The state has reacquired this North Georgia WMA

Fall 2026

Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has announced the resurrection of the former Pine Log Wildlife Management Area in Bartow and Cherokee counties. The DNR previously managed the land from 1977 until 2023, when the lease with Aubrey Corporation was ended.

Pine Log Mountain towers over the WMA property.

From a personal standpoint the news is outstanding. My first ventures to the old WMA were for dove shoots on the fields it provided and trout fishing on Stamps Creek that flows through the property. During those trips, I became aware that the tract also had a huntable population of cottontail rabbits. That was a resource my hunting buddies and I took advantage of for several years. In fact, the fringes of some of the open fields in the northern portion had enough cottontails that you could walk them up even without dogs. Still, the best hunts were always behind a beagle or two.

Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly worked out a plan to appropriate $15 million for the purchase of the property, with the two involved counties providing matching funds. The Neel Family that owns Aubry Corporation, worked with the DNR and its partners to make the deal happen.

“It has been a joy and honor for our family, over four generations, to manage and build out the footprint of what is now the Pine Log WMA,” Aubrey Corporation President Lee Neel explained. “This is a truly special and unique place – not only because of the ecology, remoteness and extraordinary size within a rapidly changing development corridor, but also because of its geography, geology and rich history.”

Due to the Neel Family involvement with the tract and their cooperation in making the state purchase possible, the new name for the preserve is the Neel Family – Pine Log Wildlife Management Area. The last half of the name is taken from Pine Log Mountain that rises to an elevation of 2,338 feet on the tract.

In all, sportsmen will again have access to 14,640 acres of land. It was the largest contiguous, privately-owned tract of forested land in North Georgia. The DNR plans to have the property ready for public use by the opening of the 2027 turkey season.

After a four-year rest from hunting pressure, the rabbit population should be ready and waiting for us again!