Sun River Sporting Hideaway

Listing Price: $649,000

The Sun River Sporting Hideaway is located in west central Montana, only 30 minutes west of Great Falls, the state’s second largest city.  Great Falls plays host to fine dining, shopping, many cultural activities and an international airport.  This farming and shipping center offers some of the nation’s best opportunities to experience authentic western music, culture and cowboy art.

This parcel is between the two small farm towns of Fort Shaw and Simms, which are at the foot of Shaw Butte.  Shaw Butte and its sister, Square Butte, are massive plateaus that make for an incredible backdrop to the property.  The cowboy town of Augusta, known as the gateway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and the Rocky Mountain Front are about 40 minutes to the west. Driving south, one arrives at the Missouri River in approximately 30 minutes and the state capital of Helena in an hour, while the authentic farm town of Choteau, Freezeout Lake and Recreation Area are roughly 20 minutes north.

This 122-acre parcel boasts over a 1/2 mile of the Sun River on the northern boundary and a 1/2 mile of spring-fed slough as the southeastern border.  There are approximately 29 irrigated acres in hay and 70 acres in mature trees, brush and riparian habitat with the remainder in grass pasture and homestead.  The habitat on this small ranch is in great condition and could be improved easily with food plots and light farming.  

The Sun River Sporting Hideaway has a full range of functional improvements. The main home is a farm-style, three-bedroom, one and ½ bath with a two-car detached garage.  A one bed, one bath guest home is also in the compound.  Additionally, there are two small stock shelters, storage barns and five wells on the property.  The property is fenced for horses and is currently being lightly grazed and landscaping is highlighted by the approximately 200 trees that have been planted in the past few years. This parcel is accessed with a half-mile, private gravel road from Highway 200.  The road ends at the property and makes for an exclusive yet convenient parcel.

Skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing are popular winter outdoor activities.  There are three community downhill ski areas within 90 miles of the Sun River Sporting Hideaway. In the summer, numerous lakes, streams and rivers offer boating, fishing, swimming and relaxing.  Exploring the wilderness and mountains in the area on horseback or hiking will provide days of fun and adventure.

The Sun River Sporting Hideaway boasts over a 1/2 mile of Sun River frontage, 1/2 mile of spring-fed slough and several other small springs.  The Sun River is often overlooked in a state with so many world famous rivers.  This river has had a problem with being overused by irrigators, however this is changing.  Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is paying more attention to minimum in-stream flows and this may pay big dividends.  Average fish counts per mile are lower than anticipated but average fish size is impressive.  Locals know the Sun to be a trophy fishery and because it receives little pressure, the fly fishing can be excellent.

 
Arguably the best fly fishing in Montana can be found on the Missouri River downstream from Holter Dam.  This part of the river is a “tale water” and fishes like a giant spring creek.  It is famed for the number and size of trout and its prolific hatches.  For those who love dry fly fishing, the Missouri is not to be missed.   

Waterfowl hunting on this property and in this area is outstanding.  Freezeout Lake is the largest duck, goose and swan nesting area in western Montana and is less than 15 miles to the northeast.  As its name suggests, it freezes early as it has limited inlet and outlet and is very shallow.  When this freeze occurs, thousands of ducks and geese pour onto the rivers, spring-fed ponds and sloughs to the south. 

The Sun River Valley and the Fairfield Bench offer some of the best upland bird hunting in Montana.  This parcel supports a number of pheasants and has incredible potential for improvement in population.  The cover is almost perfect for birds, lacking only small grain or some other food source.

Whitetail deer numbers and quality on this property are excellent.  The habitat is ideal and with a basic management strategy and neighbor cooperation on selective harvest, it has potential for improvement.  This property should provide opportunities for trophy deer for many years to come.

Elk, deer, black bear, moose, bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat and mountain lion can all be found in the mountains and forests.  These game animals require a specific tag from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to hunt. The Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Rocky Mountain front are some of the nation’s best places to find protected animals like grizzly bears, lynx, wolverines and wolves.