# Guest on a deer lease.



## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

We are kicking around the idea of allowing 1 guest next year during deer season. Right now we only allow the immediate family of the member to hunt deer. We're hunting down south on a ranch that is game fenced and we are trying to grow the deer by letting the young ones walk....feeding protien.....and shooting culls. What are yalls thoughts/suggestion on allowing guest during deer season?


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## Fishdaze (Nov 16, 2004)

I like the idea of allowing guest. Have them hunt with the member and allow them to shoot does, spikes, Mgmt deer, and alocate the game to the members allowable deer count. And hunt unlimited hogs, varmints, etc.... As long as you have good immediate members you shouldn't have a problem.


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## Bharvey (Mar 24, 2013)

8-count said:


> We are kicking around the idea of allowing 1 guest next year during deer season. Right now we only allow the immediate family of the member to hunt deer. We're hunting down south on a ranch that is game fenced and we are trying to grow the deer by letting the young ones walk....feeding protien.....and shooting culls. What are yalls thoughts/suggestion on allowing guest during deer season?


I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I say allowing more people to hunt is a good thing. Maybe set up that you can bring a guest after the 3 or 4th week of the season so you don't have "guests" shooting up the place while lease guys are still trying to get their bucks. Then just make sure they either hunt with someone who can make sure they don't kill something they're not supposed to.


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

All good but would make it the rule that the lease member must be in the blind during guest hunt. The guest being experienced at understanding what is allowed to shoot or not, ground shrinkage can become ground expansion real quick with an "oops, didn't look that good through my scope". Or better yet "that 1.5 yo 15" 8 I've got on the hooks sure looked like a 6 yo on his last leg. Sorry about that". Sux but it will happen eventually to one of y'all on the place and dog cussin will follow.


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## tc hardhead (Jun 19, 2006)

I personally don't like guests hunting on my lease but we said it's unfair to let guys like me bring my children and let them shoot deer but then not let another guy that doesn't have children bring a guest. You just have to make sure all the rules are in place to keep guests from taking advantage of the situation.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Don't let him or her hunt alone. Been there done that.


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## Brute (Apr 29, 2009)

Don't do it. Its just one more thing to get cross ways over... one more hassle.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Better have a good lease member with them.


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## ROCKSPRINGS HUNTER (Dec 14, 2008)

We have been allowing guests for the last ten years with no problems. They go where you go, hunt the same stand you hunt, shoot the animal you tell them to shoot. Just got to have some rules in place and follow them.


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## wal1809 (May 27, 2005)

Agree on a fine system. Anything they shoot that is not a cull under under 4.5 years old is $5000 back to the other lease members.


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## T_rout (Jul 25, 2013)

Does each person get to bring one guest? If so, set up a list of written rules that everyone has to follow. My number one rule would be, no guests allowed unless another member of the lease is present. I've known guys that would take guests and let them shoot whatever when no one else was around. It sucked!!


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## 9121SS (Jun 28, 2009)

I've been a guest on a lease like that. I hunted with the lease member and could only take what he told me to. Their rule was no guest untill after Thanksgiving weekend.
Then it was only one guest per year and only one time. ( weekend )


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## troutslayer (Feb 7, 2006)

I would gladly come down as a guest for the season and do an intimate survey of the performance per hunting member guest...complete with evaluation of each hunting member guest and a complete tracking system for paying members to look at and decide if the stated rules worked to their liking and if not complete a complete analysis on how we can change for the better.......

Sounds good huh???


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

T_rout said:


> Does each person get to bring one guest? If so, set up a list of written rules that everyone has to follow. My number one rule would be, no guests allowed unless another member of the lease is present. I've known guys that would take guests and let them shoot whatever when no one else was around. It sucked!!


This for sure, was on a lease for many years with guest priviledges, we were all 3 hrs away except for one local guy who always brought his guests during the week but never wrote anything down on the kill sheet. We all knew what was going on but never had concrete proof, so i'm all for that rule.


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## grayson (Oct 21, 2011)

Unrestricted guest can ruin a lease. We allow one guest per member max and that guest must be with the member at all times. I think trouble starts when members can bring multiple guest or can hunt by themselves


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Guest shoot off your tags, as above do not leave them along...

A cull to some is a trophy and a young Good buck is a great buck to many...

John


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## MARK MACALUSO (Sep 29, 2010)

Don't do it.... Will always cause problems..


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## INTOTHEBLUE (Jun 21, 2011)

My Dad takes guests all the time. They have to hunt with him and he tells them what to shoot. The only exception is me. I have been a guest on my Dad's leases ever since I started hunting. I can hunt alone but I know what to shoot and what not to. The past few years we have been on an MLD managed ranch so it we harvest more deer than a typical lease. I usually only shoot doe and watch really nice future trophies. 

Heck last year I got to bring my neighbor on a weekend that wasn't crowded. He never shot a buck before and wanted to shoot one with a gun his grandfather handed down to him. My Dad showed me a couple pictures of management bucks at his stand and said these are "Shooters". Sure enough one walked out near sunset and my neighbor dropped him. 

You just have to have rules and let everyone know that if there is an oops it's $5000. That usually is a big deterrent in letting guests hunt alone.


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## broadonrod (Feb 26, 2010)

Our guest are not allowed to have guns in get blind but we do let them video and take pictures.. Any guest hunting on our place must have a lease member with them.. Like Charlie said you better have good lease members.. We enjoy having guest...


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## Jfreeman (Nov 3, 2004)

Having guests is not a problem if you have solid lease members. What's better than enjoying a good hunt, campfire, few cold ones with a good friend?

Guests should hunt with member at all times.
Only 1-2 guests per trip
Guest must bring a good bottle of whiskey

Think that about covers it.


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## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

We have 6 very solid members and we've known each other all our lives. We all have the same goal and that's to grow big deer. We all video tape culls and agree on shooting the deer as a cull before the he is harvested. I personally would like to have guest. To tell you the truth, I like sittin around the campfire, cookin ribeyes, drinkin whiskey and telllin stories just as much as I enjoy going hunting. I think we are leaning towards taking one guest and letting them shoot does only.....absolutely no horns. If it works out ok we'll go from there.


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

Give it a try 8 count, I think you might be surprised. I hunt with Grayson who is the best lease manager you could ask for. Our rule is your guest is with you at all times. You are responsible! My wife goes several times during the season. She shoots my mgmt buck. She's become an accomplished hunter and her cooking is a bonus!....lol.....we hunt one of the best low fence ranches in south Texas so if you wanna jeopardize your privileges of hunting this ranch by letting a guest break the rules, well, you won't be back next year. Simple as that......we have zero problems and it's nice meeting new people around the campfire. Set the rules, no exceptions, enforce them stringently, and enjoy meeting some new people from time to time......good luck!


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## Mo City Rick (Sep 3, 2008)

Just make sure guests remain guests... If the same "guest" is there 5 or 6 weekends a season they need to be payin'... 

Rick


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

Mo City Rick said:


> Just make sure guests remain guests... If the same "guest" is there 5 or 6 weekends a season they need to be payin'...
> 
> Rick


Good point.....agree completely.....when I said my wife made several trips it was actually once in October and once in December.....no since in spoiling them...


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## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

I've never hunted on a lease that allowed guest other than immediate family during deer season but I think we're gonna give it a try and see what happens. If someone abuses the privlage I'll just politely tell them they will not be returning next year.


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

Jfreeman said:


> Having guests is not a problem if you have solid lease members. What's better than enjoying a good hunt, campfire, few cold ones with a good friend?
> 
> Guests should hunt with member at all times.
> Only 1-2 guests per trip
> ...


This is true! Got to have solid lease members and know who your guest are. I personally would know who I was bringing and that he would respect me and understand the priviledge of going. I could see problems when the people who bring some guests don't really know the guest, like a company client or something.


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## Mo City Rick (Sep 3, 2008)

Mo City Rick said:


> Just make sure guests remain guests... If the same "guest" is there 5 or 6 weekends a season they need to be payin'...
> 
> Rick


I want to be clear that guests are ok in my book and I enjoy bringing my kids friends along a couple times a year. Nothing more fun than watching a kid (or the parent in some cases) get his first deer or hog or just shoot a gun for the first time... IMO camp is as as fun/important as the hunting and new blood just makes it better...

Rick


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Dont let them split a gun and have rules in place. Should be fine.


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## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

I'm with ya rick on the kids. There's nothin better than seein that ear to ear smile on a kids face when they walk up on a deer they just shot. Or it could be anything......doves, turkey, varments, etc....etc. If it doesn't make you smile and/or give you goose bumps when you see that big old smile on a youngsters face then you aint livin right!!!!


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## FishingallthetimeinmyJB (Feb 24, 2014)

MARK MACALUSO said:


> Don't do it.... Will always cause problems..


This.


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## lslite (Jun 26, 2005)

Occasional hunts for kids are good.Adult guests will almost always lead to problems.


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## FishingallthetimeinmyJB (Feb 24, 2014)

lslite said:


> Occasional hunts for kids are good.Adult guests will almost always lead to problems.


Agreed. I think keyword here is occasional. It's either a slippery slope or I'm getting grouchy in my old age. I see a multitude of problems that happen when you can't keep up with who is on your ranch.


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## Ducker Rich (Apr 19, 2010)

*Guest*

We allow guest on our lease but we have rules that they must be with the member at all times and may only harvest does. We are MLD so we have a few extra doe tags that can be used. I took two kids last season and two this season that have never hunted before. All but one harvested a doe and being with these kids for their first hunting experience was the best thing ever. I think it also helps my kids learn about sharing the experiences outdoors with friends. We all know we must pass on the hunting heritage to kids coming up, but so many don't. If they would see the faces and excitment of these kids, there's nothing like it. They will remember it for a lifetime, and I hope pass on the tradition to their kids.

DR


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## grayson (Oct 21, 2011)

I run a trophy LF ranch so the hunters are serious trophy hunters and we have a set up specific rules that we enforce - our camp runs really well. We allow one adult guest with a member and that guest must be with the member at all times. A couple of ideas we use that you may consider - we have a designated weekend that we call family weekend - for that weekend only a member may bring direct family members plus children - so if a hunter wants to bring his wife and 3 kids that weekend we are good with it. That way the hunters who do not particularly want kids at camp don't have to be there that weekend.

The other thing we do is restrict any guest during the rut - so from mid December to first part of January we limit guest - the reasoning is that more of our paid hunters are in camp during the rut than any other time so to limit the number of bodies in camp we restrict guest during that busy period.

If the rules are clearly written and you have hunters you trust then having a guest can be done without indicident


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## Walter (Dec 28, 2012)

Fishdaze said:


> I like the idea of allowing guest. Have them hunt with the member and allow them to shoot does, spikes, Mgmt deer, and alocate the game to the members allowable deer count. And hunt unlimited hogs, varmints, etc.... As long as you have good immediate members you shouldn't have a problem.


This sounds perfect I allow guest its nice to bring friends and hang out in the woods most of them just want to get away and cook outdoors some hunt but not much they just like being outdoors and seeing animals I allow them to shoot all the varmints they want and they are tickled to do so I wouldn't have a lease that didn't allow friends and family.:brew2:


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

We have doe and mgt bucks to kill and only have 4 hunters on our place. We dont have enough tags to remove all the deer that needs to be taken. We bring guest for that. Of course someone hunts with them. Its no problem. Mostly kids and grandkids do the culling at any time during the season.


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## Walter (Dec 28, 2012)

grayson said:


> I run a trophy LF ranch so the hunters are serious trophy hunters and we have a set up specific rules that we enforce - our camp runs really well. We allow one adult guest with a member and that guest must be with the member at all times. A couple of ideas we use that you may consider - we have a designated weekend that we call family weekend - for that weekend only a member may bring direct family members plus children - so if a hunter wants to bring his wife and 3 kids that weekend we are good with it. That way the hunters who do not particularly want kids at camp don't have to be there that weekend.
> 
> The other thing we do is restrict any guest during the rut - so from mid December to first part of January we limit guest - the reasoning is that more of our paid hunters are in camp during the rut than any other time so to limit the number of bodies in camp we restrict guest during that busy period.
> 
> If the rules are clearly written and you have hunters you trust then having a guest can be done without indicident


Just a question........WHO THE HEELL WOULD NOT WANT KIDS AT THEIR DEER LEASE?! isn't that what hunting is about? teaching kids of all ages to hunt and teach them about wildlife and the outdoors? geez ....a deer lease where kids are not allowed...what next? don't take kids fishing?...lol.Just my 2 cents.
I have four boys and I never leave without them.I love just watching them in the woods and my little one is soaking everything up they are different kids out there...nothing like it.


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## grayson (Oct 21, 2011)

Walter said:


> Just a question........WHO THE HEELL WOULD NOT WANT KIDS AT THEIR DEER LEASE?! isn't that what hunting is about? teaching kids of all ages to hunt and teach them about wildlife and the outdoors? geez ....a deer lease where kids are not allowed...what next? don't take kids fishing?...lol.Just my 2 cents.
> I have four boys and I never leave without them.I love just watching them in the woods and my little one is soaking everything up they are different kids out there...nothing like it.


If you read my post we do allow kids at our lease - family weekend plus a paid hunter can bring a guest when they come - that can be their kid or grandkid. We just don't allow unlimited guest including unlimited kids. And yes, there are some serious trophy hunters who prefer not to have 10 young kids running around camp. It doesn't mean they are against kids hunting or anything of the like -


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## Walter (Dec 28, 2012)

grayson said:


> If you read my post we do allow kids at our lease - family weekend plus a paid hunter can bring a guest when they come - that can be their kid or grandkid. We just don't allow unlimited guest including unlimited kids. And yes, there are some serious trophy hunters who prefer not to have 10 young kids running around camp. It doesn't mean they are against kids hunting or anything of the like -


I hear ya.


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## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

I like the idea of bringing guest only til mid Dec. On our place your wife and kids can come hunting anytime as long as you are there with them of course. Since there are 6 members on the ranch we have a rule that only 6 stands can be occupied at once. So if you bring your wife or and all 6 members are there then your wife is goin to have to hunt with you in the same stand. This way you dont have 10 or 12 4-wheelers/vehicles riding out through the ranch.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

paid members are allowed X amn't of deer , guests shoot off of that quota.

if a guest kills an obv. buck that should stay, then it counts against members trophy allowance.

old spikes don't count against anyone


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## broadonrod (Feb 26, 2010)

All of our members bring guest. All or stand locations are 4X6 blinds just for that reason. Its pretty nice having a fun camp and all the families and friends down. Once again the guest have to be with a lease member while in the pastures or dropped in a blind with only a camera. The kids keep us supplied with lots of fried cottontail dinners too. Its all about how good of lease members you have. Most important is keep it all fun....


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## Walter (Dec 28, 2012)

broadonrod said:


> All of our members bring guest. All or stand locations are 4X6 blinds just for that reason. Its pretty nice having a fun camp and all the families and friends down. Once again the guest have to be with a lease member while in the pastures or dropped in a blind with only a camera. The kids keep us supplied with lots of fried cottontail dinners too. Its all about how good of lease members you have. Most important is keep it all fun....


Couldn't agree more.A fun camp makes it for me.


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*I am a chronic guest*

I go all the time with a lease member. I sit alone in a blind. Not allowed to shoot a buck and never wanted to. I once held back shooting anything when I saw a shooter buck and my lease member got him the next day. They need lots of does shot and I help with that. I also shoot hogs and one Spring turkey. (The other members are not really turkey hunters) I share gas, food and other expenses with the lease member and that really helps him out. I help him fill feeders and do maintenance on the camp, etc.


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## FishingallthetimeinmyJB (Feb 24, 2014)

wal1809 said:


> Agree on a fine system. Anything they shoot that is not a cull under under 4.5 years old is $5000 back to the other lease members.


This is how we would do it if we allowed guests. We don't. It's a slippery slope and not worth the hassle. You even see supposed game management minded people on here saying they would like to see the board enforce a laughable fine on them as a lease member, not a guest. God forbid grandma shoots the wrong buck and is given a $5000.00 dollars fine. Hothead would really lose it. I tried to explain to the boy his mindset wouldn't work on any game manage lease, and especially on high caliber game leases whereas a 150 class buck can walk by all day long and be off limits.

Maybe you can't teach a East Texas hunter anything. They are like trying to train a dog that is gnawing on a bone.


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

FishingallthetimeinmyJB said:


> This is how we would do it if we allowed guests. We don't. It's a slippery slope and not worth the hassle. You even see supposed game management minded people on here saying they would like to see the board enforce a laughable fine on them as a lease member, not a guest. God forbid grandma shoots the wrong buck and is given a $5000.00 dollars fine. Hothead would really lose it. I tried to explain to the boy his mindset wouldn't work on any game manage lease, and especially on high caliber game leases whereas a 150 class buck can walk by all day long and be off limits.
> 
> Maybe you can't teach a East Texas hunter anything. They are like trying to train a dog that is gnawing on a bone.


Lol....enjoy your stay here on 2Cool, I have a feeling it will be short lived.....


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## FishingallthetimeinmyJB (Feb 24, 2014)

Brete said:


> Lol....enjoy your stay here on 2Cool, I have a feeling it will be short lived.....


Did I say something wrong?


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

FishingallthetimeinmyJB said:


> Did I say something wrong?


Nah, you're good.....carry on....:cheers:


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## Walter (Dec 28, 2012)

Brete said:


> Nah, you're good.....carry on....:cheers:


LOL I'm counting down.....10..9..8...7..6......:rotfl:


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## FishingallthetimeinmyJB (Feb 24, 2014)

Brete said:


> Lol....enjoy your stay here on 2Cool, I have a feeling it will be short lived.....


Brete, your ranch is top caliber and it didn't get the way by knuckleheads. Is it the generalization? I can rephrase to some knuckleheads.


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## vette74 (Oct 11, 2009)

We allow guests and they can hunt their own stands. However, we have extra paid guest spots. The reality is that most of our guests have their own lease and just want to hang out. Most of the time they are happy with shooting hogs and coyotes anyway. However dove season is different we had 11 guest there at the same time.


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## Jock Ewing (Mar 26, 2006)

ROCKSPRINGS HUNTER said:


> We have been allowing guests for the last ten years with no problems. They go where you go, hunt the same stand you hunt, shoot the animal you tell them to shoot. Just got to have some rules in place and follow them.


This. This right here. That way the member is making all the decisions and can be responsible for them.

Or like Brett said, drop them off with a video camera. That way they cannot shoot anything or bother other people by driving around.


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