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Conservation Fund Buys 2,500 Acres of Jimmy Carter Family Farmland in Southwest Georgia
The Conservation Fund has purchased roughly 2,500 acres of farmland and forest near Plains that the Carter family once used for turkey hunting, with plans to potentially open the land to public hunting as part of a wildlife management area.
A nonprofit land conservation group has completed the purchase of about 2,500 acres of southwest Georgia farmland and surrounding forest that the family of former President Jimmy Carter long used for hunting and farming, a deal that could eventually give the public access to a tract steeped in Carter family history.
The Conservation Fund closed the transaction on Friday, acquiring the property in Webster County near Plains. The land includes working farmland and timber, and the group intends to transfer it to the state for inclusion in the Hannahatchee Creek Wildlife Management Area, according to Lee Taylor, chief of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division.
Taylor said the acquisition is historically significant and could roughly double the size of the existing wildlife management area. "I think the state's management of it is a huge win for the game and nongame wildlife," he said.
The property had been owned by the Carter family for generations. Jimmy Carter's father, James Earl Carter Sr., farmed the land, and the future president worked there as a young man. The family sold timber and farmland over the years, and the tract was among the last large pieces remaining in family hands.
Carter, who died in December 2024 at age 100, wrote fondly of turkey hunting in the woods of southwest Georgia in his 1988 book "An Outdoor Journal." He described the patience and woodsmanship required to call in a wild gobbler, recounting one hunt in which he downed an 18-pound bird with No. 4 shot.
"I know of no other kind of hunting that requires more skill, patience, practice, knowledge of woodsmanship â and luck â than seeking the wily gobbler in his own territory," Carter wrote.
The purchase price was not disclosed. The Conservation Fund has a history of working with the Carter family and has helped protect more than 100,000 acres across the country, including large tracts in Alaska. The group said the family wanted to ensure the land would be protected from development.
"They wanted to make sure this property was protected," said a representative of the fund. "This is a big deal for conservation, especially for the Carters."
Under the tentative plan, the state would manage the land for public hunting and wildlife habitat. If the transfer is completed, the Hannahatchee Creek Wildlife Management Area would grow substantially, expanding recreational opportunities in a rural corner of the state where access to public land is limited.
The Carter family's connection to the land dates back decades. The former president's boyhood farm in Plains is now part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, and the family has remained active in the region. The farmland purchase adds a new chapter to that legacy, one that could allow future generations of Georgians to walk the same woods where Carter hunted turkeys.
"He was a turkey hunter," said one longtime friend of Carter's, recalling the former president's passion for the sport. "He loved it."
The transaction comes as conservation groups and state agencies increasingly look to protect working lands and wildlife habitat from development pressure. Supporters say the deal preserves a piece of Georgia's rural heritage while ensuring public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.
Details of the transfer to the state, including a timeline, have not been finalized. Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said they are reviewing the property and expect to complete the process in the coming months.