Mason County, MI oil & gas discussion group. Share your experience regarding lease bonus, royalty rates, drilling activity, and oil & gas news.
I have been working to develop our family acreage in Mason County and this year the big boom in North Dakota took the venture capital out of Michigan.
Bret,
I just read an article about a new process to liquify heavy crude that will open up all of the "old" heavy crude fields that used to be considered unusable. If this turns out to be true it will have a large impact on all of the oil industry. Natural gas well excepted. Interesting.
Andy
Andy,
I have done some reading and research and I have reason to believe that that lease you and others signed will be drilled. I am actually working to get in on the play this week. I went through all of Dudely's leases on the Mason County ROD and they have been assigned to a company currently drilling a big well in Oceana County, Hart. When I see a permit filled I will get that info to you so you can identify the well location in relation to your acreage and also if that happens you may receive a " pool agreement" because these are very large (640 acre) drilling units.
Bret,
That is great news! You are really able to get to the important information concerning the oil and gas drilling. Thanks for sharing with me. I hope you are successful in getting in on the play in our location. I will be very interested to know where the new well is going to be drilled!
Andy
Andy,
Your lease from Dudley was assigned to EXOK an exploration company out of Oklahoma and later assigned to EXTEX energy partners out of Houston. They have just drilled a big well near Hart for the A-1 Carbonate under the name of Union Gas Operating Company. The rig is out on the property doing the horizontal leg as recently as last week. The field geologist from Oceana county did not know the results as of yet. If it is successful, it is certain that they will drill the Logan and Mason minerals that they bought leases on. I will be carefully watching the permit applications and will update you as I see anything. Hope you are having a great summer. Brett
Bret,
More great research on your part! Thanks again.
I have not seen the rig that is drilling in Oceana County but there is a rig drilling on old 31 just north of the twin bridges by the lumber yard on the east side of 31on the way into Ludington. I don't know if this is an oil rig or ?? but it is active and right there for all to see.
I hope the Union Gas Operating Company is happy with their Oceana well and that they drill our Logan property. Please continue updating with news as you are able.
Would like to meet you one of these days. I am back in Phoenix now for the Winter.
Andy
Bret,
Have you heard any more news on the results of EXTEX energy's well in Oceana County? In your last comment you indicated that if successful they would likely drill our Logan county lease in Mason county?
How are your leases doing? Any wells yet?
Andy
Andy,
The rig has moved on, the well is to depth on the vertical and horizontal drain ( this is a big well for Michigan) and they are running the production casing currently- I believe if it was not going to be a producing well, they would not be taking this step, afterwards they may start production if the completion is satisfactory or may stimulated the formation with some fracturing. Not much is needed in West Michigan as these formations are already under high pressure and are sometimes fractured to actually create space to slow down the formation and relieve pressure for even production. Hoping the well will be successful for liquid gas condensate and especially for crude oil as those areas are where the money is now. A hundred barrel oil well produces 3-4 million in revenue annually. I have been in contact with Extex and they are interested in our acreage, and are evaluating what they already have (your's and others) and the success of this well before they move forward. If this well goes to big production, the entire play will pick up as more drilling and other companies start coming in. Geosouthern out of Texas is doing work in the southeast on the A-1 (Livingston) but is also looking to expand their acreage and is funded by the Blackstone group.
I found your lease recorded and transferred to Extex. The renewal is at good terms also and I expect that option will be paid up or sold to another company that will pay it as well.
As I hear things, will let you know,
Brett
Thank you Bret!
Andy
Merten well is going into stimulation phase( frac) , production casing completed. Will know later this week or next if it is viable and for what. They probably would not have spent the money doing completion if they were not confident.
Brett,
Thank you for the info! I will wait to hear what activity develops from this new well and hopefully they will want to move to our property and drill!
Please keep me posted.
Andy
Good Morning Bret,
Have you heard anything about the viability of the Merten well?
Andy
Andy,
It appears to be a winner. At what level I am not sure, they are trying to keep it under wraps for obvious reasons, there is still a lot of acreage un leased and I would expect they don't want other well financed operators getting the play. They do have only so long by law to make the formation, and production data public. I am watching. On another note, do you know how close our minerals are to each other? I think you do, Sippy Rd runs right through your land east to west. Andy I own the minerals on the NW/4 of Sec. 25, N/2 Sec. 26 and according to my research your family retains the E/2 of Sec. 25. That was my great-grandmothers and Ed Ruhsert's property in the past respectively.
Brett,
You are correct. My folks purchased the E. 1/2 of Sec. 25, Eden Twp and all of Sec. 30 Logan Twp from the Ruhsert's. What was the Ruhsert's Ranch. My parents had already purchased what we called the 480 several years prior to the Ruhsert property purchase. The "480" is Sec.36, T-17N, R - 16W Eden Twp. except the NE 1/4 section.
We own various amounts of the minerals in Sec 36 & E 1/2 of Sec 25 as some of the old unit field owners let their interests lapse and some did not. We own all of the minerals in Sec. 30.
So our properties are adjacent to each other in Sec. 25, Eden Twp. I don't have a plat map here so I'm not sure where your land in Sec. 26 would be in relation to the rest.
My Mom and Dad used to bow hunt on your great-grandmothers' land back in the 50's and 60's before they bought the 480. I remember bow hunting with them on that land just west of the old oil field buildings. I was quite young and I will never forget how exciting and new this experience was for me. It seems that the King family owned a great deal of land near there as well.
Thanks for the update and I hope to hear more from you soon.
Andy
Any,
The Kings are my cousins. The Kings retained the surface rights that they later sold to the Hinterman's (My great-grandfather's lake and lake house etc.) and the Sippy's retained the minerals. My parents took us up to the lake for swimming, fishing etc. and we did some fast driving through the "snake trails" as my dad called them near the swamp and old field. I will send all the descriptions of what I have there in private message later.
Talk soon,
Brett
Andy,
I have something to discuss about activity in the area of our minerals that could be beneficial for you as well.
Hey Brett,
Please email me your contact info and I will either phone or email you to continue this line of discussion.
Andy : atodd3@cox.net
Brett,
I haven't heard back from you about "activity in the area of our minerals".
Please email me with your contact info. atodd3@cox.net