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

I haven't been part of a hunt club but Lord Have Mercy I have some horror stories about letting (former) friends hunt. It's amazing how shady people will be over hunting. It don't matter what you say to them a lot of folks will absolutely take advantage of your kindness when it comes to hunting. I don't let nobody hunt deer on our land. I've just been burned so many times.

My $.02. I wouldn't want to run a club, but if I did, I'd go with the KISS method on rules. Unless you have a lease with a few all like minded buds, then you have to cater to the lowest common denominator to a certain extent. And, you need to be even handed and consistent in enforcing the rules. Beyond that, it ain't rocket surgery, but it is dealing with people and personalities.

-Listen to the input of members of the club, but always do what’s best for the club.
-Have set rules but be flexible. Be flexible, but don’t show partiality.
-Be vocal, but hold yourself to a higher standard and lead by example.

Being president sucks, especially when your club is made up of friends like ours is. The worst part of them breaking the rule is usually not act of breaking the rule. It is that they disrespected the rule and everyone else in the club. I don't mind confrontation. I just hate that I have to call out a 65 year old man because he thinks that he somehow is above the rules that everyone else abides by. What really gets me is having to do this to a 65 year old man that I consider a friend, and to do it in front of all of our other friends. He puts me in that position so I have no problem calling him out on it in front of others.

We tried antler requirements (8 point or better, outside the ears). That didn't work. Now we are a 4 years and older. Our guys can't age deer. I am thinking about moving us to the following if our members agree: (stole it from a club I was a guest at)

Meet 2 of the 4:
21.5" main beam (either or both)
4.5" bases (either or both)
17.5" spread
4 years or older.

If he doesn't meet the top three, 4 years or older will get you a pass. This still doesn't protect those 3 year old studs but it gives our guys a little more leniency and I think it is easier for them to understand than aging a deer on the hoof. It is hard to age a buck chasing a doe. I have passed on several because I wasn't sure. Most of the mature deer that I have killed have had or exceeded 21" Main beams and had 4.5" bases. I have killed a mature deer with less than a 12" spread but he had 5" bases. The spread is the wild card here

We currently have a fine system in place. $250 for first offense or shoulder mount the deer. $500 for second offense. Do it three times and you are out of the club.

Long story short: There is no magical set of rules that will work. If you do decide to take on this responsibility, always be honest/ fair and treat everyone the same regardless. Everyone has a say so on enacting or amending the rules. Majority vote rules.

this. Some times those spur of the moment shots are tough to judge. I want to have fun and not worry if I’m going to be fined if my buck doesn’t make the strict measurement rule. Not in a club now but I’ve always found the less rules the better. Maybe cut a member some slack on those type deals unless they seem to always shoot bucks that don’t measure up or make a habit of breaking other rules routinely

This is why "strict rules" don't work.

And I get it. Folks don't want to fine their buddy and take away next week's grocery bill for a split second decision....so they don't fine their buddy.

Agree

guess I could of worded that different. Cutting slack should apply to all members not just a buddy. I can see the need for fines no doubt if you want bigger bucks. I’m just saying no need in running off a good member because of one boo boo. Deer don’t always sit in the wide open at 2:00 in the afternoon and let you judge them for 10 min. Trust me we see eye to eye on rules I believe

Sure glad we don't have rules. 🙄

The only way I would run a club would be great if I was totally in charge. A dictatorship not a democracy. Put rules to paper whatever they were and have penalties for violating said rules because anyone can make a mistake. IMO Mainbeam length, and mass minimums are the best way to protect 2/3 year old bucks and allow the harvest of most all older age bucks. If you are trying to manage for older bucks the one rule that you must have is X number of bucks per membership no matter where if it is killed by child or guest.

After 20 years in the Army and in leadership positions you have to go in with an iron first. Clean house right from the beginning, you may think you’re losing members but the guys leaving are probably guys you don’t want any way. The guys that hang around will respect you and try to do the right thing, those are the guys you want. Be hard but fair in reward and punishment, everyone likes a good leader and no one respects a bad one.

dont go overboard with it make a few rules that everyone can remember and ENFORCE them say 3 buck 3 doe limit whatever point you choose 6 7 8 or better no guests last 3 weeks of season, guest and kids count against your limit. same guest can only come 3 times and total guest days are only 5 or 6. instead of fines knock a week off the end of their season during the rut. require a deposit for work days and make members earn that deposit back. no need to have more rules than what will fit on one page. main thing is enforcing the rules when other members feel like somebody is sliding by theyll start pulling the same crap.

It's a lot of work but somebody has to do it. We unloaded members we knew were dishonest and the ones who always had an excuse when it came time to pay. A man who has a whole year to figure out how to pay his dues but always comes up with excuses is not a man you want in your club. If you unload a few, people know you mean business. Ronfromramer has it right. It has to be a benevolent dictatorship but if you aren't the leaseholder, you aren't the man.

In the famous words of Kramer, "without rules there's chaos"

I manage almost 25,000 acres in leases across four states. Going on 30 years serving as lease manager. My approach is different. First step is to lease ground before there are any members. Second step is to develop a management plan and operating rules specific to that property. Last step is to recruit members. In my experience, this approach is easier to match candidates who want exactly what a particular lease offers.

Here are tips learned through years of trial and error:
1. Run the club with one manager. No committee. No majority vote. Call it benevolent dictator if you want. A good manager gathers input from members, then makes the final call based on what's best for the club.
2. Integrity first. The manager must model it personally or he/she cannot expect it from others. Recruit members with high integrity, and the rest of it works much easier! Vet all candidates like the boy who wants to date your daughter.
3. Written rules are a must! Make rules strict or modest to suit your goals. Just make sure rules are clear, fair, and spell out consequences for violations. The manager should enforce rules evenly, regardless who violated it. A clear set of rules will help cull out weak candidates and will help identify prime candidates for membership.
4. Hold members accountable. Create a structure for making members accountable to one another regarding rules...work details...guests...even the "honest mistake" buck kill that will happen.
5. No rule changes midstream. New rules or rule changes should be discussed/introduced and implemented at the end of membership year cycle. Never change rules mid-season.
6. Good communication makes for good friends. Don't leave members to speculate about rules or how an issue will be resolved. The more members are informed, the less chance for problems.
7. Zero drama! Manager and members should adopt a zero tolerance for drama. Replace the squeaky wheel. Non-renew the troublemaker. It will earn respect and serve as a warning to a would-be pot stirrer.
8. Don't regulate the fun out of hunting. Be 100% intentional about the management program. Be 100% serious about the rules. And be 100% determined to not regulate the fun out of it. The better clubs figure out how to balance these three things. This is perhaps the most challenging part of my role.
9. Create a system for constructive input from members. Not a whiner hotline. Not a gripe session. For example, we hold a roundtable discussion via email every year. To jumpstart discussion, I recap the prior season and outline areas for improvement (e.g. rule change, new workday schedule, guest policy tweak, etc.). Members are invited to comment. This is the one time a year when members can: (a) voice a concern along with a proposed solution, (b) propose a rule change and, (c) suggest an improvement project. Everybody has their opportunity to be heard. Some ideas get implemented. Some don't.

Good post.

Agree completely with this.

No board of directors. Just one "sumbitch" (for lack of a better word) that isn't afraid to be the bad guy.

Best club I've ever been in had one guy who was large and in charge, and held himself to a higher standard than he did anyone else. Everyone knew where they stood. The rules were clear, and he was judge and jury.

There was absolutely no griping or complaining at all.

We lost that lease to a bunch out of Louisiana who wanted the land A LOT worse than we did. But, it was a super well-run club.

Great Post! Agree with all. That's not an easy list but it can be done. I have had to "persuade" some friends that they were not a fit for my club and that they could probably find one better suited for them because they couldn't help but continue to break rules. They are still my friends we just don't talk about hunting too much

A clear set of rules helps applicants cull us up front so we don't have to cull them later.

Be prepared to lose some friends. That is why I would never again run a club.