Wildcat Campground - New Sheriff in Town?

[Buckman18]

What is the first thing you notice about the campground on Wildcat Creek near Lake Burton?

For YEARS now, at least a 8-10 times in the summer and almost always on Sunday afternoons, we load up the wagon and go to the upper wildcat campground to swim, fish, chill, let the kids go crazy and grill anything from burgers and dogs, bacon wrapped stockers, filet mignons, whatever was on the menu that day. It’s close to home, cheap and easy, and everyone has fun.

Today, there were 2 campers. The host and someone else. That was it. Upon our arrival today the host come down there and RAN US OFF. Told us it was for 'campers' only! I was nice, but I certainly would've liked to have told him to stick it, and almost did. But I behaved.

Has the Forest Service fallen this far off the radar as to run off a family of 5 from using a picnic table in a near empty campground or was this guy just being a democrat? I would have gladly paid a user fee, even the full $10 campers fee, but was not given that option at the nearly empty campground. Nor did I see a sign that said family picnickers are no longer allowed.

What say you? Am I right or wrong?

For the record, we still had a picnic. We drove about 100 yards up the road and grilled out on a big rock next to the creek. Just didn’t have a table!

 

[jbogg]

Sorry to hear that Joey. I can’t believe they ran you all off. It’s not like the camping crowd was about to descend on the campground on a Sunday afternoon. That is a great place to take the kids. Glad you guys were still able to have a great day. Any fish caught?

 

[Buckman18]

Yeah it was a weird experience fo’ sho!

We parked at the same hole we saw you at a few weeks back where I met your son. Caught several. But with the kids, I’d hook one and let one of them reel it in. Didn’t keep any today, they apparently stocked browns recently, and stocker browns rank right up there with mud cats and carp on the taste scale.. yuck!

 

[whitetailfreak]

If you were to pay the $10 fee I don't see how they could say anything. There's nothing that says you must spend the night. I'm seeing a lot of things recently out of usfs that defy common sense. I got a warning ticket inside Cherokee NF for having a cooler in the back of my truck that wasn't "bear proof". Apparently my 120 qt. Coleman Extreme should have been locked inside the cab of my Tacoma where griz couldn't get at it.

 

[Buckman18]

If you were to pay the $10 fee I don't see how they could say anything. There's nothing that says you must spend the night. I'm seeing a lot of things recently out of usfs that defy common sense. I got a warning ticket inside Cherokee NF for having a cooler in the back of my truck that wasn't "bear proof". Apparently my 120 qt. Coleman Extreme should have been locked inside the cab of my Tacoma where griz couldn't get at it.

When my wife saw him walking over she said ‘I bet he’s here to collect?’ I got out of the Tahoe to meet him and he asked if we were camping. I simply said ‘no just grilling out then leaving.’ He then said this is for campers only and I’d have to leave. I wasn’t going to offer to pay anything with that response so I crawled back in the tahoe, and left.

What really makes me mad is when I think just how much money my wife and I pay in taxes every year, how much money I give to the FS every year in usage fees, etc. Heck, I PAID for that campground and so did a lot of other GON forum members.

 

[jigman29]

several camp host are full of themselves. I can see him having issue if you're grilling on one of the sight grills but technically that's forest service land so it belongs to everyone.

 

[Dana Young]

Sounds like a Barney Fife

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Sounds like a Barney Fife

why insult Barney like that?

 

[NCHillbilly]

If you were to pay the $10 fee I don't see how they could say anything. There's nothing that says you must spend the night. I'm seeing a lot of things recently out of usfs that defy common sense. I got a warning ticket inside Cherokee NF for having a cooler in the back of my truck that wasn't "bear proof". Apparently my 120 qt. Coleman Extreme should have been locked inside the cab of my Tacoma where griz couldn't get at it.

It's been like that in the national park forever, but never seen it on the NF land in NC. It's probably a good idea in the park, actually.

As for the host, most of them I encounter around here are retired yankees with a Napolean complex. Always coming around like a librarian going "shhhhhhhh!" I've come close to chunkin' a couple of them in the creek over the years.

 

[whitetailfreak]

It's been like that in the national park forever, but never seen it on the NF land in NC. It's probably a good idea in the park, actually.

As for the host, most of them I encounter around here are retired yankees with a Napolean complex. Always coming around like a librarian going "shhhhhhhh!" I've come close to chunkin' a couple of them in the creek over the years.

Exactly, we've been using bear cables and following restrictions in the Park for years, but to my knowledge Nantahala or Chattahoochee NF do not have food storage requirements. Cherokee NF apparently does, and I've been camping on Tellico for 35 yrs and this was news. He did say you can have a yeti with a lock on it in the bed of your truck. Saw a fella get a ticket for having his cooler stored in his pop up camper.

 

[Scrub Buck]

Fee Areas

• You must pay a fee to use certain developed sites and facilities. Such areas are clearly signed or posted as requiring a fee.
• Where fees are required, you must pay them before using the site, facility, equipment, or service furnished.

Rules seem pretty clear to me.

 

[JustUs4All]

Sounds to me like the day would easily be worth the $10 to keep the camp host happy.

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Sounds like you were trying to pull a fast one

 

[Buckman18]

Sounds like you were trying to pull a fast one

Yep! Next time I’ll stalk the campsite and wait for the host to go to bed then we will have our picnic under the stars!

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Yep! Next time I’ll stalk the campsite and wait for the host to go to bed then we will have our picnic under the stars!

now that is a classic Billy move right there.

 

[JustUs4All]

Why not lure the host away with a story of someone going off down the creek with one of he trash cans?

 

[Buckman18]

Why not lure the host away with a story of someone going off down the creek with one of he trash cans?

Another great idea, thank you!

However, I’ve formed a committee to brainstorm and review all possible solutions and have settled on having my oldest daughter sneak behind the host camp at dusk and plant a Johnny Stewart wildlife speaker set on mountain lions mating, and a few minutes after that I’ll walk through their camp in my Sasquatch costume and chase them around when they see me (don’t think they were the type to have a gun if you catch my drift - see NCHillbilly’s description above).

 

[fisherpal2k]

I hope they haven't done that campground like the ones in TN. The forest service has leased out some of the camp areas there and it is now considered "privately owned and operated".