Hatcher Forest
Georgetown, GA 39854
Quitman County, Georgia
Land Description
Property Overview
Hatcher Forest is a exceptional opportunity to purchase a diverse hunting and recreational tract featuring:
-6,300 feet of frontage along Hatcher Road with three access point.
-305 acres of upland and 290 acres of hardwood bottomlands.
-Over a mile of frontage along scenic Pataula Creek, offering fishing, canoeing, or kayaking for the recreational enthusiast.
-Multiple established food plots providing excellent wildlife forage.
-Just minutes from Lake Eufaula, renowned for crappie and bass.
Location
Hatcher Forest is located in the upper coastal plain region of Southwest Georgia, an area noted for its rolling terrain and strong mix of agriculture and timberland. The tract is surrounded on all sides by other timbered properties, with adjoining ownership split between the forest industry and private individuals.
The town of Georgetown, Georgia, lies just eight miles away, providing fuel, groceries, and some dining options. Lake Eufaula, a 45,000-Acre reservoir renowned for crappie and bass fishing, is also only minutes from the property. The City of Eufaula, Alabama, is approximately 15 minutes away and offers dining, lodging, grocery stores, and a medical facility. Nearby recreational destinations include Lake Point State Park, Florence Marina State Park, and the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, all of which provide amenities such as a resort lodge, marina, restaurant, campground, hiking trails, fishing, boating, hunting, and wildlife viewing. This is truly a recreation-rich area.
The tract has paved, county-maintained frontage on Hatcher Road. It can be reached in about 20 minutes from US 431 in Eufaula or US 27 in Cuthbert. The larger cities of Dothan, Alabama, and Albany, Georgia, are both about an hour away, each offering extensive lodging, dining, grocery, and hospital options, as well as regional airports. The Columbus airport is roughly an hour and a half away, and Atlanta can be reached in approximately two and a half hours.
Access
The property offers approximately 6,300 feet of frontage along Hatcher Road with three access points. Hatcher Forest features a well-developed system of interior logging roads, trails, and paths. Many of these can be navigated with two-wheel drive vehicles that have good ground clearance, though four-wheel drive may be required during wet periods. Most roads are vehicle-accessible, while some smaller trails are best suited for ATVs or UTVs. Electrical power is already available on the tract, including service brought directly to the lakefront campsite.
Property Description
This tract offers outstanding recreational and management potential. Its location and natural diversity create excellent habitat for trophy whitetail deer, while also making it prime for wild hogs, ducks, and turkey.
Approximately 305 acres consist of upland sites with well-drained soils well-suited for timber production. Another 290 acres are hardwood-dominated bottomlands. Elevations range from around 200 feet above sea level along Pataula Creek to nearly 450 feet at the highest ridges. While the pine plantations are still young, they already provide impressive views across the property.
The land contains multiple established food plots in a variety of shapes and sizes, offering forage opportunities, while the pine plantations provide excellent cover. Its diversity is further enhanced by extensive hardwood acreage and more than a mile of frontage along Pataula Creek. This stretch of the creek is wide enough to be wadable or floated by canoe or kayak and flows into Lake Eufaula just five miles downstream.
Lake Eufaula itself, located only minutes away, is a nationally recognized fishing destination. At more than 45,000 acres, it is well known for largemouth bass and crappie, with many professional bass tournaments held on its waters. The current Georgia state record blue catfish also came from Lake Eufaula.
Southwest Georgia is celebrated for its quality whitetail hunting, and a tract of this size offers the opportunity to manage a deer herd to its maximum potential. In addition, there are healthy populations of turkey and hog throughout the area. The acreage also provides abundant space for other recreational pursuits such as horseback riding, ATV use, birdwatching, and more, plenty of room to spend an entire day outdoors without ever leaving your property.
Timber Resource
The tract has approximately 160 acres of loblolly plantation in its second growing season and 145 acres that are in their fourth. Both age classes appear to be well-stocked and growing well. Given that this part of Georgia has a very strong sawlog market, this tract holds incredible potential for timber income and management for the future.
Typical loblolly plantation management in this region follows this basic template. The first thinning occurs at or near age 15. While this is indeed an income-producing event, the purpose of this thinning is primarily to keep the timber healthy and developing well. It also helps the plantation transition from low-value products (pulpwood) into higher-value (chip-n-saw and sawtimber). Depending on how well it responds to the first thinning, there are times when a second thinning may be recommended at or near age 21 for the same purposes. This second thinning also aids in transitioning into large sawtimber, veneer, and poles (should those markets exist in the area). Plantations usually reach their fullest financial maturity between the ages of 26 and 32; at this point, they can be sold to reap the best return. During the life cycle of the plantation, other silvicultural treatments, if appropriately timed, can be considered to enhance growth or control competition. Examples include herbaceous treatment, woody release, fertilization, prescribed burning, etc.
After the first thinning of plantations occurs, conducting a prescribed burn every two to three years helps suppress competing tree species and greatly enhances wildlife value.
While Georgia Best Management Practices allow harvesting within the hardwood bottoms, we typically urge leaving these intact, as they provide a protective buffer along streams to help keep water temperatures down and filtration from sediment. These also function as wildlife travel coordinators.
Land Maps & Attachments
Directions to Land
Coming from the intersection of US 431 and US 82 in the town of Eufaula, Alabama, head east on US 82. If you are coming from Dothan or Abbeville, this will be a right turn. If you are coming from Columbus or Phenix city, this will be a left turn. Follow US 82 across the lake and into the town of Georgetown, Georgia. Continue on US 82 for about 7 miles, then turn right onto Hatcher Road. Follow Hatcher Road for about three and a half miles, then the property will be on the left. The primary gate is right at the four-mile mark. Look for our for-sale signs.
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