We are first year lease members and are discussing our policy on offseason guests. There is discussion on limiting the guests and others are wanting to not have a limit.

What have you guys tried and what works? My concern is that not limiting will basically take the lease from a small membership to a rather large membership. My concern is hunting pressure even though its offseason I still consider it hunting pressure if you have a constant flow of hunters into a place.

(I knew you would ask) 840 acres with 6 members in the hill country. A 640 pasture and a 200 acre pasture separated from the 640.

thanks in advance! feel free to post your postive\negative stories.

Is there lodging for a lot of folks?

So offseason means not deer, or turkey season?

What would they be doing, hogs or exotics?

Riding 4wheelers & drinking beer while claiming to eradicate hogs would be my initial assumption

Correct, deer\spring turkey.

Hogs\varmints

thanks

No lodging....Elect\water but no campers onsite yet.

I don't think that would the case\problem, they have frineds that don't have a place to hunt they want to bring down.

Honestly in the offseason I wouldn't be real worried. If they abuse the offseason they are abusing it other times as well.

Off season is no big deal as long as the land is respected.

During the off season, we haven't had much issue but we have more land. Folks will go up and go fishing and riding and many times, take a couple of friends. Most weekends in the off season, there are only a few people up there at a time anyway, so a couple of guest isn't going to make a difference. As it gets closer to the season and more people are going, the extra curricular activities tend to subside.

We don't have a porblems with gues during our offseason, including spring turkey. Nice to see some new faces around camp. During deer season though, just about kids and spouses only. No problems with us so far.

during the offseason usually don't worry bout guest as long as they don't tear anything up... I have buddies who come out during the offseason to help me out when putting up feeders and stuff.

Guest policies always get abused. I have seen it on every single place I have ever hunted. Best guest policy is a no guest policy.

I wouldn't mind someone brining a family member or friend once in a long while, but I don't want them shooting the hogs or varmints I would be shooting.

Most likely their aren't enough predators being shot for control purposes and hogs are like [censored] roaches.

Starting on existing lease this year that actually allows 2 guests per member during dove season and or spring turkey. One guest during bowseason anytime, one during rifle deer after first three weeks have passed. Guests are allowed one turkey anytime and members are allowed two does one buck in five deer county. Guests hunt off your three tags to keep deer harvest still managed. Members and guests are encouraged to take more mature bucks 4+ or culls that qualify under ARs. Also after three weeks deer you are allowed to hunt any open stand if you want to see some different real estate. No guests under 18 are allowed to hunt but can visit, no fourwheeling allowed unless hunting. My kids are grown so this lease fits me just fine at this point. I can bring guests to expose them to other hunting experiences and maybe have them join the lease as openings come available. I remember when my hunting world was much smaller and have worked hard to expand my experiences over the years. It makes hunting more exciting and fun for me and I enjoy helping out hunters who haven't been able to make a trip outside of ET to see other parts of Texas and what we have to offer. My last HC lease allowed no guests.

My last lease policy was no more than one guest per trip per paid hunter. In other words, you could take someone with you every time you went.

Now some exceptions were made to this rule if you were doing work that required a few hands. As long as there was room in the cabin for everyone you could bring the help that you needed.

During the season everyone was limited to one guest each and that guest had to double up in your stand. They couldn't hunt out on their own.

Our guest could shoot off of their host's quota. We were MLD3 and had a very generous quota per hunter...8-10 does and 5-6 bucks. However we had 6-7 guys on over 5,000 acres. It broke down to one section (640 acres per paid hunter).

Guest policies are something that has to be policed very closely. It's the number one thing that got abused on my leases in the past. There's always someone who over-invites. Or passes on a gate combination or cut's a key for a buddy. Then friends of friends start showing up and things get out of control. Make sure your lease ram-rod has an iron fist and you have a way of tracking all comings/goings.

And make sure all of the guests know and abide by the lease rules. Nothing worse than having a guest show up, do something ignorant, and get the paying hunters in trouble with the property owner.

Paying member is responsible for his guests. If the guest commits an offense that warrants lease termination, then member faces lease termination.

If you are comfortable footing the bill for the freeloaders to hunt then go for it. That is what guests will do is hunt for nothing. The more traffic and pressure on a place the tougher the hunting can get.

Your right... I guess that's why I failed math!!!
I have been the lease manager for our lease 10 years. This is the guest policy that we all have agreed on and it works great for our lease.
NO guest during deer season - Unless it’s your child or spouse. (They shoot off your tag)
During the off season - If a paid hunter is going to fill feeders / clear shooting lanes / clean around camp / cut firewood / repair feeders or feeder pens / build new feeder pens.. etc., and needs help with his work. I have no issue if he wants to take a friend to help with the work. THAT friend (only) has earned an off season weekend hunt with the paid hunter. I WILL NOT HAVE FREELOADERS HUNTING ON OUR LEASE!!!!

Thanks for everyones feedback!

During the off season we would bring guests, but they had to work. Its not just all play if you know what I mean. During season, we could bring a guest anytime after Dec 1st. No more than one guest per hunter, hunt w/ you and count against your quota. And off course they had to buy all the alcohol for the weekend.

You know....It is funny how many new friends you have when you have a place to hunt. I hunt on a couple different properties and alot of guys want to come with me... That is until I ask them to come do a little work. No work, no play.