Proposed Hunting Club Operator Promises Safe Operation Ahead Of BZA Hearing

Brian Lane, a career hunting club operator, is leasing a Dearborn County property which had been eyed for development.

(Guilford, Ind.) – A career hunting guide has already shared his plans with neighbors in Guilford.

Now, Brian Lane has to convince county officials to allow him to open a private hunting club.

Lane is leasing 411-acres along York Ridge Road, much of it previously known as the Huddleston property. He and his wife are living there part-time when they are not at their home in Burlington, Kentucky.

Lane is requesting the Dearborn County Board of Zoning Appeals approve a conditional use permit allowing him to operate a private hunting club there. The proposal will not require a change in the land’s zoning from its current agricultural designation.

The BZA will take up the conditional use permit request at its public meeting on Tuesday, April 9. Lane had planned to present his request last month, but instead tabled it upon learning the BZA would not have all its members present at the meeting.

The property in question is owned by Utah-based Blind Hunt Club LLC, which previously proposed a 100-home housing development on 186 acres. The idea was adamantly opposed by local residents who appeared at a county planning commission meeting last year. Since then, the developer has not filed with Dearborn County Planning & Zoning any new documentation indicating progress on the subdivision proposal.

Lane says he has shared his plans for the Guilford hunting club with neighbors.

“We would like to start off by informing everyone that we are not associated with any land development or subdivision projects previously proposed for this land. With that said, we are, however, presenting an alternate use for the property,” Lane stated in a letter he sent to nearby property owners. View the full letter below.

He says he has secured the first right of refusal to purchase the Blind Hunt Club property. If an offer is ever made on the property, Lane would have the opportunity to match it.

Lane previously managed the Quail Ridge Hunting Club in Manchester from 1990 until 1996. He then went on to manage the Turkey Ridge Hunting Club in Burlington up until the spring of 2018, when the property owner instead began using it as a family retreat.

The private hunt club in Guilford would be mainly for upland bird hunting during daytime hours September through March. Some clay target shooting could also take place during youth events and safety training. It's membership would be capped at about 50 members, according to the conditional use permit application.

Lane claims he and his staff would operate the hunting club in a safe, ethical manner.

“We have seven guides with a minimum experience of 18 years and a total of 160-plus years. No infraction and no hunting accidents,” he says.

Setbacks for any hunting activity would be 200 yards from any occupied dwelling or road, Lane says.

Lane has a number of letters of support from organizations and individuals, including Northern Kentucky Quail Forever, Purple Hearts and Heroes Foundation, and a commissioner with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Several neighbors of the Turkey Ridge Hunt Club in Boone County signed a letter attesting the club operated with a high level of safety and professional conduct.

The York Ridge hunting club is already planning to partner with MA Outdoors for a youth turkey hunt this spring. Lane indicates plans to work with other national and local organizations to promote bird hunting and other outdoor pursuits.

Lane has volunteered to share his personal phone number, (859) 743-4504, so that any citizens with questions or concerns can speak directly with him. He says he would also like to hear other thoughts on how the hunting club could benefit the community.

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