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Hunting Club - Buck restrictions?
Posted on 10/27/22 at 3:45 pm
Posted on 10/27/22 at 3:45 pm
Curious for those of you that are in clubs and how strict the rules are regarding harvesting bucks. We are in 2 places.. one has pretty strict rules regarding culls and strongly suggested limits regarding trophies. If you break a rule it is more of a warning vs a punishment (financial / loss of future deer) unless it is blatant poor judgement multiple times. The second place we hunt is completely nuts - my dad is the member and all family are considered guests. They have published pictures of shooters - around 15-20 bucks. another list of bucks that are not shooters because of age. Then a list of 3-4 year old really nice bucks that are protected. If you shoot a deer you aren't supposed to you are subject to fines and loss of a buck the following year. Does this seem to be common for clubs you guys are involved in?
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Posted on 10/27/22 at 3:56 pm to hubreb
Doesn't sound like hunting clubs. Sounds like deer growing clubs. We like to eat deer and kill deer. Of course we conserve habitat and do what is right to make sure our heard maintains, but essentially, we are there to kill deer, so that is what we do. To each his own.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 4:05 pm to hubreb
Several of the big money clubs along the Mississippi River shoot 4.5 year old deer.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 4:09 pm to hubreb
You will find every level out there. Hunted a club that was trophy buck only. Requirement for killing a buck was that you had to have it professionally mounted. You could shoot a spike, but it had to be mounted. Another place had a rule that you had to shoot up (8 pt minimum) until you were only killing 4.5 yr old deer or older. Meaning you could shoot a 2.5 yr old 8 pt your first year. Then next years had to be bigger, until you were shooting older deer. It was DMAP so they were aged at the end of the year. Fines weren't pushed very hard. Place I get to hunt occasionally now is 8 pt minimum. Doesn't matter age or size, just that it has 8pts.
All those places had exceptions for kids. Kids at the 2nd place could start with a smaller buck their first year, but had to shoot up from there. Most places have arbitrary rules that their members think is the best way to do things.
All those places had exceptions for kids. Kids at the 2nd place could start with a smaller buck their first year, but had to shoot up from there. Most places have arbitrary rules that their members think is the best way to do things.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 4:20 pm to LSUengr
quote:
You will find every level out there. Hunted a club that was trophy buck only. Requirement for killing a buck was that you had to have it professionally mounted. You could shoot a spike, but it had to be mounted. Another place had a rule that you had to shoot up (8 pt minimum) until you were only killing 4.5 yr old deer or older. Meaning you could shoot a 2.5 yr old 8 pt your first year. Then next years had to be bigger, until you were shooting older deer. It was DMAP so they were aged at the end of the year. Fines weren't pushed very hard. Place I get to hunt occasionally now is 8 pt minimum. Doesn't matter age or size, just that it has 8pts.
That sounds almost exactly how my uncle runs the club on my mom's family land. Kids can start out with spikes, then gradually move up. If an adult kills a buck, you're getting it mounted no matter how big it is.
My dad's family's land, we don't have a club it's just family and friends we bring. We shoot 8 points but will let kids and anyone who has never killed a deer shoot whatever they want.
We're in the Black Belt in Greene County, AL. There are a ton of deer and a ton of good bucks, don't get too worked up if someone shoots one buck that's "not big enough"
Posted on 10/27/22 at 4:21 pm to hubreb
Ours is 6 pt or better first deer and 8pt up for second deer and I hate this rule.
We will never have any quality deer as long as they are killing 2.5 yo 8 points, I'm talking about 12" spreads.
We will never have any quality deer as long as they are killing 2.5 yo 8 points, I'm talking about 12" spreads.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 5:16 pm to hubreb
quote:
The second place we hunt is completely nuts - my dad is the member and all family are considered guests. They have published pictures of shooters - around 15-20 bucks. another list of bucks that are not shooters because of age. Then a list of 3-4 year old really nice bucks that are protected. If you shoot a deer you aren't supposed to you are subject to fines and loss of a buck the following year.
This sounds perfectly reasonable to me as long as they apply the rules consistently and aren’t letting some people slide while hammering others, especially if they’re going through the work of maintaining the cameras and putting the hit list out for all to see. That same club is probably heavily harvesting does if you just want to shoot something. I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but we heavily encourage shooting deer that are 3.5+ and only if you plan to mount it, every year around Jan 3rd our best looking 2.5 year olds hit the skinning shed, so every year the best class is getting shaved off the top. We don’t give anyone too hard of a time but we try more and more to actively ID younger deer.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 5:30 pm to hubreb
quote:
If you shoot a deer you aren't supposed to you are subject to fines and loss of a buck
I'm all for not shooting every buck that steps out, but I've hunted at places like that and it's really not fun. I don't want to be stressed about possibly misjudging one the whole time.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 5:31 pm to hubreb
I was in a club once that had an adjacent land owner as a member. The rules were outside the ears but wasn’t strictly enforced. However, the adjacent land owner had his more strict rules for his property. Deer don’t know boundaries and when one of “his” deer crossed over to club land and got nailed he and his sons would get pissed. He pretty much acted like such an arse that he was kicked out if the club. He and his sons were actually pretty good people but when it came to “ their deer”. they were crazy has hell.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 5:45 pm to Aliasau
A key to a successful hunting club is to have well defined goals.
In the Deep South, with long seasons, the best management plan is often high quality. I hunted a club for years that allowed three bucks per membership. All had to have 4 points or more on one side, one of which had to have one of the following: ten point, 20” main beam, 18” inside spread. Most of us tried to kill a 20” beam on all that we shot.
In the Deep South, with long seasons, the best management plan is often high quality. I hunted a club for years that allowed three bucks per membership. All had to have 4 points or more on one side, one of which had to have one of the following: ten point, 20” main beam, 18” inside spread. Most of us tried to kill a 20” beam on all that we shot.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 8:27 pm to hubreb
We shoot at least one main beam must be 16” then progressively bigger after that. Kid get buck of choice the club legal after that.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 8:35 pm to hubreb
As long as you know the rules before you pay dues and the rules are enforced for everyone…. No problem,
Everyone should be in the same page, don’t like the rules change clubs or vote to change rules
Everyone should be in the same page, don’t like the rules change clubs or vote to change rules
Posted on 10/27/22 at 9:59 pm to hubreb
We try to shoot decent bucks and mature does only. And save everything else for a good race when dog season opens.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 10:35 pm to REB BEER
high fences in texas can support game management and cultivation of bigger bucks.
low fences with shooters on the other side call for a different approach
low fences with day hunters on the other side suggest including turkeys and javelin's plus a deer if seen
Posted on 10/27/22 at 10:58 pm to hubreb
We were on a bird lease on the south end of the Texas panhandle. The total ranch was 140k acres, low fenced. We had 37k acres. The deer hunters got one mature deer per year and the deer needed to be 5.5 year of age or older. There was a biologist on the property that would age deer from photos and was avalible via text most the time. If a deer hunter shot a deer with out the biologist ok and the deer was determined not to be 5.5 years of age, then the hunter was out of the lease.
They were very strict.
They were very strict.
Posted on 10/27/22 at 11:44 pm to OGhunter777
I’m sorry, but if you are killing young immature bucks on private property, which have potential to grow, then you have no clue what you are doing.
Public property is one thing, but without rules on age and size then, in a Club that is not a solo, or close knit operation then you are not in a good situation. Unless you are cool with hard work not paying off. If you are in for just a meat haul then shoot does, no one shoots enough of those anyway.
Public property is one thing, but without rules on age and size then, in a Club that is not a solo, or close knit operation then you are not in a good situation. Unless you are cool with hard work not paying off. If you are in for just a meat haul then shoot does, no one shoots enough of those anyway.
This post was edited on 10/27/22 at 11:49 pm
Posted on 10/28/22 at 1:01 am to hubreb
I've always been in regular clubs with statewide restrictions only. There è ere always a deer or two each year that exceed that and were trophies, even I had a couple.
My new land is adjacent to govt woods, so I aint expecting much. MS allows one 'Charlie buck' and a couple other other bucks and 3 does so getting a couple deer a year shouldn't be a problem.
On my land, for friends and "Famiily" (or however Brian (Kelly said it), shoot legal deer. Period.
My new land is adjacent to govt woods, so I aint expecting much. MS allows one 'Charlie buck' and a couple other other bucks and 3 does so getting a couple deer a year shouldn't be a problem.
On my land, for friends and "Famiily" (or however Brian (Kelly said it), shoot legal deer. Period.
Posted on 10/28/22 at 6:13 am to hubreb
Your second place sounds like diamond island.
It's all about goals of the club and it's members. As long as everyone is aligned I'm good with it.
My current club we are allowed 2 bucks with a gun and 1 with a bow. We only have 9 members on 3300 acres so we can't kill too many bucks with that hunter effort. So we allow the member to define a trophy they can shoot a 4 point or a 12 point but it's a trophy. I like that a lot better than highly defined rules that must be met quickly to shoot a buck especially since my 10 and 12 year old shoot the deer now.
It's all about goals of the club and it's members. As long as everyone is aligned I'm good with it.
My current club we are allowed 2 bucks with a gun and 1 with a bow. We only have 9 members on 3300 acres so we can't kill too many bucks with that hunter effort. So we allow the member to define a trophy they can shoot a 4 point or a 12 point but it's a trophy. I like that a lot better than highly defined rules that must be met quickly to shoot a buck especially since my 10 and 12 year old shoot the deer now.
Posted on 10/28/22 at 8:34 am to speckledawg
quote:I get invited some to a place where I am very much scared to shoot a buck because of the complicated rules that rely on age and score. I have little confidence in my ability to score a deer on the hoof plus get within 1 year on a racked buck. My host always wants me to shoot one though. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that as long as I truly want that deer, and the penalty is only addition bucks but not money, I am shooting. The toughest part to get through my head is, with 8 points, you're actually better off shooting the low scoring ones per these rules.
I don't want to be stressed about possibly misjudging one the whole time.
The one I have shot was a no-brainer because it was a typical 6 point, and almost all 6 points are fair game.
Posted on 10/28/22 at 9:31 am to AlxTgr
It all depends what you're in it for and what makes you happy. I hunt 3 different places. One place in Avoyelles where I hunt is 6 point or better so it gives the kids opportunities to shoot although we rarely ever shoot a 6 point, also hunt Dewey Wills wma and its basically a meat hunt for Thanksgiving, the last place has to be 135' if its a 8 point and 140' over 8 points. I don't mid letting deer walk but I do like having somewhere also where the kids don't lose interest bc they have to maybe go 1-2 seasons without pulling the trigger.
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