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Box-R WMA

Located in Franklin and Gulf Counties, Box-R Wildlife Management Area secures 11,216 acres with nearly 7 miles of frontage along Lake Wimico and the Jackson and Apalachicola Rivers. Together with the adjacent Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area, Box-R's tidal marshes, creeks, floodplain swamps, hammocks and pine uplands are essential components of a complex ecological system that accounts for the productivity of Apalachicola Bay to the south. This is critical to the health of recreational and commercial fisheries, a major component of the local economy.

Formerly known as the Box-R Ranch, this productive area for deer, hog and turkey hunts was the private retreat of Ed Ball, co-founder of the St. Joe Company. A full suite of public hunting opportunities await sportsmen. Paddlers can explore adjacent rivers and meandering creeks, while hikers, off-road cyclists and equestrians can venture on existing roads and catch glimpses of white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, ospreys, red-shouldered hawks and other resident wildlife.