My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

10 members on my lease with four who bow hunt. One member pretty hard and the other three, light to moderate. However, the other members say they want to take a vote on whether to prohibit bow hunting or allow it. They don' t want it b/c they say:

The probability of wounding deer vs. cleanly killing is too high.

They don' t want us in the woods pressuring the deer and stinking up the area prior to the opening of muzzleloader, which is when they start hunting. Funny part about this is, the Sat before opening ML, they all run around with atv' s and trailers with their deer stands, looking for rubs and then popping a stand up. They don' t walk around looking for sign, they ride until they find it.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

They just want first crack at the deer without having to bowhunt.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

If you paid your money to hunt I dont see that they can say you cant.
Rick

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Who has a good point. Boy that sounds funny saying. Anyway, like he said you paid to hunt. If they would not let me bow hunt, then I would say oh well you can' t hunt with a muzzle loader. If they didn' t like that I would say give me my money back.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

I would think that it depends on how your lease/hunting club " by laws" are set up. If you do not have anything on paper regarding having a majority vote or a unanimous vote then I think you are in a difficult situation. It is a " lease" and you paid to hunt it so the other folks on the lease really cannot tell you what to do provided your actions are within the game laws for your state. I would try to reach some compromise if they are not too unreasonable.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Well, you' re going to have to put on your best Colin Powell smile and become a diplomat. You don' t want to be threatening to leave unless you mean it. Sounds like the 3 that bowhunt some aren' t really going to go along with that. They probably have other places to hunt anyway. I agree, they aren' t worried about deer wounding as much as they' re worried about not getting the first crack. Just a little greed going on. The first day of muzzleloader season puts more deer into hiding than a month of bowhunting will. The weekend before of 4 wheelers all over the place puts more deer into hiding than a month of bow hunting will. The old smart bucks don' t take much to put them in a hole somewhere. They won' t be out until the rut. The club/lease should really allow any hunting that is LEGAL by state laws. I' ve seen clubs set their own bag limit restrictions which seems fine, but to keep you from hunting all together is absurd. First try to diplomatically kill such a vote to begin with. Do your home work. Call members at home. Find out who the real pain in the butt people are. Then get to all the others you can. Explain your love of bow hunting and that their fears are unfounded. Bowhunters tend to create less stink and fuss in a season than gun hunters will in a week. We HAVE to do it that way. It' s a close up sport. We can' t make mistakes or we fail. You' re not going to kill all their deer. You' re looking to shoot a deer... maybe 2 if it' s legal. Do they allow turkey hunting? What about the guy who doesn' t have a muzzleloader. The guy who just gun hunts could make the same arguement about muzzleloaders. They don' t kill as well and they' re in the woods messing up his future hunts. It' s just plain stupid. OK, I' ve lost my diplomatic face. What jerks. Screw ' em... your arguement is " IT' S LEGAL BY STATE LAW" . Unless they can come up with some more valid reason than their own greed you' re BOWHUNTING. It' s legal, you love it, END OF ARGUEMENT. You' re not an army marching on bambis world. You' re an army of ONE slinkin' and hindin' .[:@][:@]:D:D Damn I feel better.;);)

Probably somewhere in between those extremes is a diplomatic solution. ME, I' m a bowhunter. I bowhunt during muzzleloader season. I' d be looking for some new friends who understood me.[:@]

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

That dog won' t hunt.

It seems to me that I remember a study about recovery rates of bow hunters and firearms hunters. Bow hunters recovery rate was much higher than that of rifle or shotgun hunters. I guess we are more careful about shot placement and more diligent in tracking. I think the study was in Pennsylvania.

I wouldn' t buy their BS unless they come up with some good, verifiable facts.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Ya, this sounds like they are mad because the bowhunters have first shot at Mui Grande.

Hunting is hunting. I don' t care if you jump out of the tree onto the deers back with a pocket knife, it' s hunting.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

I' m in a hunting lease myself. It started with 6 members. 3 Friends, and co-workers left after the 2nd yr. when we decided wanted to build a camp on it. Didn' t want to put in any more $. But one said keep me in mind later on down the road, maybe I' ll rejoin! YEAH RIGHT, like after the camp is built. 3 of us remaining are brothers, and we have added my Dad this yr. So found it best just being family. Were all bowhunters. But if I was in your situation I' d get together with the other 3 bowhunters, see how they feel. Get some actual stats together then call a meeting. Tell them how you 4 feel, and show them even though archery is more risk wounded animals can recover easier from blade cuts over bullet damage. Has anyone of the gun members ever wounded a deer? How many have you bowhunters wounded that' d be a concern to them. Do you guys use ATV' s for scouting, and placing stands? How hard is it for them to add members if you 4 dropped out, and wanted a refund!! Be firm, but fair at the same time.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Just another example of the selfish hooray for me and f*** everyone else wannabe hunter![:@]

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

I belonged to a lease in Louisiana where I was the only bowhunter out of 12 members. I never let the others know how many deer I was taking with my bow (6 in 3 years) for I felt it would spoil a good thing. Sounds like the others are jealous of your opportunity to hunt more than them due to longer seasons. Tell them to join the ranks of the elite hunters (bowhunters) :)and spend more time in the woods.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Those guys obviously don' t have what it takes to be a hunter - patience!!

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

It was never an issue on my lease until I came strolling into camp with a 9 point muzzy victim. After that I had to fight tooth and nail at each meeting for a couple of years, then the whole issue just faded away. Now i leave the boxing gloves in the truck at the meetings, but don' t trust the majority of them one bit. The best defense for a lease of my size (80+ members) is to show up to the meetings.
I would fight it, but don' t get off if they ban it. Be in camp and asking where their deer is when you hear them shoot. I don' t know how many times I hear it every year " I shot him and he went down, but we couldn' t find him" - ya, he' ll live to ripe old age!!
If any deer are lost to a bow on my lease, the bowhunters know not to broadcast it- cause the news will spread like wild fire.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

I' ve seen some pretty good answers here, but Davidmil, you take the cake! You always some to give some great advice! What do you do for a living? If it has to do with talking and convincing, I' d bet you make good money.:)

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Typically, my lease holds its camp meeting in June where we raise issues and vote on certain matters. Then, our first payment is due shortly thereafter. So, if we get voted out, we will have an opportunity to drop without losing money. However, it would be virtually impossible to find another lease in time for the upcoming season. They are not that abundant and as with most, can be somewhat political regarding who you know, etc.

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

Tealboy, sorry to hear that latest info. Guess all you can do is get some researched evidence on behalf of archery, and wounded game. If I find any such type websites I' ll forward them to you. I' d also see what your game department might have for info. If they see your that much against dropping archery, maybe they' ll think twice. Hopefully its actually just a few of them, and others going along to save face. Just in case it doesn' t work out. You and your other 3 archers my want to look into the possibility of another lease. I don' t know what state your in, but several timber co' s in NYS offer leased lands for hunting rights. Basically pay the taxes, and they just wait for the timber to grow for profit. Or check with some farmers. Many private farmers in NY are leasing hunting rights also. Heck never know, might find something you like better, and keep it mostly archery!!!!

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

I' d start looking for a new lease and some new hunting partners. There wouldn' t be any discussions about it. If you pay to hunt you should be able to hunt with any legal method available, PERIOD. In addition, I wouldn' t want to share my campfire with a group of selfcentered a$$h@les anyway!

RE: My lease trying vote OUT bow hunting
 

If the majority of the members want to vote out bowhunting and infact do vote it out, you will probably have to find another lease. But don' t let them get away with it without a knock down drag out. Surely the lease stipulates what hunting methods and seasons are valid. I have never heard of a deer hunting group that would want to stop bowhunting on their lease, it doesn' t make good sense.