Why is it so hard to find a new club member?

sghoghunter

Senior Member
Why is it so hard to find club members these days? Are people looking for low member low ac club with a higher price or is everyone looking for a low ac high member to keep price down?
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
That is quite the dilemma.

Our SC place is not cheap but we keep the acreage to 100 + acres per member (844 ac and 8 members) and we consistently have a waiting list.

We do have year long fur and feather but I genuinely wish we had a bass pond on site.

I think being in lower SC helps some also because some folks want velvet bucks with a centerfire although we rarely kill one that way.

Wish you the best of luck, sir.
 

shdw633

Senior Member
I think you may be having an issue right now due to the uncertainty of the future with this virus going on. Many are probably holding off until things stabilize and they are sure they have a job in the next four or five months. My buddy just found a new lease and he was looking for member per acre with at least a 100 acre per man. I would be the same way if I was looking. I have always looked for leases of over 1000 acres and at least 100 per man, currently my club is about 150 acres per man that I am on and nearly 2000 acres in size.
 

sghoghunter

Senior Member
That is quite the dilemma.

Our SC place is not cheap but we keep the acreage to 100 + acres per member (844 ac and 8 members) and we consistently have a waiting list.

We do have year long fur and feather but I genuinely wish we had a bass pond on site.

I think being in lower SC helps some also because some folks want velvet bucks with a centerfire although we rarely kill one that way.

Wish you the best of luck, sir.
I know what you mean. We’re doing 6 on 750 ac and people complain about the money but they’d rather hunt a 750 ac place with 15 people
 

CrossCentered

Senior Member
where is your club??? asking for me? Also it is hard to find a good family club, that is not 20 people on 5 acres, but also not $2000.
 

HarryO45

Mag dump Dirty Harry
Our club never has problems finding new members. We might just be lucky, always seem to find like-minded hunters. If you have a core group of happy members, then you should never need to do large searches for members. If your club is searching for 50% or greater every year, then you gotta look within the leadership of the club... something might be wrong.
 

Gator89

Senior Member
The club I was in changed the rules to 15 inches wide minimum on bucks or a $150 fine starting in 2020. This was done without any polling of the members, just an edict. For four years I had paid extra to buy protein pellets, corn, feeders, etc., I felt had earned the courtesy of a heads up. I would have been good with one buck six point or better, second buck 15 wide at least 4 on one side.

Prior to joining the club above, I had asked to be on the waiting list for a club in SW GA. So, when the rules got changed, I went looking around.

I am changing clubs dues going from $925 to ~$1600, but I can shoot any "good buck" that meets GA laws, I can take a guest and it will not count on my two bucks if the guest kills a buck. Seven hunters on ~900 acres. Previous club was 14 - 16 on ~850.
 

DAVE

Senior Member
Different people looking for different set ups. It seems most clubs now like to present themselves as family oriented which usually means one paying person and 3 or 4 hunting which means a documented 10 member 1000 acre club ends up with 40 or more people hunting and a steady stream of people disturbing the property, diminishing the hunting experience. Hunters who are happy with 10 members & 40 quest may be serious outdoor types who enjoy spending time with family, camping and sitting in a deer stand or they may just want a place for their kids to ride atvs, roast marshmallows and have a camp fire and there is nothing wrong with this type member but don't expect them to pay premium prices. Other type of hunters want solitude and a quality hunting experience without the drama that goes on with high hunter to land ratios. These type hunters willingly pay premium prices but are unwilling to put up with a bunch of free loading quest. You can have members who are more concerned about the money than the hunting or you can have members who are more concerned with the hunting than the money, but You can't have both in the same club. Most club Presidents never make a choice of what kind of club they have but instead end up so preoccupied with collecting dues, that they take money from who ever will give it and will change the club vision to match the prospective member. These Presidents will always have high turn over and end up desperate for good paying members every year. You can not please everyone, if you have an unhappy member don't waste time and energy trying to please them, get rid of them because they will hurt the moral of others.
 
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sghoghunter

Senior Member
where is your club??? asking for me? Also it is hard to find a good family club, that is not 20 people on 5 acres, but also not $2000.

It’s in Quitman county a few miles north of Georgetown. The way it’s laid out we could hunt 10 and be comfortable as long as everyone hunted the same.
 

Bowyer29

Senior Member
I hear ya. I'm looking in Floyd County for a good club, and it is hard to find. Of course, that is the opposite of the OP but its similar. I want low members, no guests, and I know I need to pay for that.
Best of luck to you!
 

sghoghunter

Senior Member
For me the price of leases has gotten outrageous for a safe hunting club. I’m not spending 1500 to hunt Georgia. It’s simply not worth it.


That’s what everyone says and I use to say the same thing but when I get off work and go to our club on a Friday afternoon I know that no one has hunted my stand all week like some places. I also that all the ** from others in the club will be left at the paved road.theres sometimes the gate won’t be opened for a couple weeks at the time and to me it’s worth every penny
 

kc65

Senior Member
Why is it so hard to find club members these days? Are people looking for low member low ac club with a higher price or is everyone looking for a low ac high member to keep price down?
I said years ago that more and more hunters are being priced out of hunting period....And it will only get more expensive as time goes on..Not to mention the work, sweat and dedication to the sport that it takes to have a good club..
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
One thing to keep in mind - if you want 100 acres per man, that basically automatically means the dues are gonna be $12-1500 per member.

Not much decent ground is going to be had for much less than $12 to $15 per acre.

This is before you pay the insurance, buy any landowner gifts, put in food plots, plant any trees, fix any gates, buy any locks and chains, PM any tractors, buy a new water hose.... the list goes on and on.

We have decent land and I don’t mind telling you that we average $14.93 per acre - on 6 different tracts.

Yes, this is more than some can or will pay.

Yes, there will always be a market for quality - and this includes experiences.

Best of luck to all....
 

sghoghunter

Senior Member
Advertising in south Georgia and north/Central Florida on Craigslist I never had a problem. Trying to fill it with friends and by word of mouth never worked for me.

So far I’ve added it on here and all the FB hunting pages I’m on and quite a few say their interested but as soon as you mention the price they never respond or they have something smart to say. We have a guy now that’s got past the money part and if he falls through I’ll try Craigslist
 
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