Bumping down a dusty lane, we stopped the pickup to inspect damming sites for the landowner’s waterfowling expansion project. “Look at that!” Phillip Jennings exclaimed, spotting an arrowhead. The Creek tribe inhabited this region of east-central Georgia for centuries, and Jennings’ collection of indigenous artifacts has grown to an eyebrow-raising mini-museum. The next day I would hunt the same haunts our predecessors had—a sobering link to Southern history.
Broomsedge Rod & Gun, in Soperton, is owned by the Jennings family—11th-generation farmers and sportsmen. The club’s 8,500 acres are comprised of multiple farms and hunting fields managed for wildlife with food plots and irrigation. Jennings and his son Phil gave me a thorough tour of the property and elaborated on their collaboration with DNR biologists. “We have naturally developed upland courses of sunflower, corn, millet and sorghum that feed deer and dove before seeding out to sustain our geese, quail, pheasant and turkey,” Jennings said. “It reminds me of how Boaz dropped some of the harvest for Ruth to glean in the Bible. Our year-round approach is that intentional.”
The Jennings now offer walk-up quail hunting behind dogs amidst fields and piney woods as well as walk-up hunting and tower shoots for pheasants. There is also flighted-duck shooting on the property’s lakes.
The morning after I arrived found me on a safari jeep that was pulling a kennel trailer. We proceeded to hunt four of the eight bobwhite tracts—spanning 1,400 acres—with a mix of broomsedge, blackberry, gallberry, scarlet calamint and wiregrass. With plenty of natural obstacles, the wooded parcels provided an honest farm hunt.
Commensurate with the excellent hunting at Broomsedge are the first-class accommodations. And then there are the silos—perhaps the most unique and defining difference of any stay I’ve enjoyed across the country. Completed in 2022, The Jennings Lodge accommodates 28 guests. The design incorporates three grain silos from the original farmstead that have been converted into three-story lodging, each with six rooms and private baths.
In the evening sumptuous charcuterie boards complemented the well-stocked bourbon and cigar bar, and we gorged on duck egg rolls and gator bites. The full-time chef prepared roasted potatoes and fresh greens along with red snapper and the most delicious pheasant casserole I’ve ever had.
Broomsedge offers individual hunts and stays in addition to Mallard Club memberships, Deer Memberships and Wings Memberships (for quail, ducks and pheasants). The lodge also has a well-stocked Pro Shop featuring a variety of clothing, gear, footwear and firearms.
For more information, visit broomsedgerodandgun.com.
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