I consider myself a guest of the landowner. I will conduct myself in a manner so I may be welcomed back. I will obey the rules of safe hunting and will be courteous and firmly insist that others do the same.

GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Members must obey the laws of the State of Georgia, regulations of the Department of Natural Resources, DCHA Bylaws, and the rules and regulations set forth by the property owners that are lease/referred through this document as DCHA properties.
2. Visitors are not allowed to hunt on any DCHA leases. Exceptions are children not living with the member(s) and are age 17 years or younger.
3. Target practice, whether firearm or archery, is not allowed on DCHA properties.
4. Silencers and/or sound suppressors are not allowed.
5. Driving around any gate and joy riding ATV’s, side by side, or any other motorized vehicle is strictly forbidden. Motorized vehicles are allowed in the woods only during hunting season to retrieve a harvest. A motorized vehicle may be used for the placement and retrieval of stands, feeders, etc. in the offseason.

MEETINGS

1. The Board of Directors will meet as necessary.
2. An officers’ meeting will be held at least once a year. Attendance is required.
3. Membership meetings will be held each workday. New members are encouraged to attend these workday meetings. No side arms are allowed during meetings.

MEMEBERSHIP DUES, FEES, AND FINES

1. DCHA Membership includes the member, spouse, and children age 17 or younger who are living at home. Membership is required once a child reaches the age of 18 years.
2. Membership term runs June 1^st of the current year through May 31^st of the following year.
3. Returning membership dues is $500.00 payable to Douglas County Hunting Association by April 30^th of the current year. A fine of $100.00 will be imposed on any returning member who pays after April 30^th. Dues for new membership is $600.00.
4. Any member who has not paid after May 31^st is subject to being dropped from DCHA and risks having permanent stands removed. If the member wants to rejoin the DCHA, they are welcome to have their name placed on the waiting list.
5. A member who fails to attend a “mandatory” workday will be fined $200.00. First Responders, Military, and other members whose work schedules/health concerns conflict with the workdays must contact the Board of Directors for an exemption.
6. Fines must be paid before the member and/or the hunter’s family return to DCHA properties. Failure to do so will result in dismissal. Fines must be paid and cannot be worked off.

DEER AND TURKEY HUNTING

1. DCHA members are allowed to harvest a total of 5 deer per season from DCHA properties.
2. A member is allowed to harvest a total of 3 antlerless deer, one buck of at least a total of 3 points and a second buck, which must be 4 points or more on one side as stated in Georgia DNR regulations.
3. Family memberships are allowed to harvest a total of 7 deer. Bucks: 3 per family per state regulations. Does: 4 per family.
4. Any adult who harvests a spike/first year deer will be fined $100.00. This does not apply to any child who harvests his or her first deer.
5. DCHA may implement Quality Deer Management (QDM) restrictions on some properties. These restrictions will be posted on the property’s pin-in board.
6. Members are allowed to harvest 1 doe per hunt. Members are allowed to harvest 2 does in a single day only if 1 doe is harvested during a morning hunt and 1 doe during an afternoon/evening hunt. Violation of this rule will result in a fine of $100.00 and/or dismissal from DCHA.
7. Hunting at night is NOT permitted during deer and turkey season. Violation of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from DCHA.

BAITING

1. Deer feed and minerals are permitted per Georgia DNR regulations. Each active member is limited to 2 feeders in the immediate vicinity of the hunter’s stand.
2. All corn must be removed from DCHA properties prior to turkey season and cannot be returned to feeders or feeding areas until after turkey season ends. Violation of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from DCHA.

FOOD PLOTS

1. DCHA provides seed, fertilizer and lime for food plots. All DCHA funded plots are available to any member and may not be claimed as a personal food plot.
2. Members are allowed to create a personal food plot. Members must submit a request to the land manager, who will contact Jim Rutledge for final approval. Under no circumstances shall any pines, including seedlings, be damaged/destroyed when creating a food plot. Violation of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from DCHA.
3. When a member is not hunting the immediate area of his/her food plot, any other active member is allowed to hunt there.

Stands

1. Each member is allowed 2 permanent stands. A member may mark 2 stands on the same property or one stand on 2 different properties.
2. Active-hunting spouses are allowed one additional stand after providing a copy of their license to hunt in Georgia. Active means no fewer than 5-7 hunts in one hunting season.
3. No member shall exceed a total of 3 permanent stands. A portable stand or ground blind within 25 feet of a member’s stand is considered a single stand.
4. All stands must be marked in the vicinity of the stand and on the pin-in board. Members who hunt from portables or ground blinds may leave their stands in the woods as long as the area is marked as the member’s permanent stand. Stands must be marked at eye level with the member’s number and current year. Spousal stands will include the letter “S” after the member’s number.
5. Permanent stands must be placed beyond 150 yards from another member’s permanent stand and must follow state and local regulations regarding property lines.
6. Members shall not place a permanent stand within 150 yards of a DCHA food plot. This applies to members who hunt Carroll County 650 and Taliaferro and Warren properties. On all other properties, the distance is 75 yards.
7. Members may not hunt from another member’s permanent stand without written and dated permission from the stand’s owner. If a stand is not occupied on a specific day, a member may hunt the area surrounding the stand using a portable stand or ground blind. If the owner of the permanent stand arrives to hunt his/her stand, the member using the portable stand or ground blind is required to immediately leave the area.
8. No stands may be permanently nailed or bolted to a tree. No trees shall be damaged or destroyed while erecting a stand. Selective trimming of limbs is permitted. Removing or cutting trees to create shooting lanes is prohibited.
9. Members who renew their membership must update the year on their stand or markers by May 31^st. Failure to do so may result in the loss of the member’s stand location.
10. Any Member leaving DCHA for any reason must remove their stand(s), signs, markers and or ribbons within 30 days after the member’s last hunt.

PIN-IN BOARD/PROPERTY MAPS/HARVEST RECORDS

1. Each tract of land has a Pin-in/Pin-out board. Members are required to mark the area of each permanent stand with a dot/magnet with the member’s number.
2. Members and family members are required to pin-in prior to entering the woods and pin-out when returning from the hunt. Members should not pin-in the night before a hunt.
3. All deer harvested on DCHA properties must list the deer on the Harvest/Kill list for the specific property it was harvested. Any member or family member not reporting a harvest will be dismissed from DCHA and membership will be cancelled.

CAMPING

1. The following properties have designated camping areas: Coweta, Haralson, Taliaferro, and Carroll (Whitesburg). All camping must be done in these designated areas.
2. Electrical hook-ups are available in Taliaferro County and Whitesburg for an annual cost – $100.00 for a single A.C. Unit or $150.00 for a double A.C. unit per site.
3. Electricity will be turned on five days prior to archery season in Whitesburg and turned off five days after deer season. Campers will be allowed at Taliaferro camp two days prior to the scheduled workday, or Labor Day Weekend, whichever comes first.
4. DCHA officers may have reserve campsites with electrical hook-ups at the campsite. Other campsites are available on a first come first serve basis with the campsite manager’s approval and paid electricity.
5. Campers/tents should not be brought to the campground more than 14 days before the start of archery season.
6. Individual campsites must be maintained in a clean and tidy manner and campers must be respectful of other campers. Members must take their trash with them after each stay.
7. Campfires must be contained in a fire ring or burn barrel. They must be completely extinguished before leaving the property.
8. Upon returning from a hunt, each member or family must unload, and properly store all firearms. Members are not allowed to wear sidearms in camp. Violation will result in a $100.00 fine or immediate dismissal from DCHA.
9. All structures placed on DCHA properties are considered temporary and along with campers must be removed from the property within 14 days of the end of deer season.

Miscellaneous Rules

1. Violations of these Bylaws may result in a disciplinary action in the form of a reprimand, a fine, or dismissal from DCHA with no refund. In some cases, a violator may be blocked from rejoining DCHA.
2. Violation of State game laws may result in referral to legal authorities.
3. Small game hunting is not allowed during either deer or turkey season.
4. Each property will have a single designated area where animal waste is to be disposed.
5. Members and spouse members must carry on his/her person, their photo ID, DCHA membership card and a valid hunting license while on DCHA properties.  Members must display their DCHA tag with the current year sticker affixed on the dashboard of their vehicles.
6. All Members and their family understand they are hunting at their own risk. The DCHA, Board of Directors, officers and landowners are not responsibility for any accidents, injury, or damages to a member or a member’s property.
7. Land Managers may organize voluntary workdays on specific tracts of land upon prior notification of the Board of Directors. These workdays do not exempt a member from attending a mandatory workday.
8. Coyotes may be killed during deer season only if one is encountered during a hunt and may not be specifically hunted at night during deer season. Members must not under any circumstance kill a domestic dog (someone’s pet).
9. Pre-season scouting ends Labor Day weekend. If you need to continue scouting after this date, please check the pin-in board and avoid another member’s designated areas.
10. All members must remove any trash at their stand after every hunt.
11. Deer drives are not permitted on any DCHA property. Any member organizing or participating in a deer drive will have their membership revoked.
12. Dues will be refunded only at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Refunds may be approved because of health conditions, death, Military deployment, and moving out of the southeast area.
13. No DCHA Member shall possess or consume alcoholic beverages while on the Coweta tract. Violation of this amendment will result in immediate dismissal from DCHA.

Amendments to Bylaws

1. Amendments to the Bylaws will be voted on by the Board of Directors.
2. Members may propose changes to the Bylaws by submitting them in writing to the Board of Directors at any time.