The Ranch Advisor

Bar Cross Ranch – Incredible Wyoming Sporting Property

Haley — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:51:04 +0000

A rare offering due to its size, the Bar Cross Ranch consists of 12,045 deeded acres, 1,440 acres of state lease, 15,711 of adjacent National Forest grazing allotment and 3,587 of BLM allotment, for a total of 32,783 acres. The ranch is located 12 miles northwest of Pinedale and one hour southeast of Jackson Hole with dramatic views of three mountain ranges. This sporting property borders the Bridger-Teton National Forest, BLM, and State lands that provide thousands of additional acres of recreational land. Bar Cross has been used for hay production and cattle grazing in the past. Private trophy trout fishing abounds on approximately 3 miles of the New Fork River and 7 miles of Willow Creek that flow through the ranch. A private 40-acre lake and several small ponds are stocked with large trout and are fed by natural springs. The Bar Cross Ranch also borders the scenic Willow Lake that is otherwise surrounded by National Forest lands. An incredible variety of wildlife frequents the ranch including antelope, deer, grouse and waterfowl. Improvements include a 4BR main home and another 2BR home, barns, garages, outbuildings and sheds. Offering price is $21.9M. Other parcels offered from the Bar Cross Ranch include: Willow Creek Ranch, comprised of 7,038 acres for $13.5M; New Fork River Track, with 5,007 acres for $10.95M; Willow Creek Meadows, situated on 6,135 acres for $9.95M; Upper Willow Creek with 903 acres for $3.95M.

Fall River Springs – Exceptional Waterfowl Hunting

Haley — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:50:49 +0000

Live Water Properties Broker and Owner, Alex Maher, and his lab, Katie Sue, got their limit of mallards on Saturday at Fall River Springs in Ashton, Idaho. Fall River Springs is an exceptional waterfowl hunting property among other notable characteristics. The 1,127-acre property has big mountain views, trout fishing, Whitetail deer and an agricultural component.

Hunting Bison in the Shadow of the Tetons

Haley — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:40:10 +0000

Live Water Properties Broker, Matt MacMillan, grins as he poses with his prized buffalo. Jackson, Wyoming’s National Elk Refuge is one of the few places in the US where you can hunt free ranging wild bison. Matt pulled a special tag with limited permits this hunting season. The refuge suggests hunters pass a bison identification exam available online as a tool to help hunters differentiate between bulls and cows. A one to two-year-old bull and a mature cow are difficult to distinguish. To learn more about how you can go bison hunting in the shadow of the Tetons, click here.

Jane Brown Awarded in National Sporting Clays Championship

Haley — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:39:17 +0000

Live Water Properties agent Jane Brown is pictured with her awards from the 2011 National Sporting Clays Championship. The event was October 27 – 30 at the NSCA Headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. With over 2,000 shooters in the competition, Jane ranked very high in her division She won a first place award, two second place awards and a fifth place in Division D. Jane’s first place honor was awarded in the Main Ladies category, the two second place prizes in the Veteran and 5-Stand categories, with the award for 5th place in Ladies Overall. Way to go Jane! Congratulations!!

October Hunting Excitement

Haley — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:44:26 +0000

As kids we grow up looking forward to the Christmas season. Even before school starts in the fall we are counting down the days until Christmas morning. Many hunters feel that way about October and hunting season. Live Water Properties showcases two first-timers in their big game hunting excitement this October.

Cole Janssen, son of Live Water Properties Broker, Craig Janssen is pictured with Cole’s first Whitetail deer in Gallatin County, Montana.

Chris Deming, husband of LWP Marketing Director, Haley Deming is pictured with his first elk in Fremont County, Wyoming.

I am sure that both hunters were as excited as a kid on Christmas morning when they realized they just bagged their first big game hunt.

RiverSong Farm and Forest Sanctuary – Hood River, Oregon

Haley — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:56:49 +0000

RiverSong Farm is a 91-acre Oregon ranch property located in the Hood River Valley, 15 minutes from downtown Hood River and 30 minutes from four ski resorts, Mount Hood Meadows, Timberline, Ski Bowl and Cooper Spur. In the heart of steelhead country, the property consists of 19 acres of irrigated organic farmland, old growth oak, bigleaf maple, fir trees and fenced pasture for horses. Improvements include a restored 4BR, 2BA farmhouse, several yurts and a barn, all fronting a ½ mile of the Hood River. Recreational amenities include summer and winter steelhead fishing, with the best steelhead run on the entire Hood River rumored to be onsite. In addition, steelhead anglers can access the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers in Washington, both well-respected steelhead fisheries within 30 minutes of the property, and the mouth of the Deschutes River is only 45 minutes east. Resident populations of California quail, Ruffed grouse and pheasant are all available for the avid wingshooter. Hood River is a resort town located 1 hour from Portland and 45 minutes from the Portland International Airport. The town is known for its mild climate, excellent restaurants, local wineries and award-winning fruit orchards. During the summer, Hood River is a kite-boarding and windsurfing mecca, and in the winter it is a skier’s dream. With a ½ mile of Hood River frontage and access to an additional 1 mile and 400 acres of landlocked public land adjacent to and upstream of the property, RiverSong Farm offers an extremely desirable lifestyle with endless recreational amenities. Offering price is $1,495,000.

Bull Elk Hunt

Haley — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:02:16 +0000

By: Alex Maher

Took a short walk Monday morning solo to try out a new area east of Moran, in Grizzly country, planned to be back to the truck by 10am on a 3 mile loop. I heard a bull bugle at 7am downwind of me, and despite an attempt to circle downwind of him, he never made another peep. I’m guessing he smelled me coming. I continued on through the thick timber, picking up more elk sign as I went, marked a huge watering hole on the GPS (probably where that bull had bugled), and I bugled every 20 minutes with no responses. At 8am, I sat down on a log in the middle of a well-traveled elk trail to have a snack. With about one bite left on the granola bar, I heard a half-bugle up ahead in the timber 200 yards or so. So, I quickly put the facemask and pack on, the mouth call in, and headed up the trail toward the bull. Only 50 yards from my snack spot, I suddenly saw antlers coming straight toward me on the trail at 30 yards and closing fast. He hadn’t seen me as he was swinging his head low to get his antlers under some tree limbs. I dropped to a knee and looked straight down at my bow while I pulled an arrow from the quiver, knocked it on the string, and secured my release on the string loop. When I looked back up, he was frozen in the trail, staring straight at me from 10 yards. Then he bolted to my right down the hill, so I stood up, came to full draw, and cow called. At the sound of the cow call, he stopped broadside at 30 yards with a large pine tree covering the back half of his vitals and a baby two-footer covering the lower front quadrant of the vitals. I had the top right quadrant open, settled the 30 yard pin and released the arrow. It made a clean pass through the lungs, and he ran about 40 yards, slowing at the sound of my cow call, then scrambled sideways and fell over on his back. He repeated that routine twice more over the next 40 yards, and all was silent at 8:14am. There was a little ground shrinkage on this one, not as big a 6 pt as last year, but I’m happy with it.

No bears this time. John Turner came in around 1pm, and we made several trips, packing everything out to the truck by 4pm. Thank you John.

A Saturday in September: Fishing on the Snake River

Haley — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:30:06 +0000

By: Macye Maher
Today Beckett (5) and I went with Scott Smith and fished from the dam at Jackson Lake to Pacific Creek. It was epic. A chilly wind and powerful sunshine created a decadent fishing atmosphere. Beckett caught three cutthroat on a dry fly, all of which just surprised Scott and me to no end. The cast grew better and better. The first cutty took on a skating fly and the other two we watched very visual trout “takes”, and when we told Beckett to set, he did urgently. He fought them well, and afterwards gave thumbs up and a smile. He is a patient and happy angler, loves the boat and went barefoot the whole day.

To fish with Scott Smith e-mail ssflyfish@rocketmail.com
Photographs courtesy of Scott Smith

Montana Ranch for Sale! Laughing Water Guest Ranch

Haley — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:49:55 +0000

Situated in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana, the 220-acre Laughing Water Guest Ranch provides the ideal backdrop for all types of outdoor activities. The ranch is a full-service guest facility offering activities such as pack trips, cattle drives and overnight trail rides, all with an award-winning children’s program. Completely surrounded by the Kootenai National Forest, an incoming owner and ranch guests are offered miles of wilderness to explore. Come and discover the unique beauty and secrets of this mountain country. Whitefish Mountain Resort is a ski and summer resort located in Big Mountain, outside of Whitefish. With over 3,000 acres of skiable terrain, the resort is ideal in winter and for summer activities including zip line tours, hiking, lift rides and mountain biking. The area also offers many opportunities for golf, tennis, horseback riding, boating, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling or taking in the scenery. Laughing Water is a 1-hour drive from Glacier National Park with ranch excursions going to Glacier for enjoying lunch by Lake McDonald. Onsite angling on Laughing Water Creek and Deep Creek offer small stream fishing for brook and rainbow trout. Nearby fishing opportunities abound at Flathead Lake where anglers can test their skills against a diverse list of game fish including rainbow, brown, cutthroat, golden, brook and bull trout. Complete with a well-appointed 8-bedroom lodge and 6 guest cabins, the atmosphere of the ranch is classic western style. The Laughing Water Ranch provides for large groups with a capacity of 38 guests, with western amenities and full-service accommodations. The Laughing Water Ranch is an ideal choice for anyone who desires the operational guest ranch, family or corporate retreat.

Double L Ranch Club – Star Valley, Wyoming

Haley — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:54:08 +0000

Nestled between meandering bends of the Salt River and the rustling aspens, the Double L Ranch affords the most discerning buyers an opportunity to enjoy a true Western paradise that has been carefully planned from the big picture sporting amenities down to the custom details. This picturesque setting gives a limited number of individuals the chance to design an inimitable home meticulously created by one the country’s most well-known custom builders – Lance Mortensen – while enjoying the incredible amenities provided by the western landscape and private sporting club. The 400-acre Double L Ranch Club is located a short 45-minute drive south of Jackson Hole in western Wyoming’s wild and scenic Lincoln County. The Double L Ranch is offering 23 homes sharing in over 300 acres of common ranch amenities. The average building site for the riverside lots are 5 acres with most homes 4,000 to 8,000 sqft. Prices for riverfront lots start at $675,000, and completed homes start around $2.9M. Currently there are only three riverfront lots remaining. New are the “Hideouts” – 10 scenic lots adjacent to a series of lakes and streams alongside the golf course. Lots are approximately 1 acre each with homes that will be in the 2,000 to 4,000 sqft range. Lot prices start at $375,000 with completed homes featuring Albany square-cut logs, wrap-around porches and exquisite attention to detail from $1.595M.