Thank you for informing me that you can clearly speak for everyone who participates in these forums.

I'm a little more strict on the kid issues, but its parental reinforcement. They have to make the grades & not be getting knocked up or knocking up someone.

if a paying member is allowed 5 deer (for example) then what does it matter who takes those 5 deer from that quota? The only problem I could see is with a problem guest. If you have a problem or have had problem with unruly guests in the past then you could make rules pertaining to that specific situation but to have a problem with a PAYING members sharing HIS quota makes no sense. Sounds more of a internal personal issue than a deer lease issue. I'm just answering the original post but I also think whatever rules you put into place should be followed by EVERYONE but they must be clear, concise and up front. In that instance if the rules say you must wear pink camo while in camp then rules are rules. If you agree to the rules then you better be wearing some she camo and not complain about it later or get off the lease. JMO

The lease I was on didn't specify age of guests. It only said they couldn't come out until the 3rd weekend of the season and they hunted off your quota. The reason I didn't stay on that lease is because one season I had a really nice buck hanging around. I took my brother up there Thanksgiving weekend and let him shoot it. (Lease members had to accompany all guest to make sure of what was being shot.) People were upset that I let a guest take the deer. I took a doe and had 3 more to take. I decided not to hunt with people like that anymore. There are extremes but staying in quota is all the rules call for.

Would the deer feel more pressured if 30 ppl were hunting them or 5?

Well Dan what can I say? I was really trying to be objective in reading through your posts on this topic and but like a lot of your topics objectivity is not always possible. The cut and dry is each lease is different and has it's own rules. You seem to follow the D.B. rule set on this one based on what I have seen in this thread. Nothing wrong with that to each their own. I wont be found on any leases that have these types of guidelines in place though.

Depends on the scenario. most lease rules are hunt with paid member only. Also, there is only a certain amount of stands available. Just because 30 people hunt doesn't mean there are 30 stands with 30 people hunting at the same time. In other words if there are 5 members and each takes 1 guest. That doesn't mean there are 10 active stands or hunters. There are still only 5 stands.

Most places I've ever been on had at least 2 stands per member, some with 3 or 4. Which means there'd be more traffic to get stands ready and more traffic when guests get dropped off at stands. To avoid this as a kid, I jumped out the bed of the truck to not alert the deer that anything was out of the ordinary, then you have more ppl wearing out the rds.

Again though.....if the person who is making the rules says xyz and everyone agree's to it then so be it. I don't see the problem either way. If you had a problem with a rule you had the choice not to sign up. I still think it is not that big a deal to share your quota with whom you choose as long as it is within the guidelines.

All good points well taken.

Still, I have known leases that allowed multiple adult family members to hunt at the same time from different stand sites under a single membership fee and quota.

Yes I definitely agree but that means guests are given free reign and thats not the usual scenario. I think that stinks for the over all quality of the lease but if thats the case just find another place.

Guest/kids hunt off your tags in your stand unless invited to hunt other stands. That would keep other hunters from feeling an army is invading. The one bringing guest can be a little crowded without inconviniencing others. To me its more a matter of courtesy and respect. Dont abuse the privilige. If you hunt with family every time you come, maybe it would be in every ones best interest if you get a lease for just your family. If you want to see them shoot a deer, hunt with them. If you want them to hunt alone, stay at camp and prepare breakfast. If you cant make it work, someone is being inconsiderate of others, its time to pick new friends or a new lease. Its like a marriage,give and take. Those who want it to work will make it without having to write all the rules down. Family and friends are more important than an animal. Share in your friends success and fun, dont be greedy or inconsiderate of your fellow hunters. Thats all I got!

It's not free rein when member is present and guest drives on to the stand they're hunting.

But I do like the guest rules & allowing them bc that's where a lot of members applicants come from and you can screen them before they apply.

What I meant by free reign is if they get to hunt on their own and in their own stand without the presence of the member in that same stand. I could see lots of problems coming from guests hunting their own stands. Pressuring deer, shooting the wrong deer, etc.... My point was if the member hunts (in the same stand) with a guest and follows all lease rules then I don't see a problem with it. However if there are less strict rules and you knew about it and the potential problems it could cause then you have no one to blame but yourself.

Whenever problems pop up on the lease, that's when I'll head for the National Forest. Without the benefit of food plots and feeders to attract other hunters, you usually have the area pretty much to yourself.

By the way Dan.... If your lease rules clearly stated kids no longer hunt off members quota once they hit 18 then I agree with you. It's just as bad if not worse when a member thinks they are above lease rules when it pertains to them. Like I've said a few times.....rules are meant to be followed and if you don't like the rules then you simply don't have to get on that lease BUT..... only if everyone knew before they were paid members and agreed. I hear all to often that rules are changed on the spur of the moment and thats equally as offensive.

I've hunted quite a few places as a guest and have never had the member in the stand with me.

Our's has always been a very stable lease for the most part. Much of that is because our president keeps a close watch on the place. This is actually the first time this issue has come up since most of us don't have kids or other family members who hunt. And those who do have never hesitated to pay their own fee once they became an adult.

I have a 17-year-old daughter who has hunted a few times. Should she decide to hunt after she gets out of college, she will have to pay her own way, as a member or a guest. Yes, perhaps I'm a hard a$$. But maybe that's why her two older sisters have both graduated from college and making it very well on their own.

What's worse is when you've had to deal with their heathen kids bc of the rules & when they hit 18/21 have to explain to the parent why the kids $ would be declined until they grew up some more.

awkward

I thought ATV's were a parent's best option to deal with heathen kids at the lease.

And BB guns in camp. I enjoy well behaved kids in camp, but some of them don't get whooped enough.

When we still had a deer lease, paid members were allowed to shoot what the law allowed...

-5 white tails(2 buck and 3 doe per county reg)
-all the hogs you could want
-exotics during deer season

You were allowed to bring children(only yours), girlfriend/wife, and they were alowed to sit with you but NOT HUNT. I got on the lease at the ripe old age of 14 as a full paying member with all the befefits and expenses.

matt

The fact is, nothing can make deer camp more enjoyable, or deplorable, than sharing it with family members and kids.