Written by Durrell Smith
The big man knew the dog wasn’t lost, but there was a growing sense of skepticism in the woods. He was a hollerin’, sqallin’ man. He touted a big booming voice that called back to Howlin’ Wolf himself . . .
“Ahhh OOOOHHHH!!!!”
And his song rang, savage and illustrative, his lyrics violently weaving the fibrous pinestraw. Last time he saw the dog was moments after the old neck leather left the lead. Last words he spoke to the dog was “Get Out!” The guests hadn’t seen the dog since then, and maintained a nervous assurance that their handler knew the lay of the land and were forced to admit internally their own diminishing sense of trust. They had to give in, there was much to the unknown. The pineywoods were the abyss, and the dog seems lost to oblivion.
“Trust the dog, ain’t much else to it” the big man said.
“Was he lost?” The guests wanted to know, but didn’t want to appear rude.
“Naw…just way gone. Likely on point somewhere.”
It was just after the first crack of daybreak and the big man sat high in his trooper saddle. He pointed with his eyes, sending a far-flung gaze that his scout knew all too well. The young man knew that the dog was in the area and to go find him in the direction of his gaze. He raised that dog from the bottle. He saved the dog from getting stuck in his mother’s birth canal. The dog was born on the road as his dam was rushed to the vet. He knew the ins-and-outs of that dog, Jack. He loved that dog for that connection, he put confidence into him as a puppy, and ever since, the dog hailed to his handler.
“I put my hands on that dog. He’s out there getting the job done.”
The big man came from a school of hard knocks and knew nothing else. His days were long, started early and always ended well into the nightfall. His dogs were all calibrated, dialed in, and tailor-made to his liking, but not fit for the impatience of a trigger-happy clientele. They too must hail to the model of patience, a dogman in his element.
His dog then cut back into view, quickly, an apparition between pine stands. His range was big as the day was long. He was a leggy, sixty-pound two-year-old that charged the woods with an exuberant performance that is only witnessed by a select few, yet appreciated by all. His grace contradicted the brashness of his master’s bellowing. And as the call cut deep, echoes lost to the distance, the dog cut hard and kicked dirt. His tail rising high in harmony with an already rising sun.
“That sir, is your point”. The guests approached and the covey rose.
Two shots rang, feathers fell, blanketed by the coolness of Lord’s whisper. There was worship going on here, all hailing to the handler.
A Message from Jon Kohler
Our philosophy is that the plantation is all about the dog. We hold the dog on a pedestal – so much so that Jake, my own pointer, serves as our beloved icon. We like to think of the plantation as the dog’s canvas, and his work in the field is the art. However, the handler too should be hailed. He works long and hard hours, and knows the lay of the land perhaps better than the landowners themselves. Like Durrell, “the big man,” and the many great handlers that came before them, there is an unspoken bond between a handler and Birddog. No one knows every fiber of that dog’s being, better than the handler. Hours afield, hours training, and a whole lot of sweat equity culminate in that final point, tall and true, and the sweet reward of the covey flush. All hail the handler indeed. For without him, we wouldn’t be able to pursue this great sport, fueled by our passion for that tiny little bobwhite, and embrace a lifestyle so dear to our hearts.
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.
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
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.
Prior to joining Jon Kohler & Associates, Walter Hatchett served for 30 years as a land manager to several of the south’s most esteemed properties, including Rock Creek. As a former property manager himself, and a consistently ranked “Top Sales Producer” nationwide and achieved “APEX Top 20 Land Broker” multiple times, Walter has a keen eye for the best in habitat management.
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.
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.
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.