A popular Northwest Georgia wildlife management area that has been closed to the public for more than three years is set to return to public ownership and eventually reopen for hunting and other outdoor recreation.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached to acquire 14,640 acres in Bartow and Cherokee counties and re-establish the former Pine Log Wildlife Management Area.

The property will be known as The Neel Family – Pine Log Wildlife Management Area and is expected to reopen to the public in time for turkey season in the spring of 2027.

Pine Log was operated by Georgia DNR as a wildlife management area under a lease agreement from 1977 until 2023. Public access ended after the lease expired, creating uncertainty about the future of the sprawling property as development plans were considered for portions of the land.

DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon said acquiring Pine Log had remained one of the department’s top conservation priorities. The property represents the largest contiguous tract of privately owned forestland in North Georgia.

The agreement involves the state, the Neel family’s Aubrey Corporation, and governments in Bartow and Cherokee counties.

Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly appropriated $15 million toward the purchase, while Bartow and Cherokee counties are providing matching funds. DNR has not announced the total purchase price. Approximately 12,000 acres of the property are in Bartow County.

For hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts across Northwest Georgia, the agreement means the return of access to an area traditionally used for deer, turkey, small-game and dove hunting, along with fishing, hiking, birding and wildlife viewing. DNR also previously stocked trout in Stamp Creek when Pine Log was operated as a WMA.

The property also has significant environmental importance.

DNR says Pine Log supports four federally listed species, including the Cherokee darter, Etowah darter, white fringeless orchid and Tennessee yellow-eyed grass. The property contains more than 30 species and habitats considered conservation priorities under Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan.

The acquisition will also protect approximately 31 miles of headwater streams across four priority watersheds. Those watersheds ultimately contribute to drinking-water supplies serving Bartow County and metro Atlanta.

Pine Log also contains historical resources, including a Native American rock wall dating to the Woodland period and remnants of iron and manganese mining operations from the 1800s. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed Pine Log Mountain on its list of Places in Peril in 2024.

The future of the property had generated considerable public interest after the WMA closed in 2023. Development proposals had been considered for portions of the larger Neel family holdings, while conservation advocates pushed for the former WMA acreage to be preserved. A petition calling for preservation of the property collected more than 14,000 signatures.

DNR says it will now develop a long-term management plan for the property aimed at protecting wildlife habitat and water quality while providing compatible public recreation.

If the acquisition proceeds as planned, The Neel Family – Pine Log Wildlife Management Area will welcome hunters and other visitors back in spring 2027, restoring public access to more than 14,000 acres of North Georgia forestland.