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Historical society signs $65K contract for hunting
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · June 29, 2011
Cedar County Historical Society recently inked a $65,000, five-year deal to allow hunters onto its 560-acre property to manage wildlife.
Director of Wildlife Management and leased hunting for the Cedar Count Historical Society, Bill Kron of West Branch, facilitated single-year deals for the last four years and helped CCHS reach the new agreement.
The land was bequeathed to CCHS in 1997 and, while neighbors of the Buchanan property allowed hunting on their land, CCHS had not, Kron said. Over time, deer, turkey and other animals that eat crops began to treat CCHS land as a sanctuary, he said, using it as a getaway when hunters appeared in fields and woods.
“They’re very smart,” CCHS recording secretary Sandy Harmel said. “They knew they were on protected property.”
Neighbors complained, though, that CCHS had not allowed hunting on the property, and that the haven’s wild animals were growing more destructive.
CCHS turned to wildlife management groups five years ago and, with Kron’s help, Andy Wulf of Tipton and CCHS signed a one-year, $10,000 contract mostly so CCHS could see how Wulf managed the land. Wulf planted food plots and drew even more deer to the land, making it even more attractive to hunters.
CCHS also kept to one-year contracts to see if other outfitters would offer more competitive prices, but Wulf continued to rise to the top of the list and last year upped his price to $12,000.
The new contract brings in $12,000 for the first year, starting Sept. 1, and increases by $500 a year until it reaches $14,000 in the fifth year. The contract ends April 30, 2016.
CCHS wants to keep the property “primitive and historical,” Kron said, and asks hunters or any visitors to turn in anything found that could be deemed historical or archeological.
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