American Sportsmen’s Club Policies and Procedures

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Preface to Rules and Regulations

Please read this section thoroughly. If you don’t understand something, or you are not sure if it applies to you, please call our office for clarification before you start using club property. If you break certain rules, your membership can be canceled or suspended. Failure to know club rules is not an acceptable excuse for violations. Strict enforcement of club rules for all members has always been our policy. Since the beginning of the club, we have only had to permanently cancel or temporarily suspend very few memberships. It is not our desire to see any member reprimanded, but we do diligently enforce our rules. We dislike rules as much as anyone else, but they are an absolute necessity. There are three major reasons we have the rules we have, and numerous minor reasons. The major reasons are: 1) Safety, 2) Landowner relations, 3) Member satisfaction and fairness. We will elaborate on these reasons below.

SAFETY: Accidents don’t just happen; they are caused. If every hunter abides by common sense safety rules which all of you should be aware of, then there wouldn’t be any accidental injuries, deaths, or property damage caused by guns or arrows. One important reason many of you have chosen to join our club is because you don’t like the danger of hunting on public ground, with a bunch of strangers who are acting irresponsibly. You prefer to hunt on private land where you don’t have to worry about getting shot, or accidentally harming someone who is in the same vicinity but out of sight, whose presence you are not aware of; much like the conditions you would experience on public land.

Hunting club insurance is very expensive and difficult to get. The insurance rates are increasing rapidly, due to injuries that result in claims or litigation. The same thing could conceivably happen to hunting clubs that has happened to the medical profession. Many doctors pay $50,000 to $100,000 a year for liability (malpractice) insurance. It’s because of injuries, claims and lawsuits. Of course we all pay the doctors insurance premium every time we use his services, thus many people can’t afford medical attention when they need it. If hunting accidents aren’t kept down to a very rare occurrence, the liability insurance for hunting clubs will increase to astronomical amounts and only the rich will be able to afford the cost of club membership. If we have an accident, our rates will either increase and the cost will be passed on to members thru higher dues, or our insurance could be canceled, in which case we would have to cease doing business, if we couldn’t find another firm willing to insure us. Our success and your continued enjoyment of hunting depend on the safety practices of every member.

LANDOWNER RELATIONS: We value your membership greatly, and hope our association with you lasts many years, but we think it is only fair to tell you that we value our relationship with landowners even more. Yes, there is lots of land out there, but it is also not easy to get the hunting rights to good quality land, at a price that keeps membership affordable for you. Please understand that the amount of money a landowner makes from hunting leases is a pittance when compared to what he makes from government payments, crops, pasture fees, etc. Also when you consider many of our land owners have land worth several hundred thousand or even several million dollars, trying to interest them in leasing hunting rights to a bunch of strangers that will be wandering around on their property, invading their privacy, and shooting weapons, just so they can make a few hundred or a few thousand dollars extra, is a difficult proposition. We must realize that it is hardly worth the bother for many landowners, and especially if we aggravate them or don’t respect their rules, wishes and property. You must follow the rules of the club, as well as any special rules imposed by the landowner. Do you realize what effect, seemingly insignificant things such as a bullet casing, pop can, goose decoy spike or arrow to name a few things, can have on a farm operation? If a cow ingests a bullet casing or other metal object, they can develop “hardware disease”, which can result in early death of the animal. Cows can’t spit out a bullet casing or other metal object when they pull up a mouthful of grass, instead they swallow the bullet, but can’t digest it, and it stays in their stomach until it punctures the stomach and pierces their heart or lungs, and kills them. To lose a $1000 cow because a hunter didn’t bend over and pick up a spent shell is a shame. If a pop can is left on the ground, it can become stuck on the point of a plow, and a farmer may think he has dug a perfect mile long furrow, only to turn around and see there is no furrow, because the can was covering the plow point all the time. Goose decoys staked to the ground can be blown away, but the stake remains in the ground, only to puncture and maybe ruin a large tractor tire, which could cost several hundred dollars to replace. These are but a few of the many problems that have soured landowners on hunters. All of these situations could be avoided if you will remember to leave nothing on the farmer’s land that you carried onto it. No trash, no spent shells, metal pull-tabs, plastic bags, etc., should be left behind. If you can carry it on the land, you can carry it off the land. Just follow the rules - that’s all we ask. If you don’t follow the rules, and you cause the club to lose a lease, you have not only hurt all members, but you will probably stop other neighboring landowners from leasing to us also. We need the landowners more than they need us. Let’s keep them happy, they are very hard to get, and extremely easy to lose.

CLUB MEMBER SATISFACTION AND FAIRNESS: What is fair for one should be fair for all. There is no favoritism shown for any members. All members are playing on a level playing field. Some of you may not like some of the rules of the club that have been suggested and adopted by members just like you, but the rules apply equally to everyone including all staff personnel, Advisory Board Members, and Charter Members. Rules won’t be made which lessen the enjoyment of being a member unless they are necessary to insure a safe and sensible operation. If you disagree with any rule, don’t break it, but do let us know that you disagree and why.We can’t possibly have rules and regulations for every situation, or this book would look like a government policy manual. If we don’t have a specific rule, or you don’t remember the rule, and you are out hunting, use your common sense and best judgment, but keep in mind you must only do what is legal, safe, and fair to the landowner and other members. ASC reserves the right to enforce policy not mentioned in this document after a reasonable notification of the membership of that policy.

RESPONSIBILITY TO THE LANDOWNER: Every property leased by ASC is covered by a comprehensive, formal lease which spells out specific responsibilities which the club and landowner jointly agree to comply with. All members must follow our lease agreements to the letter, in order to preserve the integrity and honor of the club. All terms of the lease are reasonable, logical, sensible, and entice landowners to lease to ASC, instead of other clubs or individuals. Many landowners who lease to ASC wouldn’t even consider allowing hunters on their land before ASC approached them and guaranteed them we would follow the rules shown in this book.

AMERICAN SPORTSMEN’S CLUB RULES AND REGULATIONS

(Adopted by Rules Commission August 2003. Edited September 2006.)

  1. Member/Family Dependent/Guest
    • 1.1 Member - A member shall be any person who has fully paid all current dues, who has no delinquent balance with the club, and who is in good standing.
    • 1.2 Family Dependent - As defined by the current Internal Revenue Service Regulations for Dependents, spouse, and any child of a member 25 years of age or younger.
    • 1.3 Guest - A guest shall be any person who is not a member of ASC or a family dependent. Guest approval shall be at the discretion of ASC. See current club policy with respect to guest fees. A guest shall be allowed to visit only 3 times in any 12-month period.
      • 1.3.1 Guests - A member may take a maximum of 2 guests per reservation, for all reservations except deer and turkey hunting.
      • 1.3.2 Deer Hunting Guests - A member may take one guest for firearms deer hunting per reservation. For deer bow hunting the rule shall be the same as
      • 1.3.1 above.
      • 1.3.3 Turkey Hunting Guests - A member may take one guest for firearms turkey hunting per reservation. For turkey bow hunting the rule shall be the same as 1.3.1 above.
      • 1.3.4 Hold Harmless Agreement - All guests must complete and sign a Hold Harmless Agreement before they can hunt on club property. The club must receive a Hold Harmless Agreement once for each guest per lifetime. The member inviting the guest is responsible to get the Hold Harmless Agreement for their Guest to ASC. Failure to do so will be a rules violation.
      • 1.3.5 Loaning Membership - ASC club membership cards, vehicle identification signs, and any other items used by ASC for member identification are for use only by the member. Loaning or otherwise allowing the use of these items by anyone else is a rules violation.
  2. State and Federal Rules, Regulations, Laws, Etc.
    • 2.1 Applicable - All state and federal rules, regulations, laws, etc., currently in force shall be a part of ASC rules as if written here and shall be rigidly adhered to by all members, family dependents, and guests of ASC.
    • 2.2 Violations - All violations shall be reported to the proper enforcement authorities by ASC members.
    • 2.3 Summons, Tickets, Etc. - Any member, family dependents, and guests receiving summons, tickets, while hunting on ASC property, shall report such actions to ASC by the member.
  3. Safety
    • 3.1 Responsibility - Every ASC member shall be responsible for themselves and their family dependents and guests to conduct themselves in a safe manner and to observe safety rules at all times.
    • 3.2 Hunter Safety Regulations - All members, family dependents, and guests shall meet all legal requirements of federal or state regulations with regard to safety. Current hunter safety cards where legally required shall be carried while using ASC property.
    • 3.3 Accidents, Violations - Any accidents, violations of safety regulations, or unsafe conduct shall be reported to ASC by the member.
  4. Alcohol or Illegal Drug Use
    • 4.1 Use on ASC Property - The consumption or use of alcohol or illegal drugs while on club property is strictly prohibited.
    • 4.2 Under Influence - The use of ASC property by anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs is strictly prohibited. Under influence of alcohol shall be as legally defined by the Motor Vehicle Laws in the state where using ASC property. A minimum of 2 hours per drink shall pass with a maximum of 8 hours after drinking before entering ASC property.
    • 4.3 Transportation of Alcohol or Drugs - The transportation in any form of illegal drugs on ASC property is prohibited. The transportation of alcohol in sealed containers on ASC property is not a rules violation unless the information on a specific property prohibits such transportation.
    • 4.4 Violations - Any violation of these rules shall be reported to ASC by a member.
  5. Landowner
    • 5.1 Landowner Rights - The landowner has rights that take precedence over hunting rights, ASC members will not interfere with farm activities such as farming, lumbering, cattle operations, etc.
    • 5.2 Landowner Requirements - Individual landowners have specified certain requirements such as, check at house before hunting, don’t open certain gates, etc. These requirements are contained in information given to you by ASC or as verbally transmitted by ASC personnel or landowners. All ASC members, family dependents, and guests shall strictly adhere to these requirements.
  6. Reservations
    • 6.1 Member Reservations - No member, family dependent, or guest shall enter upon ASC property without a member first making a valid reservation with ASC and receiving confirmation of the reservation.
    • 6.2 ASC Reservation Requirements - ASC shall have the exclusive right to establish procedures, methods, times, etc. for members to make reservations. ASC will inform all members of such with a mailing to the current address furnished by the member to ASC. It will be the member’s responsibility to be informed on current reservation requirements. Ignorance of the current requirements will not be an acceptable excuse for violating them.
    • 6.3 Member Identification Card - Members shall carry their identification card whenever on club property. Upon request, the card shall be shown to ASC representatives, landowners, or ASC members.
    • 6.4 Scouting Property - Members shall make reservations to enter property to scout.
    • 6.5 Landowner - Reservations or permission to hunt given by a landowner are not acceptable or valid, only confirmed reservations with ASC are acceptable.
    • 6.6 Unauthorized Persons - It is a reservation violation for a member, family dependent, or guest to go on ASC property with any person without first giving their name to ASC with a confirmed reservation.
    • 6.7 False Information - While making reservations, it is a violation of ASC rules to give false information about other members, family dependents, or guests.
  7. Vehicle Use
    • 7.1 Vehicle I.D. Signs - When parked on or adjacent to ASC property, members shall place their I.D. signs on whatever vehicle they are using so that it is readily visible, displaying their I.D. number.
    • 7.2 Vehicle Access - The use of trucks, automobiles, SUVs, ATV’s or other similar vehicles shall be restricted to established roads, trails, and paths. Roads, trails, and paths shall be restricted to dry weather conditions or frozen conditions.
    • 7.3 Vehicle Parking - Vehicles shall be parked in designated areas where indicated. Do not block access to gates, field roads, etc. with vehicle. No road barrier of any type shall be permitted without landowner approval.
    • 7.4 Gates - All closed, unlocked gates shall be immediately closed after passage. All locked gates shall only be unlocked with club or owner permission and locked immediately after passage.
  8. Land Use
    • 8.1 Safety Zone - Hunting and shooting will not be allowed within 450 feet of any dwelling, barn, or other structure which is normally occupied by humans or domestic animals, or any other area designated as a safety zone.
    • 8.2 Property Damage - ASC members, family dependents, and guests shall not cut, injure, or destroy any trees, crops, roads, fences, buildings, or other improvements located on ASC property.
    • 8.3 Improvements - Do not make any improvements on the leased land including construction of structures, buildings, power lines, water lines, roads, etc. You will be permitted to place deer stands in trees, if permitted by ASC, as long as no damage is done to the trees. No nails, spikes, wire, or other metal shall be embedded in or used to attach anything to any tree. You will be allowed to construct blinds, in locations approved by ASC, for waterfowl hunting unless individual restrictions are noted on property information forms or maps.
    • 8.4 Fires - You are not allowed to set any fires or allow fires to be set on ASC property, other than contained cooking fires, where no danger of spreading beyond control exists. Extinguish completely all fires when you leave. If conditions exist to create a fire hazard, or at owner’s request, no fire is allowed and any existing fire shall be extinguished.
  9. Litter
    • 9.1 Litter of Member - All litter, such as spent shell cases, cans, bottles, paper wrappers, etc. that you, family dependents, or guests, bring to property shall be removed with you and disposed of in proper receptacles for that purpose. If you observe litter on ASC land, pick it up and dispose of it also.
  10. Hunting Fees
    • 10.1 Dues - Hunting fees or short notice reservation charges are due and should be sent to ASC the day you make the reservation. Delinquent fees after 15 days will have a $3 added charge and an additional $3 added charge per billing notice.
    • 10.2 Failure to Pay - ASC will suspend any member and not allow them to make any additional reservations after 30 days until the due amount plus late charges are paid.
  11. Harvest Reports
    • 11.1 Reporting - The ASC member who had a reservation shall complete a field report within 48 hours after their hunting or fishing trip. The report shall include farm number, county, your name, dates hunted, condition of trespassing signs, game seen, game shot, game lost, or fish taken, and any special insight to help fellow members. A written harvest report may be sent to ASC within 48 hours by members without internet access.
  12. Rule Violations
    • 12.1 Violations - American Sportsmen’s Club reserves the right to discipline, suspend, or expel any member without refund of dues paid for violations of these rules. ASC also reserves the right to restrict or prohibit the use of ASC by spouse, family dependents or guests. (All of the following rules are recommended by management, but subject to Rules Commission ratification)

ADDENDUM TO RULES AND REGULATIONS

  1. Never shoot firearms toward roads, buildings or livestock, regardless of the distance.
  2. Never loan your membership ID card, vehicle ID, or membership book to anyone; it is only for your use. If the book or ID furnished by ASC is lost, report the loss immediately to ASC.
  3. (Extension of rule 1.3.4) All guests must complete and sign a hold harmless agreement before they can visit club property. Guests under the age of 18 must provide a hold harmless agreement with the indemnification signed by a parent or guardian, since agreements signed by minors alone are not binding. Once any guest has signed a completed hold harmless agreement, it should be promptly sent to ASC, to be kept on file permanently. The guests name, address, phone number and birth date should be legibly and completely written on the form, and you are to sign the form to indicate you witnessed their signature. If you fail to submit the hold harmless agreement promptly, future reservations for the same person cannot be accepted, until the hold harmless agreement has been received by ASC. If you know who will be your guest in the future, go ahead and have them sign the agreement now, and send to ASC to cover them for all future hunting on our land. Members should sign agreements as guardians for their minor children, if they anticipate they will be visiting our land. Wives of members, and children 18 or more years of age, must also sign the agreements if they will be visiting ASC land for any purpose. PROMPTLY MAIL ALL SIGNED AGREEMENTS TO ASC OR FAX TO 248-928-5017.
  4. (Extension of rule 10.1) All money due ASC for guests fees, and landowner daily use fees (where applicable), shall be paid to ASC before the date reserved. ASC does not bill members for fees, unless they become delinquent, in which case you will be billed, and a $3.00 bookkeeping service charge will be added to each billing. Past due accounts may be billed as frequently as weekly, depending on the amount due and the length of time the balance remains unpaid.
  5. (Extension of rule 7.1) Vehicle identification is furnished to each member, and must be displayed whenever you are going to be entering any club land for any purpose. The ID sign is to be placed inside the rear window, or if it cannot be seen when on the rear window, hang it on the rear view mirror so it can be seen through the windshield. Always display when your vehicle is parked at, on, or near club land. It is recommended that the ID sign be taped inside on your back window if you usually use the same vehicle for your activity. It is perfectly okay to leave the sign in the window permanently. Do not display your sign by leaving on the dashboard. If your sign is lost, notify the office immediately, and a replacement will be sent. If the lost sign reappears after you have ordered a replacement, contact the club office for disposition information. If you arrive at any property, before realizing you forgot your vehicle ID sign, you must not enter the property until you have either returned home to get your sign, or called the club office to notify them, and ask for instructions. In the event you are unable to reach the office, but you know where the landowner lives, go see them, and show your personal ID card, explain that you have the property reserved for the day, but don’t have your vehicle ID sign, give them your vehicle license number, and make them aware of what your vehicle looks like, so when they see it parked on their property, they will know it is yours. If you do not follow these instructions, you may find the sheriff tracking you down to arrest you for trespassing, so be sure you abide by the rules.
  6. Read and reread your membership book thoroughly before you call the office to make any reservations. If there is something you do not understand, ask us, we’ll be glad to help you.
  7. It is your responsibility to make sure your guests know and follow the club rules. They should also understand that they will cause your reservation to be aborted if they violate any of our rules. In the event a guest does break a rule, immediately stop further activity, leave the premises, and report the violation to ASC with your harvest report.
  8. ASC Member’s and their guests are strictly prohibited from discussing any terms of ASC’s leases with any landowner who is leasing land to ASC. Member’s who are interested in exploring personal land leases should respect the club’s prior rights and avoid any conversations with landowners that might compromise the clubs proprietary rights. Any person who leases or attempt’s to lease directly, or indirectly, any leased ASC land which they are introduced to thru their membership or as a guest of a member, will be permanently banned as a member and guest from all ASC land thereafter, unless their first attempt to lease is made at least 3 year’s after the expiration of the last ASC lease on the same land.
  9. The first time any member deliberately violates reservation, guest or alcohol consumption rules, they will automatically be suspended for the next 30 days of the current fall/winter hunting season, unless there is less than 30 days remaining in the current season, in which case the number of days necessary to complete a 30 day suspension, will be taken from the beginning days of the following fall season. ASC considers the fall season to begin in Michigan on September 15th, and end on January 31st. The second time a member violates the above rules; membership will be permanently revoked. ASC reserves the right to alter the punishment, depending on the severity of the violation.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Reservation rules, procedures, hours, etc.

To make a reservation, visit http://www.awareserve.com or if you do not have internet access call (800) 729-1924 if calling long distance. Members without a computer can access the online website through their local library. Call in reservation hours are: October, November, December and January, reservations are accepted Monday through Friday between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM. February through September reservation hours are 8:30 AM till 5:00 PM. RESERVATIONS ARE NEVER ACCEPTED ON SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS, or NATIONAL HOLIDAYS. If the last working days before Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years fall on a normal reservation day, the office may be closed or close early, inquire early if clarification needed. Requests for reservations CANNOT be left on the recorder, or faxed in. Anyone you designate, including non-members, may call our office on your behalf to make reservations. If you choose to have another member make the reservation for you, be sure to have him tell us he is just calling for you, so we will designate you as the reserving member. ONLINE RESERVATIONS CAN BE MADE 24 HRS/DAY, 7 DAYS/WEEK.

Each member may have a maximum of 7 reservations at one time.

These 7 reservations may be made in any combination. Each property unit reserved counts as 1 reservation. All of the following constitute 7 reservations: 1 unit for 7 different days; 3 units one day, 4 units another day. A reservation expires at 12:01 am the day after the reservation date. For example, if the member had 2 units reserved for Sept. 1, 2 units for Sept. 2, and 1 unit reserved for Sept 3. On Sept. 1, the member could reserve 2 more units, which would total 7. At the end of the day on Sept 1, the member would then be able to make 4 more reservations. Then at the end of the day on Sept. 2, 2 more reservations become available for use. Reservations should not be cancelled unless absolutely necessary. Multiple reservation cancellations by a member will be construed as an attempt to keep other members from reserving the property and disciplinary action will result.

RESERVATIONS CAN ONLY BE MADE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE RESERVATION DATE, NOT COUNTING THE RESERVED DATE, AS FOLLOWS:

90 DAYSTO 1 MONTH IN ADVANCE:
1 Property unit/date.

1 MONTH TO 1 DAY IN ADVANCE:
2 property units/date. Member must not exceed the 7 reservation limit.

1 DAY IN ADVANCE:
4 property units/date. Member must not exceed the 7 reservation limit.

Note: Reservations made with sister clubs are subject to the rules of the sister club. Reservations made with sister clubs DO NOT count toward the members 7 reservation limit.

Before you try to make a reservation, please review the Harvest Reports and also select 3 choices. This should help minimize the length of time to make your reservation.

You should only reserve as much land as you are reasonably sure you need and will use. If we permitted members to reserve too much land during high demand periods, it would not leave enough land available for all other members who also want to hunt. Generally, we are most restricted on the amount of land we can allow each party to reserve, during the first week of the small game season and the first few days of the firearms deer season; after that, we gradually become more liberal, but we still restrict the amount of land you can reserve in accordance with demand. Our reservation demand is lowest on weekdays, and during the latter part of the season. Demand is heaviest on holidays, and weekends, and our peak demand is on opening and closing weekends. As the season progresses, you can reserve more and more land if desired as demand diminishes. Please understand we must impose limits in fairness to the other members who also paid in order for us to lease the multitude of lands you have available.

Sharing Reserved Land With Other Members:

Reservations are accepted on a first come first served basis. When you make a reservation, you will be able to share your reserved land with another member. If you are willing to do so, it may help to satisfy another member, and may give you an opportunity to meet each other and develop a new friendship. We will not allow another member to “just show up” on land you have reserved, but other members may seek your permission. ASC provides an online discussion forum where members may coordinate sharing reserved property. After the member receives your approval, you must add them to your reservation. You are not required to share land, however, another member that was not allowed to share your reservation may respond in kind if you are asking to share a reservation at a future date.

You should never find another member on your reserved land, unless you knew in advance who would be there. If you are the second one to ask for a property that another member has already reserved, the above tells you what can be expected. You must make contact with the member who has reserved the farm, to get his approval to share, and then you must make sure they add you as a guest to your existing reservation.

GUEST RULES:

All members are entitled to take their family dependents an unlimited number of times. Members may also take each friend, or non-dependent relative, who lives in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, or Nebraska, up to 3 days during any 12-month period. The 3 day per year limit is not cumulative, and if not used during a 12 month period, will not entitle the guest to exceed the 3 day per year limit in the future. Guests are limited to 3 days per 12 months, not 3 days with each member. If any person has been a guest of another member during the last 12 months, those visits must be deducted from the three visits you could otherwise have taken that same person as a guest. If a person is a guest 2 days during November, then they are only entitled to one additional visit during the following January, since their 3 day limit is during the most recent 12 month period. ASC reserves the right to refuse permission to allow any person to be a guest, for good cause. A guest living in any state not mentioned above may be a guest a total of 5 consecutive days a year, once a year in lieu of the usual 3 days which may or may not be consecutive.

Each hunting party can include up to 2 non-member, non-dependent guests, for all game hunting, except deer and turkey firearms hunting, when there can only be 1 such guest in the party. Non-dependent guest limits are per reservation party, regardless of the number of members in the party. Common sense and safety concerns determine the number of members and dependents of members that can be included on a reservation. You are expected to keep your party size down to a safe and reasonable number.

Guest Fees:

The member in whose name the reservation is made will be solely responsible for the payment of all daily and guest fees due, even if another member of the party invites guests. Members are entitled to take their dependents free on all land that is fee coded “0″. At this time, ASC does not charge guest fees for fee coded “0” property. Fees are subject to change, with reasonable notice. Fees are the same for all members. You are required to pay a daily guest fee of $100.00 for FORMER ASC MEMBERS INCLUDED IN YOUR RESERVATION, REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP YOU HAVE. Guest fees are due on or before the date of the reservation, and considered delinquent if not paid before the reservation date. We do not bill members for current fees, we only send statements if fees become delinquent and each statement will have a $5.00 bookkeeping service charge added to defray the unnecessary billing and bookkeeping expense. Members with delinquent accounts will be billed as often as weekly, until the delinquent balance is paid. We are able to accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express cards, if you find that method of payment more convenient. Just call our office and give us your card number, and expiration date, we’ll process your charge through our electronic terminal. Many members send $50 to $100 for us to keep on account, from which we can deduct guest fees. Statements are issued only on request, when credit balances are maintained. We do not charge bookkeeping service charges if a credit balance is maintained. The club management reserves the right to limit the amount of credit extended to each member, based on ability to pay, and previous payment experience. Once credit privileges are abused future reservations will require payment in advance of the reservation request.

CANCELLATIONS:

You may cancel your reservations using the online reservation system. However, multiple cancellations or unused reservations limit property usage by the members. If a member has multiple cancellations, or does not use the reservations they make, they will receive a warning. If the cancellations continue, the member’s reservation privileges will be suspended for 30 days.

GUEST CHANGES: If you make any changes in the guests that you named when you made your reservation, whether you are substituting one person for another, adding additional guests, or reducing the number in your party, you must make your changes before 10:00 AM on the day of the reservation, or before you enter the club land you reserved, if you do not know of the changes till that time. DO NOT TAKE DIFFERENT, MORE OR LESS GUESTS ON CLUB LAND, UNLESS YOU HAVE NOTIFIED US IN ADVANCE OF THE CHANGES. FAILURE TO NOTIFY ASC BEFORE YOU ENTER THE PROPERTY IS A RULE VIOLATION, AND YOU WILL STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT OF ANY FEES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE, FOR THE PEOPLE NAMED IN THE RESERVATION, IF YOU FAIL TO NOTIFY US OF THE CHANGES IN ADVANCE. Membership is subject to cancellation if you take different or more guests than those you have listed on your reservation, unless you notify us of the changes in advance.

LANDOWNER DAILY USE FEES:

All land which has a fee code other than “0″, is what we call “fee land”. Fee land is leased exclusively to ASC the same as all land we offer, but the landowner is entitled to a daily use fee for each person that is in the ASC party, including members and their dependents. The fee amounts vary according to the fee code shown in the column captioned “F”, or “FEE”, shown on the index. Fee code’s explained below:

0= FREE LAND
1= FLAT $5 PER DAY PER PERSON, FOR ALL APPROVED USE.
2= VARIABLE RATE, REFER TO OFFICE FOR EXACT QUOTATION
3= FLAT $10 PER DAY PER PERSON, FOR ALL APPROVED USE.
4= FLAT $15 PER DAY PER PERSON, FOR ALL APPROVED USE.
5= FLAT $20 PER DAY PER PERSON, FOR ALL APPROVED USE.
6= FLAT $25 PER DAY PER PERSON, FOR ALL APPROVED USE.
7= ______________________________________________________________
8= ______________________________________________________________

GUEST FEE CREDIT BALANCES: If you deposit funds with ASC from which future charges for guest fees and land owner fees can be deducted, the unused portion will be refunded, upon request.

CREDIT: You automatically have limited credit privileges when you join ASC, unless you have been otherwise advised. The amount of credit you can have outstanding will be determined by your established credit record, and ability to pay. Your credit privileges will be continued as long as payments are paid when due. If you should experience difficulty paying when due, or when promised, please call and inform us, on or before the due date. REFUNDS: ASC does not refund dues paid in advance, nor does it refund initiation fees, unless an agreement to refund, signed by an officer of the club, was made in writing at the time payment was made.

TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP OF MEMBERSHIP: ASC does allow and encourage members to sell their memberships if they find they are no longer able to continue using the membership themselves. ASC does not restrict advertising a membership for sale, and will not prohibit the sale to any person that meets the club’s normal qualifications. ASC charges a $75 transfer fee to the new buyer. Transfer fees defray the costs of transferring records from one owner to another, and conducting the orientation session, and compensating staff personnel who may have spent considerable time talking to the buyer. Fees subject to change with reasonable notice. All unfinished business between the club and the selling member must also be cleared up prior to transfer, including payment of all guest fees, daily fees, dues, receipt of harvest reports, hold harmless agreements, etc. Buyer will be responsible for paying any dues coming due within 30 days of the time of transfer, at the time of transfer. Buyers of previously owned memberships will be responsible for payment of any unpaid fees left owing from the previous owner, which may appear within 90 days following the transfer date. METHODS OF PAYMENT: Never mail cash. Office staff is honest, but mail sometimes gets lost. If paying in person with cash, retain your receipt for at least thirty days. Your personal check is welcome, and we accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express cards. We will process your credit card transaction request electronically. Just present your card if you are in our office, or by phone just give us your credit card type, number, and expiration date, we’ll do the rest. Many members find our telephone acceptance of credit cards a convenient way to pay the club, and it saves the time and expense of writing checks, plus postage and envelopes to mail.

GUIDING HUNTS FOR COMPENSATION: ASC strictly forbids any professional guiding of hunters, fishermen, campers, etc., for compensation. ASC does not exist for the purpose of “commercial use” of land leased for members’ personal enjoyment. Guests are only allowed to pay members the exact amount charged by the club for their guest fees.

CHANGING OR MAKING RULES: If you would like to see any ASC rules changed, or you think additional rules are needed, put your request in writing and mail to ASC, Attention: Advisory Committee. Be sure to plainly explain what you want done and why.

EXCLUSIVITY EXCEPTIONS: Most land is leased by ASC for the exclusive use of ASC members and their guests. A small percentage of leases contain an exception addendum, which may allow a few specifically named people who are guests of the landowner, the right to hunt or fish on the land. The exceptions, if any, usually name the landowner, a son, dear friend, neighbor, tenant farmer, etc. Our lease is designed to protect your enjoyment, and it is important that you understand the terms under which the landowner and their guests are allowed to use the property, so we have shown a copy of the pertinent part of the addendum giving permission to hunt and fish, to JUST the people named in the addendum. If you ever encounter any other person hunting or fishing on our land, who says the landowner gave them permission, please get their name, vehicle license number, and call us on our 1-800 number immediately for instructions. If you can’t reach our office, go to the landowners home if you know where it is located, and confirm whether or not the person on their land has their permission to be there (which would be a violation of the lease). If they deny giving the violator permission, they should then consider the person a trespasser, and either ask them to leave immediately, or call the law, and have them ticketed, arrested, or escorted from the property. Most of the time, when you encounter someone who says they have the landowner’s permission, they are lying. If they ever had permission, it was in prior years before ASC leased the land, and they no longer have permission. You should never find any landowner or their guest hunting on the farm you reserved, unless you were told they would be there at the time you made your reservation. If you experience any landowner violations of our lease agreement, please give us all the facts, including names, descriptions, license numbers, etc. Without actual names and license numbers, we really can’t identify, locate, contact, and have trespassers prosecuted. The actual copy of upper half of addendum follows: ADDENDUM(non exclusive rights) This addendum dated______________________________ shall amend the lease dated ______________________________, entered into by the parties signed below.ASC agrees to allow the LANDLORD, to reserve the right to permit non club use of the land being leased, for limited, restricted and controlled hunting, and fishing, by any person named below, hereinafter referred to as NON CLUB GUEST.The LANDLORD will only give permission to the NON CLUB GUEST, if they have first agreed to follow all ASC rules pertaining to reservations and harvest reports as follows:Reservations must be made at least 12 hours before, and not more than 120 hours (five days) before the time the NON CLUB GUEST wants to use the land. Reservations can only be made by telephone, and must be confirmed before use is approved. The reservation only allows the NON CLUB GUEST to participate in the activities for which they are approved.If the NON CLUB GUEST uses the land without a confirmed reservation, brings unauthorized guests, or violates ASC club rules which the NON CLUB GUEST has been made aware of, then all further use will be prohibited, for the remaining term of the lease, and any additional use after privileges are revoked will be considered trespassing. Harvest reports must be made within 48 hours after the reservation time, by calling the ASC office and reporting the approximate number and type of game or fish that was sighted, how many of each type was harvested, and how many shot but never retrieved. Failure to call with the harvest report will automatically ban additional use of the land by the NON CLUB GUEST for 30 days, and until the report has been made. If a deliberately false harvest report is made, further use of the property will be denied.This agreement is to allow only the people named below to engage in only the activities shown by their name, subject to standard restrictions, unless waiver is indicated. Standard restrictions do not allow a NON CLUB GUEST to hunt any species of game, during the first ten (10) days of the legal season, and do not allow hunting on Weekends & Holidays during November & December.
NON CLUB GUEST NAME ___________________________ APPROVED ACTIVITY______________________________ RESTRICTIONS WAIVED___________________________________________________________________________________
NON CLUB GUEST NAME ___________________________ APPROVED ACTIVITY______________________________ RESTRICTIONS WAIVED___________________________________________________________________________________

MISCELLANEOUS

QUAIL HUNTERS: Good sportsmen only shoot birds in flight, do not intentionally reduce coveys to less than 6 birds which is the minimum size covey which can survive harsh winter weather, and do not bust coveys after 3:00 PM when the nights are too cold for singles to survive, since they need a couple hours to call back to the covey.

PHEASANT HUNTERS: Use the proper ammunition. Small shot shells made for shooting quail will usually be too light for pheasants, resulting in crippled and lost birds, which run off to die somewhere else.

TURKEY HUNTERS: Look for the beard, and don’t shoot till you plainly identify your target. When carrying your turkey in the field, be sure it is well covered with “florescent orange” material.

DEER HUNTERS: Before you set up to shoot a deer, figure out ahead of time how you are going to get the deer back to your vehicle. Be sure you have not picked a spot that is so far from your vehicle that you will find it physically impossible to move the deer to your truck. If the ground is frozen, and you can drive to the deer without making ruts, it’s okay to do so unless the landowner has prohibited it verbally or on the map page. Many landowners will assist our members in transporting deer with their tractors or ATV’s if asked. We do not want you to have less than 20 acres per deer hunter, nor more than the amount of land you will use and can safely cover from the spot where you will locate your deer stand. You should not expect to reserve several hundred acres exclusively, just for one hunter.

DUCK AND GOOSE HUNTERS: No sky-blasting allowed. Don’t shoot first, if you will ruin the shooting for hunters in another blind, if birds are going to their decoys. Pull up metal stakes, when picking up “field” decoys.

TRESPASSERS: If you find other people on the land you have reserved, you are not expected to endanger yourself, in order to eject them from the property. If you feel comfortable in approaching them, please do so, ask them who they are, write down their names and descriptions, and ask if they have permission to be there. If they say no, inform them they are trespassing, and ask them to please leave immediately. If they don’t leave upon request, don’t try to force them to do so, but inform them you will go to call the law. Then go to the landowner’s home, or nearest phone, and call us on our toll free number to let us know about the trespassers, and ask how we want the situation handled. If they will leave on request, and they gave you their name, give us the information when you turn in your harvest report. If they claim they have permission to be there, they might be telling the truth, but don’t just assume they are, be sure you get their names and descriptions, and ask the name of who gave them permission, and who they are. Don’t let them just give you “relationship titles” such as landowner, father, son in law, neighbor, friend, brother, tenant, etc.; instead, ask for the name. Once you have their name, and the name of the person who gave them permission, go to the landowner’s home or nearest phone, to call us for instructions. We often find landowners may have given someone permission to hunt on their land in past years, before we leased the land, but they failed to tell the person the land was leased, to make them aware they no longer had permission. Do not become abusive with presumed trespassers, they could in fact have the landowners permission to be there, in which case we will have a bone to pick with the landowner, but our office will take care of that.

ASC will diligently pursue all trespassers at all costs, if we have good identification, which involves at least having a good vehicle description and license number, and some description of the trespassers. We do need to know immediately when you find trespassers. If we don’t hear about it for a day or two, it weakens our position, but we will still run the license number through the police to identify the vehicle owner, locate their home address, and contact them. If anyone is going to be arrested for trespassing, we want that decision left up to us. Do not take it upon yourself to call the law to file a trespassing complaint.If we do not at least get a license number, there is little we can do. If we can determine through a license check who the trespasser is, or that it is a former member, we won’t hesitate to file a complaint for prosecution.

You should never find anyone else hunting on the land you reserved, unless you were aware they would be there before you arrived. If you find someone on your reserved land, stay calm, find out who they are, and find out who the culprit is. There are numerous possibilities, but usually the person is a trespasser. There is however the possibility that it could be a landowner who is violating the lease, or a member who is violating our rules, or our office could have made a mistake and double booked a property, which is rare and has only happened a few times. Don’t let anyone pull the wool over your eyes, as you will find many experienced trespassers are very convincing, but lying.

BUDDY LIST: ASC had provided its member with a location on the internet to discuss hunting, fishing, and sharing property at: http://www.teamasc.forumco.com . All members are encouraged to participate in this forum and use it as a method to communicate with ASC management and other members.

NEWSLETTER: ASC, through the effort of dedicated and interested members, produces a fine, informative newsletter. Newsletters are published at least quarterly. We welcome and encourage all members to contribute “their share” to the newsletter. If each member would just send a photo, short letter, recipe, write an article, or in some other way make a small contribution of their time, we would have a fantastic newsletter, which all members and their families and friends would enjoy reading. We do not compensate members for newsletter contributions, except for the Editor, who spends a considerable amount of time producing it. Any photos submitted, will be returned on request. If you have knowledge to share with our members, please email, fax, or send a legible note or letter to our Editor. Don’t be concerned with grammar, or spelling, we’ll gladly do the final editing of your creative writing.

HUNTING, & FISHING ITEMS WANTED TO BUY, SELL OR TRADE: ASC will publish all ads free for members. If you want to sell or trade any items related to hunting, fishing or camping; write an ad, and mail it to our office. We will publish your ad, but cannot write ads for members. We will advertise anything used in the above outdoor sports, including equipment, dogs, guns, vehicles, supplies, etc. We only advertise articles owned by or wanted by members. ASC members may, also, place their ads in the ASC hunting forum under the Items For Sale topic. STANDBY WAITING LIST: You should never find yourself unable to reserve a suitable farm for the type of hunting you want, in the approximate area where you want to hunt, but you will sometimes want a certain farm, which someone else may have reserve ahead of you. When this happens, just ask to be placed on a standby list for a first choice pick of any of the farms you want, in the event there is a cancellation (which frequently happens).

SCOUTING PROPERTY: You are entitled to scout any of our land without charge, before you make a reservation to hunt or fish on it, but you must first make a scouting reservation with our office. You are not allowed to carry a weapon when you are just scouting. If you only want to scout land from the road (which we do not believe is a fair way to judge land), you can do so without a reservation, but you will not be allowed to enter our leased land without an approved reservation. Scouting reservations still require you to register all guests with ASC when you make your reservation, and you must obtain signed hold harmless agreement’s from all guests.

INACTIVE STATUS: If for any reason you do not want to renew your membership, but you do want to remain a member, you are entitled to become inactive, upon payment of $60 per year extended, which will place your membership on hold for one year. During that year, you will continue to receive all maps, newsletters, and other correspondence that active members receive; you can attend meetings, and cast you vote on all matters placed before the members for a vote. The only thing you won’t be able to do is to use club land, either as a member or guest of another member, for a period of one year (until your next anniversary date, at which time you will either need to reactivate your membership by paying the then current annual dues, or you can elect to remain inactive for another year, upon payment of an additional $60. Should you choose to become inactive, but want to reactivate before a year has passed, you may do so upon payment of the full annual dues, which were due at the time you chose to go inactive. Your membership will then become active for one year retroactive to the last anniversary date, before you chose to become inactive. If you are inactive for one full year, before you reactivate your membership, your “skipped” year of dues will never have to be paid. You will not receive credit toward your dues, for any inactive fees you pay.

LEASED LAND INDEX & GAME RATING CODE EXPLANATIONS:

Property lists are alphabetized by State & County.

  • FARM COLUMN shows the 4 digit Farm ID number.
  • UN COLUMN shows the number of units or separate land parcles which make up the farm.
  • ST COLUMN shows the state which the farm is located in.
  • COUNTY COLUMN shows which county the farm is located in.
  • PAGE COLUMN shows the page number which displays the farm map.
  • ACRES COLUMN shows the total number of acres of the farm, which we have leased.
  • F COLUMN shows the applicable fee code. If no code is show, land is assumed to be code “0″
  • QU=Quail, PH=Pheasant, TU=Turkey, DO=Dove, GR=Grouse, CK=Prarie Chicken, DU=Duck, GO=Goose, DE=Deer, RA=Rabbit, SQ=Squirrel, RC=Raccoon, CO=Coyote
  • PF=Pond Fishing, LF=Lake Fishing, RF=River or Stream Fishing
  • EXTRAS=Extra services or facilities offered by the landowner, usually for an extra cost. Check on cost in advance with the landowner if in doubt. Extra service code explinations are:
    • A=Meals, B=Swimming, C=Horseback Riding, D=Hay Rides, E=Camping, F=Boating, G=Fishing, H=Overnight Housing, I=Dog Training, J=Dog Kenneling, K=Dog Rental, L=Woodcutting, M=Limited Food Service.
  • QUALITY OF HUNTING, AVAILABILITY, OR ABUNDANCE OF GAME ACCORDING TO LANDOWNER. CODES ARE:
    • E=EXCELLENT, G=GOOD, F=FAIR, P=POOR, X OR N=NONE OR NO HUNTING ALLOWED.IF NO RATINGS SHOWN FOR A PARTICULAR FARM, ASSUME THE FARMS NEEDS TO BE RATED BY MEMBERS. IF THERE ARE RATINGS FOR SOME SPECIES ON A FARM, BUT OTHERS ARE NOT RATED, THE UNRATED SPECIES PROBABLY ARE NOT PLENTIFUL ENOUGH TO HUNT. IF YOUR EXPERIENCE INDICATES OTHERWISE, LET US KNOW AND WE WILL SHOW THE APPROPRIATE RATING ON FUTURE INDEXES.

    • OPEN RESERVATION: Sometimes we select a few farms, which are widespread and in numerous pieces, to use on an open reservation basis. Open reservations indicate that no member has an exclusive reservation for a specific part of a farm, but may have the use of any units of the farm that are not already occupied by another member’s party. The rule is that no member is allowed to move in on top of another member, but instead must select another unoccupied unit. Members are permitted to join parties, if they have open reservations on the same farm, and voluntarily agree to hunt together. The main reason we select a farm for use on an “open” basis, is that we cannot always keep track of which units have cattle, or are inaccessible due to road and weather conditions, etc.

    FISHING CATCH & RELEASE POLICY: ASC members are expected to only fish for recreation, not food. Before you fish on club land, if you want to keep fish for eating, you should ask for approval at the time you make your reservation. There are usually some restrictions as to types of fish, and sizes that can be kept, but you will be permitted to keep fish that aren’t in the restricted group. If you catch a fish which you are going to have mounted, we prefer you take a picture, measure, weigh and have a replica made, but you can keep it if you have cleared your plans with the club in advance, at the time you make your reservation. ASC does consult with biologists to determine what types and sizes should be kept to improve future fishing.

    FISHING ON “FEE” LAND: “Fee” land is leased only for hunting, unless otherwise stated. Never fish on fee land unless you have made a reservation and received our permission to do so.

    FISHING ON “FREE” LAND: Never assume that you automatically have the right to fish on any land that the club has leased. Some of our leases do not allow us to fish, and others allow us to fish only in specific ponds. If you make a reservation to hunt only, this does not entitle you to fish too. If you want to fish, you must include that request at the time you make your reservation. Some landowners also charge extra for fishing, which you will be told about at the time you make your reservation. Most leases do include fishing privileges, but never take it for granted that fishing is okay without a reservation to fish.

    CAMPING ON CLUB LAND: You must advise us when you make your reservation, if you plan to camp on club land overnight. Some landowners don’t allow camping, but most have no objection. However they may only allow camping in certain areas. If the property is unoccupied, camping with our permission is usually approved immediately. We usually prefer to get permission from landowners if an owner or tenant occupies the property. Some landowners will charge an extra fee if you camp, this can be confirmed when you make your reservation. All fires must be fully contained, and no smoking is allowed during extremely dry weather.

    CLEANING GAME: If you clean your game on club land, be sure to dispose of all unwanted parts in a place that will not upset the landowner. Don’t clean game in driveways, and don’t leave guts, heads, feathers, hides, etc., where the landowner will see the mess. Dispose of “waste” in a location that is completely out of sight.

    LANDOWNER CONTACT: Never phone the landowner unless the office has first approved your call. When you are on the farm you have reserved, if you see the landowner you should wave, exchange greetings, and be friendly. Do not go out of your way to interrupt the landowner if it is obvious he is very busy and doesn’t have time for a conversation, but don’t ignore him if he is close enough to say hello. Landowners do like to know we appreciate the opportunity to use their land. If landowner wants to discuss club business, refer him to the office, or offer to tell him you will ask the office to call him. You can compliment the landowner on his land, but don’t tell him his land is the best or better than our other land, if he is told his land is superior our cost goes up. You may think a property is great, but other members might not agree with you. Let results determine quality.

    >Rev. 08-20-07

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