State continually buying up land....

jackflash

Member
....from timber companies and forcing out hunting leases/clubs that have been there for decades....without so much as a care for the people they are putting out.....and also forcing the county's taxpayers to have to pay the taxes on the land since the State won't have to.....not to mention slowly forcing dog hunting into extinction.....so much to say, only knowing that it will fall on deaf ears since the state does it so secretly it doesn't give the citizens a chance to voice their opinions or fight for their traditions...by the time the citizens find out about it, the sales are already completed.....:(
 

markland

Senior Member
Personally I feel your pain and the trouble of loosing promised land that has been hunted for many years, but look at the other side. Timber companies are loosing money and selling land, so it is much better for the state to buy it then some land corporation to buy it, cut all the trees off of it and sell it out in parcels for a new subdivision. At least the state can own and protect the land and still offer citizens access to hunt and fish the land, instead of another large, private, posted property with no access for anybody and the ensuing loss of habitat from development. Remember there are always 2 sides to every issue, not everthing can always be how we want it, but at least there are options to the lesser of 2 evils. Mark
 

fishingtiger

Senior Member
Can you provide a specific example of this happening?

not disagreeing with you but I would be curious to see some specific examples as well.

Seems to me that a budget shortfall would put quite an obstacle up for the state to be spending funds on land right now.
 

jackflash

Member
as of just a week or so ago, the state bought land from Rayonier in Long County that housed 3 hunting clubs totaling in the neighborhood of 13-15,000 acres......with Rayonier maintaining the timber rights...

Markland, I totally understand what you are saying...and don't disagree with it....just airing the frustrations of many hunters and citizens that these things are all done without knowledge of the taxpayers until the deals are done......

the clubs that were bought are/were actually bordering ours....and it's just a view of what is bound to happen with ours soon.....

fishingtiger.....i would have thought the SAME thing, but apparently they have the money for it...
 

fishtail

Senior Member
Does the possibility exist that this is a tax break, Rayonier donating the land?
See, it would work to the timber companies advantage to donate the land with the right to harvest the timber upcoming for harvest and then replant it after harvest as another donation with the stipulation of first harvest rights, etc, etc.
Give us a good description of where the properties are so as we can keep an eye out on its progress.
 

Ole Fuzzy

Banned
Dang, this is a no-win situation for the DNR. Virtually everyone complains that there is not enough access to public lands for hunters, and now this.
 

Robk

Senior Member
The land that Jackflash is talking about won't be a WMA. This land was bought to extend the bird watching lands that border Townsend WMA.
 

fishtail

Senior Member
I was wondering when they would be able to posses both sides of the river and how far they would be able to reach.
 
state land

I won`t complain about the state buying any land as long as we can hunt it.I doubt if a tract that large will be dedicated to bird watching only.I`ve learned not to EVER take a club for granted.I never expect to always being able to hunt land that I don`t own.If the timber company is going to sell the land to someone,I`d rather it be the state.
 

whtlhntr

Senior Member
Rob,
Hadn't heard that all of Middleton Lake and Wesley Lake would be bird watching lands, neither had Hal...was under the impression that the state was trying to get all that and Piney Island, along with the DOT land and what is Townsend WMA now as one piece.
 

hunter44a

Senior Member
You know I keep hearing about ALL THESE dadgum birdwatchers. Where the heck are they. Man you would think that WalMart would have a HUGE Birdwatching section. I think its a bunch of bull.
 
If you hunt Rayonier land in southeast Georgia, then you need to follow HB 277.

It specifically designates certain road projects to be funded with a new penny sales tax (oh joy, the fiscally conservative Republicans are jacking up another tax).

One of these state mandated projects is to put in interstate access at the intersection of Belfast Siding Road in Bryan County for the express purpose of opening up thousands of acres of Rayonier land for development.

What's particularly curious about this particular project is that DOT has done two studies of the site, and both studies concluded that the interchange was not necessary or needed.
 

oldman 45

Senior Member
I will complain that they can buy land but don't have enough money left in budget to keep the Lodges open in the State Parks therefore people are laid off and buildings waste away, they need to get their priorities in order.:yeah:
 

jackflash

Member
The land that Jackflash is talking about won't be a WMA. This land was bought to extend the bird watching lands that border Townsend WMA.
Actually, that's not true from what the game warden that is gonna be over it told a family friend a couple days ago who chased him down to find out what was happening.....that land will be apart of the Townsend WMA, as will another 1000+ acres that borders in, and other state land that was acquired a number of years ago along the same stretch....which encompassed land owned by Rayonier and was leased to two other clubs there as well...our club is the only one left between HWY 57 and the Townsend WMA now....
 

jackflash

Member
Rob,
Hadn't heard that all of Middleton Lake and Wesley Lake would be bird watching lands, neither had Hal...was under the impression that the state was trying to get all that and Piney Island, along with the DOT land and what is Townsend WMA now as one piece.
BINGO..that's what has been told to everyone we've spoken to thus far....

the traditions of dog hunting will be only a memory very soon........and mostly young men (and a few older ones in shape enough to make those long walks and drags out of the WMA's) will be the only ones able to hunt those WMA lands....
 

whtlhntr

Senior Member
OK jackflash, i know exactly where your club is now, y'all had somes fires out there a couple of weekends ago. You have both sides as you come down Lennie May towards Blues Reach?
 

Robk

Senior Member
Carey Wicker holds that lease on lennie may left of the road there. He's got 2200 acres on both sides of the canal. I spoke to him the other evening and he told me that have that lease again this year. That's all run by legacy wildlife.

The birdwatcher info I got from one of the guys that lost thier club this year. Not an official answer. I haven't spoken to Hal or Bobby yet about it. If townsend went all the way to the river that would be a good deal if you wanted to hunt hogs. Plenty of deer and turkey on Townsend now.

I don't hunt on that side of the river anymore since getting burned on that Buckstop Hunt Club deal last year. I have more than enough deer and turkey land on this side. Just need someplace to kill a few hogs.

Whtlhntr, stop into the store next week if you get a chance. I haven't seen you in months.
 

jackflash

Member
OK jackflash, i know exactly where your club is now, y'all had somes fires out there a couple of weekends ago. You have both sides as you come down Lennie May towards Blues Reach?
my apologies, i was brain dead for a minute and said HWY 57, i meant 84 (between Ludowici and Jesup)...thinkin about too many things at one time..:hammers:...ours is located on the river between morgan lake and what used to be Middleton Lake hunting club.....and bordered on the other side by mostly the state land and a little bit of private land that comes in off 84 as well...
 
Top