Sad and Somber Day

[SoILslocker]

Sucks to hear this, maybe there's a chance the new owners will give you permission again if they aren't hunters & you explain the situation to them. If not, good luck finding new spots to make family memories!

 

[fbwguy]

Sucks to hear this, maybe there's a chance the new owners will give you permission again if they aren't hunters & you explain the situation to them. If not, good luck finding new spots to make family memories!

Unfortunately the people buying it are very wealthy and only buying it to hunt

 

[Navigator]

Not sure you answered my question. Who got the land in Bill's original will? Was it Bill's intention to give you the property via the step daughter or to just maintain the arrangement you had for hunting rights in exchange for maintaining the property?

Maybe it's just me, but I would not expect to be given the land given that your arrangement was hunting rights for maintaining the property.

Perhaps you can offer your services to the new owners in exchange for hunting rights, especially if they are absentee landowners/non-resident owners. You might not be able to have the whole season, but based on your 22 years, I bet you could narrow it down to a few weeks instead.

 

[SoILslocker]

Unfortunately the people buying it are very wealthy and only buying it to hunt

Bummer. Same type of thing is happening more and more every year in my area. Good places to hunt where average guys have permission are being bought up or leased by wealthier people or out of staters. Running all of the average joes out of these spots. I know that's the game you play when hunting on permission but it still sucks to lose a good piece of ground that you have a lot of history on for these kind of reasons.

 

[fbwguy]

Not sure you answered my question. Who got the land in Bill's original will? Was it Bill's intention to give you the property via the step daughter or to just maintain the arrangement you had for hunting rights in exchange for maintaining the property?

Maybe it's just me, but I would not expect to be given the land given that your arrangement was hunting rights for maintaining the property.

Perhaps you can offer your services to the new owners in exchange for hunting rights, especially if they are absentee landowners/non-resident owners. You might not be able to have the whole season, but based on your 22 years, I bet you could narrow it down to a few weeks instead.

Why do I feel that my thoughts, intentions, expectations, and motives are being questioned here? Maybe I’m reading into your comments too much, but I don’t like the direction it’s headed

 

[rambotogo]

Yesterday was the last day of rifle season in my zone here in Arkansas. But it was the last day of hunting my family’s private lot of 95 acres. 22 years ago when we bought our land we became friends with an older couple next door. They became like grandparents to my kids. They asked if we would take care of their 95 acres, keeping it bush hogged and clear of poachers. In return we had full hunting rights. My children learned to hunt here and they harvested their first whitetails. My wife became a hunter on this property. A lot of great memories have been created here. 3 years ago Jeanne died and Bill had become ill also. He died this last February and unfortunately the way he had his will written it was thrown out by Probate Court. The land was given to his biological son who lives in Thailand, who immediately put it up for sale. I could not afford 285k just to hunt so I just knew our days were numbered. That day is now here. The closing on the land is Dec 15th.
Last night as I climbed down from the stand where my children learned to hunt it hit me hard. I stood on the spot where my son killed his first deer, and cried. I’m not an emotional guy, but this is a hard change of life. I will miss this land and just hope the new owners appreciate and respect the long history of hunting this property



Been there done that ,twice ! If you are hunting a piece of land that you do not own, it is just a matter of time before you will lose it . The main reason I hunt public lands . Chin up and good luck

 

[Navigator]

I was inquiring as to Bill's intentions, not yours, as you mentioned them regarding Bill's oldest son. You mentioned that the son didn't know what Bill's intentions were or could care less what Bill wanted, so I asked, as what Bill wanted would have been in the original will. I think the son is being put in a bad light given the predicament he was placed in. It seems the son is getting the blame for the loss of the property or hunting rights, whereas from what has been presented, it was the judge who made the decision according to Arkansas law. It doesn't matter, based apparently on Arkansas law, if the son didn't have a relationship with his father for 20 years (which I would think would have been presented to the Judge). He was named the executor, and as a fiduciary he has the responsibility and obligation to maximize the value of the estate in a timely manner.

I also gave you my expectations, which are entirely consistent with what rambotogo stated above.

We feel for the loss of your hunting rights because it could happen to any of us that don't own property. You should feel blessed that you had 22 years hunting a good property. But even John Eberhart makes it work by knocking on doors for permission, hunting public lands, and hunting out of state. He doesn't own any land (other than his residence). His son Chris also wrote a book called "Whitetail Access" which is a good read.

 

[rutjr]

Sorry to hear this but maybe just talking with the new owner and telling them the history you had with the previous owner will help you and maybe you will find new friends with them. You seem like that type of person that is easy to like.