| DOUGLAS COUNTY HUNTING ASSOCIATION BYLAWS |
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. No member of the Douglas County Association is above the rules and Bylaws of the Club. The Board of Directors encourages all members to report violations directly to officers or land managers.
General Rules and Regulations
A. Members will follow the laws of the State of Georgia and the regulations of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, our Bylaws and all rules and regulations set by the owners of the property that we lease.
B. The only visitors allowed to hunt on club property are children not living with you that are of the age of 17 or younger.
C. Driving around any gate, and joy riding ATV’s, side by side or any other motorized vehicle is strictly forbidden.
D. Target practice is not allowed on any club property.
a. This rule applies to firearms and archery equipment equally.
E. ATVs, side by sides etc. are only allowed in the woods to retrieve a harvest.
a. ATVs, side by sides etc. can be used during the off season for the placement and retrieval of stands, feeders etc.
F. Silencers and/or sound suppressors are not allowed on club property
G. Quite Time is 10:00PM
H. No side arms during meetings.
I. Drink Responsibly.
J. Officers are required to attend work days on the property they are assigned too.
Meetings
A. Meetings of the Board of Directors will be scheduled as necessary. But at a minimum, the Board will meet as needed:
a. During the first quarter of the year prior to the officers’ meeting
b. During the second quarter of the year to resolve issues arising after the meeting of the general membership and
c. If needed, whenever the Board determines.
B. Meetings of club officers will be held at least once per year as current situations dictate. All current officers are required to attend this meeting.
C. There will be one meeting held on an annual basis that all club officers and returning members are encouraged to attend.
a. Individuals who are not currently members but that are interested in joining the Douglas County Hunting Association are also invited to attend this meeting.
Membership Dues, Fees and Fines
A. Membership in the Douglas County Hunting Association includes the paying member who signs the club application, that member’s spouse and children that are 17 years old or younger and living at home.
a. Once a child of a member achieves the age of 18 a separate membership is required for that person.
B. Regardless of when a member pays his/her dues the term of that membership is from June 1st of the current year through May 31st of the following year.
C. Returning Membership dues of $500.00, paid on an annual basis, in cash or check made payable to Douglas County Hunting Association is due by April 30th of the current year.
D. Any returning member who pays his or her dues after April 30th of the current year will pay the $500.00 plus a $50.00 fine for a total of $550.00 for paying after the due date.
E. After May 31st any person who has not yet paid his or her dues is dropped from the club. Members who are dropped from the club’s membership are welcome to join the membership waiting list. Not paying any dues and late fines will result in having permanent stands removed from all properties.
F. Membership dues for new members will be $600.00 and will not have any late fines assessed regardless of when the dues are paid.
a. The extra $100 that new members pay helps the club cover the costs of having car tags, membership card, keys etc. produced
G. Any member who harvests a spike/First Year Deer or any other deer that is determined to be illegal will be fined $100.00
a. Fines must be paid before the hunter or the hunter’s family member returns to club properties.
i. Failure to pay any fines will result in dismissal from the club.
H. A member who fails to attend an official club workday will be fined $200.00
a. First responders and other members whose work schedules conflict with the workday schedule must contact the Board of Directors for an exemption from this requirement.
Deer, Hog & Turkey Hunting
A. Club members are allowed to harvest a total of 5 deer per season from club properties as follows:
a. Single Memberships are allowed to harvest a total of 3 antlerless Deer.
b. Single Memberships are allowed to harvest one buck of at least a total of 3 points and a second buck what must be 4 or more points on one side as is required by Georgia DNR regulations.
c. Any member who harvests a spike will be fined $100.00. This fine does not apply to any child hunter who harvests his or her very first deer.
d. Family memberships are allowed to harvest a total of 8 deer as follows:
i. Bucks – 3 per family per state regulation (the spike rule still applies)
ii. Does – 4 per family
1. Children of members may harvest 1 legal buck (the spike restriction does not apply for a child hunter’s first ever deer harvest).
B. The club may decide to implement Quality Deer Management (QDM) restrictions on some properties. These restrictions will be noted on either the property’s pin in board, harvest board or both.
C. The club may decide to further limit the total number of deer a member may harvest from a specific property.
D. Members are not allowed to harvest more than 1 doe per hunt. That is to say that if a hunter sees two does together, he or she is only allowed to harvest one of the deer. Members are allowed to harvest 2 does in a single day only if one is harvested during a morning hunt and one during an afternoon/evening hunt.
a. Violations of this rule will result in a member being fined $100 fine and/or dismissal from the club
E. Hunting at night, regardless of the species, is NOT permitted during deer and turkey season.
a. Violations of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from the club.
Baiting
A. Salt, bait, protein feed, mineral blocks etc. are permitted as per Georgia DNR regulations.
B. Each paying member is limited to a total of 2 feeders in the immediate vicinity of the hunter’s stand.
C. All corn must be removed from club properties within one month of the end of deer season and cannot be returned to feeders or feeding areas until turkey season ends.
a. Violations of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from the club.
Food Plots
A. The club, when financially possible, will provide the seed and fertilizer needed to plant food plots on each tract of land.
B. All club funded food plots are available to any member of the club and may not be claimed as a personal or private food plot.
C. Members are allowed, at their own expense, to create a food plot and may hunt directly over it.
a. Private food plots must have prior approval of the Land Manager.
i. The Land Manager must inform the Board of Directors of all private food plots.
b. Under no circumstance should any pines, whether seedlings or more mature, be destroyed or damaged when creating a food plot.
i. Violations of this rule will result in immediate dismissal from the club.
c. When a member who creates a food plot is not hunting in the immediate area of his or her food plot, any other club member is allowed to hunt that area as long as he or she is not using the food plot owner’s permanent stand. (Please refer to the section on stands for any clarification).
Stands
A. All permanent stands must be marked in the immediate vicinity of the physical stand and on the pin-in board.
B. Each member is allowed to mark 2 permanent stands.
a. A member may mark 2 stands on the same property or one stand on 2 different properties.
b. Actively hunting family members may make one additional permanent stand following all of the other rules governing stands after provided the Board of Directors proof that the family member is currently licensed to hunt in Georgia.
i. A family stand must be marked with the member’s number followed by the letter “F” and the current year.
c. No membership may exceed a total of 3 permanent stands (2 for the member and 1 for the member’s family)
C. All permanent stands must be marked, at eye level, with the member’s name and number and the current year.
D. Permanent stands may not be placed within 150 yards of another member’s permanent stand and must follow state and local regulations regarding property lines.
E. Members may not hunt from another member’s permanent stand without written and dated permission from the permanent stand’s owner.
a. If a permanent stand is not occupied on a specific day, a member may hunt the immediate area surrounding that stand by using a portable stand or ground blind.
i. If the owner of the permanent stand arrives to hunt his or her permanent stand, the member using a portable stand or ground blind is required to immediately leave that area.
F. Stands may not be permanently nailed or bolted to any trees. Trees, especially pines may not be damaged when erecting a stand.
G. Any member leaving the club for any reason must remove their stands within 30 days. Any stands not removed within the 30day period will be considered abandoned, taken down and auctioned off.
H. Under no circumstance should any pine trees, whether seedlings or more mature, be removed destroyed or damaged when erecting a stand.
a. Selective trimming of pine limbs is permitted, however, removing or cutting any trees to create shooting lanes is not permitted.
I. Portable stands and ground blinds must be removed from the woods at the end of each hunt.
a. Members who hunt exclusively from portable stands or ground blinds may leave their stands in the woods as long as that portable stand or ground blind is marked as a permanent stand.
i. Portable stands and ground blinds must be physically marked with the member’s number.
J. Portable stands and ground blinds within 25 feet of a member’s permanent stand will be considered a single stand.
K. If a member decides to not renew his or her membership prior to the end of a season, he or she should remove all stands, signs, ribbon and/or markers after the end of the member’s last hunt of the season.
L. Members who renew their membership must update the year on their permanent markers and pin in board by May 31st. Failure to mark both, may result in the loss of the member’s permanent stand.
Pin-In Board/Property Maps/Harvest Records
A. Each tract of land has a Pin-In / Pin-Out Board for the safety of members.
B. Members are required to mark, on the pin in board, the vicinity of each permanent stand with a dot and the member’s number and the year. Over time, members may need to refresh the marks on the board, but they are intended to remain until the member moves his or her permanent stand by May 31st.
a. Any markings in the woods are to be updated/removed as well.
C. Members and family members are required to pin-in prior to entering the woods to hunt and to pin-out before leaving any club property.
a. Pins are to be placed/removed after each hunt.
b. Members should not pin-in the night before a hunt.
c. All pins must have the member’s number.
D. Members choosing not to hunt a permanent stand are still required to pin-in and pin-out. In this case the member is required to place a pin with the member’s number in the area that he or she plans to hunt.
E. All deer harvested on club property MUST without exception be listed on the harvest/kill list for the specific property it was harvested on.
a. All harvests must be reported on the harvest record before even taking it to a processor.
b. Any member or family member not reporting a harvest will immediately be dismissed from the club and the entire membership will be cancelled.
Camping
A. The following properties have designated camping areas:
a. Coweta County
b. Haralson County
c. Taliaferro County &
d. Whitesburg in Carroll County
B. All camping must be done in these designated areas.
a. Electrical hookups are available in Taliaferro County and Whitesburg for an annual cost of $75.00
i. Electricity will be turned on by Labor Day.
ii. Electricity will be turned off 14 days after the end of deer season.
iii. Electricity will be turn off between the end of deer season and the start of the next deer season for all campsites.
iv. Electrical hookups may be added to other properties when it is determined to be appropriate.
b. Club officers may have reserved campsites with electrical hookups on the property he or she most often hunts.
c. All other campsites are available on a first come first served basis campsite manager approval.
Primitive camping is also allowed in the club campground.
C. Individual campsites must be maintained in a clean and tidy manner and campers must be respectful of others. Members must take their trash with them when they leave the property.
D. Campers/tents should not be brought to club campgrounds more than 14 days before the start of archery season.
E. Campfires must be contained in a fire ring or burn barrel.
a. Campfires must be completely extinguished before leaving the property.
F. Upon returning from a hunt, each member or family must unload, and property store all firearms.
a. Members are not allowed to wear side arms in camp. Violating this rule will result in a $100 fine or immediate dismissal from the club.
G. All structures such as cook tents etc. placed on club property are considered temporary and along with campers must be removed from the property within 14 days of the end of deer season.
H. The Douglas County Hunting Association and its Board of Directors are not responsible for any damage to or theft of any members property that has been left in a campsite.
Miscellaneous Rules
A. Violations of these Bylaws may result in disciplinary action brought by the Board of Directors which may be in the form of a reprimand, a fine or dismissal from the club without any refund. In some cases, a violator may be blocked from rejoining the club.
Violation of State game laws may result in referral to legal authorities.
B. Small game hunting is not allowed during either deer or turkey hunting.
C. Each property will have a single designate area where animal waste is to be disposed of.
D. Members must carry, on his or her person, their photo id (may be requested by a game warden), their club ID card and their valid hunting license (during open hunting season) whenever on club property. The member must also display their club tag with the current year sticker affixed to it on the dashboard of their vehicle.
E. All members understand that they are hunting at their own risk. The Douglas County Hunting Association, its Board of Directors and officers and the club’s landowner do not accept any responsibility for any accident, injury or damage to a member or a member’s property.
F. Each tract of land will have at least one workday/food plot planting day immediately before the start of deer season. Each member is required to attend and sign in with the officer running the workday at least one workday per year. Members not attending a workday will be fined $100.00. First responders and others who are not physically or medically able to participate in a workday may be exempted from this requirement and any fines.
a. Land managers may at his or her discretion may organize additional voluntary workdays on specific tracts of land upon prior notification to the Board of Directors. These workdays do not exempt a member from attending the official club workday.
G. Any fine imposed on a member must be paid before that member is allowed to return to the club’s properties to hunt.
a. Fines must be paid and cannot be “worked off”.
H. Although the Georgia DNR and the Douglas County Hunting Association encourage hunters to kill coyotes, members must not under any circumstance kill a domestic dog (someone’s pet).
I. Coyotes can be killed during deer season only if one is encountered during a deer hunt and may not be specifically hunted at night during deer season.
J. Pre-season scouting ends Labor Day Weekend. If you need to continue scouting after this date, please check the pin-in board and avoid any other member’s designated area.
K. Dues will only be refunded at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Typically, the club refunds dues because of health conditions, death or moving from the southeast area.
L. Deer drives are not permitted on any club property.
a. Any member organizing or participating in a deer drive on club property will be immediately removed from the club.
M. All members must remove any trash at their stands.
Amendments to Bylaws
A. Amendments to the Bylaws will be voted on by the Board of Directors.
B. Members may propose changes to the Bylaws by submitting them in writing to the members of the Board of Directors at any time.
C. The Board of Directors will determine the effective date of any changes to the Bylaws.
D. Upon approval of any amendments the official Bylaws document will be updated and posted to the club’s website.