As the temperatures start to drop in the northern states and waterfowl begins the journey south, our Brokers’ attention starts to move towards the properties that load up with ducks and geese. Many of the traits that create agricultural properties, such as water and productive crops, are also the same characteristics that provide habitat for waterfowl and upland birds. Our Ranch Brokers are avid bird hunters and understand the traits necessary to create a property with excellent sporting amenities. This report offers insights into which ranches are ideal for upland bird and waterfowl enthusiasts.

Top 4 Waterfowl Hunting Ranches for Sale

Golden Eagle Ranch

Iliff, CO | 2,074 Acres | $17,629,000

Golden Eagle Ranch, located on the South Platte River in Illif, Colorado, is a waterfowl hunter’s dream. This ranch controls extensive, senior water rights, which are utilized for production under pivot and flood irrigation via several ditch systems, as well as via two high-volume irrigation wells for flooding wetland complexes during waterfowl season. The result of the extensive water rights is it allows abundant forage and cover for many species of waterfowl passing through. Working in close collaboration with Ducks Unlimited, the current ranch owners have completed extensive habitat improvement projects for the benefit of migratory waterfowl on the land and have protected the ranch by way of a conservation easement in favor of DU for the long-term benefit. A new wetland complex broke ground in Spring 2021, in collaboration with DU, which will further improve the already exceptional waterfowl habitat onsite. The lower South Platte River corridor has historically supported the largest volume of wintering ducks and the highest numbers of ducks harvested in any region in Colorado. In partnership with DU, the Golden Eagle Ranch has strategically created natural waterfowl habitat and refuge areas and focused on effective management and conservation to maintain the high quality of hunting the ranch has enjoyed for over 30 years. The Golden Eagle Ranch will offer the waterfowl enthusiast plenty of opportunity during the season. Click here to learn more.

Spring Lakes Ranch

Mineola, TX | 280 Acres | $5,800,000

With two lakes and multiple ponds onsite, Spring Lakes Ranch offers multiple convenient waterfowl hunting opportunities for any game bird enthusiast. Each lake is well wooded, offering good cover for waterfowl who take refuge here. Along with good cover, these lakes provide ample opportunity to feed and a place to rest up before their journey. From the makeshift blind on the larger lake, one can expect to see wigeon, pintail, gadwall, teal, wood ducks, ringnecks and the occasional mallard taking refuge on this property’s many pockets of water. With the right management, these spring-fed ponds could produce high numbers of waterfowl each year. Click here to learn more.

River Point Ranch

Ashton, ID | 115 Acres | $2,250,000

River Point Ranch, located on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, offers ample space for waterfowl to take refuge in the wintertime. With direct access to the river from the ranch, one can set decoys up and start hunting in no time. The Henry’s Fork has been known for harboring thousands of mallards at a time in the winter months. Rich nutrients and food made available by the river keep these migrating birds coming back each year. Many different species of waterfowl make their way down the Henry’s Fork throughout the season. It is not uncommon to see many species of ducks, Canada geese, snow geese, swans and sandhill cranes. Click here to learn more.

Tri-Mountain View Ranch

Wamic, OR | 323 Acres | $1,500,000

Located west of the Deschutes River, Tri-Mountain View Ranch offers outstanding waterfowl hunting in one of Oregon’s most beautiful areas. Currently being leased by a hunting and fishing club, this ranch has been managed tediously for the waterfowl experience. With 77 acres of water rights, a six-acre pond and Deschutes River close by, this ranch offers a perfect refuge for waterfowl as they travel south. This property comes equipped with a blind on the six-acre pond, and a pit blind south of the lake offers an excellent position for goose hunting and plenty of room to spread decoys in strategic positions. Large flocks of Great Western Basin honkers spend considerable time in the area feeding on the numerous grain fields. Oregon ranks tenth in the nation for duck harvest and 22nd in the nation for goose harvest. The average breeding population of ducks over the last 27 years is 262,844, with numbers increasing on average over the last decade. The top harvested ducks are mallard, wigeon and green-winged teal. Click here to learn more.

Top 4 Upland Bird Hunting Ranches for Sale

Solitude Ranch

Devils Tower, WY | 3,495 Acres | $12,300,000

The Black Hills, located in northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota, lying between the Cheyenne River and Belle Fourche River, brings people from all over the country for its world class Merriam turkey hunting. Solitude Ranch, located on the western side of the Black Hills is no exception. This property has been tediously managed for big game in the fall and turkeys in the spring. Being the mecca for Merriam turkeys, these beautiful mountain gobblers can be found all over the ranch and offer ample opportunities of pursuit in the spring and fall seasons. With such a healthy population of turkey and deer, Solitude Ranch truly is a sportsman’s paradise. Click here to learn more.

MM Ranches

Thermopolis, WY | 15,076 Acres | $7,950,000

With over 15,000 acres of deeded, BLM and state lands, MM Ranches has almost endless opportunities for the hardcore upland hunter. The MM Ranches have excellent populations of sage grouse, Hungarian partridge and chukar who find refuge in the rich pastures and deep sagebrush canyons. Often, one will see pheasant in the same areas and in the creek bottom, allowing for a challenging and rewarding hunt. Given the varied terrain, there are plenty of hunts on flat to low-grade contours with the sage grouse and Huns as well as steeper, more demanding canyon walls for the chukar coveys. MM Ranches has all of the elements to produce world-class upland bird hunting. Click here to learn more.

R & C Ranch

Fossil, OR | 5,430 Acres | $7,000,000

R & C Ranch, previously purchased for the specific purpose of upland hunting, offers the upland hunter enthusiast endless opportunity for pursuit. The Wheeler County area, in general, is a blend of high desert landscapes, basalt cliffs, tall timber and agriculture. This creates plenty of habitat for the various populations of birds including grey partridge, California quail, pheasant and chukar. The irrigated fields and river access with great cover and insect life offer the ideal habitat for pheasants. The different partridge enjoy the rolling grass fields, which offer cover and food these birds enjoy. One can witness coveys of California quail snacking on the many blackberry bushes found onsite. Finally, the chukar find their home on the steep and challenging basalt cliffs, making these birds the most sought-after upland species in the area. With this much opportunity for upland hunting, R & C will keep one busy for the full season. Click here to learn more.

Sunrise Ranch

Anatone, WA | 2,685 Acres | $6,200,000
With 2,685 acres located along 1.3 miles of the Grande Ronde River, Sunrise Ranch offers an upland enthusiast seemingly endless opportunity throughout the entire upland bird season. Sunrise Ranch is home to grey partridge, pheasant and chukar, as well as some grouse in small numbers, and the topography of this ranch offers the perfect habitat for each of these birds. Pheasant enjoy the agriculture fields rich with nutrients and cover. The steep rocky cliffs offer the ideal home for the ever so elusive chukar. The rolling grass hills are home to multiple different species of partridge and offer plenty of habitat for their healthy population. An upland hunter and bird dog will find themselves occupied throughout the entire upland bird season. Click here to learn more.

As the West switches gears from summer to fall, one’s mind starts moving from rising trout in riffles to the many different big game hunting opportunities provided by the seemingly endless wilderness. The temperature drops and shorter days has a hunter thinking of hiking through aspen groves scouting for elk or sitting in a deer stand looking for that trophy of a lifetime. Many of our Brokers’ passions lie within big game hunting and they have studied and hunted these animals for many years. The Big Game Hunting Report offers our Brokers’ insights into the land and wildlife and explains how special each of these hunting ranches are.

Hunting Ranches for Sale in Montana

Harwood Ranch

Willow Creek, MT | 4,996 Acres | $25,000,000

The 4,996± acre Harwood Ranch is an end-of-the-road sporting property featuring excellent fishing and hunting opportunities. The amazing water resources on the ranch create a prolific ecosystem that supports a rich and diverse Montana wildlife community that includes several species of big game animals as well as upland birds and mixed waterfowl. Excellent bedding habitat on the higher ridges and along the Willow Creek riparian corridor – in addition to adjacent crop food sources – provide ideal conditions for Elk, mule deer and whitetail deer. Additionally, pronghorn antelope are found on the benches above Willow Creek Canyon. Coveys of Hungarian Partridge are scattered over the ranch and pheasants can be found along the riparian areas bordering the grain fields at the mouth of the canyon. The mountains and plains in the region harbor all of the recognized big game species in Montana, including elk, whitetail and mule deer, antelope, black and grizzly bear, mountain lion, moose, bighorn sheep and rocky mountain goat. The hunting and fishing opportunities on the Harwood Ranch are tremendous and would satisfy the most ardent sporting enthusiast. Click here to learn more.

Chief Joseph Cattle Ranch

Wisdom, MT | 2,545 Acres | $11,250,000

Chief Joseph Cattle ranch was once owned and hunted by Hank Williams Jr. who purchased the ranch as an elk hunting retreat. More recently the ranch has been primarily managed as a highly productive cattle operation. An abundance of water and the protein rich grass of the upper Big Hole, combined with the cover of aspen groves, dense riparian areas, and adjacent timbered mountains, support impressive numbers of elk during archery and early rifle seasons. The adjacent Beaverhead National Forest offers thousands of acres suited for hunting big game, and the ranch allows access to over 1500 acres of State land that is otherwise difficult to access. The ranch is also home to mule deer and moose are a common site throughout the acreage. Over-the-counter tags for elk and mule deer are available for both Montana residents and out of state hunters who draw the general elk or deer tag. Click here to learn more.

South Fork Dry Cottonwood

Anaconda, MT | 575 Acres | $1,500,000

Nestled within the famous Beaverhead National Forest, the South Fork Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch offers endless opportunities for big game hunting. The rich mountain streams, wide-open grazing land and immense aspen groves are what make these 575 acres a refuge for wildlife. Whether one is looking for a mature elk, “Boone and Crockett” whitetail buck or a paddle-horned moose, this ranch can fulfill the hunting itch. This property is home to an ample number of elk and mule deer. The average bull elk size for this area ranges from 250 to 260 inches, but bulls in the 300-inch ranch have been harvested. There is a healthy mule deer population in this area that can produce bucks in the 160-inch range. For those who are lucky enough to draw a tag, there is a good population of moose onsite and in the surrounding state land. South Fork Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch is in a general hunting zone, offering over-the-counter tags to Montana residents and tag drawings for nonresidents. Click here to learn more.

Hunting Ranches for Sale in Colorado

Golden Eagle Ranch

Iliff, CO | 2,074 Acres | $17,629,000

Golden Eagle Ranch consists of 2,074 acres embedding some of Colorado’s most pure and habitat-rich acreage for big game, waterfowl, and upland bird hunting. In particular, this ranch has “Boone and Crocket” caliber whitetail and mule deer as the property has been archery-only hunted over the past 30 years. This ranch borders multiple Wildlife Management Areas of which see heavy pressure. Given the ideal habitat on the deeded acreage in conjunction with pressure on the publicly accessible land nearby these trophy bucks find refuge on Golden Eagle Ranch. Along with five plus miles of the South Platte River, the lush agriculture fields and thick timber provides perfect habitat for these giant whitetail and mule deer. This ranch holds a very healthy population of deer. Ownership has seen deer that could score upwards of 190 to 200 inches. This kind of management over a 30 year period has paid off, as multiple “jaw-dropping” bucks over the 170-inch mark have been harvested. Golden Eagle Ranch is the mecca for managing and harvesting trophy whitetail and mule deer. Click here to learn more.

Buck Fever

Norwood, CO | 1,384 Acres | $3,995,000

Buck Fever Ranch is located in Game Management Unit 70, which is well known for its big mule deer bucks. This 1,500 square mile unit borders Utah, and it runs about 75 miles southeast, rising from less than 5,000 ft. to over 14,000 ft. above sea level. Mule deer and elk thrive in this unit. With an unlimited number of elk tags sold over the counter for the second and third rifle seasons, hunting pressure is heavy giving private landowners an advantage. The unit is nearly 70% public and consists of flat farmlands in the valleys, and “broken country” in the transition areas range from about 6,000 ft. to 8,500 ft. Some steep mountains measure over 8,500 ft. with imposing peaks above timberline ranging from 12,500 ft. to over 14,000 ft. Within view of the ranch is GMU 61, which is comprised primarily of the western half of the Uncompahgre Plateau. It runs about 70 miles from Gateway near the Utah line to Placerville west of Telluride. The massive 1,376 square mile Uncompahgre Plateau is a flat-top mountain range that varies between 8,300 ft. and 9,200 ft. above sea level and stretches about 90 miles from the northwest to the southeast. The plateau drops into huge canyons, several of them ruggedly steep and overlooking lowlands from 4,500 ft. to 5,500 ft. in elevation. This unit consistently yields and produces high success rates for big elk and mule deer. GMU 62 draws a great deal of attention, because it shares the Uncompahgre Plateau with Unit 61. The Divide Road separates Unit 62 to the northeast and Unit 61 to the southwest. A healthy number of tags can be purchased over the counter for elk in Unit 62. Click here to learn more.

Hunting Ranches for Sale in Wyoming

Solitude Ranch

Devils Tower, WY | 3,495 Acres | $12,300,000

Set in the Black Hills of Wyoming, Solitude Ranch offers world-class big game hunting for whitetail deer and mule deer and some turkeys for Spring. Solitude Ranch has been managed strictly for primitive hunting. Whitetails in the “Pope and Young” range are not uncommon for this ranch. More specifically, three of the top ten largest whitetail deer taken with a bow have been on Solitude Ranch. This property is ideal for anyone who wants to “bag” a whitetail buck of a lifetime. Although this property is managed for archery hunting, one can be very successful during rifle season. Rifle season stays open well into the rut, offering one of the best times to catch a giant buck slipping up during shooting hours. Mule deer hunting is another highlight of this ranch. There is a lower number of mule deer, but the size of deer makes up for the lack of population. During archery season, one could expect to get a shot at a mule deer in the 140 to 150-inch range and even larger during rifle season. Mule deer and whitetail deer require a general license to hunt. Solitude Ranch is granted a minimum of two landowner elk tags. Although the ranch is not known for its elk hunting, there is an opportunity to hunt the elk that occupy the area. Click here to learn more.

Long Draw Outfitters/Glamping of Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Forest Service Lease| $395,000

With over 80,000 acres of hunting area, Long Draw Outfitters offers ample opportunity for big game hunting. Over the years, with an exclusive and secluded location in the Bridger Teton National Forest, Long Draw Outfitters has produced bull elk upwards of 300 inches. Long Draw Outfitters offers two backcountry camps, located on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Snake River Range. Both camps offer outstanding bow and rifle hunting opportunities and are full-service during the fall hunting season. The comfortable camp allows one to get much needed rest after a long day of hunting and scouting. With raised sleeping platforms, access to electricity, heated showers and drive-in/out access, Long Draw Outfitters is a perfect camp for the big game hunting enthusiast. Click here to learn more.

Hunting Ranches for Sale in Texas

Helluva Ranch

Melvin, TX | 1,042 Acres | $6,200,000

There are not many ranches as unique as Helluva Ranch that offer high-class hunting and fishing throughout the entire year. This 1,042-acre high-fenced wildlife refuge provides an opportunity to hunt “giant” whitetail. There are few hunting properties for sale that are as customizable as Helluva Ranch. The current owner of Helluva ranch has made management his number one priority. Over the past couple of years, the owners have wiped out most of the whitetail population to start fresh with the best genetics in Texas. This ranch is now home to 20 to 25 doe, bred with bucks who embody South Texas’ famed genetics. Deer in the “Boone and Crocket” range are expected to be seen within the next five years. Along with these whitetail deer carrying impeccable genetics, the owner has plans to introduce exotic species to the ranch to offer an even more diverse range of big game to hunt. This blank canvas property offers any future owner the ability to personalize this habitat to suit their big game hunting desires. Click here to learn more.

Hunting Ranches for Sale in Idaho

Tincup Ranch

Freedom, Idaho | 159 Acres | $1,250,000

Tincup Ranch, although small, is quite mighty. This 159-acre ranch borders the coveted Diamond Creek hunting unit, home to some of Idaho’s best elk hunting. Anyone who draws a tag for this unit will have access to a healthy population of bull elk in the 300-inch range. With thousands of acres of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest bordering the property, the opportunities for hunting big game are nearly endless. Lush meadows and healthy stands of aspen groves provide ideal habitat for elk and mule deer. There is a good population of mule deer occupying the property and surrounding state land. One could expect an average buck to be in the 130 to 140-inch range with a chance of harvesting a larger trophy. The access to such coveted land and quality bull elk make Tincup Ranch ideal for the all-around big game hunter. Click here to learn more.