The big-game license period for Colorado and some other mountain states begins this week, and hunters are starting to dream of the fall rut that will be upon us soon. It’s that time of year when the leaves are changing, a chill is in the air, and we’ve seen our first snow of the season already on a big game hunting property.
For many, the fall season means pumpkin spiced lattes, kids back in school, and prepping for the upcoming holidays. However, for the seasoned hunter, it means boots on the ground and trekking into the backcountry in hopes of glassing that coveted elk during the rut.
Previously, we reviewed what to look for in a big game hunting property, and this week we’ve gathered some of the top hunting land for sale.
Top Big Game Hunting Properties: Under $3 Million
Ranches at Five Pine Mesa
Toponas, Colorado
(Routt County)
Starting at $490,000
61-95 +/- Deeded Acres
The properties available at Ranches at Five Pine Mesa provide access to excellent habitat for a variety of game. The White River Elk Herd, North America’s largest elk herd, is found here and takes up residence in the sprawling Flat Tops, migrating east right through the ranch to lower elevations during the fall hunting season. Trophy mule deer are also prolific on the property and adjoining National Forest lands. Elk tags are readily available over the counter, and mule deer tags are obtainable through the draw. Other species include black bear, mountain lion, and the occasional moose. Archery hunting is permitted on the property and rifle hunting opportunities are endless on nearby National Forest lands. The property falls within Colorado GMU #26.
Camp Paradise
Wheatland, Wyoming
(Platte County)
$850,000
166 +/- Deeded Acres
Sportsmen will appreciate the exceptional big game hunting on and around the property. The area is home to thriving populations of trophy elk, mule deer, antelope, and Miriam’s turkey. With direct access to the Medicine Bow National Forest along the western property line, this end-of-the-road property provides access to thousands of additional acres of public land for hunting. It is located in Area 64 (Region J) with over-the-counter deer tags and could qualify for the coveted Area 7 Elk landowner tags.
Elk Creek Ranch
Meeker, Colorado
(Rio Blanco County)
Staring at $1,100,000
2,850 +/- Total Acres
Not to be out-matched by the unparalleled fly-fishing, Elk Creek Ranch also offers an abundance of world-class big game hunting opportunities. Near the base of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, this region is a sanctuary for North America’s largest resident elk herd as well as mule deer, moose, bear and upland birds. In the fall months the ranch’s focus shifts to hunting and member/owners enjoy private hunts with elite guides from the archery season through rifle seasons. The acquisition and purchase of hunting permits are expertly coordinated by ranch staff with the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Department, ensuring a worry free and streamlined experience.
Cross D Bar Ranch
Rosita, Colorado
(Custer County)
$1,350,000
692 +/- Total Acres
While not actively hunted in a number of years, the Cross D Bar Ranch is located in the highly productive Game Management Unit (GMU) 84, and is home to antelope, mule deer, elk, and wild turkeys. The three man-made ponds on the property were historically seasonally stocked with trout and additionally provide excellent habitat for a diversity of both terrestrial and avian wildlife with ducks and geese using the ponds year-round.
Costilla Creek Fishing Lodge
Costilla, New Mexico
(Taos County)
$1,500,000
90 +/- Deeded Acres
The lodge sits strategically in the middle of the RCCLA in an elk migration corridor that has been actively hunted for years. Located in the highly productive GMU 55A (Game Management Unit), the property is home to mule deer and elk, as well as black bear, mountain lion, and coyotes. In recent years, the ranch has qualified for as many as seven landowner preference tags through the NM E- Plus landowner preference program.
Red Rocks Ranch
Glade Park, Colorado
(Mesa County)
$2,250,000 Now $2,150,000
588 +/- Deeded Acres
Glade Park, Pinyon Canyon, and Big Game unit 40 are well known to have some of the best bucks and bulls in Colorado. 100-200 deer frequent the fields every morning and evening in the late summer and fall months. In that time, it’s not uncommon to see 180″+ bucks. While not as numerous as the deer, there are good numbers of elk, and 350″+ bulls have been documented on the ranch and surrounding public lands.
While licenses are limited, the ranch qualifies for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife landowner preference program and generally is allocated one buck tag annually and one bull tag every other year. Other game animals include turkey, bear, mountain lion, and numerous other species of small game and non-game animals and birds.
Valley Springs Ranch
Delta, Colorado
(Delta County)
$2,250,000
267 +/- Deeded Acres
A compelling sporting retreat, the property offers 267 acres of prime hunting and fishing habitat with 0.9 miles of Gunnison River frontage, approximately 1.5 miles of Tongue Creek frontage, several springs, and water rights. Great mule deer, turkey, quail, grouse, and waterfowl hunting and viewing opportunities abound on the ranch.
Squaw Park Ranch
Wheatland, Wyoming
(Platte County)
$2,850,000
1,200 +/- Deeded Acres
Squaw Park Ranch has all of the elements a recreational ranch buyer looks for and is normally very hard to find in a property of this size with excellent hunting, complete privacy, fishing, and public land adjacency. Located within a premier portion of the famed Elk Area 7, the property qualifies for Landowner tags for elk and deer. This property is capable of producing and being home to trophy quality animals of both species.
Trophy Hunting Properties: $3-6 Million
Dunckley Ridge
Hayden, Colorado
(Routt & Rio Blanco Counties)
$4,900,000
1,929 +/- Deeded Acres
This diverse combination of wilderness is a truly remarkable getaway for hunters, anglers, and outdoor adventure seekers. Adjacent to an expanse of uninhibited and protected wilderness, over 110 high country lakes, 100 miles of fishing streams, and nearly 160 miles of hiking trails, this property and its surroundings is fertile elk habitat.
American Creek Ranch
Angel Fire, New Mexico
(Colfax County)
$5,250,000
1,214 +/- Deeded Acres
Northern New Mexico is well known for its outstanding elk hunting, both in terms of quantity and trophy quality. American Creek is no exception. The water, topography, and ideal mix of meadows and timber provide a sanctuary for elk and other wildlife, including mule deer, turkeys, bear, grouse, and mountain lion. Transferable landowner tags are available for bull and cow elk.
Fish Creek Lodge
Hayden, Colorado
(Routt County)
$5,900,000
2,189 +/- Deeded Acres
Resting next to the Routt National Forest and Dunckly Flat Tops, Fish Creek Lodge is the headquarters of the famous hunting operation at Cross Mountain Ranch. With the perfect improvements for the ideal hunt, the property is complete with an LL Bean-designed hunting lodge and processing facilities. Trophy hunting for elk and mule deer on the ranch and adjoining public lands is plentiful, as the famed White River Elk herd calls this hunting property home. Participation in the Ranching for Wildlife program has only enhanced the wildlife quantity, habitat, and access to landowner tags.
Remmow Ranch
Durango, Colorado
(La Plata County)
$5,900,000
2,078 +/- Deeded Acres
Remmow Ranch offers excellent elk, mule deer, and turkey hunting and is home to the full spectrum of Colorado montane wildlife species. The ranch is situated in Colorado’s famed Game Management Unit (GMU 75) and qualifies for landowner preference tags for both elk and mule deer. Five (5) elevated hunting stands (blinds) are situated strategically across the property amidst a diverse variety of open meadows and timbered draws. With excellent grazing and cover, providing vital year-round habitat, the ranch also serves as an important migration corridor for elk and mule deer moving thru from higher Forest Service lands to lower elevation habitat. Highly productive, the property has been leased to commercial outfitters for many decades; details about the success and capacity of the operation can be made available upon request.
Big Game Ranches for Seasoned Hunters: $6-$10 Million
Siskiyou Monument Ranch
Ashland, Oregon
(Jackson County)
$6,490,00
1,946 +/- Deeded Acres
Adjoining Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, the ranch offers excellent conservation values and biodiversity, critical wildlife habitat with grasslands, woodlands, forests and shrublands, ponds, and creeks. Black tail deer frequent the property and the adjacent public lands.
Owl Creek Ranch
Thermopolis, Wyoming
(Hot Springs County)
$6,500,000
2,505 +/- Deeded Acres
Owl Creek Ranch is a remote, pristine wilderness property located at the foot of the 12,500 Washakie Needles allowing direct access to the Wind River Wilderness and surrounding 2.5 million acre Shoshone National Forest. The ranch qualifies for landowner licenses in Wyoming’s coveted elk unit #64. in addition to some of the West’s best elk hunting, there are bighorn sheep, Shiras moose, mule deer, black bear, and grizzly bears, as well as an occasional pronghorn on the lower reaches of the property.
Saladon Creek Ranch
Angel Fire, New Mexico
(Colfax County)
$6,840,000
1,812 +/- Deeded Acres
Elk, mule deer, turkey, bear, grouse, and mountain lion thrive in the aspens, pines, and meadows of American Creek, less than 10 minutes away from the skiing, golf, and restaurants of Angel Fire. The property enjoys water resources including Saladon Creek, Cieneguilla Creek, a newly built and lined high mountain pond, and numerous seeps, springs, and tanks. Elk hunting is as good as it gets here, with very high numbers, quality genetics, and transferable landowner tags.
Pyramid Peak Ranch
Hayden, Colorado
(Rio Blanco County)
$7,750,000
2,579 +/- Deeded Acres
Resting in a spectacular basin with end of the road privacy along the Flat Tops Scenic Byway, this incredible wilderness hunting ranch offers miles of creeks and streams, tree-lined irrigated meadows, and adjoins the Routt National Forest for 4.8 miles. This is pristine elk habitat situated between prime bedding and feeding areas, and home to one of North America’s largest elk herds. The ranch also works cooperatively with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to maintain elk and deer herds.
Smith Fork Ranch
Crawford, Colorado
(Delta & Gunnison Counties)
$7,995,000
250 +/- Deeded Acres
The ranch and the surrounding National Forest and Wilderness Area offer excellent big game hunting opportunities, as well as a variety of bird hunting opportunities that include a healthy turkey population. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) identifies the entire Smith Fork watershed as mule deer and elk severe winter range.
The ranch lies within Game Management Unit 53 which offers unlimited over-the-counter either-sex elk licenses for archery season, as well as unlimited over-the-counter bull elk licenses for second and third rifle seasons. Mule deer hunting licenses are available by drawing, or could potentially be issued through the Landowner Preference Program. The ownership will also convey their USFS Special Use Permit for outfitting and guiding on several thousand acres of adjoining National Forest and Wilderness.
66 Ranch
Meeker, Colorado
(Rio Blanco County)
$8,475,000
153 +/- Deeded Acres
66 Ranch is the ultimate luxury sporting compound situated in the heart of northwest Colorado’s upper White River Valley. The White River Valley is extremely secluded and private, yet boasts a quiet reputation for being the ideal recreational paradise with premier fly-fishing and big game hunting. Through the ranch’s unique affiliation with Elk Creek Ranch, the property enjoys unparalleled recreational resources with over 25 miles of pristine trout streams, more than 15,000 acres of big game hunting, and luxury amenities about 10 miles upstream from the property.
High End Trophy Hunting Ranches for Sale: Over $10 Million
Williams Park Ranch
Hayden, Colorado
(Routt County)
$10,300,000
7,320 +/- Deeded Acres
Williams Park Ranch has been expressly managed for hunting and wildlife under Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Ranching for Wildlife Program. Plentiful numbers of mule deer, elk, and moose inhabit the ranch, in addition to several species of upland birds, including sharp-tail, blue, and sage grouse. The ranch lies within Colorado GMU 13, which offers an abundance of over-the-counter elk licenses for both archery and rifle hunting. Additionally, the ranch could qualify for multiple landowner mule deer licenses annually through Colorado Parks & Wildlife Landowner Preference Program.
Singing River Ranch
Gardner, Colorado
(Huerfano County)
$12,500,000
6,100 +/- Deeded Acres
Situated in southern Colorado at the headwaters of the Huerfano River, this ranch has valuable wildlife habitat for trophy elk, mule deer, bear, and bighorn sheep, as well as several other mammals and raptors. Singing River’s diverse terrain and adjacency to hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest affords endless recreational and hunting opportunities.
Finding the perfect big game hunting property is a dream come true. Whether you are an archery or rifle hunter, we know a thing or two about finding the best property for your hunting needs. Our experienced hunting professionals can help you determine where the right property is for specific genetic characteristics and qualities, as well as older-average age classes. Contact us today.