memberships

Memberships

Club Concept

Swanson Lake Ranch is a general agricultural ranch geared toward farming, livestock and other ranching activities, but the owners believe the ranch has a unique recreational value as well. The development of this recreational value to its full potential requires land management practices such as crop rotation, food plot and other cultivation activities, as well as a carefully developed, researched, and monitored resource management plan. This vision also demands a certain level of support, infrastructure, and capital to provide adjunct services and conveniences such as on-site accommodations, at a future date.

With that in mind, SLR is seeking individuals interested in becoming members in this recreational venture. As we are just getting underway in 2008, there is an opportunity for interested persons to become founding members of this club. The upside to this is that, in addition to all the benefits derived from the core hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation activities, there is an opportunity to "get in on the ground floor" and help influence the direction and decision-making of this venture.

In thinking about this club concept, the owners are concerned first and foremost that we limit the membership to numbers appropriate for the natural resources of the ranch. A study is underway to determine what specific species harvest levels are best for the ranch, and this study will define the membership cap. We have initial estimates, but understand this is a multi-year process, so intend to approach membership conservatively. Our current thinking is that the club will be limited to 5 memberships. A secondary consideration is the quality of the membership base. The owners are looking for ethical, responsible members who will respect the property, wildlife, and other members.

Individual Membership Details

Fees (for the 2008-2009 hunting season)

No Initiation Fee *
$5,000 annually *

Membership entitles the member to: **

One buck deer
Three doe deer
Three tom turkeys, with one guest per day during scheduled time slot
Waterfowl hunting Wednesdays & Saturdays during open season with one guest per day
Upland hunting Wednesdays & Sundays during open season, with one guest per day
Dove hunting first two weeks of September, with three guests per day
Summer fishing and recreation (camping, archery, etc), with five guests per day
Use of ranch facilities and equipment

* Annual fee applies to the current year only and is subject to change for future years. For the 2008-2009 hunting season there is no initiation fee but SLR reserves the right to impose an initiation fee for members signing on after the 2008-2009 season.

** Hunting and summer access are subject to the overall ranch rules and restrictions on hunting and memberships, defined below, and Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC makes no guarantees or representations as to the quality of the hunting or fishing, hunting or fishing success, or the quantity of animals available for harvest.

Membership Rights & Obligations

General

Members have an annual trespass right to hunt, fish and enjoy other recreational activities on Swanson Lake Ranch, subject to noted restrictions. To create the most favorable hunting experience possible, Hunting on SLR is limited to 10 people (guns) on any given day (the first two weeks of dove season excepted - where the limit will be 20 people per day). Bird hunts will not be allowed on SLR on days members are deer hunting, and to further minimize the impact to the property, all hunts are confined to designated blinds and stands (no jump-shooting allowed). Additionally, bird hunting days for all members and guests are limited to Saturdays (Waterfowl, & Turkey), Sundays (Upland, & Turkey), and Wednesdays (Waterfowl, & Turkey). There are no restrictions on the days for dove shooting the first two weeks of the season.

Please note that at certain times, members may be hunting or participating in their recreational activities with other members, guests, and the SLR owners.

Work Detail

Each member is expected to show up for at least two work days annually or contribute $1,000 toward projects. The owners will be responsible for scheduling several work day options per year and giving notice to members.

Time Slots

In general it is expected that members will work with one another to coordinate hunting and recreation slots, though priority will be based upon the seniority of the members to the extent conflicts exits. One-time hunts, which may be phased out as membership grows, have a lower priority for date preference in the event a member and one-time hunter select overlapping dates. All dates, though, once selected and agreed upon by SLR, are firm unless otherwise negotiated among the members and SLR. Requested dates must be communicated to Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC at least 1 week prior to the hunt. Summer fishing and recreation is limited to 10 time slots per member per year, turkey hunting is limited to 4 three-day time slots per member per year, and deer hunting is limited to 2 five-day time slots per year (no more than 1 time slot during the rifle season).

Other Hunting Restrictions

Deer hunting will be in five-day blocks with no more than 2 hunters at SLR at one time. Access to certain blinds and stands may be made via state ground across the Republican River, if passable, and access to all blinds and stands must be made along marked trails. These restrictions are in place to minimize the impact of human pressure and scent in the deer hunting areas. Minimum size for bucks taken will be either bucks whose antler main beams extend beyond the ears or bucks 3 1/2 years or older. For bucks taken that do not meet the minimum there will be a $500 fee assessed. Turkey hunting will be limited to no more than two groups per day of three hunters per group and there will be one three-day slot available each week of the season. A member's limit of three toms harvested per year include birds harvested by the member's guests. All upland hunting will occur in designated hunting zones, with no more than five upland hunters per party. Waterfowl shooting is also restricted to five shooters per blind.

Guests

Additional guests beyond the number of guests allotted per membership will be allowed subject to member priority and overall ranch restrictions. Please note that memberships do NOT include a guest for deer hunting. Guests beyond the number allotted per membership will be subject to SLR's current Fee schedule for one-time hunts.

Licenses, Waivers, & Membership Revocation

Members are obligated to adhere to their assigned slots, hunt ethically, responsibly and safely, obey all state and federal wildlife hunting and fishing laws, have in possession all required state and federal hunting and fishing licenses, refrain from damaging or littering the ranch, and maintain as little impact as possible to the environment. Please note that Memberships do NOT include hunting and fishing license fees or guide services. Members are also required to read certain documents which go into greater detail about ranch rules and safety, and read and sign the Liability Waiver and Release Agreement (see More Info). Note that the owners of Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC may revoke a membership at any time and no fees are refunded, whether a member leaves voluntarily or involuntarily. Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC, makes no guarantees or representations as to the quality of the hunting or fishing, hunting or fishing success, or the quantity of animals available for harvest.

Progress Update - as of 7/15/08

A little more than a year has gone by and we’ve learned a lot about what the property has to offer and how we might be able to take something already pretty special and make it better. On the positive end of things, we think the deer hunting is far better than we expected, and the dove and turkey hunting are spectacular. We experienced mixed results with the waterfowl in fall 2007, having a terrific early season shoot, but then watched the season end early on us as winter set in and our ponds froze. As a result, this June we brought power to the property and recently contracted with Absolute Natural Resources to aerate one of our ponds to help keep ducks and geese on us in the future. Lastly, the upland hunting is a work in process, but again we are confident there are things we can do to increase the number of pheasant and quail. We know there are quite a few birds on us already, but with programs like the CRP grass reseeding we just completed and better crop rotation on our farmland, we think we can improve the upland hunting even more. The upland, in sum, is headed in the right direction and in the near term we can supplement the wild bird experience with planted birds fairly easily.

The ultimate vision for SLR does not encompass much beyond ongoing habitat management, as we think the land is already quite unique and the less we impact the better. That said, there are infrastructure improvements we have made in our first 18 months of ownership and plans in place to do more. In addition to the aeration system mentioned above, we have a large five-man duck blind on one pond and are planning to add a second. We also have waterfowl ground blinds and recently purchased several 15-foot ladder stands to compliment the box blinds already on the property. Earlier this summer we installed a 3-D archery target course and began the planning for a trap/skeet/sporting clays course. Lastly, we installed a covered boat dock located on the horseshoe pond to enhance the fishing and canoeing experience at SLR. Beyond hunting and recreational infrastructure, there are a few aesthetic improvements we want to make to the ranch. In particular, we want to clean up the east corral area with new fencing, stock gates, a small barn and horse shelters. The final project on our roadmap, which we believe will complete the SLR experience, will be the addition of a hunting lodge. We are still in early planning stages, but leaning toward a three-bedroom structure with a corral nearby as well as an integrated bird cleaning and deer processing facility, dog kennel and storage area.

As you can see, there are a lot of interesting things going on at SLR and more to come in the future. Please note that the above mentioned improvements and services will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and provided only if determined to be in the best interest of the Club and Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC. While we expect future funds from membership fees and other sources of income will be used for these improvements and services, the Company makes no representation to current or future guests or members that these improvements and services will be provided, and the Company may, at any time, revise membership fees, rights & obligations to reflect the addition of improvements and services or other factors. Contact us for more.

Other

We feel that it is important for our members and prospective members to know we are committed to running SLR as a professionally-managed business. The property is owned by a Nebraska LLC which maintains liability and asset insurance in-force, covering all aspects of hunting, fishing and related recreation activities. In addition, Swanson Lake Ranch, LLC maintains this website, geared toward promoting the club and establishing and maintaining relationships with noted individuals in the outdoor world to help this venture along. In all aspects we want SLR to be a well-managed, safe, enjoyable hunting club.