Bear Creek Retreat
A rare North Florida retreat where mature timber, flowing water, abundant wildlife, and a private log cabin come together just minutes from Lake Talquin and Tallahassee.
- 113 acres in Gadsden County, Florida
- Bear Creek frontage along the northern boundary
- Spring-fed creek traversing the center of the property and flowing into Bear Creek
- Approximately 40 acres of 25-year-old planted loblolly pine
- Mature hardwood hammocks, ridges, hills, and creek bottoms
- Three established food plots and a one-acre field adjacent to the cabin, currently used as a garden and well suited for a potential dove field
- Furnished 3-bedroom, 2-bath log cabin
- Abundant deer and turkey and close to public land access for additional hunting acreage
- Adjacent to Bear Creek Educational Forest, with less than 100 yards separating the property from the forest boundary
- Less than 5 minutes to Lake Talquin and a public boat ramp
- Less than 5 minutes to Lake Talquin State Forest
- Less than 5 miles to Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area
- Gated driveway under a live oak hammock
Bear Creek Retreat is an exceptional 113-acre North Florida recreation and timber investment offering a rare combination of mature pine, hardwood hammocks, flowing water, abundant wildlife, and a furnished log cabin-all within minutes of Lake Talquin and less than 30 minutes from Tallahassee.
Located on McCall Bridge Road in Gadsden County, Bear Creek Retreat is ideally positioned for those seeking a private recreational retreat without sacrificing accessibility. Lake Talquin and a public boat ramp are all less than five minutes from the property, making this a year-round sportsman's paradise.
The property derives its name from Bear Creek, which forms the northern boundary, creating a natural edge and a beautiful wildlife corridor. A second spring-fed creek traverses the center of the property before flowing into Bear Creek, adding another layer of character and providing year-round water through the heart of the property.
The terrain is distinctly North Florida, with deep ridges, rolling hills, mature hardwood hammocks, creek bottoms, and established pine stands creating a diverse and scenic landscape. Approximately 40 acres of the property are planted in 25-year-old loblolly pine, providing a significant established timber component and the potential for continued long-term timber appreciation.
Wildlife and recreation are central to the Bear Creek Retreat experience. The property includes three established food plots strategically incorporated into the landscape, along with a one-acre open field adjacent to the cabin currently utilized as a garden. With its existing open ground, the field could readily serve as an attractive dove field. One of Bear Creek Retreat’s greatest strengths is its diverse natural habitat, transitioning from upland pine stands to creek bottoms and mature hardwood ridges. These varied habitat types provide wildlife with food, cover, water, bedding areas, and natural travel corridors, creating an interconnected environment well suited for deer, turkey, and other native wildlife.
At the heart of Bear Creek Retreat sits a furnished three-bedroom, two-bath log cabin, nestled within a beautiful live oak hammock and surrounded by the property's mature timber and natural landscape. A gated driveway provides added privacy and security, creating a secluded setting while maintaining convenient access to the property. Whether serving as a full-time North Florida residence, private hunting lodge, family retreat, or weekend getaway, the cabin offers a comfortable and welcoming base from which to enjoy everything Bear Creek Retreat has to offer.
One of Bear Creek Retreat's most compelling attributes is its proximity to protected recreational lands. Bear Creek Educational Forest lies immediately adjacent to the property, with only one intervening property and less than 100 yards separating the property boundary from the forest. Lake Talquin State Forest is less than five minutes away, Joe Budd WMA is less than five miles away, and Apalachicola National Forest is less than 20 minutes away. The surrounding public lands significantly expand the recreational experience of Bear Creek, creating a feeling of a much larger private estate with additional opportunities for hunting, hiking, wildlife viewing, and outdoor recreation just beyond the property boundaries.
Bear Creek Retreat offers the qualities that make North Florida land ownership distinctive: timber, water, wildlife, topography, privacy, and proximity to recreation. The mature loblolly investment provides an established timber component, while the creeks, hardwood hammocks, food plots, and open field create a property designed for enjoying the outdoors.
Whether envisioned as a private sporting estate, hunting lodge, family retreat, or full-time North Florida residence, Bear Creek Retreat provides an uncommon opportunity to own a substantial recreational and timber property in a highly desirable location near Lake Talquin and Tallahassee.
Bear Creek Retreat is more than acreage-it is a private North Florida landscape where timber, water, wildlife, and recreation come together.
Broker's Comments
Photo Gallery
Lodge
Wildlife
Video Gallery
The Kohler & Associates’
Difference
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Or want to discuss the market with the Leader in this niche?
Contact us to discuss one of our properties, for information on properties that are not yet released to the market or to discuss the market.
From murky farm ponds to pristine glacier-cut lakes and everything in between, Knox Daniels’ expertise stems from a lifelong fascination of water and the creatures that live in and around it. He recognizes and helps clients appreciate the value water features bring to a property. “My goal is to help buyers realize and sellers maximize the value different water bodies bring to a property, not only in a recreational sense, but also for social storm reasons.” After extensively traveling the country for collegiate BASS fishing tournaments, Knox graduated and worked for the Southeast’s finest fisheries and wildlife biologist, Greg Grimes. With Grimes’ company, AES, Knox managed many of the southeast’s finest private lake estate/impoundment properties, and learned the intricacies of upscale property management. Learning from Greg and other biologists, Knox honed in on the specific conditions and habitat needed for optimal gamefish growth in private lakes. He has also worked as a property manager on several thousand acres and for a commercial developer, facilitating the dirt work and builds of several apartment complexes, but his true passion has always been in the outdoors. “I’ve always had an insatiable fascination with ponds/lakes and am grateful to be able to help to place clients on the properties of their dreams and make their personal fisheries/wildlife goals reality with JKA.” – Knox Daniels
Jason has been assisting landowners for the last 28 years in Georgia and South Carolina obtain achievements the owners did not realize were possible. His degree in Biology from Georgia Southern stemmed from the desire to know how things in nature work. His plantation roots began at just 16 years old outside of Albany, GA and the last 20 years were spent in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. His entire career has been spent developing a global approach to plantation management. That plan included sales. Sales is in Jason’s blood- his mom had a 45-year career as a real estate broker. After college, he chose to pursue his passion of making properties great. In 2011, Jason sold his first plantation. Since then, he has assisted buyers and sellers with over $20 million in sales while most of that time working as a full-time General Manager of a large Lowcountry plantation. Today, he is committed to using his unique skill set and experience to guide landowners through the many challenges of plantation ownership.
Bruce Ratliff is a retired elected official (Property Appraiser Taylor County). Bruce brings years of experience in ad valorem tax knowledge. His property tax background gives JKA Associates & clients a unique insight into the complicated tax process. Bruce held several positions in the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, including member of the Board of Directors, President, Vice-President and Secretary, and served on the Agricultural & Legislative Committees for the Association. The real estate business has been part of Bruce’s life since childhood. His mother, Shirley Ratliff owned Professional Realty of Perry, Florida and his father, Buster owned Ratliff Land Surveying which Bruce was General Manager of before his political career.
Hailing from a long line of outdoorsmen, Tim learned a great deal from his father and grandfather. He saw first-hand what it means to be a good land steward. He believes land is so much more than a place to hunt, fish, and grow timber or crops. “It’s an identity, a resting place, a safe haven and a way of life, said Tim.” Tim’s family ties to Alabama run deep. During his grandfather’s first term, Governor James was responsible for signing into law Alabama’s first state duck stamp which helped to ensure funding for the procurement, development, and preservation of wetlands for migratory waterfowl habitat. He also established Alabama’s lifetime hunting license, so it is no surprise that Tim is an avid outdoorsman with a keen eye as to how best to improve habitat for the greater good of its wildlife.
With Madison County roots, Lori grew up on her family farm at Pettis Springs along the historic Aucilla River. A love of the land was instilled in Lori very early on by her father who was a local farmer. Lori understands the importance of good land stewardship and has witnessed first-hand how her own father, a former 2-term member of the Florida House of Representatives whose district encompassed many rural counties of the Red Hills Plantation Region, with a little bit of sweat equity, so lovingly worked their own family land. These are core values she carries with her today, and nothing gives her more personal satisfaction than to represent some of the south’s best land stewards.
Cole’s dedication to land management lies in his family roots. As a fourth-generation timber expert, Cole’s earliest memories were spent with his father managing timber investments. With a degree in Food Resource Economics from the University of Florida, Cole is the epitome of an up-and-coming leader. He grew up with a hands-on approach to learning land management and conservation and has spent the last 15 years learning every angle of the real estate and forest industry. Cole is a member of the Florida Forestry Association, Red Hills Quail Forever, Southeastern Wood Producers Association and he uses this platform as an advocate for landowners and their land investments. His family has dedicated the past 60 years to providing landowners in North Florida and South Georgia with professional land management services focused on improving and protecting one’s forestland and wildlife investment. In fact, their family business, M.A. Rigoni, Inc., was one of the first to introduce whole tree chipping to the Red Hills Region.
As a landowner of his own family farm, Lick Skillet, along with family land that has been passed down and enjoyed together at Keaton Beach for 40 years, Jon knows what it means to be a steward of the last best places. As a third-generation land broker with more than 30 years of experience in advising landowners in this niche, Jon is known for his innate ability to harvest a land’s unique intrinsic value. Touting several notable sales under his belt, Jon personally closed Rock Creek/Molpus – 124,000 acres of premium timberland at $142,000,000 – which was known as the largest timberland land sale in the Southeast for eight years running. He is a co-founding member of LandLeader and achieved the real estate industry’s highest honor, “2022 National Broker of the Year – Recreational Land Sales,” by the Realtors® Land Institute.