Hunting Club Question -- long post

Last year, a friend and I leased out a piece of land which use to belong to his grandfather. The lease was obtained from work that I was doing and work that I had done for the people who now own the land. It was an understanding that there would be four members - my friend, his uncle, my dad and I. Well, when the season started last fall my friend had several other family members (brother and nephew) who started hunting the land. They were not members but guest. We had made a list of rules for the clubs and one was that for a guest to hunt the land, the guest could only hunt whenever the member that the guest was with, then that member had to be on the land. Well, the two guest (my friend's brother and nephew) would hunt whenever they wanted to no matter if they were with a member or not. Plus the one area that I had plan to hunt they took over before I got a treestand up. I moved to another area on the property and got a big buck and saw another big buck - and all of a sudden the brother put up a treestand not 50 yards from my treestands. Both my friend and I talked to the brother and he moved his treestand from my area. Then proceeded to put one up in my friend's area. We talked to him again and he moved once again. We had several rules - such as staying out of certain areas because the deer bedded in these areas and he would not abide by the club's rules. We talked to he several times about this. Low and behold, he started to do the same things this year - put a treestand up in my area, walking all over the place and just will not abide by some of the club's rule. We talked to him about it again and he just does not get it. Then he gets mad at me because this land use to be in his family. He is trying to get the members of the club fighting amongst each other now. I think he should be banned from hunting the club since he is not a member and that we have given him every chance in the world, but I do not want to offend my friend either. Does anyone else have any suggestions for a guest who does not want to follow the rules?

If they've broken the rules...the only recourse you have is to ban them from using the lease at all. If they persist...you'll have to turn them in for poaching.

It's not fair to those paying the lease to be infringed upon. There should be limits on guest. One of the clubs that my dad and one of my brothers belong to...have limited guest days. My other brother and I are on the waiting list to get into the club...but until that time comes, we'll stick to the 4 guest days allowed. As a guest...I'm not allowed to hunt the first 10 days of any season. I'm only allowed to hunt with the member. I'm only allowed to harvest 1 deer. $10/ day goes to the clubs till to help defray the cost of utilites at the camp. I never put up a permanent stand...I find a place where the other hunter's aren't planning to hunt and put my climber there. They have the lease divided into sections...each having a number. They've got a tag board that hunter's are required to hang a tag on. There are hooks on a map painted on the board depicting the lease. This keeps hunter's from accidently walking in on each other. They've got 50 members and over 2000 acres...so it's really important to get things well organized.

You're not being unfair to ask for the same respect...

This guy sounds like a real jackass. I think you need to talk to your friend and have him lay down the law, and tell him that if he can't follow the rules, he's gone.

Tell him that the rules are for safety reasons, and there have been too many fatal hunting accidents when tree stands were put up so close to existing

Are the rules written? Has he been presented a copy of the rules? The guest (Ok , I am soft-hearted) should be given ONE more chance after he is given a copy of the club's rules. If he commits another violation, OUT he GOES!!. Your friend (the MEMBER) should shoulder the responsibility for the actions of HIS guest. Personally, I find the actions of the member and his guest reprehensible. The guest for his direct actions, and the member for not stopping it sooner. {Getting down off of my soap box now.....}

we kind of have the same problem where I hunt. It's at a farm & we work on the farm for the rights,stack hay,straw,& such. Every year we see different people that are relatives,friends, etc. that never work but are there to hunt. If you have an answer I'd like to hear it. It sure would

If you have a formal set of rules (and legal access to the land), and he chooses to not abide by them, call the Sheriff, and have his ass arrested for trespass.

(He'll probably catch wind of your plan long before that happens...hopefully, that will be enough to straighten his act up.)

The world is full of a**holes ... hunters are not exempt from the laws of averages.

You might be able to discuss matters with the Sheriff 'un-officially' before you actually file a criminal complaint.

Thanks to all who have responded. The rules were written and the brother just decided he did not have to obey them since the land use to belong to his family. He still thinks it is their land even though there are new owners. Plus, now he is trying to stir up problems between the members of the club. My friend did not seem to want to settle the matter, after we had 5 different talks with the brother he continued to break the rules. Here is one thing that he did also - he put up a new chain across the one entrance to the land and put his own lock on it. So instead of one lock being on the chain there were two. He did not have a key to the first lock since he was not a member so he put on another lock on the chain so he could have have access to the land! Well, I settled the matter and put up a new chain with only the original lock. Now, the two members that are related to this guy are alittle upset that I did this even though they both have keys to this lock.

Thanks ,

(snip)

Neighbor, from my perspective, you have a situation that isn't going to get any better and will only get worse. Options? Either buy your buddy's share of the lease, or sell yours and move on. If you have the law descend upon the violator, then your friend and his Uncle will be downright hostile toward you. Fact is, right/wrong or otherwise, you had 'family' arrested and that just isn't conducive to good feelings. One last idea.....have an 'official' meeting of the lease holders. Hash it out, once and for all, draft a working document AS you work, and have all initial it. Don't have any idea in hell whether or not it will do any good, but if it ever should come to pass that those verminous lawyers get involved at least you've got something to hold up. I wish you luck. Families sure can screw up friendships!

Jay, I would get a copy of your state's Trespass Law, and the next time the brother enters the land - read it to him. Just because the land *used* to be owned by the family gives him no right to use it now. That would be like saying 'I used to own this house, so I am going to sleep here tonight'. Good Luck!

Jaydell, you have infinitely more patience than I have. My club has 3500 acres and ten members, and we don't have problems like this. However, if we did, I wouldn't be nearly as patient as you are. You are a paying member...he is not. I don't give a damn if his Great Grandpa General Robert E. Lee drove the Union Army off this land. Not only should he be forbidden to hunt here, your friend should also be kicked out for failing to uphold the rules of the club (unlikely this will happen). If this cannot be hashed out, leave these losers to their own devices and find another club.

Chris

so we don't have problems like this