Club poll provides base of cost-saving ideas

Several hunting club presidents and/or board members surveyed about what they’ve done to help alleviate the financial burden their groups have faced volunteered some of their tactics to compensate for the rise in lease prices.

Relieving hunting pressure

• Limit ATV access, designate parking areas, and make rules for ATV quiet times;

• Reduce trail-camera usage with a cap on the number of cameras a member can set;

• Educate members how to access stands and decrease spooking deer;

• Limit guest hunting or eliminate guest hunting;

• Create a sanctuary in a central area of a lease;

• Raise dues and decrease membership numbers;

• Limits on deer harvest more constringent than legal state limits;

• Seek diverse groups of hunters like small-game, turkey or raccoon hunters as members;

• Banning feeders or feeding deer on a lease;

• Interview new members to get like-minded hunters in your hunting club.

Revenue generators 

• Raise guest fees substantially;

• Invoke antler restrictions above state criteria with heavy fines for those not adhering;

• Create club raffles;

• Create fines for deer harvested under certain weight limits;

• Raise dues;

• Ask members for contributions above the cost of annual dues;

• Offer non-deer hunting memberships at lower costs such as turkey, raccoon or rabbit hunting only.