TetonCHOUTEAU River COUNTY, Ranch

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 , 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. The city is home to the C. M. Russell Museum - named after the famous western artist Charlie Russell who lived in and around Great Falls for most of his life, the University of Great Falls and Great Falls College Montana State University, and Malstrom Air Force Base. Great Falls International Airport provides jet service to the area through four commercial carriers - Delta, Alaska, United and Allegiant Airlines. Two FBOs also cater to private aircraft.

With a population of some 300 residents, Dutton, Montana provides basic services for the surrounding farming community. Fort Benton is home to 1,500 people and serves as county seat to Chouteau County. Established in 1846, as a fur trading post, Fort Benton was the furthest upstream port for steamships navigating the Missouri River, and due to its historical significance, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1961. Today the town offers most key services, a few hotels, historic buildings, cafes and gas stations. There are also elementary and high schools in Fort Benton and the Missouri River Medical Center.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com www.LiveWaterProperties.com Live Water: Montana’s trout streams are legendary in fishing circles, however unknown to many is the fact that the state also offers premier opportunities to pursue game fish such as walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch, crappie and catfish. Although the stretch of water on the Teton River Ranch supports non-game species of fish, better angling can be found in the near vicinity. The Marias and Missouri Rivers are within 45 minutes of the ranch and offer the chance at walleye, bass, pike and catfish. The portion of the immediately downstream from the dam on Tiber Reservoir also supports a viable trout population that is not on most anglers’ radar. Tiber Reservoir is one of the finest walleye and pike fisheries in the state and lays claim to the current state record walleye at 17.75 pounds. Phenomenal trout fishing can be found in the tail water stretch of the Missouri River downstream from Holter Reservoir at Wolf Creek, Montana, about 90 miles from the ranch. Many small streams in the Little Belt Mountains southeast of Great Falls also support large numbers of trout, as is the case with the streams originating on the Rocky Mountain Front west of Chouteau and Augusta, Montana.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com Wildlife & Hunting: Some of Montana’s best hunting opportunities are found in the north central portion of the state. The mountains and plains comprising the region, harbor big game species that include elk, white-tailed and mule deer, antelope, black bear, mountain lion, moose, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats. Waterfowl and upland wingshooting are also superb in this area with the possibility of decoying ducks and geese in the morning, and then hunting for Hungarian partridge (huns), pheasant and grouse in the afternoon of the same day.

The Teton River Ranch in particular supports a varied wildlife community. Mule deer, white-tailed deer, antelope, turkey, pheasant, Hungarian partridge and sharp-tail grouse are found on the property. With the abundant water, cover habitat, and feed found on the ranch, big game and upland bird hunting opportunities are superb. The owner purchased the property specifically as a hunting retreat, and utilizing the advice and counsel of wildlife specialists, has managed the ranch with an emphasis on promoting and supporting high numbers of deer and game birds. The current owner implemented a professional pheasant habitat management plan when he acquired the property, which has been strictly adhered to for the last decade. The previous owner held the same philosophy, and the ranch has been groomed for 20 consecutive years as a high-caliber hunting operation. The right mix of habitat regimes preferred by wildlife has resulted in high populations of game animals and birds - particularly pheasants, which are found in unbelievable numbers throughout the property. The size of the ranch, coupled with mixed topography and the general “lay of the land”, ensures that wildlife will stay on the ranch, even with frequent and heavy hunting pressure. Literally, all of the ranch acreage is excellent hunting, allowing the opportunity to hunt different beats on a rest rotation basis. One cannot overstate the tremendous hunting available on the Teton River Ranch, especially for pheasant and deer. In addition to hunting on the ranch, there are several nearby Block Management hunting areas that offer good deer, antelope and wingshooting options.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com Wildlife & Hunting: (Continued) The property lies in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 4 and specifically deer and antelope Hunting District 404, which allows for harvest of either-sex white-tailed or buck mule deer, and either-sex antelope. For 2015, the deer archery- only season runs from September 5 - October 18, with the general season running from October 24 - November 29. Antelope tags are secured through a drawing process and District 404 has 200 licenses allocated for the general season, and 5,600 unlimited district licenses earmarked for archery. These later tags allow bow hunting for antelope in any of the designated Montana antelope hunting districts, with a season that runs from September 5 - October 9. The general antelope season runs from October 10 - November 8, 2015. The Montana upland bird-hunting season is one of the most generous in the United States in terms of season length and bag limits. With the exception of pheasant, the general upland bird season runs from September 1 - January 1. The pheasant season runs from October 10 - January 1. Per-day bag limits are 3, 4 and 8 birds on pheasant, sharp-tail and huns respectively.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com Recreation: North central Montana offers a bounty of recreational options. The area contains countless acres of public land in the form of National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, State of Montana, state and federal wildlife refuges and Wildlife Management Areas. There are vast expanses of prairie and plains in this region and a wildlife community that in terms of density and variety, likely rivals or exceeds most parts of the continental United States. While hunting and fishing are mainstay recreational pursuits, there are many other alternatives to consider such as hiking, backpacking, camping, mountain biking and horseback riding.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com Recreation: (Continued) One interesting attraction is the 149-mile Upper Missouri Wild and Scenic stretch of the Missouri River between Fort Benton and Fred Robinson Bridge. Many adventurers raft and canoe this historic stretch of river, which really has not changed since Lewis and Clark first laid eyes on it. Freezout Lake near Fairfield, Montana, annually serves as a spring staging area for an estimated 300,000 snow geese and 10,000 tundra swans migrating from winter haunts to summer nesting areas in northern Canada, and it is a haven for bird watchers. Glacier National Park is located about 160 miles from the Teton River Ranch. Skiing at Showdown Ski Area is about 95 miles away. The city of Great Falls boasts 57 parks and 40 miles of hiking trails along the Missouri River, four golf courses, the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, the C. M. Russell Museum, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, and the Mansfield Center for Performing Arts, which promotes live music events and other performances. Great Falls also hosts the Montana State Fair each year and the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, as well as being home to a semi-pro baseball team.

Water & Mineral Rights: The seller will convey/transfer all appurtenant water rights at closing, however the seller makes no representations or warranties concerning current status or validity of any of these rights. Independent investigation is recommended to any prospective purchaser. There are no mineral rights that convey with the ranch.

www.LiveWaterProperties.com www.LiveWaterProperties.com Summary The Teton River Ranch combines high-caliber hunting amenities in a private setting, while being conveniently located to several charming north central Montana communities. The ranch benefits from two decades of management strategy that prioritizes the enhancement and preservation of optimum wildlife habitat and maximizing game populations, especially upland birds and deer. By utilizing a proven template that strategically incorporates food, cover and water requirements, the resident wildlife community is diverse and flourishing. The ranch is being offered turnkey with improvements that are well suited for the individual who entertains hunting friends and guests, or a group ownership scenario. The Teton River Ranch represents a rare and unique offering in the Montana sporting ranch market; a beautiful, spacious, game-rich property that should satisfy the hunting requirements of the most avid sportsman.

PRICE: $4,500,000 TAXES: $6,384 in 2014

CONTACT: Jeff Shouse, Associate Broker Cell: 406.580.5078 Toll Free: 866.734.6100 | Office: 406.586.6010

www.LiveWaterProperties.com Teton Maps River are for visual aid Ranch only ~ accuracy Location is not guaranteed. Map

Notes: 1) This is an exclusive listing of Live Water Properties LLC; an agent of Live Water Properties must be present to conduct a showing. The owners respectfully request that other agents and/or prospective buyers contact Live Water Properties in advance to schedule a proper showing and do not attempt to tour or trespass the property on their own. Thank you. 2) Offering subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information provided herein is intended as a general guideline and has been provided by sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy of which we cannot guarantee. 3) Live Water Properties LLC represents the Seller as a Seller’s Agent. TetonMaps River are for visual aid only Ranch ~ accuracy is notAerial guaranteed. Map Teton Maps River are for visual aid Ranch only ~ accuracy Terrainis not guaranteed. Map Teton Maps River are for visual aid Ranch only ~ accuracy Terrainis not guaranteed. Map Teton Maps River are for visual aid Ranch only ~ accuracy Terrainis not guaranteed. Map