Ames Plantation Hunting Club Shrinking

[fairchaser]

We received notice that roughly half of the hunting club will be sold and we will lose access to the land for deer hunting this season. Sale of the land has been ongoing for a few years but appears to be finally happening. Ames is divided into 5 large units. Units 1 and 2 and a portion of unit 3 will be gone. These units were a combination of various deciduous forested and pine plantations, clear cuts and some open areas. It's unknown to us who or what plans the new owners have for the property.

After several years of CWD and now shrinking land access it's sad to see what's happening to this club. I'm still hoping to finish out my deer hunting career here. But, the best days seem to be in the rear view mirror.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Hm…hate to hear it. I drive past there going to the farm…not looking forward to what it might look like as the years go by.

 

[MickThompson]

Hopefully someone with the means to keep the tracts more or less intact buys it and it doesn't get developed. Lots of history down there.

 

[tellico4x4]

Sad to hear

 

[thirdwilliam]

Sad to hear this. I pass this going to my son in laws place

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Just not going to be any large tracts left.

 

[backyardtndeer]

That's a shame.

 

[Lost Lake]

Sorry to hear that. I've really enjoyed the stories and pictures from Ames over the years. Even though I've never stepped foot on it or seen it, I pray the tract stays intact and isn't divided up like everything in middle Tennessee.

 

[Gravey]

That sucks! Are they shrinking the membership #'s?

 

[Andy S.]

As much as I hate to hear it, we all knew this was a likely outcome. For the members who love hunting hardwoods, losing units 1 and 2 will be a tough pill to swallow.

 

[Snake]

That sucks! Are they shrinking the membership #'s?

If not they ought to shrink the membership dues because of less acreage avaliable to hunt .

 

[TNRifleman]

I want to say I heard somewhere that the state of TN is buying some/all and will open some/all of it up to public hunting. That could be pure conjecture but I heard that somewhere.

 

[Andy S.]

Just not going to be any large tracts left.

..............and the few large private tracts that are left do not allow any access, for the most part, outside of a select few. Ames was a very unique offering and experience. Many current and past members have had the pleasure of enjoying it for 10-20 years, some members even longer.

 

[@fulldraw]

If what I heard comes true it'll be open public land.

 

[Andy S.]

I want to say I heard somewhere that the state of TN is buying some/all and will open some/all of it up to public hunting. That could be pure conjecture but I heard that somewhere.

Back in January when I inquired about Agricenter International, UT Extension and TWF's $15.9M grant, I heard similar rumblings. Time will tell. On a different note, there is at least one private landowner in the nearby area that could write a check for it and increase his acreage even more.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

If what I heard comes true it'll be open public land.

While I hope that you are correct because we always need more public land, I can't imagine how crowded it will stay if that is the case. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

 

[Novocaine]

State of Mississippi bought our timber lease and several others a few years ago that my family had been leasing since the 1930's. It's now part of a state WMA. Lots of good memories growing up at deer camp I have that my sons will miss out on.

 

[Andy S.]

While I hope that you are correct because we always need more public land, I can't imagine how crowded it will stay if that is the case. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

Had the same thoughts, but that can be throttled/managed to some extent with well thought out rules and regulations.

 

[moondawg]

I remember going to one of the Field Days there 15-20 yrs ago. One of my inlaws relatives owned land across the road from Ames. I hate that it's dwindling, but it's just like everything else: things are getting phased out. I remember back the membership was so mething like $1200. No telling what it is now.

 

[Andy S.]

I remember back the membership was so mething like $1200. No telling what it is now.

For squirrel and deer hunting access, I paid $1200 annually for several years, then it went to $1620 annually. This was 2004-2018 timeframe.

 

[BSK]

For squirrel and deer hunting access, I paid $1200 annually for several years, then it went to $1620 annually. This was 2004-2018 timeframe.

Considering what I spend in food plots, habitat management, and stand upkeep/upgrades and land taxes every year, that's a pretty good price!

 

[Andy S.]

^^^ I agree!

 

[Boll Weevil]

While I hope that you are correct because we always need more public land, I can't imagine how crowded it will stay if that is the case. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

Until there's no critters left…yes. Which won't take long at all.

 

[7mm08]

Tradition and history thrown out by dollars

 

[fairchaser]

That sucks! Are they shrinking the membership #'s?

I really don't know but their history suggests they will allow natural attrition to shrink the membership. It could feel crowded for a few years until it settles out.

 

[fairchaser]

If not they ought to shrink the membership dues because of less acreage avaliable to hunt .

Agree but that's not their style. They will just allow the membership to decide the numbers that feel comfortable. Since they haven't raised dues in forever, they figure it's cheap with inflation.,

 

[fairchaser]

For squirrel and deer hunting access, I paid $1200 annually for several years, then it went to $1620 annually. This was 2004-2018 timeframe.

It's still the same price today at $1630 for deer and squirrels only. One could argue with inflation it's gotten cheaper over the years.

 

[backyardtndeer]

It's still the same price today at $1630 for deer and squirrels only. One could argue with inflation it's gotten cheaper over the years.

Considering what I pay for property taxes every year, that sounds very fair.

 

[beefydeer]

Units 1 and 2 and a portion of unit 3 will be gone.

How many acres is this?

 

[Andy S.]

How many acres is this?

Unit 1 = 2,558 acres

Unit 2 = 2,650 acres

I'm not sure of the Unit 3 acreage that is part of the deal.

ROM estimate here, but it looks to be 5,500 - 6,000 acres total in the deal.