Cordray’s Mill
Calhoun County, Georgia⁞1442± ACRES
A trophy whitetail sanctuary at the heart of the Albany Plantation Belt — bordering Nochaway
- 1,442+/- acre Recreational, Farmland, and Social Storm™ property in Calhoun County, GA
- Nearly 250 acres of private Mill Pond (trophy bass fishing and exceptional waterfowl)
- 20+/- acres viewable from bridge
- 40+/- acres of permanently flooded stream channels
- 80+/- acres of flooded, semi-open fishery marsh conversion into waterfowl habitat
- Mallard, widgeon, gadwall, teal, tree ducks, and wood ducks
- 234+/-acres of prime irrigated farmland
- 5 pivots, 3 water pumps
- Exceptional deep water canal system accessing private 250-acre reservoir
- Income production: $70k per year farmland/water lease
- 76+/- acres of improved pasture
- Itchawaynochaway Creek flows through the property for 1.5 miles
- 393 +/- acres in Mixed Pine and Hardwoods
- Used as an un-hunted wildlife preserve for the last 18 years. Exceptional deer, turkey, duck
- SW Georgia leads the South in B&C Rankings
- Borders the 5,600-acre famed Notchaway Plantation
- Near the 25,000-acre Deer Run Plantation
- Near Jones Research Center at Ichuway
- 5 Cabins/Living Quarters:
- 3 BD / 2 BA Pecky Cypress Retreat, walking distance to fishing pond, great wood detail (pecky cypress, live edge counters, exposed beams, and more)
- 3 BD /2 BA Lakeside Cabin (rented for income)
- 1 BD / 1 BA / ½ kitchen charming Silo Guest House
- 4 BD / 1.5 BA Converted Church House (rented for income)
- Nice 4 BD / 2 BA Mobile Home (rented for income)
- 30 minutes to Albany, GA, 35 min to Blakely, GA, and 2 hrs 45 min to Atlanta, GA
- 1 hour to Dothan, AL and 2 hours to Tallahassee, FL
A Legacy Sporting™ Retreat, Social Storm® & Agricultural Property Steeped in History
Undoubtedly One of Georgia’s most Outstanding Private Waterbodies!
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1,442±
Total Acres
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18 yrs
Un-hunted Deer Sanctuary
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5,600 ac
Adjoining Nochaway Plantation
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No. 1
Region for B&C Whitetails
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FIRST, THE DEER
A mature-buck sanctuary in a neighborhood built for giants.
For eighteen years, no one has hunted these woods. In the middle of the famed Albany Plantation Belt — where Southwest Georgia leads the entire South in Boone & Crockett rankings and whitetail genetics are as good as it gets — Cordray's Mill has quietly functioned as a refuge. That is exactly what grows old, heavy-horned deer.
Cordray's Mill shares its lines with the 5,600-acre Nochaway Plantation and sits among Blackhawk, Fort Hill, the vast Sauls Family Farm, and the 25,000-acre Deer Run. These are some of the most intensively managed deer properties in America, pouring resources into genetics, age, and nutrition. Bucks raised on that groceries-and-management neighborhood do what mature bucks always do: when the pressure rises around them, they slip to the quietest, thickest, best-watered cover they can find. On this property, that cover is everywhere — and the trigger has been silent for nearly two decades.
The 1,442± acres offer the complete recipe a trophy manager looks for: hard mast and row-crop groceries, a new-variety pecan grove, oak-lined pasture edges, and an enormous, unbroken block of hardwood and pine timber laced with creek bottoms and wetland cover for security and travel. Food on one side, sanctuary on the other, water through the middle. That is where the old ones live.
The region's quail numbers and whitetail genetics are as good as it gets, and SW Georgia leads the South in B&C rankings. The immediate neighborhood is a "who's who" of some of the best hunting plantations in the country.
Read The Water Like A Deer Manager
What looks like duck country is, first, big-buck country.
Some buyers see 250 acres of water and wonder where the deer go. A trophy manager sees the opposite: the wetlands, the 1.5 miles of Ichawaynochaway (Nochaway) Creek, and the flooded hardwood bottoms are the single best security cover in the region. Water on three sides of a bedding thicket is exactly the kind of edge a mature buck will not leave — and will not let pressure push him out of.
The creek corridor is a natural travel and staging funnel between the neighbors' food and this property's sanctuary. Muskogee in name, Ichawaynochaway means "place where the deer sleep." The land was telling us this long before we were.
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18 yrs
Un-hunted Wildlife Preserve
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700±
Acres Timber, Bottoms & Cover
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1.5 mi
Creek Travel Corridor
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5
Trophy Plantation Neighbors
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Income Today · World-Class Habitat Tomorrow
The 240 acres of upside most buyers miss.
The 240± acres of irrigated farmland pay their own way right now — top-of-market farm and water-lease income. But to the right owner, that ground is something far more valuable: habitat insurance, and the single biggest lever on this property's sporting future. The choice belongs entirely to the next steward.
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Option One — Wild Quail
A spectacular wild quail plantation, bordering the best of the best.
Convert the irrigated acreage to managed quail habitat and Cordray's Mill steps into a different category. Sitting beside Nochaway and premier wild-bird ground, the soils, cover edges, and neighborhood are already in place.
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Option Two — Deer & Turkey
Convert the pivots to even more deer and turkey ground.
Take the pivots into food plots, native warm-season grasses, and early-succession cover to multiply mature-buck and turkey capacity — groceries, brood range, and bedding in one game-rich mosaic.
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Keep it in crops for income, plant it for quail, or grow it for deer and turkey — the optionality is the asset.
After The Rut
A sporting calendar that never closes.
When the deer season ends, the property keeps giving. Hard-gobbling Eastern turkeys work the pasture edges and creek bottoms each spring, dove pour into the ag fields, and the mill pond turns on for waterfowl through the coldest mornings of winter. Chase whitetails in the fall, gobblers in the spring, ducks in between — and fish the lake the rest of the year.
For a family that wants more than a deer camp, Cordray's Mill is a true year-round place. The trophy hunting is the reason to buy it; the rest is why no one ever wants to leave.
At a Glance
Property Highlights
- 1,442± | Recreational, farmland & Social Storm™ property in Calhoun County, Georgia — expanded and remodeled
- 18 yr | Un-hunted deer sanctuary producing exceptional, mature whitetails, turkey & duck
- 700± | Acres of hardwood & pine with creek bottoms, wetland security cover & an exceptional road system
- Pecan | Established new-variety pecan grove on the north end — mast, income & deer groceries
- 240± | Acres irrigated farmland — 3 pumps, 5 Valley pivots, deep-water canals; convertible to quail or deer/turkey habitat
- 250± | Acres private mill pond on the Nochaway — trophy bass & a waterfowl mecca, two boat ramps
- 5 | Furnished cabins & living quarters — three rented for income production
- 30 min | To Albany, GA · 1 hr to Dothan, AL · 2 hrs to Tallahassee, FL · 2 hr 45 min to Atlanta
The Crown Amenity
Arguably Georgia's finest private waterbody.
Beyond its role as buck cover, the mill pond is a destination in its own right — almost 250 acres of water created by a private dam on the Nochaway, one of the largest riparian habitats in Southwest Georgia. Long renowned for largemouth bass, bream and crappie, and a true waterfowl mecca for mallard, widgeon, gadwall, teal, wood ducks and more.
"One could explore for days and fish for weeks on the permanently flooded ancient stream channel and main lake body and never fish the same place twice." — Jon Kohler
Room for Generations
Five Great Living Quarters
- The Pecky Cypress Retreat | 3 BD · 2 BA | Rustic in style, within walking distance of the pond — pecky cypress cabinetry, a live-edge countertop, exposed beams, and a charming horse-trough-converted tub.
- The Lakeside Cabin | 3 BD · 2 BA · Income | On the shore where the old dance hall stood — rich wood tones, original paneling, and a private boat ramp. Currently a rental.
- Silo Guest House | 1 BD · 1 BA · ½ Kitchen | A quaint silo guest house with a loft near the ag fields and equipment barns — ideal for visiting hunting guests.
- The Converted Church | 4 BD · 1.5 BA · Income | The original church of the old resort, now characterful four-bedroom quarters. Currently rented for income.
- The Farm Home | 4 BD · 2 BA Mobile Home · Income | A nice, newer four-bedroom home rented by the farm lessee — keeping the working land in capable, on-site hands.
- Hunt From Day One | All cabins convey furnished | Arrive and live the property immediately — every cabin comes furnished, ready for the next generation of hunts and gatherings.
The Neighborhood
The Albany Area Plantation Belt
These 1,442 acres sit among the 350,000 acres of the famed Albany Plantation Belt, where sportsmen from around the world come for the best outdoor recreation in America. Deer move on a landscape, not a deed line — and few neighborhoods on earth grow and hold mature whitetails like this one. To own a long-rested sanctuary in the middle of it is the rarest position a trophy hunter can take.
The current landowner loves the abundant wildlife but does not hunt — leaving the age structure, and the opportunity, fully intact for the next steward.
- Nochaway Plantation | Adjoining · 5,600 ac
- Deer Run Plantation | Nearby · 25,000 ac
- Blackhawk · Fort Hill | Adjacent Plantations
- Sauls Family Farm | Neighboring
- Jones Center at Ichauway | Nearby Research
- SW Georgia B&C Rankings | Leads the South
An Asset Class By Itself
The Ideal Social Storm™ Property
World-class deer hunting, the optionality to build a wild quail plantation, an income-producing farm, a 250-acre private lake, and room to house every generation — in hard times a safe retreat, in good times the ideal place for recreation.
"This is one of those properties that the next owner is going to take to an entirely new level — and for the next ten years people are going to tell me how much they regret not doing it themselves." — Jon Kohler
Broker’s Comments
The Kohler & Associates’
Difference
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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.