The farmland and forest outside Plains, Georgia where Jimmy Carter once hunted wild turkeys has a new owner. The Conservation Fund has acquired roughly 2,458 acres of the Carter family's land, with plans to eventually open it to hunters, anglers and other outdoor recreationists.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the former president spent years walking those woods with a loaded shotgun in search of wild turkeys. On one outing, Carter used #4 shot to bring down an 18-pound bird, a hunt he later reflected on in his 1988 book “An Outdoor Journal,” writing that turkey hunting demands skill, patience, practice, woodsmanship and luck.
The property sits in Webster County in southwest Georgia and includes both farmland and surrounding forest once used by the former president. As reported by WTVM, the roughly 2,458-acre tract sits just outside Plains, and its acquisition is being framed as a major step toward expanding public conservation land in the region.
A Habitat for Rare Wildlife
Beyond its ties to Carter, the land carries ecological significance. The property is home to gopher tortoises, and nearby creeks support rare freshwater mussels, the same WTVM report notes. That mix of farmland, forest and waterway habitat is central to the Fund's plans for the site.
The Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based nonprofit, intends to fold the acreage into the Lanahassee Creek Wildlife Management Area, according to the station's report. Officials expect the expansion to grow that management area to nearly 7,000 acres once complete.
Timeline for Public Access Still Taking Shape
Officials have outlined a path toward public use, though the full process will take time. Per the same account, the land could open to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation as soon as 2027, before formally transferring to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2028.
The purchase price itself remains unsettled between outlets. The seed reporting attributed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put the figure at about $8 million, while The Hill reported the property sold to the conservation group for $8.5 million. The discrepancy between the two figures has not been resolved in available reporting.
For now, the transaction marks the next chapter for land long associated with Carter's personal history in rural Georgia. What was once a quiet hunting ground for a sitting president is being positioned as a future public resource for hunters, anglers and nature enthusiasts across the region.
