Thanks guys for all your rules. If you want a lease where you drink and or get drunk, go ahead. That is not for us, and some others on this forum. Our lease is going to be "booze" free. Just a bunch of good ole Christian boys getting together fellowshipping and maybe killing a deer or two or three.....

I agree that you don't want a deer camp full of dangerous drunks, but nothing wrong with a few beers or a nice glass of scotch in the evening.

I do think that if you have a lot of new people on the lease every few years, you need these rule to be written. Luckily, we have a good group of guys and none of us do anything to excess. To each their own. But I wouldn't belong to a lease with a no alcohol policy. I don't care how good the hunting was.

Other rules we have that haven't been listed:

- "Trophy" buck must be 4 1/2 years or older, with 10 or more points
- "Cull" buck must be 3 1/2 or older, and 8 points or less.
- You must log yourself in every time you step on the ranch at the front gate. This helps the rancher and landowner track who is coming and going. Also, all guests must sign a liability waiver.
- No ATVs. At all. At any time during the year.
- No driving off the roads at any time, except to retrieve an animal.

Friend, just because a man drinks a few beers doesn't mean he's not a Christian. For me it's about safety.

I have had a beer with my pastor after a hunt . he brought it

Dont we get into this every year in some form or another?

I dont hunt on a lease anymore and we have very few rules and they are unwritten just kinda understood.

No taking immature bucks, even the two boys are forced to follow that. No drinking, but since the only hunters are me (non-drinker) and the two boys (my son and nephew) that aint real hard to follow.

If we find ducks on the pond, we are crawling over the dam and a covey of quail gets close enough, I will have the 20gauge in the stand.

You're right, that won't be funny, hope to God that won't ever happen on any lease. I have been on this same lease with this same set of rules for 30 years and we have not even had one close call on an alcohol related incedent.

I sure hope this doesn't turn into an alcohol intervention thread.

Nope. I like to see them drunk and stupid. Just not with guns in their hands.

Now did you really have to say drunk and stupid?

??

IMO, many of the best leases are run "dictator" style by someone who is honest and fair, and who looks out for the interest of the majority. This type of approach also works best for weeding out any newcomers who want to come in with the intent of getting everyone to change to "their" rules.

I have no intentions of every leading a lease. Still, this type of lease has always worked best for me.

The same is probably true for the manner in which a church should be run. I prefer a church with a strong pastor, rather than one ran by a group of deacons who can never agree on anything.

Have you ever seen or heard of a smart drunk?

Maybe one who drinks at the lease among friends and if he or she does get drunk, they stagger to the camper and pass out for the night...no driving, no harm done.

Our church going lessee requested that clause......we said kool since we were leaning that way anyway.

Gotta love some around here that think everyones lease should be like theirs.

It's called capitalism and the free market.......if there is a market for it......it will sell.


Tbar

Never said it did, nor implied it.

I encourage my guys to bring their families. Kids are very important to the sport that we all love. Most of the wives enjoy the time at the property and getting to see what hunting is all about. I do ask that the first 2 weekends of rifle season be for the paid guys only. If a hunting guest comes out, it is up to the paid hunter to provide his guest a place to hunt. As for drinking in camp, keep the guns locked up and the alcohol in camp ONLY. If women and children are present, KEEP the language and subject matter in check. If they cant, they will be asked to leave. My 13yr old daughter goes with me all the time. Getting to spend that kind of time with her and seeing the joy on her face when she just spots a deer is something that I will charish for the rest of my life. A family style lease is a great experience.

Must suck not being able to shoot those 9 points!!!!

as far as rule's go they were in place way before i was even able to hunt. since my family and friends that i hunt with have all hunted together for over 30 years. they are pretty basic. 1. repsect the landowner's rule's whatever they may be and if you don't like them you should of decided that before you got on the lease. 2. respect every one on the lease. 3. clean up everytime you leave. 4. follow the management guidline's, and since my group has been together for a long time we know what they are and mistake's are few and far between if at all,but we don't string each other up when they do happen.

all trophy's need to be atleast 4.5 years old
cull's will tall spike's at least 2.5,forked horns 2.5,or freak one's with 2 or more points on one side and a spike or forked horn on the other side(usually will try to get pic's to vote on the deer before it is harvested),and older doe's without a fawn or yearling in tow.

we've been on place's were they have rule's like $25 guest fee's and no guest until after thanksgiving, doe's for guest 25 or 50 bucks,exotics $450 for guest (example's if a paid hunter shoots an auodad over 28" it was 450 also,but compare that to a package hunt for one and that was a pretty good deal). no alcohol in the field,and i was on one were there was no alcohol allowed at all. in all my experiences on lease's the one key thing is having a good core group that has the same character and respect for the landowner and the other hunters. each lease will have differnent rule's put in place by the landowner's and some will not work out and some will. you will find that if your work with the landowner overtime they will realize you have every intention of making the land better with improvements and such and respect what game is on the place,and for the most part our group has made good friends with landowners and still stay in touch even though we don't hunt their land anymore,and made good friends with the other hunters on the lease's we've hunted.

^^^^

after reading these rules makes me glad i am not on a lease. It just seems like alot of this could be covered by just being human, and respectfull.

Heck, the world itself would be a much better place if most people could do that.

It's why I've always said the best leases only have openings when someone dies or moves away. On the flip side, you can find an opening in the worst ones with every new season.

These are ours. I am being serious.
All bucks must be 8 point or better. Guy said if we can't get one he will "let" us take a spike.
Can only take 1 doe.
No camping on the lease.
Quail after season
Can't bring a guest (for us 3) but the other guy can. Pretty messed up.
Also the other guy can shoot whatever and camp wherever. As well as his buds.
I am sooooo ready for this one to be over.

after this weekend, I made a new rule for my sons when they get old enough to hunt. My wife's grandfather came out to hunt with us this weekend. He has a place out in Rocksprings, but has zipped this year, so my FIL brought him out to hunt with us at our place.

We've been watching one particular group of deer. It was one BIG doe, 2 yearling type does (not tiny, but pretty small), and a nubbin, just broken through the skin. We killed the big doe and let the others walk. The nubbin was obvious to the 3 of us that hunted (brother-in-law, wife, me).

Saturday evening, I saw them at dark, but passed. I could see them well enough in the scope to put on a kill shot, but I couldn't see well enough to tell which one had the nubs. (really, couldn't see well enough to verify it was the same group - body size is hard to judge when they are standing in 18-24 inch oats and all 3 are the same size)

Sunday monring, it was foggy at first legal light. Grandpa must have really wanted a deer, so he shot one, and then shot the next one that didn't run away fast enough. I got back to camp and the nubbin was being skinned.

New rule for my sons? If you kill a nubbin that is broke through, I'm taking both of your buck tags. That's NOT a spike in my book. For all I know, you killed one of our future trophy bucks. If's it's not light enough to tell exactly what it is, it's not light enough to shoot.

Now, ask me how I really feel...

land owners rules
8 pt or better 1 per hunter
2 does per hunter (we are in a AR co. so TPW allows 5 deer)
spikes are for kids (but you can take a spike and let a kid shoot your buck)
don't shoot bob cats or mnt. lions
NO GUEST DURING ANY HUNTING SEASON.
drinking ok in camp only (be reasonable)

our rules
hunt you own blind until someone says it's ok to hunt theirs (usually after 1st 2 weekends)
we have a place where you must clean you game
don't be joy riding atv's during deer or turkey season

you get drunk and stupid you're out (only person kicked off because of this was throwing gas on the fire from a 5 gal can while 9 other people were sitting around the fire)

Oh yeah, I forgot one rule (I'm the land owner) kill all the hogs and coyotes you want, but a bobcat will cost you $500.00 up front, for a friend. There are too many 'cats rotting in freezers cause the guy behind the trigger didn't know what a quality mount was gonna' cost when he shot it. I'll take your money, and your cat, and have it mounted any way you want. When it's done I'll deliver it or ship it to your house. I usually lose $100-$150 or so on the deal, but I'd rather shooters think twice before wasting a pretty animal like a bobcat. Kill a calf you just bought it by the pound x2 (for the trouble of hauling it up and weighing it).

As for no alcohol, that's all fine and dandy, but Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine. Show me where he ever turned wine into water and we'll talk. (Kidding!!! To each his own.)