Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Yellowstone sized Montana ranch sells

]https://www.kivitv.com/news/fox-news-murdoch-buys-montana-ranch-from-koch-industries

Oh to be extraordinarily rich!

It's only money.

700LH: I can see part of that huge ranch from my home - and took the VarmintWife and the VarmintGrand-Daughter over to it to view, close-up, Elk, Antelope, Mule Deer and Whitetailed Deer thereon, yesterday.
The ranch just sold for a reported $325,000,000.00 (three hundred and twenty five million dollars!)!
It was called "The Matador Ranch" ever since I moved here (24 years ago) - maybe the new owner changed the name already?
I have a photo in my computer files of NFL quarter-back Brett Favre posing with a nice 6x6 Bull Elk and a dandy big Whitetail Buck he killed, on the same day, on that ranch!
I could send it to you if you wish.
I have been on that ranch MANY times - which I must keep some of the particulars quiet - if you know what I mean.
Only saw about 800 (eight hundred) Elk on it yesterday but we only traveled along 1 1/2 sides of the huge ranch which has hundreds of "sides".
To tell the truth if (and that is a might big IF!) I had the money I would have bought it.
The Koch brothers also often hunted Deer and Elk on that place.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Hope it doesn't get busted up in 40 area ranchettes.

Or 40,000

Not even I have that much money - Thurston Howell III

I wonder how many people were killed by their ranch hands?

It’s now 320,000 ( three hundred twenty thousand!!) acres.

Something that big is more of a white elephant than a blessing. You'd need an army just to keep the roads cleared and trails open. I can't imagine trying to watch for trespassers or poachers in an area that large.

Lot's of montana is owned by rich fuggs who probably never even set foot on their ranch.

Near where I hunt there is an extremely wealthy rancher, with many employees. Not even the employees can hunt there. The man is hated.

I'm all for capitalism but I also appreciate the public land we have out west.

Bb

I wonder if for that price the mineral rights came with it?

Osky

Drove through the Matador to hunt the backtail. Always were tons of elk and deer on that place..

Same here.

I appreciate the abundant tracks of public land we have here in Michigan compared to most other states East of the Mississippi.

I know of one of those very large spreads. No trespassing and absolutely no hunting of any kind by anyone. Owned by a European.


Osky

Reivertom: Until recently my VarmintWife and I were/are VERY close to the just now former "Ranch Manager", and his wife, for that Matador (Beaverhead?) Ranch.
He took another position at another ranch a few months ago.
I am NOT sure what you mean by "white elephant" but if you mean that ranch looses money then I beg to differ!
That ranch has been operating continuously for a VERY long time!
I doubt it would have sold if it were "loosing money" (white elephant?)!
From what bits of inside information I am privy to the ranch is alive and doing very well.
Visualize, if you will, a buyer who pays cash for said ranch and then continues to grow crops, raise cattle and allow some Hunters to "access" said ranch.
It just MAY take Mr. Murdoch a while to recoup his total investment - but that, I surmise, is the LEAST of Mr. Murdoch' financial worries!
The INCREDIBLE tax write-offs and benefits that come with owning a huge free and clear ranch were and are motivating factors, I am sure, for Mr. Murdoch buying this giant "spread" from the Koch Brothers (Koch Industries).
Besides the great Hunting (of which I doubt Mr. Murdoch will partake!.
In fact this past fall I took my lifelong friend (100% Disabled Veteran) and another friend of mine Antelope Hunting on leased land from that ranch.
We only had one tag and made good on that one opening morning.
White elephant - again I am not sure I know what that means but if it is something derogatory then I refute that.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Let's hope it stays as is and is not developed.

Keep the public land that WE have for all to enjoy.

Bit the privately owned land is just that. Privately owned. I can remember being in SW Montana in the mid 1990's. Two big stories at the time;

The introduction of Wolves, and

The ranch that Ted Turner had recently bought along the Gallatin Gateway Highway. It was so big that that there were only 3 bidders. The federal Gov't., Ted & a Jap firm or their gov't?. Ted won & the locals were elated that he, the lesser of 2 evil's won when the 3rd place bidder, the US Gov't. BLM) folded.

It's big. Bigger than most of us can fathom. We... cannot control things like that. Fruitless to worry about it.