I'm so glad I don't have to deal with anyone anymore on ANY of the places I hunt. It took years to get this way, makes it very enjoyable. I used to have to kiss arse with our ranch ramrod. See ya' Jim F. Hope you're doing well.

The lease that I'am on is I guess a serious lease. I know I take it serious. All though some do not, but everyone is respectfull of the others intentions. On my lease your are allowed one guest.(wife, kid, friend, what ever) Where it is getting confusing is guys on the lease have a wife and a kid/kids. The wife doesn't hunt but comes along and the kid hunts. I think thats awsome but>>>>>
That is not one guest!!! that is two. So I have to be the jerk and try to explain this to a family that wants to be together. Its not fun and almost ruins it for me.

yeah that is a tough one - I have to deliver the same news at times - that is why we do the one family weekend -

we will allow a spouse and a young child to come - problem is where do you draw the line? What if they have two kids? I love families hunting and kids but on a serious trophy lease it can be an issue with too many people there - so again depends on the purpose of the lease

It's not that bad. I'm a guest on a place now that has 42. When I show up there'll be a handful of members open their stands and permits up for me to shoot. It's a very clique oriented place, but it's fun with good deer.

We can bring guest or family, but they're required to hunt off my tag. No guest or family is allowed opening weekend.

I am so thankful for growing up in a small town where my deer hunting was a bike's ride away. Deer camp was the local bar for us. And, we got to sleep in our own beds every night. Oh, there were no lease fees, all the farmers let us hunt for free. Only cost about $30 for a tag. I sure miss those days.

I did enjoy my deer camp days in Texas/Oklahoma too. I can't imagine not having guests at the cabin to bs with each evening. Seems I do more Bs'ing and drinking than hunting in that camp though.....

A family friendly lease sounds like a good marketing opportunity for a larger place that needs slots filled.

Pretty sure it isn't too hard to fill any slots on a lease in most parts of Texas, not much marketing needed.

Would be suprised, know of several with 10-20 slots open that can't get filled. Folks just don't have the $ in the area to get them filled.

I am glad I do not have to worry about that.....kids are the future of this sport!!!! I take whoever I want wherever I want! We scratch out a better than average deer from tine to time too.

Nothing ever against kids hunting - both of mine were brought up hunting. My 6 grandkids doing the same. There is a time and a place and as stated before, depends on the objectives of any particular lease. Some are set up for serious trophy hunting with limited guest and others are set up for lots of guest - you are correct: kids are the future of hunting

I don't understand the position of only one family member allowed at one time. If the kids aren't running around in the pasture and stay in camp, what's wrong with that? Every lease I've ever been on allowed the WHOLE immediate family to be there. Thanksgivings were a big blow-out with all the trimmings.

And we were serious hunters. What does that have to do with anything?

I hear ya but it has to do with what the members agree to in the rules. They can all agree on and make it a rule to only allow matching camo if they wish. If somebody does not care about matching camo then they can go hunt somewhere else.

Not all hunters want a bunch of kids running around camp - some are single, some are older, whatever. So having bunches of kids and people in camp is not what every hunter wants. Nothing wrong with either way - depends on how the lease is set up

Seems to be a reoccurring theme...if it isn't the way you like it or agree with, it must be wrong and stupid

We have a winner! Know the lease rules before joining, if you don't agree, find a different lease. If I was a Land Owner (I wish)making lease rules, the more kids the better. Bring your kids, 1, 2, or 10. They must hunt with you for safety reasons. Wives at the lease? Why not? They are probably a hell of a lot better to look at than your ugly mug. Hunting should be a family affair. I would also think that non-family friends during off season doing some swine population control would be a bonus. Those are my thoughts in my own little ideal world of course. BTW, I'll be looking for a lease like this for 2014 if anybody knows of one.

I freely admit I am a young(ish) codger. My kids are 17 and 19. I loved being around my kids' friends when they were younger. Nowadays, not so much. I love the peace and quiet. A bunch of kids running around shrieking and whining would defeat the whole purpose of having the place. Our lease growing up allowed us kids to go for 5 days during Thanksgiving only. We really looked forward to it and didn't seem to suffer much. I actually think it heightened the anticipation and enjoyment.

I'm sure my attitude will change if I am ever blessed with grandkids.

Last lease I had was like this.

Only person who could shoot was the lease member him/herself. You could bring your spouse, girlfriend, child, or most any person who could speak German was ok, but that was it.

The people you brought were not allowed to hunt at all.

Most people would think it sucked, we thought it was great. I was on the lease with my dad brother and uncle. My brother and I paid our own spaces on the lease, not dads tags.

Hunting for me is just not the same without family and friends to share the experience with. If this is important to you, you should make sure that you sign on with your eyes wide open and a clear understanding of what you can and can't do. Our lease allows family and friends. If they go hunting, they hunt with the lease member. If they want to explore or hike or take pictures etc.... they do it with the lease member. The lease member is responsible to make sure that their activities never interfere with other members hunting or hunting area. Trophy animals are only available to lease members. Hogs, varmits, and approved management deer are available to guests and family, but only while hunting with the lease member.

Our set up on 3000 acres works okay. Family is allowed after thanksgiving and hunt off your tags. But with the size of the lease and family invited we could have up to 20 people out there any given weekend. We've just figured to set our blinds well away from the traffic, and enjoy some dinners at our camper instead of the central cabin. With such a big lease, there are a few guys we hang with, help each other out. The rest of the guys are related so for them it is always family. No issues with that.

If the price is right, not too far to travel and there are plenty of game, you are correct. I leased my place to the first group that saw it and have a 10 to 20 person waiting list for it in case the current guys don't renew.

The tolerance for kids varies widely. Even some that love kids may be going to deer camp to get away from the family, and want a very different environment. Deer camp means different things to different people, but I think we can all agree that deer camp with kids present is likely to be different than deer camp with no kids.
I'm thinking about how different my friends act when kids, or grandkids, are around. I like hanging out with them, but when the kids or grandkids are around, their personality changes, and they expect me to change as well. Not everyone is willing to change because someone else wanted their kids to tag along.

I'd leave a lease rather than put up with kids regularly hanging around the camp area, regardless of whether they were hunting or not. If a member wants to bring an occasional guest and let them hunt from his blind, I'd accept it. Bringing a guest of any type that just hangs around the camp and doesn't hunt would be a no-go for me. And if someone shows up more than a couple times a season, they need to be a member. I don't care if they don't want to hunt - that's their problem, not mine. It's no different than if the member chooses not to shoot anything because they aren't seeing the "right" buck.

To me, it's a hunting lease, not a campground or vacation spot. If you want a family vacation spot, go to a state park. It's also not a drinking lease, card lease, or nap lease, which is what most people I know really use them for. Yep, I'm strongly in the serious deer camp group.