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AEP Selling More Public Lands

8K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  LouisvilleDeerHunter 
#1 ·
Has anyone else heard about the Gavin Public Wildlife Area getting ready to go up for sale? This is 6000 acres in Meigs and Gallia counties in Southeastern Ohio. I have heard from multiple sources that they are preparing the land for sale, and all the evidence is there as they are timbering and surveying the land. I have heard this from both the game warden and property owners adjacent to the public land that they are selling. I am beginning to wonder where my license fees are going, and as many others have stated, I am all for raising the fees on both in-state and out-of-state hunters. As a 21 year old college student, it is difficult to lease and buy property, and selling public lands is the last thing we need as hunters. Hunting off Public land is usually my only choice, and the same goes for many youth. Young hunters are being choked out by leasers and the DOW seems to be doing nothing to help.
 
#6 · (Edited)
The blame for the loss of public-access acreage routinely falls on the state's shoulders...fair?
Some, a bit, naw, at times...that blame is an easy road, tho.
The blame clearly lies first with the demand....as it did when loss began in little bites and nibbles long ago.
Demand follows marketing and precedes sale....with the demand-ers and their enablers still driving the access bus.

It is just that now the personal decisions, cycles and karma have hit home for many who considered demand as carrying no negatives of importance or it was simply, not of their concern.....as things are going good....for them.
How could it not always be so?
Silence.....because no one cared and one must always support our fellows and their demands.
Now....a few care and a few complain.
Now....a few oddly complain about the bed they helped make....with those few often hoping that the Why is forgotton in favor of their Now.
Hard to learn from mistakes when that comfortable approach is taken.
Harder still to work up sympathy for the issue.
 
#7 ·
I can say this much. If the state used the money to buy 6,000 acres in western Ohio... I can see good sense in the sale. Most of Eastern Ohio has enough public land to spare, and us westerners are shoved into a few overcrowded parks and tiny WMAs. I believe the northwest corner has it even worse.

Unfortunately, we all know this isn't the case. We need advocacy for retaining, maintaining, and adding to our public land system. There is plenty of justification for this. The leading reason people don't use it is that they are worried about the crowd. If we could spread that crowd, we could improve the experience and maybe increase the number of hunters. The quality of the property is just as important, and I cannot tell you how many acres of land are nearly worthless as anything but deer thickets. I personally favor management practices that include controlled burns and even limited cattle grazing, but seldom see them implemented aside from the occasional field here and there.

I have introduced several people the basics of hunting, all of them on pubic land. Without this resource, that wouldn't be possible. Without this resource, I likely couldn't turkey hunt in this part of the state. We pay taxes and fees and join various clubs and federations for a reason.

The question I have for you, ladies and gentlemen, is what groups are most effective at advocating to the state for this?
 
#8 ·
This land is not public. It is owned by AEP.

"This property is part of the American Electric Power (AEP) Gavin Plant ownership, as well as a portion of the formerAEP Southern Ohio Coal Company Meigs Mine ownership. AEP operated the Southern Ohio Coal Company mines from 1972 until 2001. AEP continues to be one of the major owners of land and mineral properties in southeastern Ohio."
 
#10 ·
That would be a good thing but I'd bet that the asking price is more than what the state is willing to pay. It wouldn't surprise me if it was $3k per acre at a minimum. . The thing people need to keep in mind is that AEP didn't need to keep the land open to the public. They could have posted it & kept the public off their land.
 
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#11 ·
Yes, my family and I are very thankful for the years that AEP has let us hunt their property. My father and grandfather have hunted the land since 1973, and it really drives home the point that you don't know what you have till it's gone. Gavin actually recently sold the company Blackstone, which is essentially slashing and burning to make every last buck they can before they shut the coal fired plant down. The asking price for the property would be much less than 3000, as similar area properties typically go for 1500 to 2000 per acre. I just wish something could be done to get this property under DOW control. Not sure where the money on licenses, donation, ect is going. As these "smaller" properties go away, pressure on the larger tracts will increase dramatically.
 
#12 ·
"you don't know what you have till it's gone."

You are 100% correct. I'm surprised the PPA is that low. I wonder if the state is looking into buying it.
 
#13 ·
Yes, Mossy Oak properties has been coming in and out bidding locals for a lot of land, as well as hunters from the northeast. In areas where they sell a lot of property in bulk, it has lately been mossy oak buying it all, then selling it to out of staters or even people from northern/western ohio for 3000-3500
 
#18 ·
Buckster I wish I could be more like you. Unfortunately, I am not willing to spend the 20000 over busted my a** to save for a house payment after graduation on 15 acres of hunting land. And unfortunately I can't buy that property, and neither can the vast majority of middle class hunters. You want hunting to be an upper middle class, rich mans game, go right ahead. Buy all the property you can. But there are many hunters and fishers, especially the young and old, who rely on their public lands. I pay license/tag fees for a reason, and donate what I can to the DOW. I understand they are under distress, but just increase the license fees! If we don't start paying more, we are going to start seeing more of our public lands go to h*** and there will be less hunters. Hunting is going to continue to die as public lands dry up.
 
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