Constitution and ByLaws

Toler Lake Hunting Club Bylaws - Passed April 2019 

Amended Fall Meeting - November 4, 2023

ARTICLE I: Name and Purpose

Section 1 Name

This organization shall be called Toler Lake Hunting Club.

Section 2 Purpose

Promote wildlife conservation, friendly relationships with landowners, safety, fellowship, and ethical hunting practices through club function.

Section 3 Meetings

There will be two meetings each calendar year.
Spring Meeting: Spring business meeting will be held the last Saturday in March.
 (new 3/25/23)
Fall Meeting: Fall meeting will be held on the Saturday preceding modern gun opening weekend.

ARTICLE II: Membership

Section 1 Number of Members

a. Membership shall be limited to eighty (80) members.
 

b. A member in good standing with at least five (5) consecutive years of membership, and after reaching the age of seventy (70), will be eligible to become an honorary member. An honorary member will not be required to pay the annual membership dues and will not count against the paid membership roll of eighty (80) members.
Honorary members will not be allowed to vote.

Section 2 Provision of Membership

In order to become a member of the Toler Lake Hunting Club a person must:
 

a. Be sponsored on the waiting list by a current member.

b. Pass a unanimous vote by the membership upon completion of one year of probationary membership.

c. The club will maintain a waiting list of prospective new members that have been recommended by a current member in good standing and from this list.

New members will be selected from the list in a sequence according to the date their name was added to the waiting list. Each current member may have one prospect taken from the waiting list each year. If a member has recommended more than one prospective member in anyone year, the second name will be passed over and will appear at the top of the list for selection the following year.

d. Priority, moving to the top of the list, will be given to Toler Lake Hunting Club members’ children until the age of 23. A family member will only be given priority the first time they become a member. Should they drop their membership and ask to be reinstated, they will be put on the waiting list without priority status. 

e. If a member drops their membership to the club, they must wait until the next full year before applying for membership again. 

Section 3 Charter Members

The original eighty (80) paid members will be considered as charter members. 

Section 4 Family Members

a. Family members shall be the spouse or significant other, children and grandchildren (under 16 years old) of a member who has a current paid membership. 

b. Family members do not have to pay a membership fee. Family members (excluding a spouse) under the age of 23 must be a full-time student and depend upon their parent for support. The year a family member reaches the age of 23 their family membership will expire December 31 of that year. 

c. Toler Lake Hunting Club members children, UNTIL THE AGE OF 23, will have priority on the waiting list to become full members of Toler Lake Hunting Club.

d. Family members on the waiting list shall be given priority over others on the waiting list. 

e. Immediate family members on the waiting list shall be given priority over others, moving to the top of the list. Children of deceased members will continue to have the same privilege of becoming a member that any other member’s children would have.

f. Immediate family refers to a member’s parents (including step-parents), spouse/ significant other, children and siblings.

Section 5 Dues and Fees

a. Spring meeting will be held the last Saturday in March.  (new Spring 2023)

b. Membership dues will be due April 1. (new Fall 2023)

c. After April 15, there will be a $50 late fee.

d. Membership dues must be received by April 30. If not received by end of day on April 30, the member will be notified on May 1 they are removed from the club and he/she will be replaced by the first name on the waiting list. 

Dues will increase accordingly based upon each hunting year’s lease agreement and anytime the Toler Lake Hunting Club bank account balance drops below $5,000 as of our April meeting.

The President and Secretary/Treasurer of Toler Lake Hunting Club shall not be required to pay membership dues.

All dues must be paid to the Treasurer only.

A one-time assessment of $25.00 will be added to the dues of a new member to cover costs of a gate key. A key to the gates may be leased from the club by a member and must be returned to the club when the member drops from the club membership.

ARTICLE III:  Officers, Elections, Vacancies, and Eligibility

Section 1 Officers and their duties

a. The President shall preside over all meetings and conduct all official business.

 

b. The Vice-President shall assist the President and Preside over all committee meetings.

 

c. The Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain minutes of the club meetings, publicity, and maintain the club’s financial matters and present of report at each club meeting.

 

d. The President is to appoint, at his discretion, members from the club membership, hereafter to be called Directors, to help expedite business of the club. The appointments will expire at each election unless the appointment is terminated
by the President or for any actions of Article IV.

 

e. Each Director will be assigned ten or more members and will be responsible for notifying members of meetings, changes to bylaws, collecting guest fees and other duties as requested.

 

f. The Directors shall be responsible for maintaining club safety and see that each sportsman obeys all hunting regulations and Toler Lake bylaws.

Section 1 Officers (Continued from previous page)

g. Each Director shall be responsible for collecting guest fees from their group. 

h. Each Director will serve as a part of the disciplinary committee. A disciplinary committee consisting of eight (8) Directors, the President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer will meet as needed to discuss issues within Toler Lake Hunting Club.  The President will preside over the meeting and will not vote in the matter unless there is a tie vote that he or she will break. The Vice-President will not vote. The Secretary/Treasurer will not vote but will be responsible for meeting minutes. These minutes will not be published or distributed.

 

i.  If you hold an officer position in an adjoining lease, you cannot hold an officer position in Toler Lake Hunting Club. (Added Fall 2022)

Section 2 Elections

The elections of officers shall be held bi-annually at the regular meeting in the month of April. Election shall be by a simple majority of members present. Election for officers shall be held separately in order as listed in ARTICLE III, Section 1.

Section 3 Eligibility of Voters

Each member is entitled to one vote with the exception of the President, who will vote in case of a tie. Spouses are not eligible to vote.

Motions to change the bylaws shall be made and seconded. A vote on the motions will be held in the same meeting they are proposed. Once passed, they will be added to the ByLaws (Amended Spring 2022)

Section 4 Term of Office

The term of office is for two (2) years, which shall begin on July 1st of an odd year and end on the last day of June of the following odd year.

 

Vote shall take place at the April meeting. 

Section 5 Vacancies

 

In the event an office becomes vacant, the Board of Directors shall appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term of the individual vacating the office. 

Section 6 Eligibility for Office

To become eligible for office, a member must:

 

a. Have been a member for at least two (2) years.

b. Have attended at least three/fourths of the club functions.

c. Have shown an active interest in all the club functions.

d. Have conducted themselves in a sportsman-like manner.

ARTICLE IV:  Removal of Membership

A member will be dropped from the membership roll for any of the following reasons:

a. Failure to pay dues by June 1.

b. Any action which would reflect dishonor and disgrace on the organization. The Directors shall hold a hearing and then rule on continuation of such person’s membership.

c. Any member convicted of a state or federal game law shall be expelled automatically.

d. Failure to comply with rules directed to the club by the lessor.

e. If a club member fails to comply after a club officer requests that he/she do so, the member will be subject to a fine or dismissal from the club.

f. If a member fails to comply with a second request from a club officer, he/she will be requested to meet with not less than five (5) Directors and will be subject to a $100 fine. If the member fails to meet with the Directors or pay the fine, he/she will be promptly dismissed from the club.

g. Always observe good conduct. Fighting, abusive language, obscenity, or threats of bodily harm by members or guests will be considered as grounds for discharge from club membership.

ARTICLE V: Guests

Section 1 Authorization

a. Members are allowed two guests per day. Individual guests are limited to 3 days per year. Once a guest has harvested a deer or turkey, they may no longer hunt.

b. A guest is defined as anyone on the lease accompanying a member small game hunting, hog hunting, deer hunting and turkey hunting. (Added Fall 2022)

c. Guests must follow all club rules.

d. Guests must pay the amount set by the club prior to each deer hunting day.

e.  Guest must be accompanied by an inviting member and be in possession of a guest pass.

f. Guest passes may be obtained from any Camp Officer or Director.

g. A guest shall not be allowed on the lease without purchasing a guest pass. A member found hosting a guest without a pass will be assessed a $100 fine. Second violation of the guest rules will result in the member losing their membership in Toler Lake Hunting Club. 

h. Each member is required to help keep non-members from hunting, joy riding, or trespassing in general on our leased land. If you see a non-member on our leased land at any time during the year, it is your responsibility to ask them to leave at once. If trouble arises, get their vehicle license number and a warrant will be obtained at the county sheriff’s office to have them leave. 

Section 2 Guest Fees

Guests must pay the $25 guest fee prior to each hunting day. These fees can be paid to any Camp Director or Officer. 

If a club member, who has a guest on the lease does not pay the guest fee of $25 daily within seven (7) days following the last day of the guest hunt, the club member will be assessed a fine of $100. 

The club member will be responsible for all actions by their guest while on the lease. Failure to pay guest fees or fines will be grounds for dismissal from the club. A guest may only hunt three days or until they kill a deer, whichever comes first.

Guest must be accompanied by an inviting member and be in possession of a guest pass identifying the guest and inviting member. Guest passes can be obtained from any Camp Director or Officer.

 

There are no allowed guests for deer season the first week of muzzle loading season or the first week of modern gun season. The weeks are considered Saturday of opening day to the following Saturday.

Members who resign their membership will not be allowed to hunt as a guest for two years. 

ARTICLE VI: Method of Amending the Constitution and Bylaws

The constitution and bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two/thirds vote of the members present at that meeting, providing written notice of the proposed amendment has been presented to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the vote. 

ARTICLE VII: Trapping

Trapping of feral hogs on land leased by Toler Lake Hunting Club is only permitted by use of above ground cage or pen. The cage or pen must have the members name and phone number visible. All other means of trapping of any wildlife on land leased by Toler Lake Hunting Club is prohibited.

ARTICLE VllI: Stands

All ACTIVE stands should be no closer than 200 yards radius in wooded areas and no closer than 400 yards apart on gravel roads without the member's permission to do so. 

Permanent stands erected on the roadway must be off the ditch line and at least six feet high from the bottom of the sitting area. 

All stands must have an official Toler Lake Hunting Club deer stand tag. The tags are numbered and have been assigned to specific members. If a tag is lost or stolen, please report it to the Secretary/Treasurer to have a new tag issued. In the event a member is found using a tag that is reported lost or stolen, a meeting of the directors will be held to discuss the repercussion of this action. This could result in a fine or dismissal from the club. 

Please write the following information on your stands, somewhere visible from the ground:

 

● Owner’s Name   ● Telephone Number ● Current Year (ex: 2024-25)

All stands must be tagged WITH AN OFFICIAL STAND TAG, marked with name and date before October 1.  Stands not containing the above after October 1 will be considered abandoned. Abandoned stands should not be moved by anyone but the owner, however a member may hunt that stand or place a new one near it. (Added Fall 2023)

A sign or marker may not be used to reserve an area for a future stand. Only a permanent stand with an official Toler Lake Hunting Club deer stand tag will mark an area reserved.

A stand is defined as a stand regardless if it is on a tree, a tower, a portable blind or a ground blind. As voted on by membership, the words portable or permanent stands are no longer valid when referring to a stand. 

Each member is limited to a maximum number of four (4) stands.

No member may erect a deer stand or erect/hunt a hog pen within 200 yards of another member’s deer stand unless both parties agree.

No member, their guest or non-paying family member, may hunt within 200 yards of a stand they do not own without permission of the owner. If caught hunting a stand area without permission, the member will be fined $50. Second offense of this rule will be grounds for dismissal. (Amended Fall 2023)

These bylaws were passed by unanimous vote on April 6, 2019 - Amended Fall 2023.