Hunters scouting out property near the intersection of Ga. 100 and Friday Road in extreme western Floyd County stumbled on a marijuana patch Saturday.

Sheriff Tim Burkhalter said the hunters contacted law enforcement authorities immediately, and after it was determined the land was owned by Berry College, Berry Chief of Police Bobby Abrams was also brought into the investigation.

Rome-Floyd Metro Task Force personnel were dispatched to the remote site and found a well-cultivated patch of 17 plants, each with a mesh enclosure to protect the plant from the hungry deer, for which the hunters were scouting.

Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy Ghee Wilson, assigned to the Task Force, said there were a few plants that were about 10-feet tall. “All of these were very well maintained, well taken care of plants,” Wilson said.

The deputy estimated the street value of the marijuana was about $45,000.

“One marijuana plant is capable of producing up to 2.2 pounds of marijuana. We had 17 plants altogether, and a pound of marijuana on the street goes for about $1,200,” Wilson said.

He said the plants were located down a deer trail in a fairly popular hunting area.

No arrests were made in conjunction with the seizure of the plants, which were taken to a safe location for storage until Monday when the Walker Mountain Landfill re-opens. The pot will be burned at a remote site on the landfill property.