Big mistake

[Spotlite]

Great 1st post. Only took 16 years.
Keep them rolling.

Have to take time to think about stuff before posting these days…….

 

[NCHillbilly]

People sure do get awful tore up about a deer. It's a deer. There are millions of them. They stand in the road, and eat your shrubberies.

 

[buckpasser]

Define small buck first……then make him aware…….then proceed accordingly.

I guarantee you that if you took a poll on this board a small buck will come in all kinds of sizes. What is a small buck on your land?

Good idea.

 

[deers2ward]

My buddy was told of this before getting let in to the club .

If he was told of it, then it was spoken. Least amount of drama would be to let him finish out the season and then tell him on January 13th, 2025 that his membership will not be renewed and give him 2 or 3 weeks to come get his stands and other junk out of there. If he doesn't come get it, send him certified mail that he has 2 more weeks (and state the specific last date in the letter). If that date comes and goes, take all of his stuff off the property and dispose of it without taking any money for it. (give it away or throw it away)

Maybe starting next year you all can put a set of rules together and have people sign off via replying to email that they accept the rules. Prior to anyone's check getting cashed for 2025, they must acknowledge the rules. No accept, no payment received, no membership.

 

[Fred Rogers]

If you want to stay buddies with him make sure the news of him getting kicked out from someone else and act surprised when he tells you. lol

 

[krizia829]

An unspoken rule is exactly what it is. Unspoken.. ALL rules in that type of club must be clearly documented on paper and signed by all members when payment is due. That way if a rule is broken, per club rules, he's out no questions asked.

Those type of hunting clubs can truly ruin some good friendships. I personally prefer to stay away from that and hunt with just my family and shoot what makes us happy as long as it's legal. But that's just me. To each his own

Hope it works out!

 

[Sixes]

I can assure everyone on here that a good club does NOT have to have a written set of rules.

We are in our 29th year and have never had any written rules.

 

[GottaGetOutdoors]

Good communication makes for good friends. There is no one best way to communicate your club's expectations of each member. In my experience, an unspoken rule is not enforceable. Here is how I operate a lease to be fair to all concerned and to avoid misunderstandings:
1. Put rules and consequences in writing. Why? Because there can be misunderstandings even among like-minded members. Putting rules in writing helps avoid misinterpretations for the same reason we put our kid's daily chore list on the refrigerator.
2. Make every member sign at the front end. This protects the individual member and the club as a whole. If I'm joining your club, I want to see it in writing so I am clear what is included in my membership and to be clear what is/is not permitted.
3. Apply all rules equally to all members. I've seen poorly run clubs that say all members are equal, but they operate in a way that shows some members are more equal than others.
4. Enforce rules consistently. This is key! Your rules are only as good as your willingness to enforce them. For example, one of our rules states that violating a club rule may result in immediate forfeiture of membership without refund. Another rule states that knowingly concealing a game violation committed by you or someone else on the lease will result in immediate forfeiture of membership.

Best of luck as you work through the situation to improve how your club operates. Time spent sharpening the saw is not wasted!

 

[GottaGetOutdoors]

An unspoken rule is exactly what it is. Unspoken.. ALL rules in that type of club must be clearly documented on paper and signed by all members when payment is due. That way if a rule is broken, per club rules, he's out no questions asked.

Those type of hunting clubs can truly ruin some good friendships. I personally prefer to stay away from that and hunt with just my family and shoot what makes us happy as long as it's legal. But that's just me. To each his own

Hope it works out!

Krizia, your approach can work just fine because you have three simple rules. Only family is allowed. Shoot what makes you happy. Harvest only legal game. Pretty straightforward.