Longtime property owners at the Oak Hill Hunting Camp in Volusia County said they feel violated because someone is leasing out their private, family-owned hunting land on Craigslist without their permission.
“Of course I do, bringing all these people in here," said camp property owner Bruce Best. "I feel sorry for them but he’s charging them $500 to $1,000, inviting 4 wheel drive clubs up in here, they’ve already torn the road to heck and everything.”
The camp is located on Maytown Road just west of I-95.
According to a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office report, the Craigslist ad promised a contract to lease 10,000 acres of hunting land for $1,500 a year.
The report goes on to say that the victim was told they would have access to all the property within the area that is not posted "private property" or "no trespassing," as the area is part of a larger hunting club.
However, property owners said that’s impossible because the land is divided up into 75 hunting camps, all individually and privately owned.
“For $1,500, to be able to access that much land for a full year, unbelievable,” said Cody Raulerson, whose father owns a hunting camp in Oak Hill.
Neighbors said they know who’s behind the land lease scam and they’re hoping the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is able to resolve the case quickly.
“It strongly irritates me to the point where I hope whoever did this... because in my mind, that’s theft, that’s huge theft,” Raulerson said.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident as possible fraud case.