Well now what....

Since 2006 we have leased 350 acres in northern MN from Potlatch (paper company). It butted up to a couple thousand acres of state land. There were 8 of us in the lease but only 6 of us with our families used it. We had year-round rights to it for camping and hunting. Shot deer, bear, grouse, geese, and ducks over the years. Many many fun nights around the wood stove and campfire. Countless memories made. Well, yesterday we got a "Dear John" letter from Potlatch saying they are no longer leasing the properties. They are going to sell it all. Even though the deer numbers have been way down the past 3-4 years I am still pretty bummed to be losing this and my kids are also. We have until May first to clear everything out. Stands, campers, a platform our wall tent sat on, biffy, game poles, my boat is up by the ponds, etc. it’s gonna be a ton of work as we have about 30 stands total. The worst one is gonna be getting my father-in-laws “oil rig” out of the swamp. It’s a box blind on top of a frame we welded up with well pipe. It’s an honest 30’ tall. But by May 1st there is no way the legs will be thawed out of the swamp to move it. Hopefully, this will lead to something better but for now, it sucks. I need to start looking into a new place to hunt and camp.

03mossy said:

Since 2006 we have leased 350 acres in northern MN from Potlatch (paper company). It butted up to a couple thousand acres of state land. There were 8 of us in the lease but only 6 of us with our families used it. We had year-round rights to it for camping and hunting. Shot deer, bear, grouse, geese, and ducks over the years. Many many fun nights around the wood stove and campfire. Countless memories made. Well, yesterday we got a "Dear John" letter from Potlatch saying they are no longer leasing the properties. They are going to sell it all. Even though the deer numbers have been way down the past 3-4 years I am still pretty bummed to be losing this and my kids are also. We have until May first to clear everything out. Stands, campers, a platform our wall tent sat on, biffy, game poles, my boat is up by the ponds, etc. it’s gonna be a ton of work as we have about 30 stands total. The worst one is gonna be getting my father-in-laws “oil rig” out of the swamp. It’s a box blind on top of a frame we welded up with well pipe. It’s an honest 30’ tall. But by May 1st there is no way the legs will be thawed out of the swamp to move it. Hopefully, this will lead to something better but for now, it sucks. I need to start looking into a new place to hunt and camp.

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That sucks. That's also the problem with leasing. I know a couple guys that lost leases because of the sale of the properties. One gets so used to the privilege its almost like its owned.
I do know a guy that ended up purchasing his lease. It put him in kind of a tough financial position, but then he had a forester come in. The whole property was mostly all mature. A logging company came in and cut it. He made enough from just the cutting to pay for just over half of the property. Always a consideration.....

Sad to have that happen 03mossy. I have a friend that he and one of his brothers have 100 acres they own, and some adjoining land locked property is about to be sold as soon as the gas/oil gets finished on it they are going together to buy it. I have lost 2 good places to hunt in the last 10yrs. Hope you find a honey-hole to enjoy the outdoor way of life.

For years Potlatch had a parcel across the road from our 40 as well as next to it. Guys would lease some of it and get all cozy then Potlatch would drop this same bomb on them, but the asking price was so steep nobody ever opted on it and Potlatch wouldn't sell by acre/parcel....all or nothing. Pretty soon they'd be back to leasing. It stinks that they do this. I'd rather see them come in and cut the trees for paper or lumber and allow re-growth, but maintain the long term leases.

For 20 years i had 110 acres a mile from my house, then the county bought it from my friend and that was that, I felt like i got punched in the gut. I now lease 200 acres but it’s starting to get expensive and we are reaching retirement, so probably 2 more years and I will have to find a free place. i wish you luck in your search, it sucks but it will work out

Similar story. For twenty years, a small band of brothers leased 550 acres from a paper company in the Adirondacks. Ordered 3000 acres of State land.

Built a camp, dock, outhouse, the works. Took some nice deer and an occasional bear. Hunted grouse and snowshoe hares. The lease was 60% low area (mostly wet) and some great timbered ridges. We raised kids there, canoed, fished, had mid-winter camp fires (bonfires) in the middle of the lake.

Paper company decided one day to take back 250 of the acreage; the water access, the hardwood ridges, the best hunting areas. They tore down our camp and replaced it with a half-size shell on another section of the land. Then they sold off another part of the lease. Fortunately, we were able to continue leasing that part from the new owner. Losing that would have meant losing access to the State land.

Never a please or thank you, never a sorry we are doing this, just arrogance and dictatorial pronouncements.

Our camp is aging out now, as the younger folks don't like what is left. This is happening all over the Adirondacks. What the paper companies are not ruining, the State is. They are buying up land (with our tax dollars) and then evicting long-term leases from multi-generation hunting leases.

I despair for our heritage.

ADK Bigfoot