# NorthGeorgiaHunting.com Strikes Again!!!



## hardhuntin

This was our first year with these folks and boy its been a real circus. You all remember most of the bidding fiasco I am sure, But wait, It just keeps getting better! We leased our tract with them at well above fair market value, and paid promptly as we should have. Then we went through about a 2 week lockout waiting for them to mail us a key after we filled out a lock request online. This really pushed us to get planted and get out before bow season opened. But we made it with 2 days to spare. OUR importance to THEM should have been clear then, but oh well, we were just happy to have it after all we went through. A note on the importance of the leasee to these people: YOUR NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM. And don't fool yourself into thinking you are either. They are after your dollar and that is it. Nothing more. Well just as we entered the last bit of pre you could consider pre-rut, guess who came rolling in the gate? Loggers. They have been happily cutting for three weeks now. They are nice guys. We have talked to them alot because when they started, deer sightings ended. You can't blame these guys, they are making a living just like anyone else. They cut where and when they are told if they win the bid on the timber. Well, ok this is still a do-able deal for us. With realatively low hunting pressure, we will move to other areas to hunt away from the action. Things still haven't been the same but, so be it. We knew going in they had to manage their timber as they saw fit. The timber they are cutting is not logs, it is for pulpwood. They are cutting very young trees. After some discussion with involved parties, we learned that SpringBank LLC, is actively seeking to sell all of their timber  properties. So if you got one now, it may not last long. But anyway, onward to the next and maybe most brutal slap by these people. After coming out of the woods today, I was met by a fella in a little mazda telling me that we might want to remove our ladder stands on the lower end of the club where they are not cutting. I found this curious and questioned why? This guy was the owner of a another logging company that has won the bid to cut the other half of our club. They start monday. So after we have miagrated to the far end of the club to avoid the logging, our old friends at Timberland Resources couldn't wait another month to cash in their chips on the baby pine trees they have. So, they will commence to cut the other half of the club effectively ending our season at that location. This is terrible treatment of lease holders in my opinion and shows where the outdoorsmen truly stand with these folks. I nor anyone in our club will ever give these folks another penny of our hard earned dollars and only hope that one day they suffer the financial consequences that come from treating honest paying customers this way. Just Beware of them guys.


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## Allen Waters

*HUNT LAND*

SORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR MISFORTUNE, SEEMS TIMBER COMPANIES WOULD TREAT THEIR LEASEE'S BETTER THAN THAT. OBVIOUSLY THEY REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT LEASING THE LAND OR THEY WOULD AT LEAST HAVE A CLAUSE IN THEIR CONTRACTS THAT STATE THEY WILL NOT LOG SAY DURING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER. THAT DOE NOT SEEM LIKE TOO MUCH TO ASK DOES IT?  . YOU JUST THREW MONEY AND TIME AWAY. SADLY THEY DO NOT EVEN CARE.


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## hardhuntin

That is the truth. They do not really care about the lease holders at all. It is nothing more than a way to pay the taxes.


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## HMwolfpup

I understand your frustration.  I lease from them too, but haven't had near the problems a lot of people have.  However when got your lease agreement it was probably in there about the possibility that the land was going to be cut for timber (it was in everybody's lease that I know of that leases from them...so I assume it was in all the leases).  I've also been told that the real land owner is Wachovia, that this was old Bowater land that Wachovia bought with the intention of selling it for development.  So with all that in mind, I've just always assumed my lease is going to be cut or sold at any time.  

If you lease "timber company" land any where in Ga, you are in the same boat.  It could be sold or cut at anytime and without notice.  Most leases have a clause about prorating a refund if the lease is sold though.  It's not much compensation for losing your hunting land but only other thing you can do is buy land.


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## Steyrhunter

Glad to know they have not changed from my experiences earlier this year.  I received a survey form from them by e-mail today.  I also got one for Cumberlandhunting.com on the Tenn side.  I made it very clear on my opinions of their professionalism and how they handled the bids this year by moving bid closing dates over and over.  I am certain it will do no good, but if you get the survey, you have nothing to lose by being honest!


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## hardhuntin

HMwolfpup, I agree with what you said. We are all on borrowed time I think with these timber company leases. However, I don't mind the end result of the timber harvest. I actually like it because in the big picture it helps our hunting situation on this property. I just wish it had been done last march or sometime other than now. The trees being gone means nothing to me except longer shots. The one logging contractor cutting is not a big deal either for me. I can adjust. But two logging outfits at once have left us no place to adjust to that would allow hunting. Imagine moving your stand from a serene hillside to a busy industrial site and you get the same experience. Most of the other timber companies seem to have more respect for lease holders and a bit more courtesy for people who have paid in the big bucks to them. This has been my experience anyway. But these guys seem to just enjoy taking a big one on you as often as they can. False dead lines on bidding, FMV excuses, harvesting timber, and seeling off land all equal one thing: BIG $$$$ for the owners and no real concern about conservation of our natural resources wether they be enviornmental or biological. One party wins and quite a few others are out in the cold. There is no thought of conservation for these folks when the almighty dollar is on the line. I will in no way defend these crook's actions nor pay them another cent from my little piggy bank. Oh they got a completed survey alright, but it would appear they don't really care anyway, so it is going to be like peein in a dead out head wind. Maybe they'll have some sympathy and we will atleast get an "I am sorry we broke it off in you so badly" but probably not.


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## Geeseman

hey HH where is you lease at, I had one with them last year and they sent a letter stating the new terms of the contract with price and that they are cutting that land at some point this year


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## hardhuntin

North Gordon county. Up around Hill City.


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## SADDADDY

sorry to hear about that....I went through the same situation on a tract of land I was leasing through a land owner and not a timber company, but that still didn't save us from the cutting 

we had 3 great years and they swore up and down they were not going to cut but come in and thin it out...well we got suckered into joining another year and no more than the ink was dry on the contract they began cutting....

we didn't catch wind of this till few weeks into their cutting when we went up to do some scouting and setting up stands....they had cut by then at least 1/4 of the entire property to the ground, and we talked to the foreman and he said that they were cutting the entire 450ac  

I contacted the owner and land manager about all of this and pretty much was a dead end street talking with them...they told us we still had land to hunt and that they would be done prior to the season...so they had us there

like promised they were done alright, bow season we had a few trees left to climb and stare at each other, you could stand in the center on the 450ac and see every inch of property 

we hunted it maybe 2 times all that year, no reason to hunt cause there wasn't a deer for miles of that place and the night hunters had a field day on that place, they could access the property from any where and drive on in cause the gates were useless..... 

Some land owners and timber compaines don't care one bit about hunters, they are in the timber business and we are just some extra income to pay the tax bill...

I wish one day that I have the money to buy my own land so I don't ever have to worry about stuff like that...


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## Vernon Holt

The groups who are in control of ex "timber company" lands should not be referred to as timber companies.  Instead, they are investors, speculators, and real estate trusts.

As accurately pointed out already, their only interest is to get as much return on investment as possible, even if it involves stripping the land.  Hunters and hunting in no way fit into their long range plans.

It is imperative that you familiarize yourself fully with all  provisions of the hunting lease.  This is the only way to eliminate surprises such as is described in this thread.  The leases are always contrived to favor the interest of the landowner, leaving the lease holder with no options but to cry a lot.  If you read before signing, you will at least have some indication up front as to what could happen to you, and likely will.


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## BOSSOFTHEWOODS

Our largest "timber company" : USFS ??   Whadda ya think??


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## Vernon Holt

*Strikes Again*



BOSSOFTHEWOODS said:


> "*Our largest "timber company" : USFS ?? Whadda ya think"?? *


 
"Timber Companies" are generally considered to be industrial landowners who owned land for the express purpose of growing crops of timber. This land base and its inventory of timber served to insure that their converting mills (pulp, plywood, and sawmills) would always have a supply of reasonably priced raw material.

I do not see the USFS as being comparable.

At one time the stated objective of the FS was to produce crops of timber on lands under their jurisdiction. Today Foresters in the FS are outnumbered overwhelmingly by Ecologist, Hydrologist, Taxonomist, Biologist, etc.

Timber is no longer considered a renewable resource, but rather is treated as a resource which should be protected by whatever means.


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## timber ghost

*Thanx for the headz uppp !!!*

I will keep this fresh in mind when negotiating contract terms .
again, Thanks........


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## Wide Earp

they're not the only ones, I once carried the money for our club, the Over THE Hill Gang with the folks at Grants sporting goods back when Roger owned it to Inland Rome and the receptionist told the head monkey that I was there and he said" good been waiting for these guys!" and then proceeded to lecture me on how he was in the timber business andhad no use for a bunch of deer hunters and had at least a dozen other parties waiting to lease the land [someone inadvertently loch some of his people in while assessing some timber], this went on for 20 minutes or so , he took our money, gave me the new lease and said " oh by the way tell Grant if he wants that road fixed where the beaver pond runs over and washes the road out that he asked about, tell him to rent a dozer and fix it we don't have a problem getting in and out and I don't have any use for a bunch of deer hunters so it ain't my problem!" if it hadn't been for the other 20 folks looking to hunt that year I'd have told him to kiss ol' rusty, I mean this guy was a total and complete maggot


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## HunterDoug

Don't be surprized when dealing with Timber Companies.  I have been leasing land from them now for 25 years.  The only thing they are interested in is the Hunter's dollar.  For them it is free money.

It doesn't make your situation any better but at least now you know what you are dealing with.  

Hunting in GA has been sold to the highest bidder.  Every entity you can think of is ravaging the sport by taking every dollar they can from the hunter.

If we were smart we would organize and try to influence this situation by letting the paper companies know we are informed and frugal buyers of their services.  Maybe if we all banded together and cancelled hunting season and leasing land for one year they would get the message where it hurts.  In their POCKET BOOK!

HunterDoug


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## Goose 15

If you lease timberland,don't take it in good faith that they arent gonna cut the land during hunting season,or anytime else.If they say it will be "x" amount of time before they cut,get it in writing like I did,then,if they try to cut,you have it in writing that they werent,you take there &*& to court,you will win the case,might not get next year,but,at least you get piece,and,time to go elsewhere next year.And if you really want to get ugly,you can sue them,and just maybe own the land.The key,--- Get it in writing


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## country boy

Last deer season the timber company that we had a lease with came in and started cutting in the first part of Nov. and continued untill the end of Jan., and if that was'nt enough they came back in Apr. and started working what timber was left. It was'nt bad enough that they messed up deer season, they had to come back and do the same during turkey season.


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