Smoking Gun Plantation

Ranch Description

Smoking Gun Plantation in Worth and Turner County Georgia, exclusively offered by Matre Forestry Consulting Inc., is a truly special place. The property offering is all inclusive: the asking price includes everything from the lodge furnishings to the bird dogs to the jeeps, tractors, wagons, etc. This +-759 acre plantation is absolutely move-in and hunt ready, as a private hunting preserve, client/corporate entertainment property or, as it is currently used, a commercial quail hunting enterprise. The commercial hunting has been marketed almost solely by word of mouth, and Smoking Gun enjoys a host of repeat customers. The current manager, who lives in the manager's house, is very interested in staying with the property should the new owner need a manager.

Location, Location, Location: If you know anything about Georgia hunting, then you know Worth and Turner Counties are the best of the best. Situated at the northern extent of the famed Red Hills Region/Tifton Uplands, Smoking Gun is a sportsman's paradise offering perfect habitat for bobwhite quail, deer, and turkey. Worth County has produced more Boone and Crockett record bucks than any other Georgia County, with 19 bucks in the record book. In addition to the fabulous hunting and fishing, Smoking Gun has a high site index for pine and hardwood growth, and the property is full of healthy, mature pine sawtimber in the uplands and hardwood sawtimber in the bottoms.

Access, Access, Access: Smoking Gun Plantation has road frontage on four county roads, plus an extensive woods road network. The woods roads are mostly rocked and/or crowned, providing all weather access to all of the property.

History: The current owner, Mr. Buddy Henry, purchased the property in 2006, and immediately began transforming the former Weyerhaeuser timber tract into the groomed hunting plantation it is today. Buddy, with a background in engineering, designed and built the +-7.3 acre lake and 3100 square foot lodge. At the same time, the overgrown pine plantation understories began a transformation via the introduction of prescribed burning, followed by mechanical and herbicide treatments. Also, the supporting structures were built, such as barns, kennels, and a modern bird barn. In 2011, Matre Forestry marked +-300 acres of mature planted pines for a select harvest to improve the understory habitat for quail hunting. The select harvest left the best pine trees unharvested, and was followed by meticulous logging clean up, and a herbicide treatment. The pines are very healthy and fast growing, and are ready for another harvest now or in the near future, depending on management objectives.

Fast forward to 2016, and the result of this labor of love is one of the finest recreational properties you can find, in one of the best hunting locations in the South. With the hard work completed, Smoking Gun is fully in the enjoyment phase. For the most part, burning about 50% of the upland acreage every year is the only work needed to maintain the aesthetic upland pines. In addition to the +-300 acres of quail woods, there are additional pine uplands that have not been groomed. These areas, totaling probably +-75 acres, are currently great cover for deer sanctuaries, but could easily be cleaned up for additional quail courses.

Contact Matre Forestry for more information, and to schedule your showing.