Great Southern Outdoors is pleased to officially introduce its FOURTH GENERATION plantation manger, Hunter Pritchett!
Hunter grew up in the forests and fields of the plantation, and has had the opportunity to become acquainted with outdoorsmen from all across the United States, and from all over the world. He developed a love for the outdoors as a child, and actually began taking clients to the quail fields at age seven! Angelo, from Chicago, and Dr. Britt from Birmingham were his very first clients, and they continue to visit Great Southern Outdoors frequently. Through these and many other experiences, Hunter has gained that rare combination of self-confidence and humility to be able to stand on equal ground with people from all walks of life, and to treat each of them with respect and honor. Hunter has learned the time-honored traditions of a good plantation manager, from cleaning the kennels, to plowing the fields, to sharing dinner with a corporate president, a Governor or a working man and his son or daughter after a day of hunting.
Legendary wildlife plantations like Great Southern Outdoors do not occur by accident. It literally takes generations of hard work and dedication to establish and maintain time-honored traditions. It is more, much more, than just the land; (although the land itself is mighty special, having been in the family since the 1800s). The Creek Indians hunted elk, white-tail deer, turkey and small game in its forests. When settlers began to move in, the rich soils of the land yielded abundant agricultural crops, primarily cotton; and its forests helped supply the rapidly growing timber industry. Soon after the Civil War, many of the fields were converted to pasture for cattle. Habitat conditions were perfect for wildlife, especially for Bob White Quail, and by the turn of the twentieth century, the area was well on its way to becoming the quail hunting capital of the world. Today, the centerpiece of the town square in Union Springs, Alabama is the bronze statue of a bird dog, in honor of this distinction.
Whitetail deer populations had been decimated by the early 1900s, which motivated some private landowners, working with the Alabama Department of Conservation, to begin a re-stocking program. As a result, the deer population has been successfully restored, and now numbers more than one and a half million animals. Bullock County is home to the largest population of deer in Alabama. Today, the focus is on maintaining the health of the species, and improving overall quality. Great Southern Outdoors Wildlife Plantation was among the first to implement quality deer management practices. These efforts, as has always been the case, require people – dedicated individuals, who are willing to work, and to invest the time and resources necessary to achieve such monumental goals.
Generations of tradition are a treasure to be greatly valued, especially when it comes to caring for a wildlife plantation, its land and creatures. Stewards of the land and its resources are the foundation of the outdoor community. The basic qualities are genuine concern for the care of the land, for the wellbeing of the wildlife, in-depth knowledge of wildlife and habitat management, a love of the great outdoors and of nature…and most of all, genuine concern for one’s fellowman. These qualities must be instilled in an individual from an early age to be successfully incorporated into the family heritage. Hunter has developed these attributes, and learned the unique value of them all.
The responsibility of caring for and managing a wildlife plantation requires a level of commitment that goes beyond most occupations. The hours are 24/7/365 in all kinds of weather, caring for the bird dogs, cultivating the wildlife fields, maintaining the hunting grounds, hosting clients and working alongside others who have chosen this line of work. Hunter recognizes the importance of Best Management Practices for the forest lands, the value of utilizing the collective resources of the Department of Conservation, QDMA, Auburn University, and well more than a century of family experience on this plantation.
Great Southern Outdoors Wildlife Plantation continues its commitment to the traditions of wildlife conservation, Southern hospitality and sportsmanship in the great outdoors.
