Tennesseans speak up

[Crow_Hunter]

That is a brilliant idea.

I wonder if someone could convince Westvaco to open up some of their land that way instead of just leasing it out to hunters. Most of them already have lots of roads/trails in them. Several timber companies own a bunch of land between the TN river and Nashville as well as between Nashville and Knoxville.

 

[elkaholic]

Westvaco (now WestRock) essentially owns no more timberland. Having worked in the forest products industry for 20 years and trying to work from inside to gain access to land for riding, I can tell you it will be an uphill battle.

I was involved with the purchase of significant acreage between Winchester and Scottsboro, AL by Mead and I did my best to gain motorized access to no avail.


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[Crow_Hunter]

Westvaco (now WestRock) essentially owns no more timberland. Having worked in the forest products industry for 20 years and trying to work from inside to gain access to land for riding, I can tell you it will be an uphill battle.

I was involved with the purchase of significant acreage between Winchester and Scottsboro, AL by Mead and I did my best to gain motorized access to no avail.


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I didn't realize that. Of course around here they probably just call it Westvaco even though someone else owns it all now out of habit.

Thanks for trying though.

It is probably a liability thing I bet. Some moron will have a "hold my beer" moment and then expect a payout when he hurts himself or a someone else and ruin it for everyone else.

 

[elkaholic]

I am thinking you are near the Wickliffe mill. If that is the case, we sold the majority of that land in 2005/06 when that mill was sold to Cerberus Partners / New Page. I was a finance guy in the MeadWestvaco Forestry Division at that time ....

The issue is liability - on a lot of fronts - injury, environmental concerns (clean water act primarily) and others. In the 90s most big landowners shifted from cables to gates after a few cases of severe injuries to trespassers on ATVs ... use your imagination ..... along with very large out of court settlements made by corporate counsels without big cohones

In the late 90s, I gained a bit of traction with the concept of recreational leases other than hunting (focused on OHV rec as I was - a member of Middle Tennessee Trailrunners and an officer of Southern Four Wheel Drive Assn at the time), but that got destroyed by one unscrupulous event promoter who ran a paid event on my company's land w/o asking for permission ... and some of his participants threatened two of our foresters. (If there are any members that know the history of the great place we call Windrock - this is the same promoter that almost got that place shut down before it even started).

At any rate, it only takes a few "bad apples" to ruin things .... or well, intentioned folks who dont get all the Is dotted and Ts crossed.

<soap box mode off>

 

[BeerMonkey]

yep are pretty use to a two hour drive to go anywhere. kinda sucks i have friends that live by Iron gap and a buddy that lives 5 min from brimstone. I dont think they know how lucky they got it.

 

[SundayRdr]

yep are pretty use to a two hour drive to go anywhere. kinda sucks i have friends that live by Iron gap and a buddy that lives 5 min from brimstone. I dont think they know how lucky they got it.

Yea hopefully we will be able to make fund raiser coalmont ride August. It's only an hour to hour an halfish from us. I'd like to ride iron gap/bullrun with someone that knows the place. We rode for a couple hours there one saturday. I've never been to savage gulf either.

 

[Delton]

Yea hopefully we will be able to make fund raiser coalmont ride August. It's only an hour to hour an halfish from us. I'd like to ride iron gap/bullrun with someone that knows the place. We rode for a couple hours there one saturday. I've never been to savage gulf either.

Just give me a little heads up and I'll hook you up with Iron Gap. It's an awesome place to ride. Mud there is way worse than the Gulf. It's smaller but has some challenging trails.

 

[Delton]

Westvaco (now WestRock) essentially owns no more timberland. Having worked in the forest products industry for 20 years and trying to work from inside to gain access to land for riding, I can tell you it will be an uphill battle.

I was involved with the purchase of significant acreage between Winchester and Scottsboro, AL by Mead and I did my best to gain motorized access to no avail.


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I worked for RockTenn for 28 years. When it became WestRock we all figured they'd close our plant.

 

[elkaholic]

I worked for RockTenn for 28 years. When it became WestRock we all figured they'd close our plant.

I found it interesting that when Westvaco and Mead merged (Westvaco really bought Mead) they could not wait to get out of the box business (Stevenson mill and 8 plants) and right at 15 years later, they are right back in that business with the same assets ....


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[Delton]

I found it interesting that when Westvaco and Mead merged (Westvaco really bought Mead) they could not wait to get out of the box business (Stevenson mill and 8 plants) and right at 15 years later, they are right back in that business with the same assets ....


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They called ours a merge but they had 51%. That's a buyout not merge lol

 

[Delton]

I was offered a position at Stevenson mill but I wanted my severance pay. All of it left bad taste in my mouth anyways.

 

[Windrock1000]

Catoosa? Where do you off road there? I've been there on draw hunts before. Do you ride the gravel roads?

Hatfield Mountain, Friday Fields, Oakdale, White Oak, Lone Mountain.

 

[Stans1005le]

1st time post proud new owner of 2017 1000-3 LE live on Pickwick Lake anyone know some good areas to ride in SW tenn?

 

[Delton]

1st time post proud new owner of 2017 1000-3 LE live on Pickwick Lake anyone know some good areas to ride in SW tenn?

Never rode in that part of the state. How far are you from Nashville? We have several members from this area. Hopefully you can get with us and sling some mud soon.

 

[Crow_Hunter]

1st time post proud new owner of 2017 1000-3 LE live on Pickwick Lake anyone know some good areas to ride in SW tenn?

While I haven't been, I have heard from someone that there are some trails at Chickasaw. He is here on this board.

It will be a little more of a drive for you but Sugarcreek is in Drummonds and there are some nice trails in Natchez Trace on the Carroll county side (rode there once on my Rincon, I can't remember where we parked).

I am surprised there isn't anything around Pickwick.

Video of Sugar Creek. Not me but you can see the type of terrain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRJIGPvDe24

 

[Crow_Hunter]

Another video:

 

[Stans1005le]

Delton I,m about 2 hrs from Nashville about the same distance to Memphis, what's your trails like in Nashville area? Thx for input crow_hunter kinda looking for someone in this area to ride just because no trailer yet thx again

 

[BeerMonkey]

Delton I,m about 2 hrs from Nashville about the same distance to Memphis, what's your trails like in Nashville area? Thx for input crow_hunter kinda looking for someone in this area to ride just because no trailer yet thx again

Nashville trails look about like this. you have to drive at least an hour to get to any kind of OHV park. And the close ones you can hit every trail in about 2 hours. if you want to go some place worth the drive you have to go to the gap, savage gulf or LBL

 

[sharp]

Nashville trails look about like this. you have to drive at least an hour to get to any kind of OHV park. And the close ones you can hit every trail in about 2 hours. if you want to go some place worth the drive you have to go to the gap, savage gulf or LBL
View attachment 47742

Haha! That's true.

 

[Huntnbuddy2]

If you want to just get out in the woods and ride around Prentiss Cooper is free and had some decent trails. Not A adventure seekers paradise like a lot of places listed but it beats keeping it in the garage.