Registered: Jan 2018
Location: Rabun Gap, Georgia
Posts: 2

Hey y'all! At the end of last year my husband took the VP position at our local UKC Coon Hunters Club. We recognized a decline in membership and participation at membership meetings, bench shows and nite hunts. We figured we'd lend a hand and get things really going again, but we also wanted to preserve the club so that my own two boys could participate when they are young adults! After a lot of hard work, social media marketing, supporting other clubs, making good home cooked meals for the hunts and trying our best to give away good prizes. We've since seen an incline at meetings and all of our hunts.

So I'm asking you what do you think makes a good club? What makes you come back to nite hunts? What kind of prizes would you like to receive at these hunts?

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location:
Posts: 416

You said a mouth full when you talked about your family and kids and being involved this is truly what it takes if it is only about the competition and nothing else it won't last also I found out not giving to big a prize is actually better because it brings out those who ate just around to win a dogbox etc.and really do nothing to help the club's as far as prizes I would start with trophy's for kids and bench show etc also could have a larger prize such as light etc or dogbox for yearly huntoff or something

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Registered: Jan 2018
Location: Rabun Gap, Georgia
Posts: 2

quote:

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Originally posted by wart
You said a mouth full when you talked about your family and kids and being involved this is truly what it takes if it is only about the competition and nothing else it won't last also I found out not giving to big a prize is actually better because it brings out those who ate just around to win a dogbox etc.and really do nothing to help the club's as far as prizes I would start with trophy's for kids and bench show etc also could have a larger prize such as light etc or dogbox for yearly huntoff or something

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Registered: Aug 2019
Location: East central indiana
Posts: 159

I don’t classify myself as a ukc hunter. But advise to clubs is be open to accepting change, couple clubs around me are ran by old guys that don’t even hunt anymore and talk down about us younger guys and won’t accept help with trying to get attendance up. I think one club is actively trying to kill itself or just title more of the club members dogs by driving attendance away so just essentially a buddy hunt. Member a’s turn to win this week, next hunt is member b’s turn to put a win on their dog.

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Sam fox
PKC, the place to be.

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Registered: Sep 2004
Location: Brookville, PA
Posts: 2460

For me, it comes down to judges and guides. If a club has good guides and honest judges I'll go back.

It's the ones that have poor judges and guides that I avoid. The problem is, most times they don't even realize that they have bad judges and guides because it's all they have/know.

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"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

Lone Pine North

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Lockridge Iowa
Posts: 2843

good home cooked meals is the secret recipe for a club success.

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Tree Jar'n Black and Tans
Home of Tree Jar'n Coonhound Kennels


319-201-8445

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Registered: May 2010
Location:
Posts: 1791

1) Guides , people won’t come back if they’re not put in Coons .
2 ) Members , needs to be friendly and make guest feel welcomed.
3) Good food is a plus too .

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Last edited by Charles Pullen on 07-08-2021 at 01:31 PM

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Registered: Nov 2012
Location: Roseville Kentucky
Posts: 187

Consistent with the rules is the worse part about different clubs. One club will run a fair hunt the next club runs a free for all. Stay friendly and consistent, willing to help the new guy. Because when the new guys quit showing up the sport is gonna die.

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--County Line's Rammy(Rambo)

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*UKC win Friday night Red Bone days 2021
BnT TREE BANGIN BUFFORD the start of it all

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

Combination of things, which have been mentioned here.
Honesty
Fair to all
Food
Fellowship

I might add. That something I have seen work is a club overall yearly award for support of the club. Put in a point system for those attending. It takes some messaging but make it fit your clubs needs depending on your events.

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"Boss Lights"

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Registered: Dec 2018
Location: Mannsville ky
Posts: 1

I dont get on here much and reply. But the coon clubs are shooting thereselves in the foot anymore. There is an issue with the ''old timers'' doing things there way and (we have done it this way for years" attitude. There is also and issue with not listening to the young guys that understand the modern tech. Facebook and social media is were everything is shared at nowadays. I personally dont care for it but it is what it is.
So on to club ideas. KITCHEN!!!!! is were you are gonna make your real money. No telling how many times i have got off work late and made it to a club right before deadline and not had a chance to eat anything. Nothing like a home cooked meal or even a big burger to help me thru.
MEMBERS!!! Not all members hunt in the competition hunts. But how many times have we needed a guide or even someone to help in the kitchen or help getting things organized. Those guys are just as valuable. Alot of the clubs ive seen one guy does all the work.
Youth!!!! this is a dying sport. when i was a kid just the bench shows would bring 10-20 dogs. Now your lucky to have the bench show cover what it costs to have it especially if u dont have to pay the judge.
The last thing i wanna add. The old sportsmen are gone. Alot of calls in the woods are what beneifits that person. The old sportsmen called it fair weather it was for or against them. They were there for the love of the sport and to watch good dogs operate. So bring the old sportsman back with every call u vote on

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 1176

22yrs ago when I was just getting started I had 2 young dogs that wasen't ready for comp, hunts yet. But I was learning as much as I could and wanted to be around events and the people. I looked for the clubs that had the most things to do. Like treeing contest and drag races, water races and such. I would drive two or 3 hrs away to go to one with all these events when clubs in my back yard had hunts on the same dates. There were fun for all the kids to join in on, as well as the senior members that can't hunt anymore. The most fun I had at one did an auction for the treeing contest. They auction off every dog entered. All the money went into the pool. If the dog you bid on won the treeing contest you got the money. It was a blast. Some clubs that are lucky to have ponds have fishing derby's for kids. It just turns it into a family deal, which I think you have a better chance of having people stick with the sport as adults.

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Rebecca Agee

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Registered: Oct 2015
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 50

quote:

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Originally posted by Charles Pullen
1) Guides , people won’t come back if they’re not put in Coons .
2 ) Members , needs to be friendly and make guest feel welcomed.
3) Good food is a plus too .

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Jon Durbin
502-905-7802

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Wooster, OH
Posts: 1673

If I were in charge of a club today there are a couple of things I would add to what has already been said. Good hunting and treating people fairly are always going to be at the top of the list but ukc hunts have lost their appeal to many for a couple of simple reasons.

A few years ago, clubs figured out that it was okay to advertise a hunt as a "poor boy hunt" and not give trophies or plaques. I have no problem with that. But then it became okay to just not give any awards without advertising the hunt as such. Then the clubs had to give up part of their money to support the TOC, so that entry fee was increased to cover that expense. The final straw was when ukc decided not to even give a win slip.

1. When a person wins, they want some type of award. Most don't want trophies and plaques but the younger hunters might be in favor of them? Not sure. What I prefer is something I can use. Dog leashes are good prizes. Quality dog feed is a GREAT prize that can usually be obtained from local feed stores as a donation or at a lower price if you tell them what you are doing with it.

2. Buy some type of receipt book that you can write out win slips for your bench show and nite hunt with. Just put on the receipt the dog's name, number, what was won, owner's name, date, along with the signature of the MOH or bench show judge. I think you would be surprised at how well that would go over.

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Wooster, OH
Posts: 1673

quote:

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Originally posted by KYBlue Cooner

Also, try your best to make sure people keep it family friendly at the clubhouse. Say I bring my family along one night and let my little daughter or son show my dog in the bench show and everyone is sitting around cussing and smoking cigarettes inside, you probably won't see me back, especially for any youth events.

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Registered: Dec 2019
Location: Illinois
Posts: 71

Qualified guides and judges and ashtrays.

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