Beware of Thundercloud Marketing leasing agency

Everyone needs to stay away from Thundercloud Marketing. It's a hunting outfitter/leasing agent and the guy's real name is John Steven Thornell, aka John Steven, aka Steve Thornell, aka John Thornell. He just scammed myself and another hunter, and found out that he scammed another group out of the Ft. Worth area. He lives(I think) in Austin, at least that's where his business is addressed. He operates alot in Young & Archer County. I was told that the authorities in Archer County are after him. STAY AWAY! If anyone has any info of his whereabouts please let me know so that I can give it to the proper authorities.

A few years back I met him in Archer County to look at a lease. The place looked like sorry deer hunting and my gut told me "something ain't right with this dude". So, no money was exchanged. I have learned to listen to my gut, the hard way. Hope you get your problem resolved and the authorities catch up to him.

This happened to me 2 years ago on a place I leased from this clown in Concho county. He still owes the land owner money for the lease.

He emailed me a bunch of times offering to sell my hunts for me and guaraneed he would sell them. Just wanted to know how much and the location. That was it! I found that quite fishy and didnt go through with it.

Google the company and you will see some bad stuff. Wonder why this guy isn't in the pen yet.

I had a lease with Thundercloud last year and it mostly went well until Steve told me not to go back out after April Turkey because he had fight with land owner. My lease was supposed to run until end of August. All explained here.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2247880/Re_owner_v_lease_manager_v_me

Steve offered me another place by Olney that was his lease for day hunters, but he offered to share it for the year. He just let me know Saturday that fell through too.

1) Although infrequent when Steve gets in touch with me, I have still been in contact by email and phone (his phone number changed last month).

2) I haven't paid any money for the coming year, I had sent him two checks, but he never cashed them at least. My main concern is getting my stuff ($5,000 worth) off the old lease. I met the land owner once as he checked on me, but I don't know his name or number. I have asked Steve for this info, but haven't heard back. Please let me know if anyone knows the land owner SW of Lake Cooper N. of Olney where my stuff is or any authorities I can call to retrieve my stuff.

FYI Steve has never done me wrong except some lack of communication and my lease ending March instead of August this year. I have seen the other reports on the internet, there is a few page thread on this forum somewhere from last year.

3) I need a new lease! I will post a thread in this section now with my requirements. thanks.

I would go git my $5,000 worth of and

Take enough people with you that one trip and your ouuta there.

The land owner hasn't done me wrong and I don't know him, don't know his name or number. I believe I need to at least talk to him before I go on the land.

The Sheriffs dept and or Game warden may know who owns the land, call both and explain what's going on they may be able to help.

If I were in your situation I'd go retrieve my stuff asap.
If the landowner shows up while you're there removing your property introduce yourself and explain the situation have the contract with you in case he wants to take a look.

Lesson #1 never lease any property without meeting the landowner and getting his contact info.

it sounded reasonable because Steve was leasing 5000+ acres with 10 or so different tracts with 2-8 guns each from this land owner. the contract was very clear about not bothering or contacting the land owner. if I was the land owner and contracted to a lease manager I wouldn't want to be contacted all the time by 50 different hunters for every little thing, that's what the manager was getting paid for.

When things go South though it doesn’t seem smart and I’m in this situation now. I don’t think it will be too hard to work with land owner.

I have a buddy who went through some trouble with this clown. I had a conversation with him last year and just could tell from the phone I wanted no part of this jack wagon. He was trying to convince me that things were going a new direction in leasing land and basically wanted me to sign a contract I wasn't going to be comfortable with. I am not surprised by this post.

Chuck, it would be nice if all the land owners were accessible.

I hunted with Steve about 7 years ago on a day hunt for hogs out of Archer City. When i talked with him he was based out of the Abilene area.

Well I can't say that he scammed me now because I got my money back today. But, the huge trouble that he has put me through now and all the hard work for nothing, when he knowingly leased this property to me after the landowner told him that he was not going to use him again. And yes, I located the actual landowner and spoke to him, so these are facts. Now I have to jump off my [censored] and find another lease. It shouldn't be this complicated and stressful to try to enjoy hunting. All I want is a long term deer lease where I can take my wife and teach her and just enjoy hunting. Still, beware of Thundercloud!

YOu don't have to be buddy buddy with the lanf owner, but you should know who he is and have contact info for him. Your on his land, I can think of alot of reasons why it would be wise for you to contact him.

I had a deal with steve for 4 or 5 years,didnt do me wrong at all.I know were he lives and all the places he leases in archer and as for the cops looking for him i doubt it becouse one of the landowners he leases from is a cop in holiday.Yes it just takes him forever to do stuff but he does take care of things sooner or later.

I don't think Steve has taken any of our money or would do that, he just worked with several of us for the coming year and then he had break-ups with the land owners.

Rob
I may have a nice lease for you just depending on what location you are looking at.
PM me if interested.

I am open to anywhere, distance not a concern depending on what's there. J.J. Kent working a potential Oklahoma lease for me right now.

I used Steve over the years for day leasing quail. Actually had several good hunts. He's always been on the up and up with me.

I understand but typically the lease broker does everything possible to keep you from meeting the landowner. Trying to prevent getting cut out of the middle in the future.

If some of you guys had a good experience with him, good for you. I guess that I was just one of the 7(that I know of) who took it up the tailpipe within the past few months. Now I'm a business owner too, and I can tell you that if I ran my business like this guy does, I'd be bankrupt or in jail within 60 days. And for the record, there is absolutely nothing in my blogs that aren't the absolute truth.

I agree with the headache, because I have been going through that. I still don't have my stuff off the lease! At least you didn't lose money though.

If I EVER had to deal with a lease broker/agent I would quit hunting...period. Package hunt or whatever but NEVER deal with those dudes.....jmo

I thought Steve was out of Abilene?

Austin the last year or so.

Well actually I did lose money. The three different trips to the lease, and one taking and leaving my motorhome there. Now that's alot of gas @ $3.50 a gallon. Plus most of the fencing material can't be reused. And I still have to go there and move my motorhome, more gas. I found out alot more today. He had been caught day leasing some hunter's annual lease during the work week. These hunter's went to their annual lease during a weekday to hunt, and there were people in THEIR stands who paid John/Steve to day hunt there. There was basically an armed standoff until the game warden showed up. Basically double and triple leasing properties without telling anyone.

Rob - get in touch with the county tax appraisal office, they can let you know who owns the property, then look them up in the phone book or internet.

Sure hope you get your equipment off, no reason why the landowner wouldn't allow you to do this, he had a problem with the manager/agent, not you.

Good Luck!

To find the landowner, just go online to the Young County Appraisal District's website. Type in the property address, or at least the name of the road. Then it should give you the name of the real owner of the property. After that, look up that person's name on the Yellow pages website. Their phone number's out there are usually listed. If you can't find the owner that way, look up all the landowner's in that area and call them one at a time. Someone will know the name & number of your landowner. That's how I found the owner of the property that I was on.

OK, Steve replied back with landowners name and number. I called him up and he's nice, just said things didn't work out with Steve. I have some time to get my stuff. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help.

Fantastic!

A/C man, I was nearly scammed by Steve Thornell aka John Steven 2 days ago while searchimg the internet for deer hunt for my husband. We talked, texted and emailed back and forth all day. Some things were not adding up so I decided to do some research on him. Thanks to your post on here, along with some other information I gathered, I was not another one of his victims. He is currently operating under the business nameTexas Hunting Network. Still goes by John Steven, and is in the Austin, Tx area. He just resently got a new phone number 512-517-4373.

I went years ago to look at a place south of Clarendon that Steve had listed. The story and details I got from him when I got there wasn't the same as what we had discussed on the phone. My sensor went off quickly so I passed. I later heard that the landowner had booted him after the one season. Didn't surprise me at all.