Oh Boy...I could write a book on the trouble, and disappointment I have experienced on big leases with a big group, esp if some members are not local, which I believe would be the case here. And I probably will write a book, so forgive me.
Before tarponut and I started True South Adventures, we got our fill of a remote, big lease, situation. I'm sure he will chime in again.
In the beginning,we found a small lease to use just for the two of us, and then, thru lots of friend requests, it became a small business, We emphasize small because we want to maintain the quality of our hunts, and keep it affordable...but I digress.
Your idea is a good one, but here's what you absolutely gotta do, in my opinion. And it's not going to be easy....
Before I even get started, let me refer you to an excellent set up called Ocmulgee Banks in Georgia. You can Google this and look at one awesome set of rules. It might seem way more complicated than you feel is necessary, but it covers every aspect of this type of operation. This place is not truly what you are talking about, so forget the part about the expensive real estate and the building codes and rules and just look at their hunt rules.
These guys are professionals and they put a lot of thought into this. Might save you reinventing the wheel. I haven't looked for years so I hope this site is still up and I'm pretty sure it still should be.
Your hunt club can work, so if you are set on it, don't give up. Just know there are a lot of details to work out, or a lot of "darn...I didn't know that" and the potential for finger pointing. If these were your neighbors and you knew them all, it would be much easier.
I'm just warning you, so you don't put a lot of time, effort, trips to and from, and money into this to watch it crumble. I'm not an expert, nor am I trying to douse your idea with cold water. Believe me, I'm only chiming in because I want to save you some heartache. You are a tradganger, therefor you are my brother.
You have to have an annual, maybe twice per year meeting where all members are physically present.
Written rules have to be established, agreed upon, then distributed. Probably running it like a dictatorship in the end is best, but you gotta listen to all opinions first, or you'll miss some good ideas, and won't know your members and their special talents, or why they want to belong...ie what can they contribute and what are their goals in this lease? Do they just want to tear around on their ATV, or will they hunt?
Here's what you gotta talk about and solve.
And I'm probably forgetting some things. I'm hoping Jim can add to my list...
What are the neighbors up to?
Do they dog hunt? If so, still hunting won't ever work because dog hunters need very large tracts of land and their dogs do not know boundaries. I'm OK with dog hunting, I'm just saying they don't mix well with still hunting. (if it sounds like we had a problem in this area...you are right)
You need to have a stand/hunter location system. Will you have a reservation system?
Can anyone use any stand? If so, is it first come-first served? Over and over? Or does each guy set his own and it's off limits? What is the minimum distance between my stand and yours? Are you happy if I set up right on top of you? What if the same guy gets the best stand site every single time?
Where will you park? Camp? Noise etc...
Are their hours when no one can use any kind of vehicle. (Mandatory quiet hunt hours) We had best luck when we said..."no driving of any kind between the hours of_____ and _____ in the AM and again in the PM."
This means if you want out early...you had to walk, and if you were late, maybe you couldn't even hunt that day till driving hours were active.
How many free guest days will be allowed per member? How will you keep track?
Be sure you have enough locals who are willing to chase off trespassers, (don't kid yourself...you will have them, regularly, also to do the periodic maintenance, fill feeders (if allowed), cut fallen trees off the road, check on fences and gates (if any), maintain muddy roads, maintain relationships with the landowners and game warden,
fix whatever breaks (in the case of a clubhouse with heated shower and dressing rooms, etc. there could be a bunch of fix chores).
How will you compensate these maintenance local guys? Without them, I drive a long distance from out of state to find that something has gone awry and I cannot hunt after spending $$ on gas, etc. taken time off from work...these guys are essential to the club. I guess there should be a fund in addition to the lease payment.
What kind of equipment are you eventually going to have to lease, rent or buy? How will you fund this? There will be grading of roads, mowing, maybe some timber cutting (with permission).
Will the lease allow for camping on site? If so will you allow RVs? How will you deal with draining the RV waste tanks?
Will you be allowed an outhouse. Must it be a serviced port-a-jon?
Will you have a space in camp for kids to play (assuming this will be a family affair). Will you also have a spot for those who want a quiet campfire.
Alcohol rules
When is lights out?
How will you deal with rowdyism, rule breakers, etc. How many strikes before you are out?
Game surveys to determine what to shoot? How many to shoot? Who does this?
Skinning shed and gut pile rules.
Record keeping and harvest data. Game sightings. How will you keep and distribute data?
Who keeps the books? The guy we dealt with would tell us that there was only 40 members on 12,000 acres and that the fee was only $600 per year...Hmmmm must have been a really cheap lease or he was lying about how many memberships he sold. The latter turned out to be true in our case. All he did was sell memberships and pocket the money.
How will you identify members? ID badge? Otherwise how do you know if the guy belongs there?
Does the game warden help control trespassing? Is it the Sheriff's dept? In our case, we found out the Warden really didn't want to deal with it much. He didn't have time. Assuming you have some outside help, do all members have the phone number?
I am sure there are things I missed.
And like Jim said, members come and go, be prepared for that too.
Again...only trying to help. If I complicated this too much, I apologize. We just got into a bad setup and weren't happy.
If it ain't fun and it's too much work, it may not be right for you, but dealing with most of the above and with members who are willing to work for the good of the whole, you can be successful.
Best of luck and hopefully others will chime in.
Irv Eichorst
www.truesouthadventures "We got the pork"...
"You bring the beans"...
Topic: tradgang hunting lease for 2014 (Read 642 times)
