Is this the future of hunting in Indiana?

This piece of property is part of a large block of Minehaha FWA sold to a wealthy land owner who lives in Terre Haute. He has leased the whole thing...

Now available for lease for $45/acre!! This is not prime land as you might find in Buffalo Co, WI or Pike county, IL.

It's all spoil bank coal hills! Used to be open for any one to hunt and fish on, watch wildlife, pick morels, etc. Now access comes with a laughable high price-tag. What a shame!

http://www.basecampleasing.com/6961/Sullivan-County-Indiana-Hunting-Lease.html

We are quickly moving to the European model of hunting and fishing in this country.

The whole 12,500 acres will soon be closed to the IN public who enjoy hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching forever.

http://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/minnehaha-fwa-closing

Unfortunately, I think it is.....

That does suck but fortunately we have about 500,000 public acres left to hunt.

I'm glad I have my own land to hunt on. Quickly becoming the rich mans sport. Smh.

THAT'S why I bought a Bird Dog

We have no birds around here

yes, good point and not lost on me. Hard to lose a great FWA property like this when I have been hunting it for close to 20 yrs and lots of memories of great hunts.

Change happens I suppose. It feels wrong for someone to be profiting off this formerly public property.

HRI has been great and the DNR is investing heavily in Goose Pond FWA also. Coal company wanted a fortune then terminated the long term lease. Likely be leased piecemeal for hunting and some of it still owned by the mine might be mined again.

I have been saying this for awhile. Buy land if you can; group up if you have to. I bought mine for the price of a new truck.

Wow.... Didn't know that Minnehaha FWA was leased ground... Sad

yes, it was a long term lease from Peabody coal. In 1985 it was added as an FWA and "Peabody Coal got rid of a headache"

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-15/news/mn-10713_1_prime-hunting

"It sounds so doggone good it scares you," said Seketa, chief of properties for IDNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife. "Everyone in the department is tickled to death with it.

"We couldn't have had better cooperation with big industry. You couldn't find a better example of industry, government and conservation working together."

It's unfortunate that the state wasn't giving the option to buy it from the lease first...

You think some one got to them Selling the Idea Why give something away for a tax wright Off . I can make you money on .. They do that to farmers in an area why wouldn't they on a larger scope .

I didn't mean to downplay the loss at all. It is sad.

it was discussed and DNR made an effort to purchase it (8000 acres of it), but did not work out.

Believe it was offered to the IN DNR for $8M but NO gas or mineral rights. Then peabody began putting in gas wells everywhere on the property. Really took away the solitude of the place... it's been dying a slow death since...

You are right 76chevy, it always belonged to Peabody. when they decided to sell it they wanted a prime price (I believe 2K+ per acre and wanted gas wells {pumps) every few acres. IDNR correctly declined the purchase.

Now........... we NEVER owned the property, "WE" never had a lifetime contract. The new owner as ANY landowner has jurisdiction over his "kingdom". As a landowner I can tell you..... I need to investigate and make my land make me money, if not it becomes a liability.

If anyone thinks the NEW owner is Geting the full $45 a acre your dreaming.... There's a middle man involed which drives the price up!

Absolutely.

Yes. It's in the plans. I don't think I would go the group route though.

Just a couple weeks ago my wife said. "We just need to buy some property in Parke county."

Trapperdave, We don't have many birds around here...true.
But I can go to another state and hunt without dealing with leasing, trail cams, trespassers, hanging stands, stands getting stolen, landowners nephew and meth head friends showing up on opening morning riding their stolen 4 wheelers to the base of my tree stands...
We are oue own worst enemy. Myself included, got crazy for antlers. I lost sight of what it was that was drawing me to it as a teenager. I have a different perspective now. I still enjoy deer hunting, but it's supposed to be FUN. Fellowship, Woodmanship, Conservationist, CAMPFIRES! Can't have one now...might leave scent in the woods! You know, the woods you leased...The one you spent all summer cutting shooting lanes in and hanging stands in? Can't get smoke on your clothes or your skin and ruin the moment of a lifetime when the B&C buck comes in just like the trail cam pic tells you it does every morning via cell phone app while you're at the office drinking a skinny latte...
We are our own worst enemy.

I don't want to come off as thinking anyone is wrong for wanting to put in time and work. Free country! Do as you please. But I work too darn hard at work, to spend my free time putting in more work. I wanna have fun. Instead of leasing here, I'm collecting preference points and saving to take a really cool out of state hunt every year till I die. At least one hunting and one fishing. The cost of a lease each year can send me out to hunt Iowa, Kansas. Illinois, or Pheasant hunt Nebraska, South Dakota...Make some memories!

Lot I intentionally smoke my clothes for cover scent.

Alaska is on my list once the kids are grown...God willing.

Excellent post....

My sentiments EXACTLY!! I'll never PAY to hunt a damned WT deer or turkey in Indiana! I'd rather spend the $$ on going to Wyoming, on public ground, and climb a mountain every day, just to have a chance to shoot a basket rack six point!!! Just not worth the head ache leasing a piece of ground thats hours away, not knowing whats going on when I'm not there, what the neighbors are doing, trespassing, stealing, ect…….

Everybody has their own preference and methods..doesn't make anybody right or wrong and I agree with a lot that's been said. I must be doing my out state hunting wrong though cause every time I do it..it is a **** sight more expensive and harder work than any lease I've ever had and I've done quite a bit of both.

IF I ever have to pay to hunt I will quit. For me the most enjoyable part of hunting is trying to outsmart my quarry. I've hunted and still do hunt public ground and there is a lot of game on it. Game is not hard to find if you do some homework.

Biggest advantage is to find the times when other hunters are not there and adjust your hunting time accordingly. FYI....the Beck buck came off of public ground and onto private where Mr. Beck shot him. h.h.

Good advice. I have killed several deer Tuesday through Thursday on Public land. If given the choice, I would rather work the weekends and be off to hunt through the week. Many days have had 6,000+ acres to myself during bow season....

We kill 7 days a week on public Chevy! But, given the choices I wholeheartedly agree. Turkey season can get dangerous on weekends especially. I called in a dude from Indy right down below me on a dry branch rock bar opening weekend on Sunday morning last year........should have been in church but luckily no issues besides a skeered off gobbler and more hunting for me. If you can, enjoy OUR lands, especially if you are a taxpayer like me......it's ours to enjoy.

Last 2 bucks also straight outta Hoosier, were Saturday morning kills and last two yrs gobblers for me personally, was Fri and Sat respectively. What's the best day to hunt? When you can! Now I did see a bunch more traffic on the weekends this past year including license plates from MI,MN,TN and KY in deer season. Probably one of the reasons why leases are going up and getting more popular I'd reckon.