Oaky Woods - Houston County Development

I was down at Oaky Woods on Black Friday and walked up on a big swath of land that has been cleared and leveled for some type of development. I just checked the map on the DNR website and it looks like we have lost a chunk of land northwest of the Houston County Landfill. This appears to all of happened in the past month or two.

Does anyone know what this new development is? I can't find any mention of it online. It was a huge bummer to round a corner and see a ton of machinery and a favorite spot of mine leveled and gone. We need to start banging the Save Oaky Woods drum again.

The 2016-2017 regs list it at, 13,240 acres. 2017-2018 list it at 12,750. Meanwhile Ocmulgee has lost approx 5,000 acres in the last three seasons.

Houston County owns the landfill tract and are developing part of it as a training center for the Sheriff's Dept.

Ocmulgee lost 2500 acres in June due to the property owner selling a tract of land on Longstreet. It was leased property and not DNR owned

Thanks BBond. I assumed the landfill was using it for something, since they own that property. I just couldn't figure out what it was since it was too far back in to be sold as real estate properties, but it wasn't very close to the landfill. That is awful to hear about Ocmulgee losing more as well.

BBond said:

Houston County owns the landfill tract and are developing part of it as a training center for the Sheriff's Dept.

Ocmulgee lost 2500 acres in June due to the property owner selling a tract of land on Longstreet. It was leased property and not DNR owned

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I'm asking this out of curiosity. Do you recall the year when Ocmulgee went from 19,+++ acres too 17,+++ acres? 2014 perhaps? I know it dropped to 15,000 this year.

Ocmulgee was ~32,000 when I first started working.

~2004 it lost thousands of acres after Weyerhaeuser sold off land

~2010-2011 ~4500 acres were lost due to losing Plum Creek leased lands

and then this June ~2500 acres more.

There's ~4000 acres that are still leased that's part of Ocmulgee. The rest is State owned.

So, what is being done to correct the land loss trend on both of these WMA's? Also, why were the losses not reported to the hunting public this year via the GA DNR website or news paper? Both of these WMA's are to small to have open hunts anymore. To many people, arguments, and all around safety issues. If land cannot be acquired for addition, are quota hunts being considered for these WMA's? With the license increase I would hope the DNR is researching adding tracts of land to all WMA's?

The DNR owns all of OW except the landfill tract. The DNR bought about 10,000 acres of OW before the land was lost from leasing. So I think that is a positive.

DNR has also bought tens of thousands of acres in the past few years across GA. Most of Chattachoochee Fall Line is DNR owned. So that's a positive.

Also Alapaha was recently purchased by DNR so that's a positive.

Over a thousand of acres were recently added to Sandhills-West.

Thousands of more acres were added to Sprewell Bluff - West.

There's also other land that's been added across the state under DNR ownership.

The only land being lost is leased properties that either the landowner sold or wanted high lease rates that couldn't be afforded.

I believe with all the additional acres and even new WMAs across GA that the DNR has done a good job.

This means more land is secured than in the past.

Good luck hunting.

Thanks for your response. I think the DNR has done a good job of acquiring new lands too. However, you did not answer one of my questions. If you could, please provide some in-sight to my questions.

As to those 2 WMAs no current purchasing or planned purchasing of additional acres is currently being done.

However, there may be 200+ acres added to Echeconee Creek (just above the base in the edge of Bibb county) in 2018.

DNR is currently in the process of getting lands a little more wide spread across the state and lands in newer areas.
Some of these lands are in partnership with TNC with acquiring lands buffering Fort Benning.
Some land is to acquire Gopher Tortoise habitat to help in not adding that animal as threatened/endangered.

There is currently no lands for sale that are cost effective in purchasing adjacent to OW/OC. Also, when some of the lease holders sold the land they gave little warning to the State they were doing so. Typically it takes the state 6 months to a year in land purchasing. Lands have to be evaluated. Lands also cannot be purchased above fair market value.

As to the acreage of these 2 areas vs. hunter numbers that is evaluated every 2 years. We will collect hunter comments on all areas including these 2. I have yet to hear if anyone wants an open hunt made a quota on these areas.

Unfortunately, 2500 acres was lost to OC after the regulations had already been set for that property. The quota limit for the 2 quota turkey hunts will more than likely be decreased next regulation cycle to reflect the loss of land.

If you have any comments you'd liked recorded as to changes in regulations feel free to call the Fort Valley office and ask for the biologist.