Bainbridge, GA 39819 - Decatur County

Southlands’ 5,653 acres is one of the South’s A ranked High-Quality Recreational Properties. It has been under quality management going back 87 years. Its history is impeccable. Today, it’s regarded as one of the few places in the South where one can consistently have and harvest B&C Whitetails. From wild quail and turkey to waterfowl, the wing-shooting here is exceptional. It boasts a 30-acre duck pond and 20-acre fishing lake. Elevations run from 80 to 310 feet with the property literally standing at the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains. With 4.5 miles of frontage on Army Corp Lands, the adjacent 37,500-acre Lake Seminole provides recreational opportunities throughout the year making this truly a year-round destination. Bainbridge is the sister city to Thomasville and this small Georgia town is a shining light. Not only is this property surrounded by an abundance of recreational and social opportunities, but it has also been owned and managed by a who’s who in terms of landowners.

Southlands Story:

Southlands started out as 26,000 acres originally assembled by none other than Herbert Stoddard himself, co-founder of Tall Timbers and father of prescribed burning. Houghton Metcalf, a wealthy industrialist from Rhode Island, purchased the rights from Stoddard in 1937 and built his lodge on the 200-foot bluff overlooking what is now Lake Seminole. He turned Southlands into a sportsman's paradise. It was then acquired by International Paper to be used as a teaching forest. It then became world renown as the Southlands Experiment Forest and was the flagship property of their 12M acre empire. One of the reasons is because of the vast diversity of timber types. Few, if any, places have the ecological diversity of this one property. In fact, there is even a book making a case that this area was the original Garden of Eden. In 2010, Jim Dahl, a philanthropist and multi-plantation landowner, set his sights on the 5,653-acre Southlands.

Modern wildlife management techniques were implemented on a huge scale. A 20-acre private lake and 30-acre flooded duck pond were built, improvements were added to and recapitalized, and they even built a high fence along the north and south boundaries. As a result, numerous B&C record book bucks are on the property including one that was recently harvested scoring a whopping 187in. The current Chairman of the Board of Tall Timbers personally hunts here, and he will tell us that he regularly moves 8-12 coveys in an afternoon and has moved as many as 25! Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia completed the Georgia leg of his Turkey Grand Slam here. Today, this property is the epitome of what a highly managed recreational property should be. Herbert Stoddard would be proud.

Today, this is the first time since 1937 that it has made a public appearance on the market... 87 years since Stoddard himself brokered the original sale.

Southlands contains 5,653+/- acres of the best of the best of the original 26,000 acres. The property sits on the edge of Curry Hill with 230 feet of elevation change. Essentially, this is the southernmost point of the Appalachian Mountains. The Flint River flows south into Bainbridge, where it hits Curry hill and then flows west along the property line for 4.5 miles. Elevations here reach as high as 310 feet, whereas, the Dougherty Plain across the river is less than 100 feet. Its Class I and II soils are exceptional. There are around 2.5% wetlands (122 acres of 5,653) and that includes a 20-acre lake. Yet, there are over 5 miles of spring creeks originating from the steep heads distributed throughout the property with additional smaller spring-fed feeder creeks.

The ground cover is exceptional given its long-term prescribed fire rotation. Once titled 'Southlands Experiment Forest,' this allowed for the highest quality timber genetics to be planted here 30+ years ago and that is evident today. The diversity of hardwoods and pine species are greater here than in almost any other location. In fact, there is so much diversity here, it is one reason the late EE Calloway declared this are to be the site of the original Garden of Eden. This is the only area in the world where the Gopher Wood tree that Noah used to build the ark has ever been found. There are no public roads or hardly any power lines crossing the property. Its shape is almost a complete square.

Trophy Whitetail Deer:

While bobwhite quail may be the Prince of Gamebirds in 2024 it’s the B&C caliber Whitetail buck that is the King.

If you're looking for a trophy deer hunting experience, and really enjoy seeing and raising monster bucks, this is literally as good a place as one could ever own. Undoubtedly, the genetics are here. Not only have record book bucks been harvested here, but Walter has several now on trail camera. The age is here. Southlands essentially shaped like a square but there are over 6.5 miles of high fence to help ensure bucks aren't harvested before their time. The third ingredient is nutrition. There are food plots scattered throughout, a 60-acre irrigated agricultural field planted in wildlife-friendly crops as well as 16 protein feeders scattered throughout.

Bobwhite Quail:

The researchers at Tall Timbers are amazed at what Herbert Stoddard was able to ascertain and how accurate his predictions were as we use modern technology to essentially prove what he knew back then. What he couldn’t have predicted is the equipment and techniques we use to manage bobwhite quail. For those that religiously follow Tall Timbers' guidelines, they are going to have record numbers of wild quail.

At Southlands, they do it all and they do it right. First, they begin with trapping mammalian predators. However, at less than 3% wetlands (not the typical 15%-25%), not only does that mean more quail habitat than the typical plantation but less habitat for quail predators, so there is a very significant force multiplier in the 3% wetlands. In addition, there are relatively few hardwoods in the quail areas making it difficult for predators to frequent the majority of the quail woods. For raptors, this means that there are fewer places where migrating accipiters (raptors that primarily prey on other birds) feel comfortable, and this lowers their success which takes significant pressure off of quail.

Second, they feed quail throughout the year, every 10 days. In fact, at Southlands, there are 90 miles of feed trails. Due to the high-quality Class 1 and Class 2 soils the ground cover is rich and diverse growing both insects, seeds, and ample cover. It's very rare to have a plantation with this high a percentage of fertile farmland soils.

Third, there is ample sunlight reaching the forest floor. While there are a few timber stands that should be thinned, for the vast majority of the property, sunlight reaches the ground daily and combined with the quality of soils this makes growing quail habitat seamless. In addition to sunlight-releasing ground cover, hundreds of acres are treated with smart herbicides that accelerate beneficial forbs and grasses and suppress non-beneficial.

The fourth, and most important, is consistent use of prescribed fire. The ideal burn regimen is to burn every two years which they do here and have done for decades. Another benefit of fertile soils is the fact that there is continuity in fuel and the property carries fire very well.

Waterfowl:

Waterfowl hunting is exceptional both on the 30-acre floodable duck pond and the adjoining Lake Seminole. Lake Seminole itself is one of the premier waterfowl destinations in the South. In fact, with regards to Canvasback hunting it may be the best. Guides can conveniently pick up guests at nearby Faceville Landing to hunt Lake Seminole. Alternatively, the private pond is a prolific ringneck producer.

The Turkeys:

Wild Turkeys are a given on Southlands. The varied terrain in particular makes hunting them even that much more exciting. The late Supreme Court, Justice Scalia, harvested the Eastern subspecies leg of his Grand Slam here.

Lakes and Water:

Lakes are one of the key differentiators between good properties and great. Water allows for not only fishing but also allows a property to transform into a year-round recreational use. When it comes to water, few, if any recreational hunting properties compare. Not only is there a 20-acre Eagle Lake and a 3.5-acre pond but there are 4.5 miles of border with the 37,500-acre Lake Seminole - one of the top 5 bass lakes in America. Guests can enjoy exceptional bass fishing on the private lake or have a seasoned guide pick them up at the adjoining Faceville Landing Park and fish the largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, or trophy catfish in Lake Seminole. Lake Seminole also consistently produces trophy alligators.

Here you can enjoy Lake Seminole’s year-round recreation without fear of development, as the opposite shoreline is forever protected within Silver Lake WMA. Of the 376 miles of shoreline, 30+ miles are shared with just two other private landowners.

Numerous springs and steep head ravines traverse the property including 3-4 waterfalls. There is one particular mile-long stretch of winding spring creek with steep Lime rock banks as high as 15-feet. In all, five miles of large creek bottom wind through the property with several smaller feeder creeks dispersed throughout.

There is a 60-acre irrigated agricultural field for income and wildlife. A pivot, a 12-inch well pumping 1,000 gallons per minute supplies the ag field. A sophisticated piping system and a pumping station connected to the lake ensure an abundant water supply throughout the property (as well as the ability to pump water both into or out of the lake). There are also 6-inch and 4-inch wells.

Conservation:

Today, in the nearby Red Hills Plantation region over 40% of the plantations are under a conservation easement. This is a positive trend that is continuing. Southlands is not yet under a conservation easement. There are significant advantages to placing a conservation easement on Southlands in the near future.

The Improvements:

The first thing one is going to notice when arriving at Southlands is the curb appeal. On the scenic drive along the Faceville Highway through other plantations one realizes they are somewhere special. The new entrance to Southlands is regarded as one of the finest entrances around. The 3+ mile paved, private driveway to the lodge is not one, but two car widths. This entrance and drive are one of the most notable of any plantation in the South. All overhead electrical lines have been placed underground.

The 8-bedroom, 5-bath lodge was originally built on a 200-foot bluff by Houghton Metcalf circa mid-1940’s. It has subsequently gone through extensive renovation and modernization while keeping with the traditional feel as much as possible.

In 2021 an 1,800 sq. ft. state-of-the-art, four-stall horse barn was built to better accommodate horseback quail hunts. The same year a 2,696+/- sf manager's house was also added. The 1,916-sf guest house and 1,552 sf original manager’s house have both been remodeled. Additional amenities include a shop, pavilion, cooler building for game storage, a vintage equipment barn, an 11 and a four-run dog kennel (15 runs total), two grain bins, and more. A high-capacity CAT generator ensures power at all times.

The Town:

Located in one of the most dynamic, recapitalized downtowns in the South. Restaurants (including a brewpub and award-winning fine dining), boutique shops, a walkable park downtown district and more make this one of Georgia's best small towns and earn it the title of "Sister City" to Thomasville. The Decatur County Airport lies just 20 minutes away and its 5,502 X 149 ft runway (formerly built for an airbase), accommodates all sizes of private jets. The drive to the Tallahassee airport from Southlands takes 49 minutes. There are two excellent steakhouses, Susie & Sams and The American. A new Publix has broken ground as well as a new riverfront Hilton. DR Horton, the nation's largest builder, has also broken ground on one of their latest projects. Bainbridge is certainly an up-and-coming community.