It has been said that the more you understand about high-fence properties, the more you respect the endeavor. These legacy-grade parcels, enclosed with 8 – 10-foot high commercial-grade fencing, are more than just the ideal environment for raising trophy white-tailed deer and coveted exotic breeds like the nilgai or black buck antelope, axis deer and oryx. Owners and advocates of high-fence properties will tell you the benefits extend way beyond trophy specimens.
Dwight Knight, president of the Florida Deer Association, has one of the largest high fence operations in Florida, at 14,000-acres. He says that people unfamiliar with the benefits of a high-fence property are often surprised that a parcel of this size is completely high-fenced. “They think a high-fence place is just a 100-acre box. Let me tell you something: this ain’t no box.” There is the misconception that high-fence properties are small, and limited in what they can become. Knight’s property, near the Suwannee River, proves otherwise.
Aside from trophy-sized white-tailed deer, Knight says, “In this controlled environment, I can raise timber, cattle, quail, ducks and exotics. I can control the coyotes and hogs which will destroy a place.” Beyond the ability to control what grows within the high-fence, Knight says he enjoys knowing that he has privacy and safety on his property: “My kids can go running around there and I don’t worry about any trespassers. You don’t have to worry about who or what, is coming or going.”
The content and caliber of everything that grows within the high-fence property is placed at a premium by owners, who often engage the services of individuals with specific high-fence property knowledge, like Kaleb Ellis of Bear Creek Mine. Ellis has been in the high-fence management business for more than fifteen years, spending time on properties from the Florida panhandle to Texas, learning what it takes to create the ideal environment and ecosystem. “I sometimes have to caution owners who are new to high-fence, that the growth (of species) has to be slow and measured.” He smiles as he adds, “these are not usually folks who like to hear the term ‘slow growth’. But I have seen what can happen to a high-fence property when you grow the herds too fast.”
Without the constant ebb and flow of predators – both in terms of other animals and from disease – herds of white-tailed and axis deer, elk and more can burgeon rapidly. Ellis notes, “You have anticipate the growth and how you are going to manage it.” Owners must be prepared for the measured culling that proper management requires. But once understood, the results are indeed stunning.
Stunning, as in the epic size and impeccable condition of what can be hunted on these high-fence properties.
“This is a little slice of heaven – everything thrives here inside the high fence.” – Dwight Knight, President Florida Deer Association and owner of Knight Farms.
Ellis shares, “The largest whitetail taken in Florida was something like 167 inches and it was probably six or seven years old. In the high-fence, I can grow a deer close to that size, in a year.” It is not uncommon to raise healthy bucks at 135 – 150 inches, and in less time than in the wild. Herds in the high-fence are routinely wormed and vaccinated to ensure they do not succumb to the natural perils of the more wild environment. He goes on to add, “As the owner, you are in control of the genetics of your herd.” This is something Knight has experienced firsthand as well, on his Knight Ranch: “Worming the deer the way we do means we harvest them free of lice and ticks – they are just healthier – no Lyme disease.” He goes to list the other benefits: “Worming them means the does have more fawns. Worming them means the bucks put more inches on their heads. It all comes down to controlled management and it is a total win-win.”
Of course, it almost goes without saying that one of the greatest benefits of owning a high-fence property is that everything within that fence line is yours. Ellis says, “Here you don’t have to worry about your neighbor taking out what you have invested in. He may be happy shooting four-points but you’re managing for a trophy buck. On a high-fence property, what’s yours is yours.” Knight agrees. And to the high-fence nay-sayers, he just says, “When I meet someone who doesn’t understand what makes the high-fence so great, I just tell ‘em that seeing is believing. Once they see a place like this, they are going to want it for themselves.”
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.