Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Club rules??

A buddy of mine is in a club in north Baldwin County that has a few rules concerning buck harvest and to my knowledge the rules haven't been altered for many, many years.
1. It has to have at least 4 points on one side. Same fines as #2.
2. The minimum inside is greater than 14". 1st offense is $250, 2nd offense is $500, 3rd offense is $750 and a review of ones actions to determine if they are kicked out of club.
3. No 6 pointers unless it's over 5 years old. The jawbone will be pulled and sent to biologist in Texas who will age the jawbone. If older than 5 no fine. If younger the fine is $250 I believe.

This club has around 9,000 acres and they shoot a ton of bucks each year that meet this criteria. Some on here know this club but I will not name it. The dues are high but there is very
little turnover and it's a real privilege to get an invite to hunt there. The turkey hunting is good as well.

Was there a big deer killed from there this week

It's rare for a first time club manager to succeed if they can't accept a lot of disappointment and sacrifice the enjoyment of their personal hunting experience.

Yes indeed. I have a couple of pics of it. Heavy mass til the end on the left side with palmation.

I understand age rules, but they make absolutely no sense to me for one reason. Even trained biologists cannot tell you how old a deer is with any degree of certainty. Studies prove that. Even biologists with years of experience are not that accurate on deer past 3 1/2. Some deer's teeth age differently than other deer. Even if you are very familiar with deer in your area, you cannot age buck with 100% accuracy. You could shoot a 4 year old deer and it be aged at 3 and you have to pay a fine because of uncertain aging techniques. Using the cementum annuli aging method does not provide certain results either, especially with southern deer. Even looking at deer on the hoof is uncertain, but when you put everything together, you can have an idea as to its age, but not with 100% certainty. The only way to know for certain is to place a tag in its ear when it is born or for it to have some unique, identifying characteristic, and track it through yearly game pictures.

Also weight restrictions have their problems. Deer that may be legal in October are illegal January. A deer that starts out over 200 lbs may be under 150 pounds at the end of the rut. Girth measurements may be more suitable, but I've never known that to be a requirement.

I also don't like the "if you kill it you shoulder mount it" or "if you shoulder mount it, there is no fine" type rules. One member in our club is a taxidermist. No big deal for him to mount his own deer. Also, members with plenty of money will mount young bucks.

I'm in a club and there is a tendency to regulate the fun out of hunting. Sometimes when someone shoots a deer, they are worried until it is measured, and then have zero joy if it doesn't measure up. Mistakes happen. Split decisions are not always right. What happened to hunting because we love it and celebrating when we are successful?Even with our rules there are several young bucks (2 1/2 or 3 1/2) that are killed. I have passed on so many bucks that I only got a glance at. I have also shot a few that I only got a glance at, and those usually cost me. If I have an opportunity to study one, most times I don't kill it. We have killed some old mature deer that didn't have very desirable antler characteristics. We have also killed some very young deer with tremendous potential. My rule would be to TRY and shoot mature deer. If mistakes occasionally happen, celebrate the kill and move on. If mistakes continue to happen by a certain individual, then they probably need to find another club.

The number one key is to find like-minded folks with the same goals in mind. Rules should be clear and evenly enforced.

Deer hunting should be fun and enjoyable. There is a balance that has to take place. I think WildlifeBiologist is spot on.