If you think you have what it takes to organize your own hunting club, here’s how to get started:
Locate suitable property – Use word of mouth, contact landowners and timber companies, bid on school board property and look in Louisiana Sportsman’s classified ads.
Find members – Activate your social media network, put the word out at sporting goods stores and place an ad in Louisiana Sportsman’s classifieds under Club Finder.
Draft rules and elect officers – Be careful here; these decisions can literally make or break a club.
Start working – Construct stands and blinds, clear trails and plant food plots. Do enough so that everyone can hunt the first year, and then add more projects each season. Just know it’s a lot of hard work ,and will take time.
Enjoy – This is where all the hard work pays off. Enjoy what you have accomplished.
Mark Hartman, the president of a deer club in East Feliciana Parish, had this advice: “Do your research, ask a lot of questions to landowners, ask the local game warden if there is a poaching problem in the area and about harvest data and talk with other clubs in the area. The key is to surround yourself with good members — people you know and trust.”
