# Paulding Forest a fair-weather WMA?



## yellowhammer (Sep 13, 2009)

Went to Paulding to scout Friday afternoon.All gates were closed.It had rained that morning.(next day was bow season)This has happened before.Last year I scouted before a hunt,then decided to camp.Went home to get my stuff,came back,and the gate was locked.Having had 3  family vehicles burglarized and vandalized,I have a problem leaving a vehicle on Braswell Mt.Rd,Hulseytown,Brushy Mt.,or 278.I feel more secure parking inside the WMA.You have to get in a gate to camp.So then,Friday,I went to see one of the landowners,who told me that it was DNR`s decision to close the gates when it rains.Later in the conversation,same landowner said,"I want the gates closed when it is raining".His concern was the expense of scraping the roads.I don`t care if they maintain them or not.I can still travel them.I have a problem with spending money on a WMA that is "fair weather"only.I would rather lease from another source that would allow hunting no matter what the weather.No problem with closing some gates,ie a flood plain,but don`t close them ALL.Same thing would apply with a lease for a club.I then went to Pine Log WMA to scout.Big sign at check station-"GATES OPEN `TIL OCT.16TH"How come Paulding Forest can`t do the same?I ended up doing the same as last year,hunting Pine Log.I give up on PF.Ain`t worth the trip up there to see if you can get in or not.The problem at PF is not the LEO,Lee.He`s a fine man.It`s higher up.


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## irocz2u (Sep 13, 2009)

pinelog  is  a  privet  land owner  that  lets dnr  mange  the  land


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## yellowhammer (Sep 13, 2009)

*Paulding*

Aubry Co.manages the timber on Pine Log.I want to see the contract for Paulding F.and see who keeps up the roads.It should be public record,since it concerns the state.


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## Dupree (Sep 13, 2009)

they never open the gates at paulding except for the two gun hunts. The only gate that is ever opened for turkey or bow season is blue carbody. I like the gates being closed personally.

Good luck at pine log!


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## coonhunter444 (Sep 13, 2009)

keep them ALL LOCKED  !!!  thats the only way to have a good place to hunt!


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## irocz2u (Sep 13, 2009)

blue carbody  rd   were  is it  at   or what rd  it off


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## coonhunter444 (Sep 13, 2009)

its right on the polk county and paulding county line,,


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## WaddleWhacker (Sep 13, 2009)

i drove through several of the roads in PF today to do a little scouting and i seen alot of places that some cheap lazy folks have been using PF for a dump but i guess if they paid the dump fee at the county dump they couldnt buy any beer...some folks have no respect for others


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## whitehunter (Sep 13, 2009)

the gate on goldmine rd. is opened every day from early am to late pm, if not all night, my property is right beside there and that gate is always opened!!!! Also been seein alot of deer over that way here lately.


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## Dupree (Sep 14, 2009)

WaddleWhacker said:


> i drove through several of the roads in PF today to do a little scouting and i seen alot of places that some cheap lazy folks have been using PF for a dump but i guess if they paid the dump fee at the county dump they couldnt buy any beer...some folks have no respect for others



did you see the couches on hulseytown?


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## randre12 (Sep 14, 2009)

If the gates were open all that trash would be in the woods and not on side of a road. Georgia Trash, they make me sick!!!!!!


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## Dupree (Sep 15, 2009)

whitehunter said:


> the gate on goldmine rd. is opened every day from early am to late pm, if not all night



I dont know about this gate, but others are for logging. I saw log truck signs today on my home from work and went to a gate that I hunt knowing they were coming from down in there and the gate was open. I rode down in there and talked to the loggers and they said they shut the gate every night when they leave around 6pm so if someone is in there they will get locked in.


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## yellowhammer (Sep 16, 2009)

*Gates*

Hey,4x4 powerstrokesd,the big problem Fri.was,the BLUE CAR BODY RD.gate was locked.I`ve seen this 3 times now when it should be open for a hunt,or to scout,the day prior.When I said all the gates were locked,that means BCB also.I talked to two more guys yesterday that quit hunting PF due to driving there and BCB was locked.That shuts down half the WMA.If you walk in,you aren`t supposed to hunt the first several hundred yards,as it belongs to Braswell (city limits).If you want to hunt the back half of BCB road,you`ll walk an hour,at least.Try dragging one out.If BCB is locked,there`s pretty much no place to camp.You can`t camp on the side of the roads.Don`t badmouth the Paulding folks.I`ve worked all over GA,and illegal trash dumping is in every county.I mean EVERY.Keep `em locked,ya`ll can have it.I`m outa here.


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## 2789britt (Sep 16, 2009)

goldmine road is open because they are logging the first 65 acres of it they will be done by november that is what the boss logger said


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## WaddleWhacker (Sep 16, 2009)

yellowhammer said:


> Hey,4x4 powerstrokesd,the big problem Fri.was,the BLUE CAR BODY RD.gate was locked.I`ve seen this 3 times now when it should be open for a hunt,or to scout,the day prior.When I said all the gates were locked,that means BCB also.I talked to two more guys yesterday that quit hunting PF due to driving there and BCB was locked.That shuts down half the WMA.If you walk in,you aren`t supposed to hunt the first several hundred yards,as it belongs to Braswell (city limits).If you want to hunt the back half of BCB road,you`ll walk an hour,at least.Try dragging one out.If BCB is locked,there`s pretty much no place to camp.You can`t camp on the side of the roads.Don`t badmouth the Paulding folks.I`ve worked all over GA,and illegal trash dumping is in every county.I mean EVERY.Keep `em locked,ya`ll can have it.I`m outa here.



i dont see where anyone has badmouth any paulding folks...i was raised in paulding county in new georgia and i still live in new georgia and will most like die in new georgia and for the gates well i'm fat but i'm not lazy and i'm sure not scared to walk if i have to and i've been known to walk about 8 miles in a day of turkey hunting...let them do what they want with the gates but just dont open them in turkey season


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## Jeff Raines (Sep 17, 2009)

Blue car body road should be open.I'll agree with yellowhammer on this one.


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## Dupree (Sep 17, 2009)

I will also agree that bcr should be open, but at the same time with all the rain all it takes is a few people with a heavy foot and u have nothing but mud holes. I could care less about the mud but everyone doesn't have 4wd. 

GW might also be tired of pulling folks out? I know when they were logging on sheffield I pulled several people out in cars and vans that had no business trying to drive in there.


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## fflintlock (Sep 19, 2009)

I too think the gates, any and all should be opened durring any hunt. We pay fees for these WMA's "WE" pay the fees. I too have walked many a mile in Paulding Forest, allthough I enjoy being out there and just roaming the woods, I have passed up a few shots due to the lengthy drag out. I do understand the logistics behind this, people destroying property, trash, etc. and with minimal coverage by LEO's it's hard to keep up with it. But I'm pretty sure if I, or a large number of folks on this site, see someone trashing the place, you can bet your last dollar they'll get turned in. But I'm really sick of hearing about a few dirt bags ruinning it for the rest of us. 
A good example is this, there are not enough Deputies to see everyone on our county roads, right ? So do they close down all the roads they can not see all the time ?
DNR, open the gates and I'm sure you'll have plenty of help policing the area !
As far as weather goes, same thing, if you think you want to play dukes of hazzard when the roads are muddy, be preparred to get your tag number wrote down and a call put in to the DNR, you are "destroying" "MY" property that I help pay for !
Now if I could cut up and debone my deer and pack it out, I would'nt mind the hike so much 
Open the gates, please !


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## Pineyrooter (Sep 19, 2009)

One thing to keep in mind is that the City of Atlanta through Georgia Forestry Commission maintains the roads on the City portion of Paulding and the city receives no funds from the state to maintain these roads or any other user related impacts. Its all an expense for the city as part of their land management program.


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## The Crowe (Sep 19, 2009)

1st off im glad to have the land here to hunt this many acers . 2nd if the gates were all open all the time there would be a lot more traffic in there i mean com on do you know how many teenagers have 4x4 and 4 whellers arourd here wow i could amagin how the roads would look after the gates were left open not to ment. the qulity of hunts if they were i vote levem closed


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## fflintlock (Sep 19, 2009)

See my post above, turn them in for destroying property, 
"I mean come on" help us all protect what "WE" pay for !
I too enjoy the lands we have available to us, but we still pay for them, yes we pay for them ! This is just like anything else controlled by the goverment, they work for us, this entire country belongs to us, the American people ! We are the true stewards of it, we need to step up and help police it, help to keep it available to us, yea, I know it's leased property, but we pay that lease, so it's up to us, to make it usefull and available to us, or why bother at all. The American hunter does 90% of the work and bares 90% of the cost, it's ours, as a whole ! Surely we can come together and weed out the varmits, correct ?
I say again, open the dang gates !





The Crowe said:


> 1st off im glad to have the land here to hunt this many acers . 2nd if the gates were all open all the time there would be a lot more traffic in there i mean com on do you know how many teenagers have 4x4 and 4 whellers arourd here wow i could amagin how the roads would look after the gates were left open not to ment. the qulity of hunts if they were i vote levem closed


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## Dupree (Sep 19, 2009)

there are too many roads to try to "police" people from riding all night long imo. either way im gonna hunt, whether i drive in or walk in. just leave em all but bcr closed in turkey season.


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## coonhunter444 (Sep 20, 2009)

i was told to day  that the gate was  actually   dummy locked  that day!!


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## WaddleWhacker (Sep 21, 2009)

looks like PF could use a little fair weather right about now


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## kirby (Sep 21, 2009)

The only thing about P.F that gets me is the parking.  They could make a few spots to pull off the Rd and bee somewhat safe.  I have no issue with walking thats why we have get-away sticks.


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## Pineyrooter (Oct 1, 2009)

For what it’s worth: There will be a few gates open around the city portion of Paulding Forest for short periods (as in during the day and closed at night) but folks shouldn’t drive in and park thinking they'll be able to get out. The Georgia Forestry Commission folks are currently working to locate and control several Southern Pine Beetle outbreaks and I understand they will have a few loggers working on the property during bow season and possibly in a couple locations during the gun hunts.  Getting a handle on active beetle spots is a priority right now because they have already killed several thousand dollars worth of timber and are forcing their hand in clear-cutting areas that were slated for thinning.  GFC will have a map posted at the check station in a few days showing active logging sites and upcoming harvest activity locations.


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## howl (Oct 2, 2009)

coonhunter444 said:


> keep them ALL LOCKED  !!!  thats the only way to have a good place to hunt!



+1 Nothing but bicycles and deer hauling carts allowed.


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## BornToHuntAndFish (Oct 8, 2009)

whitehunter said:


> the gate on goldmine rd. is opened every day from early am to late pm, if not all night, my property is right beside there and that gate is always opened!!!! Also been seein alot of deer over that way here lately.






2789britt said:


> goldmine road is open because they are logging the first 65 acres of it they will be done by november that is what the boss logger said




Besides logging the Paulding Forest WMA near the gate on the East side of Goldmine Rd., I heard yesterday that the timber crews are now working on the West side of Goldmine Rd. in the area that backs up to a subdivision.


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## olhippie (Oct 26, 2009)

....I've never found the gate closed on the road I use for access, and I've gone in there when it was sopping mud!....Is Wolf Pen road still a part of the WMA?


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## Dupree (Oct 27, 2009)

olhippie said:


> ...Is Wolf Pen road still a part of the WMA?



thats where the new airport is now.


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## Covehnter (Oct 28, 2009)

Answer me this. . . . if a gate is normally locked, you show up to hunt one morning at the normally locked gate and it's open with no lock in site. Would you be in trouble if you pulled through the gate and continued on your way? I dont see how but it seems there have been some 'traps' set as of late. 

And on that note, if you check a gate to find it 'dummy' locked or just pulled shut without a lock all together. . . . would it be safe to assume that its okay to open the gate and move on through. 

I'm with Flint on this topic- it's 'our' land.


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## BOWHUNTHERE (Jan 7, 2010)

*Yeah!!!*



howl said:


> +1 Nothing but bicycles and deer hauling carts allowed.



On all wildlife management areas.  To many people in northern zone with way to liberal regulations.  Come All-Kill All Attitude has just about ruined all our areas in the north!!!


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## truetalker (Jan 7, 2010)

randre12 said:


> If the gates were open all that trash would be in the woods and not on side of a road. Georgia Trash, they make me sick!!!!!!


  i agree with you. just think how much trash would be dumped if gates were open


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## truetalker (Jan 7, 2010)

BOWHUNTHERE said:


> On all wildlife management areas.  To many people in northern zone with way to liberal regulations.  Come All-Kill All Attitude has just about ruined all our areas in the north!!!


you said it come all kill all is the problem with pf.and outher WMA's in the north


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