Withlacoochee Spring Creek
Hamilton County, Florida⁞200± ACRES
200+/- acres with 3/4 mile frontage on the Withlacoochee River with 1 mile Ross’ Spring Creek.
- 200 +/- acres along the Withlacoochee River
- 8/10th of a mile of high-bank river frontage
- 1 mile of both sides of Ross’ Spring Creek
- 1.5 miles of boundary shared with Suwannee River Water Management District protected lands (entire west and north boundaries)
- Abundant wildlife — trophy-caliber whitetail deer and strong turkey population
- Less than 10% wetlands
- 135 acres of improved pasture
- 17 acres planted slash pine
- Exceptional upland hardwoods, live oaks and riparian corridor
- Originally founded 1820 as Rossetter’s Ferry Crossing
- Nearby Coffee Springs (3rd Magnitude) Rossetter’s Spring (2nd Magnitude) and Madison Blue Springs (1st Magnitude)
- Site of historic Grist Mill and Pond circa 1840’s
- Ghost town of Rossetter Ferry Landing 1832-1906
- Local area recreational properties, farms and State owned lands
- Currently operated as summer pasture for 120 head of cattle
- Not under a conservation easement — ideal candidate
- 7/10ths of a mile of paved road frontage
- Upstream from Madison Blue Spring on the Withlacochee voted “Best Swimming Hole in the Nation” by USA Today
- Exceptional Social Storm™ Properties Score
High Quality Recreational Property and Historic Ranch.
Situated along the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, Florida less than two miles south of the State line this 200+/- acres is the epitome of a High Quality Recreational Property.
The property offers a rare combination of fertile land, 3/4 of a mile of high bank river frontage, 1 mile of both sides of a winding spring creek, exceptional wildlife and beauty and complete privacy. For the last 50 years its been managed as a productive summer pasture. The property is well-suited for cattle, horses, perennial peanut or crop cultivation. Its recreational potential is endless. It is estimated that it has less than 10% wetlands.
“This is one of those rare properties that really just have it all. Great recreation. Great area. Great ranching... and absolutely beautiful.” - Jon Kohler
“This is a one-of-a-kind property. Its beauty lies in the fact that for ½ a century it was only grazed during the summer, not year long. As such, the habitat became “open and parklike” and now reminds me of the kind of gorgeous mountain pastures we had on our ranch in Montana.” - Jon Kohler
Owned by the Deas Brothers, a prominent farm family, and used for the lat fifty year as a summer pasture this is “Old Florida.” Today, cattle prices are a record high and its 135 acres of river-front improved pasture make one of the most beautiful ranches in Florida. What is also at an all-time high is recreational pursuits, particularly whitetail deer and wild turkey.
“Today we take for granted the great wildlife we have. As this area became settled whitetail deer and wild turkey became extinct here. By the late 1950’s there were no whitetail deer on the Withlacoochee River. As luck would have it, in 1962 the State of Georgia bought 10 deer from Babcock Wisconsin and released them on the Withlacoochee river, just north of here. Unlike many areas the complete lack of native deer was actually a plus as the superior Wisconsin genetic wasn’t diluted. This is why today, nearby Brooks County is one of the top Big Buck counties in the entire South. You see, the #1 Boone & Crockett county in the entire country is just one county west of Babcock, Wisconsin. They couldn’t have found a better source to restock these deer. Thus, today the Withlacoochee and its tributaries are renown for producing exceptional B&C bucks.” - Jon Kohler
"We run about 120 head here in the summer, and it handles that many pretty easy.” - Roger Deas, landowner.
“I’m too busy with cattle to hunt deer but we see them all the time. There are some really big deer here. We border Suwannee River Water Management for 1.5 miles and the deer and wild turkey are everywhere. Its like a refuge. They really don’t allow hunting across from our entire western and northern border.” - Roger Deas
Originally founded in 1820 as Rossetter’s Ferry Crossing this property has been a key part of North Florida’s cultural heritage for over 200 years. The Ferry here was the only safe way to cross the river for 92 years until the 1st humpback bridge was built in 1912. The site of the ghost town of Belleville is across the street.
“This are was called Bellville. Across the street there used to be a post office (1832-1906), a store and even a four bedroom hospital run by a doctor back in the early 1900’s.” - Roger Deas
Today, nature has reclaimed all evidence of its past aside from some dirt roads, the site of an old water-powered grist mill or sawmill pond as well as the site of the ferry crossing and other antiquities.
“One of the old timers, served as a mounted Calvary for the Army, told me there was a grist mill and hand-built dam near where the creek hits the river and riding the ferry back around 1903, when he was a little boy.” - Roger Deas. The evidence of several sites can be seen today.
The Withlachoochee is renown for its fishing, boating and springs.
“The fishing is very good. Plenty of bass. There’s bluegill, red belly, catfish. Sometimes you can see mullet especially in the summer.” - Roger Deas
Nearby, Madison Blue Springs as a 1st magnitude is also coined the “Best Swimming Hole in the Nation” by USA Today. Coffee Springs (3rd Magnitude) is just downstream as well as Rosetter’s Spring (Hardee Springs) along with many other “spring windows.” This area is a premium kayaking destination.
Due to its ideal location and privacy, Withlacoochee River is also a great Social Storm™ property - this additional benefit makes this a great investment in both good times and bad - a property that in hard times, serves as a safe retreat, and in good times, serves as the ideal place for recreation. To be able to offer friends and family a place like this to spend the next pandemic or worse is the definition of freedom and true wealth.
The Withlacoochee River property is a rare find – a legacy-quality tract in a coveted location offering productivity, natural beauty, and total privacy. Whether kept as a working pasture, enhanced as a recreational retreat, or held as a long-term investment, this property possesses intrinsic value and enduring potential.
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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.