Chokee
Lee County, Georgia⁞5146± ACRES
Few places have come as close to perfecting the balance between world-class quail hunting and income.
- 5,146± acres - One of the finest Sporting Properties in the South
- Perfectly tuned combination between active recreation and passive income achieving what few have been able to accomplish
- Both outstanding wild quail numbers and some of the largest Whitetails in the South
- 7.5± Miles continuous frontage on the famed Flint River- the entire eastern property line
- For big deer and quail density the neighborhood doesn’t get any better than this. Senah, Red Oak, Mercer Mill, Cannon, River's Edge, Riverbend, and Whispering Pines.
- 11 miles east of Leesburg and 20 miles to a commercial airport in Albany
- A Chokee Record - 47 Number of coveys moved on January 24, 2015
- 3,487± acres Woodland and Hunting land with 2,813± Merchantable Timber acres
- Setting records on timber values with over $1,200 per timbered acre
- Exceptional water resources with 1,226± acres irrigated
- 986± acres under 11 Valley Pivots
- 240± acres hard hose
- Four 10-14 inch wells plus additional pond and river pumping units
- Farm rental rates in area pushing $250 acre
- 107± acres in ponds
- $3.4M Timber value per 2018 Timber estimate
- Beautifully Maintained and Well-Built 2,688 sq. ft. Main Lodge (2014) plus Guest Cottage
- Chokee Cottage- historically used by Hunters and Guests
- Shop Headquarters (circa 1990’s) features offices, conference room, 4 bedroom apartment, both open and enclosed shop
- 5 Houses for manager, labor, farm hands
- 8,328 sq.ft. Horse Barn with Adjacent Pastures
- 8,624 sq.ft. Main Equipment Shed
- 18-run Dog working Kennel
- Previously had a cattle operation component; the 14,372 sq.ft. Main Cow Handling Barn plus 3 additional livestock sheds
- 2,640 sq.ft. Commodity Barn and 5-Bin Grain Facility with a total 25,000 Bushel Capacity
- 13.65± miles of road frontage
- Zoning agricultural with roughly 25 acres zoned commercial and 370 acres zoned industrial on areas bordering the north side of Highway 32
- Developed and extremely well capitalized over the last 26 years by one of Georgia’s top business and political families as a testament to quality habitat and agriculture.
- Very Good Soils Throughout – Soil Map available for Download
- 166 miles to Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta
“Perhaps the Utopian dream of a world-class recreational property complimented and financially supported by agriculture has, in fact, been achieved.”
Thoughts on the sale: Previously listed with another broker. We secured the listing and were given a price point to achieve. It was a complicated mix of quail plantation, farmland, and pasture. We spent about a month identifying and demonstrating intrinsic value. It was sold within weeks of “making our case” and releasing our marketing material.
Chokee boasts 5,146± acres and is one of the largest wild quail managed properties in the South. It’s role as a world-class sporting property is also unique in the fact that it’s also been intensively managed for long term economic sustainability, through its vast agriculture and timber resources. Located in the greater Albany Area, just 11 miles east of Leesburg, it is one of the signature properties in an A+ neighborhood adjacent to Senah, Red Oak, Mercer Mill, Cannon, and Whispering Pines. These properties along the Flint River here are noted not only for exceptional wild quail but for consistently producing bucks achieving Boone & Crockett status. This is widely regarded as the best of the best.
Chokee’s signature feature is the 
7.5± miles of uninterrupted frontage on the famed Flint River. It boasts one of the largest privately held riverfront holdings in all of the South. Incidentally, almost the entire adjacent river frontage is similarly managed for wild quail and trophy whitetail. The water resources here produce not only recreation and wildlife but agricultural wealth the likes few properties can match. Chokee is also a well capitalized income producing property balancing irrigated farmland, timber, alongside some of the best wild quail habitat in the country.
Those in pursuit of wild quail will find it here, with some of the highest densities in the South. Chokee was previously the northern portion of historic Senah (Hanes Textile Family). This was one of the original Albany Area wild quail properties managed with zeal and financially backed by whatever means necessary to create a world-class recreational experience. Managed as such for generations along with the continual use of prescribed fire and even further capitalization of its farm ground has created an ecosystem and sustainable property unlike any other.
As one would expect the wild bird hunting is as good as it gets. Two U.S. Presidents have hunted here and several Governors. A half day hunt record from November 26, 2014 had 29 number of coveys moved in 3 hours. A Chokee day record on January 24, 2015 had 47 Number of coveys moved. The quail habitat is textbook.
“Chokee is the land equivalent of the “marriage of the century.” The perfect union between two separate asset classes. The best of High Quality Recreational and the best of Farmland. The combined strengths of both result is a property unlike any other.”
The dream of many recreational landowners is finding financial sustainability. Few properties offer the income opportunities or have made the capital improvements Chokee has. The investment aspects of this property are far and above anything we would expect to see on a typical wild quail property. The economic aspects of the irrigated farmland alone is significant with crop rents on 1,506 acres netting over $300,000 annually. Today, irrigated farmland in Southwest Georgia is one of the most desirable investments as a hard asset generating reliable cash rents.
Water is certainly the “new oil.” Chokee boasts 7.5 uninterrupted miles on the beautiful Flint River. The water resources on Chokee, in particular, command very competitive rental rates and the current farmer is well established. A 5-bin grain facility has the capacity to store 25,000 bushels and there are numerous storage and equipment barns for a myriad of crops. The soil fertility, as well as the nearby agricultural infrastructure, makes this one of the most productive agricultural areas in the South. Chokee has 11 Pivots, all manufactured by Valley. Four surface pumps are spaced throughout the property. There is approximately 986± acres of pivot irrigated cropland, 240± acres of hard-hose irrigated pasture, and 280± acres of dry cropland.
“With numerous wells tapped into
the regenerating Floridan Aquifer, Chokee boasts some of the best water resources in America. Combine fertile land and local farming infrastructure - it’s a perfect recipe for some of the most generous farm rental rates in the South.” - Jon Kohler
Chokee has more than the average amount of timber for a sporting property. Per the 2018 timber estimate, there was approximately 134,000 tons of merchantable timber valued at over $1,200 per timbered acre. For comparison, this is about double the amount of timber seen on most of wild quail managed properties and another good example of the balance between recreation and income that has been perfected here.
“The Flint River is undeniably one of the South’s most precious natural resources. Generations have enjoyed the river as a resource to water communities, farms and industry alike, but also as an opportunity to experience the natural world through hunting, fishing, swimming and paddling. With 220 undamed river miles, the Flint is one of only 40 rivers left in the United States that flow for more than 200 miles unimpeded.” Flint RiverKeeper
Chokee has been in the same family for almost a generation. It was capitalized by one of Georgia’s top business and political families who had a passion for wildlife, agriculture and the well-being of the people of Georgia. The family developed Chokee as a role model for other landowners to follow. The goal was to benefit the land, wildlife, people and economy. It offers lodges, cottages, barns, a cattle sale barn, agricultural buildings of all types and more. The property is very flexible to various other agricultural and recreational uses. The road system throughout the property is exceptionally developed and maintained.
A Social Storm® Ranked Property: Chokee and it's Social Storm® Property Attributes are Highly Ranked. This Social Storm® property belongs to a unique asset class with key property attributes that investors gravitate to for safety in bad times and buy for a recreation reward in good times.. What makes a Social Storm® Property so unique?
The main lodge is one of the finest lodges found on any sporting property today. It overlooks a 13 acre lake. Built in 2014, it is 2,688 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Every detail of the lodge is top notch with high-end appliances and finishes throughout. Gabled skylights, vaulted ceilings, and windows provide great natural light. The porch provides a comfortable setting to hear the surrounding quail woods rise with the sun. After a long day afield, the fire pit is a perfect place to recap the day with tall tales from the hunting party. Behind the main lodge is a 570 square foot guest cottage.
The 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath “Chokee Cottage” provides for additional lodging and is great for larger hunting parties. Like the main lodge, this cottage also overlooks one of the lakes on the property. On this lake, there is a dock for fishing. Adjacent to the Chokee Cottage is a wobble trap field. There are 5 additional tenant houses for managers or farm hand.
“These are uncertain times. The High-Quality Recreational asset class is as recession proof as an investment gets. This particular neighborhood is even stronger. Combined with the strength of farm rental rates here Chokee is in a league of its own.”
Location is paramount and just 20 miles north of the property is Lake Blackshear, one of the top destination lakes in the south. Lake Blackshear is a man-made lake upstream on the Flint River providing for boating, skiing, trophy fishing, swimming, and other water sports. In addition to the lake, the golfing at the four-star ranked Vets Course is top-notch as well. Chokee is just 20 miles to Commercial Airport in Albany and 166 miles to Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta.
There is not yet a conservation easement on Chokee. At one time Leesburg was one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia. It is an exceptional candidate for a conservation easement and this is a good way to capture the value of 25± acres zoned commercial and 370± acres zoned industrial.
Chokee is priced at $26,000,000. This is a rare opportunity to purchase one of the largest wild quail and riverfront properties in the South; yet, one that very uniquely has significant annual income from farm rents, periodic timber harvests (well above average properties in its class), not yet captured conservation easement opportunities as well as a proven track record for selling unused wild quail hunting days. Chokee is uniquely positioned to be as recreational or financially balanced according to the new owners goals and objectives.
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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.