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Neighbors press Jasper County over Burnt Pine Farm shooting operation; owners say they comply with zoning
Summary
Residents and their attorney complained to commissioners that a proposed commercial sporting-clays operation at Burnt Pine Farm creates noise, safety and livestock concerns, while Burnt Pine’s general manager said the business complies with planning and zoning and will pursue legal remedies for false accusations.
A stream of residents told the Jasper County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 2 they are being harmed by a proposed commercial sporting-clays and hunting operation at Burnt Pine Farm, citing repeated shotgun noise, pellets landing on private property and disturbance to livestock.
Wilson Dubose, speaking on behalf of several nearby homeowners, said the operation has “turned lives upside down,” that shotgun pellets have landed on a neighbor’s roof and near horses, and that the noise is “intolerable” and degrading to quality of life. Dubose asked the county to enforce its zoning and clarify whether the sporting-clays activity is permitted in the agriculturally zoned area; he also said some residents who complained have been sued by Burnt Pine Plantation and referenced the state’s Anti-SLAPP protections for public speech.
Representing Burnt Pine Farm, General Manager Kevin Courchaine told the board the property has been reviewed by attorneys and county Planning and Zoning staff and, in his view, the operation complies with county rules. Courchaine said the business has received letters of support from neighbors and that he and the owner will “seek legal counsel and address those false accusations made to the county in a different forum.” He also said the business has been harmed by negative publicity.
Other nearby residents voiced contrasting views. Emily Pollard, who lives across from the property, said Burnt Pine fits within the county’s rural character and can help preserve open land. Alison Hildebrant and other citizens said they had submitted inquiries about the commercial shooting operation through proper channels and have received little substantive response from county staff, and they asked for more transparency and enforcement.
No formal enforcement action or vote was recorded at the meeting. Commissioners asked clarifying questions during the public-comment exchange; Commissioner Asher Gray challenged some of Dubose’s assertions about county lines and neighboring jurisdictions, and Dubose said that the location and impacts on specific neighbors remained his primary concern.
The dispute involves conflicting claims about whether a sporting-clays operation is permissible under Jasper County’s agricultural zoning table; that question was not resolved at the meeting and would require staff review, formal zoning interpretation or legal action to settle.
