Teton River Ranch Offers Outstanding Hunting Opportunities in One of the Most Renowned Upland Bird and Big Game Hunting Areas of the State
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TetonCHOUTEAU River COUNTY, Ranch MONTANA Hunting | Ranching | Fly Fishing | Conservation CHOUTEAUTeton River COUNTY, RanchMONTANA Introduction: Situated in the “Golden Triangle” area of north central Montana approximately 45 minutes north of Great Falls, the Teton River Ranch offers outstanding hunting opportunities in one of the most renowned upland bird and big game hunting areas of the state. Consisting of 2,597± deeded acres of river and creek bottom riparian habitat, plus an additional 120± acres of Bureau of Land Management and 1,320± acres of State of Montana lease land, the property is home to mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, turkey, pheasant, Hungarian partridge and sharp-tail grouse. The acreage is surrounded by productive large-scale farming operations, and the neighborhood is sparsely populated in a rural setting. The ranch’s deeded acreage straddles both sides of the Teton River for over 9± miles, and another 2.5± miles of river flows through leased ground controlled by the ranch. Upland bird habitat on the property is tremendous; the ranch has been managed with an emphasis on maximizing the resident pheasant population for over 20 years and the number of birds on the property is staggering. Improvements include a 2,052 square foot main residence, a four-plex guest house for family and friends, an original ranch house, miscellaneous outbuildings and grain bins. Jeff Shouse, Associate Broker The property is relatively close to town and services, yet Cell: 406.580.5078 provides very high-quality hunting amenities in a private Toll Free: 866.734.6100 setting. The Teton River Ranch is one of the finest sporting Office: 406.586.6010 ranches in Montana and represents a prime purchase opportunity for the avid outdoor enthusiast. www.LiveWaterProperties.com Location: The ranch is located approximately 34 miles north of Great Falls, 25 miles east of Dutton, and 39 miles west of Fort Benton, Montana. Access to the property from Great Falls is by MT Highway 225 - Bootlegger Road, which is paved for the first 14 miles, then graveled road for the remainder. Driving from the ranch to Dutton and I-15, the first 10 miles of road is gravel, then approximately 15 miles on MT Highway 379, which is paved. Fort Benton is reached by a series of graveled county roads, then 10.5 miles of pavement on MT Highway 87. www.LiveWaterProperties.com Acreage: At an elevation ranging from 3,100’ to 3,400’, the Teton River Ranch consists of 2,597± deeded acres, 1,320± acres of State of Montana lease land, and 120± acres of Bureau of Land Management lease land. The leases allow for grazing of 243 AUMs and 35 AUMs respectively. The deeded property lies in two separate pieces connected by a section of State of Montana land that is inaccessible by the public. The owner purchased a right-of-way easement from the State of Montana, which provides exclusive ingress/egress vehicular access across the State lease to both pieces of deeded land. The Teton River flows through the deeded portion of the ranch for over 9 miles, and another 2.5 ± miles of river flows through the State section. The west side of the ranch contains approximately 3± miles of Timber Coulee, which carries seasonal runoff water. One of the most unique characteristics of the ranch is how it is situated. That is, virtually all of the deeded land lies in the riparian corridors of either the Teton River, or Timber Coulee, resulting in miles of premium, ideal wildlife habitat, and very little acreage that isn’t prime hunting ground. Native vegetation on the ranch includes several hardy short grass species, cactus varieties, wild roses, Russian olive, buffalo berry, snowberry, large willow thickets and stands of cottonwood trees. Approximately 94± acres of pivot and wheel line irrigated barley and alfalfa as well as 6 dry land grain plots lying in proximity to the river and adjacent to excellent nesting, roosting and bedding cover areas, encourage wildlife to stay on the property. The owner has a limited grazing lease arrangement with an adjoining neighbor, and the lessee also hays the alfalfa. Net income to the ranch through this arrangement generally runs between $7,000 - $8,000 annually. The exterior boundaries of the ranch are principally hillside terrain cut by a number of main coulees and smaller draws that slope from neighboring agricultural ground to the riparian bottomland of the Teton River. The property is entirely surrounded by large farming operations with limited wildlife habitat, essentially creating a wildlife oasis on the Teton River Ranch. www.LiveWaterProperties.com Acreage (Continued): The property is perimeter and cross-fenced and controls water rights from the Teton River. The irrigation equipment includes a pivot, pump and wheel lines, which will convey with a sale. Average annual precipitation for the area is estimated at 10” - 12” annually. There is a limited interior road system on the ranch to access various parts of the property, and the majority of leased land is inaccessible by the public. The Montana Cadastral, a GIS (geographic information system), breakdown of the ranch acreage is as follows: Grazing: 2,418.901 acres Fallow: 66.589 acres Irrigated: 94.236 Wild Hay: 16.426 acres Farm site: 1 acre www.LiveWaterProperties.com An Exceptional Bird Hunting Ranch www.LiveWaterProperties.com Improvements: Improvements on the ranch are in fair to good condition and adequate for year-round or seasonal living. The main house and guest quarters were built with entertaining in mind, with enough space to accommodate extra family and hunting friends. The original ranch home was built in 1926, and is of frame construction with wood shingle roof. This structure is one level with 700 sqft and two bedrooms. The main home was built in 1998, and is of log construction with metal roof. This structure is two stories on a concrete foundation, with 1512, and 540 sqft on the first and second floors respectively. There are two bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen and combined dining area/living room - “great room”, plus a mudroom entryway. Heating is gas/forced air, and there is central air conditioning. There is also a large attached exterior deck on the east side of the house. The guest quarters consist of a four-plex structure also built in 1998. Construction is frame with maintenance-free vinyl siding and metal roof. Each of the four units has its own private bath and is decorated in a different western theme. The structure is one level with a finished basement for a total of 1,792 sqft. There is central air conditioning and gas/forced air heat. Outbuildings on the ranch consist of a 875 sqft detached garage built in 1980, a 5,000 sqft prefab building built in 1976, a 1984 four-sided enclosed pole frame building that is 1,664 sqft, and three 60,000 bushel grain bins without aerators. The ranch is being offered turnkey, including most furnishings and appliances in the buildings, as well as farming equipment that includes a tractor, 14’ offset harrow and 14’ IH grain drill. A list of personal property is available through Live Water Properties. www.LiveWaterProperties.com Area: The Golden Triangle region of north central Montana is synonymous with big, sprawling country, contrasting landscapes, historical richness, premier recreational opportunities, friendly people and agriculture. The area displays varying geography; productive irrigated river valleys, timbered foothill and bench country, large expanses of rolling farm ground, prairie and rangeland, and isolated mountain ranges. First established in 1865, Chouteau County was the largest of the nine original counties that comprised the Montana Territory, and the second largest county in the United States at that time. It was named in 1882, after Pierre Chouteau Jr., a fur trader who built a trading post on the Missouri River, the site of modern day Fort Benton. The county was reorganized in 1909, and now consists of 3,997 square miles - a little less than one-quarter of its original size. With a population density of only 1.5 people per square mile, it is one of the least populated counties in Montana. Chouteau County lies in the historic ancestral lands of several Native American Indian tribes, including the Gros Ventre, Piegan, Blood, Blackfeet and Crow who hunted the deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, bighorn sheep and the millions of bison that once inhabited the area. Lewis and Clark spent all of June and the first weeks of July 1805, in this particular area of Montana, scouting the unexplored country around the Missouri and Marias Rivers during their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase and quest to find an inland passage to the Pacific Ocean. Today, agriculture is far and away the primary economic activity in the region, centered around both purebred and commercial cattle ranches, and especially, large-scale feed crop and grain farming operations. The Golden Triangle produces approximately 45% of Montana’s entire wheat crop annually, and Chouteau County is the largest winter wheat producer in the state. Prominent mountain ranges in the area include the Bears Paw, Little Rockies and Highwood Ranges. The Teton, Marias and Missouri Rivers constitute the major drainages. www.LiveWaterProperties.com Area: (Continued) Great Falls, the largest community in the region with a population of some 60,000, is the third largest city in Montana, and primary trade hub for all of north central Montana. The Missouri River flows through town on its journey north, spilling over four separate dramatic falls just downstream from the city limits. Nicknamed the “Electric City”, Great Falls offers all major shopping and service related opportunities, small specialty businesses, art galleries, historic buildings, sporting goods stores, fine restaurants, and a myriad of cultural amenities.