Hunting Clubs?
 

Whatis your experience or opinion on hunting clubs? Individual leases are getting so expensive do you think you get more land for your money or more problems by joining a club. I don't want to pay a fee for glorified public hunting.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

Depends on how the club is managed. I have one on 3000 acres and only have 13 guys hunting it. Some of them only gun hunt and other bowhunt and gun hunt keeping the ground very unpressured. Some of the property doesnt even get touched. I have had the club going for 7 years and kept strict rules on the management. Every year it gets better and better. I filtered through guys for the first several years but now have a good group of guys who get along and enjoy the place.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

i like em cuz you can sit around a fire and share stories with all the other hunters at the end of the day..and likeIL raysaid..depends on how they are managed..the one im in does not allow alcoholic drinks..so its not so bad..its the first one ive been in with no alcohol lol but there is no problems and everyone respects everybody..650 dollars a year for 6000 acre lease..average 30 members

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

I was in one club that was terrible. There was a lot of land, but a ton of people hunted it. The dues were $650.00 a year, and I was a young lad at the time and worked all summer just to pay the dues. The only reason I picked that club was because my step father was a member and it was near our house.

In that area, you could kill two bucks per year. A buck was counted as a deer that had 3" of visable antler exposed beyond the hairline. And on that club, the rules were that you could take two bucks, but they had to have at least 4 points on one side or better and have a spread of 15" or better or have a main beam of at least 11". But it really didn't matter how big of a buck you got, according to the club "it would have been a good one next year". No one was happy for you if you got a buck. And even though they would complain about any buck that you got, after you killed one about 10 stands would pop up within 50 yards of the stand you killed the deer out of, or people would just hunt out of your stand. There were no rules about hunting someone else's stand. Jealousy was crazy at that camp. Anyway, I complained once about people smoking out of my stands and not marking where they were on the sign in board (which the rules said you had to do). After that I was outcast and things got bad and people began to sabatoge my spots. I would find old shirts, soiled clothes and dumped ash trays around my stands. I told the club president about it, but he said not to worry about it and he would take care of it. Well, he didn't and this continued.

I ended up leaving that club and joined another one that had cheaper dues ($125.00 a year) no antler restrictions but a great group of members who were happy for anyone who was successful, and had less members. Also the rule at the new club was that you could have 3 stands that were "yours" and no one else could hunt them. You could hang as many stands as you wanted, but other than "your 3" the rest were "club stands". I could live with that and had a great time hunting there and made some great friends.

With hunting clubs, you really have to find one that has "like minded" hunters on it. Do you want to fill your freezer every year or do you want to hold out for one boone and crockett buck every other year or so? Are you ok with someone else hunting your stand? What about people who hunt with dogs in your area? Do you want to share your area with small game hunters? These are all things you have to ask yourself before you pay your dues.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

in the club im in..we are all assigned numbers. 1-whatever..however many people join that year..then we have a huge map of the camp in the camphouse..with tacks with our numbers..and u have to mark each stand with your tack in the general area that your stand is on the map..this way everyone knows where every stand is and nobody undercuts anyone..we can have 3 permanant stands..all of the stands are required to be marked somehow with your name and phone number..so if some wants to hunt your stand they have to ask first no exceptions..and each permanant stand must be 500 yards away from eachother..its set up pretty good and dont have any problems..no dogs aloud either and as i mentioned earlier..no alcohol..everyone gets along for the most part and enjoys being there..this is a well managed camp..and the guy who runs it has no tolerance for slob hunters.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

Thanks for posting this OKIE HUNTER. I myself are in the same process. Checking out a few hutning clubs, hopefully I get invited to a few of them as guest and I can check them out and take it from there.... good luck..

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

It all depends on the people in the club. If everyone has the same mindset it can be great. The club im in has a fairly large track and most of the guys barely hunt the available land, so i just go far away from them and its pretty nice. Every one gets along for the most part however there are differences in management techniques as some guys dont like the antler size rules, since they dont go far from the club house or they dont hunt that much. I for the most part just do my own thing and make sure i dont step on toes.

I have heard of a lot of horror stories going on at other clubs. especially when it comes to the good ol boy network stuff. Guys getting in pissing matches with each other and no one is happy for another guy getting a deer, making rules that turn the place into a nightmare, just cause one or two guys that are really involved want all the power and to make things hard on everyone else. Ive heard of things like your only allowed to take one shot at a deer, if you miss you miss.(crazy rules like that).

You just have to try and get as much info about the place as you can before you join. Make sure it fits your style of hunting.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

oh yea and the antler restriction in the club im in is has to have four on one side..makes for some nice bucks..unless your kid or guest under 16..then it goes by state rules..any buck for 16 and under..over sixteen must have 3 on one side to take..but in the club..4 on one side.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

Our club is small, 5 guys on 206 acres. All our members went to school together and are good friends. It's our fith year and so far so good. I don't think I'd want it any other way.

RE: Hunting Clubs?
 

All the land around me is leased.
And all the hunting clubs are full and not taking on new members.
How do you get in a club ?