.

IF you elect to join a Club vs lease your own property.....you have made the decision that you do not want the hassle of a lease, planting, dealing with 'problems', etc.

And, this 'Open Book' BS is just that BS!
You look at the Club, review their records, look at their Rules, meet the members and make the decision as to whether the Club is worth the price of the dues. PERIOD! END OF STORY!

Now, if you do not like that, you have the Right to lease your own small property or start your own Club!

The ones that whine about the other are the REAL problems.....
They want all the Rewards with none of the hassle!

My approach is straightforward. Lease my own property. Develop my management program and rules to support it. Fund it out of pocket and get reimbursed later in the form of membership dues. Decide if I want others on the lease. If so, decide how many members I want and what cost. My rule of thumb is 1 member per 300 acres plus two hours or more away from the land. Recruit like-minded members. Make it clear up front that the lease is run by me, not by committee, and with a zero tolerance for drama. Live by my own rules. For example, I live five hours away, spend more on the lease, work more at the lease, and hunt less than most all members. This approach isn't for everyone but our members love it.

I agree with that and Im going to play devils advocate here.

Why is there a "unwritten rule" that whoever takes on the responsibility, liability and all the headaches, bitching and whining that come with running a hunting club should be doing it for free?

You look at a club. They have X amount of acres, for X # of members, X amount of plots planted every season, for X dues, and you are allowed to kill X on club.
Is the cost good for the amount of acres per member and # of whats allowed to harvest?

Thats what makes my decision to get in one or not. I could care less what the "financials" of a club are. Dont care how much they take in, or where it goes or what the person who leases and takes on the liability of it puts in their pocket.

As long as the fields are planted and they arent abusing club members/rules Im good with them putting some in their pocket to cover the headache, time, and potential liability they are taking on.

I leased my own land a few years ago and had a couple "buddies" that paid dues to hunt it.
They got a little bent out of shape because the dues weren't split even between the three of us and that my wife and son were hunting the same property without paying dues too.
I let them know that it was MY name on the lease and that I was the person who was responsible for the entire lease.
We are still friends... but I no longer have a hunting lease big enough for more than myself and family.
They wanted every thing to be even across the board... except for the responsibility. That just don't work.

Hunting clubs are good to join if you don't have the time to put into all the work that year long planting and so forth require. I have visited plenty of clubs where literally a lot of work had to be done and nobody was doing it. Where was the money going? This is why before you join a club - go look at it and meet some of the guys.

The one club I was a member of had mostly local guys in it. They and their family hunted the hell out of it every day. The few times I was fortunate to hunt because of my work schedule...the pressure shut down the deer. Members complaining about not seeing any deer. Gee, I wonder why!

I think you have to find the right situation. One with paying more money and fewer members. JMHO

Clubs are not the problem. Personalities, poor communication and personal agendas in the club create the problem if one arises . Been with the same group 30 plus years. Anyone who left, left because they moved away, quit hunting or died. Just my experience.

I agree with leasing some land with a couple of like minded people. Less land, but less hassles because of less folks.

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