I am with you on the fact that Cabela’s trophy properties should not be blamed for selling land. I also find it amazing that hunters think that they have a RIGHT to hunt land that never belonged to them. I understand that it may have been previously enrolled in a public hunting program, but that is just it… the OWNERS put it in it, and they can take it out. They also can sell it. That is what PRIVATE property is all about.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the concerns of hunters about losing access, and maybe we need to create more public hunting programs. But there are other factors to consider about the land sale than just who is selling it for the OWNERS.
For one, why are they selling it? Maybe they can no longer afford to pay the taxes on it. And seeing how some of the area’s hunters think that they should get to hunt for free, obviously they can’t lease it without people complaining. So they decide to sell it, then the same hunters that did not want to pay to lease/hunt it then complain that the new owners may not enroll it into their free public hunting program.
Sounds like they should have quit spending so much money on brand new 4x4s and paid for a lease, then the owner might have had some money to pay their taxes and held on to their land.
I understand that all land sales/owners are different, but I find this exact thing happens here in the South all of the time… Hunters do not want to pay high lease prices to the farmers (who are just trying to hang on to their ancestor’s land and probably just barely making it anyway) so they end of selling it to survive. Then the hunters complain that some corporation or commercial hunting operation now has it.
I work hard (and don’t waste my money on unnecessary material objects) to make sure I can afford to hunt great private land. I suggest some of those whiners out there do the same.
Or hunt public land. Or hunt whatever land other OWNERS have been kind enough to keep enrolled in the public hunting program. But whatever they do, they need to count their blessings for what land they have to hunt and quit crying. Or move to England (or another Socialist country) where you have to give access to the public if you own over so many acres!

I have found out the hard way about these intrusive situations and now read “all” of the fine print when presented with information about a prospective piece of dirt.

Also when looking at a tract of land for purchase it is best to go to county records and investigate back as far as the records will show (this can be as far back as 200 years in some instances) and see for yourself what contigencies are involved with that particular parcel. And by no means should you rely upon the Realtor/Trust company to divulge all of this information which quite frankly, they themselves might be ignorant about relating to any of the legal stipulations which come along with the purchase!

There is also the “Williamson Act” to consider as well, This seemingly “good for the ol’ family farm” lower my taxes if I sign up situation, only works if all of your neighbors can be convinced to sign up and do the same.
I have seen this seemingly innocuous little law cause a lot of hard feelings amongst what used to be close friends and relatives.

But back to my information, An agreement made concerning a piece of land can be upheld in a court of law through many generations of land owners. Even if 150 years after that agreement was made it has been proven “not” to be applicable to a modern day situation. And it very nearly takes an act of god (providing he/she has a lot of money) to change that agreement/stipulation located in the Title/Deed.

Bryan, the thing is, it’s not the realtors who are selling the land… it’s the previous owners. The problem is not the realtors and brokerages… the problem is knowing why all this land is being sold off.

Nobody wants to see the land sold off and developed, or locked up in high-dollar retreats. The old-timers don’t want to see the family farm dozed under to become part of another factory farm or subdivision. The economy and changing social structures in the rural U.S. are driving the survivors off the land.

Eric Hundin