Annabella Land & Cattle

Situated in the heart of south-central Utah, Annabella Land and Cattle offers nearly 88,000 acres of deeded land and public grazing leases in and around the Fishlake National Forest. The ranch is the largest stakeholder in the exclusive Monroe Mountain Trophy Elk Association, which is world-renowned for its elk herd and trophy bulls and guarantees annual landowner hunting permits. With irrigated meadows, conservation values, and incredible recreation, all just over 2 hours from Salt Lake City, this is one of Utah’s largest preeminent hunting and grazing operations.

The ranch’s deeded property is 7,942 acres in size, most of which is contiguous with approximately 80,000 acres of leased Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and State ground. The deeded property, located just outside of the town of Annabella, consists of about 220 acres of fertile, irrigated pasture, portions which adjoin the Sevier River.

Not far from the ranch headquarters are 280 acres of fenced and sub-irrigated meadows.

Heading east into the Fishlake National Forest are an additional 7,500 acres of prime mountain property used for late spring through mid-October grazing. This section of the ranch provides incredible hunting opportunities.

Lower elevations on the mountain offer a variety of native trees, plants, and grasses, including sage, scrub oak, and junipers. Climbing towards higher elevations, a visitor will find stands of mountain mahogany, aspen, and large secluded meadows, lake beds, and natural ponds. Even higher elevations on the ranch (9,000’+) are graced with ponderosa pine, engelmann spruce, and douglas-fir.

The road system on the ranch includes well-maintained Forest Service and BLM roads as well as more primitive roads, all accessible by 4-wheel drive or ATV.

This mountain property is all under “lock and key” and maintained by ranch staff as well as the hunting outfitter. A historic homestead adjoins the ranch’s main facilities plus 2 hunting cabins can be found higher up on the mountain property.

Further east towards the Bear Valley and Mormon Peak sections of the ranch are vast pastures that provide hundreds of acres of excellent grazing. Here visitors will enjoy spectacular views of the subranges within the Fishlake National Forest. Looping back to the ranch’s headquarters from these eastern portions of the ranch is an easy 20-minute drive.

Improvements

The ranch home boasts Sevier River frontage, and improvements on the ranch include a separate manager’s facility as well as a 50′ x 100′ shop/equipment storage barn, corrals, hay storage, and several other outbuildings. Also included on the property are a historic homestead and 2 small hunting cabins located on the mountain portion of the ranch.  Access to the small town of Annabella, the location of the ranch headquarters, is via a short drive from the junctions of Interstates 15 and 70 (I-80 & I-70).

Hunting

The ranch owners and their guests have harvested sizable elk and mule deer over the years. Annabella Land & Cattle is the largest stakeholder in the Monroe Mountain Trophy Elk Association, a private property owners association. The association qualifies for elk (Rocky Mountain Bull), deer (Mule Buck), and wild turkey landowner permits. The association is run by a successful and highly respected guide service. Due to Utah’s landowner tag program, the ranch is privy to 2 bull elk tags in addition to +/- 12 buck deer tags based on current herd counts. Opportunities for Upland (pine hen) and waterfowl hunting also exist on the ranch.

Recreation

Annabella Land & Cattle boasts miles of ATV and horse trials. Opportunities to explore the ranch and adjoining public lands are endless. Mountain biking, hiking, camping ski-touring, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing are just some of the options available to landowners and their families and guests.

Ranch Operations

The ranch runs approximately 350 cow/calve pairs year-round. The managers breed stock with the use of 14-15 bulls. The ranch’s combined private and leased land form a functional and efficient, fully contained grazing system. Livestock managers can efficiently trail cattle to and from mountain and valley grazing, thereby reducing expensive transportation costs.

Owners feed stock with hay produced from the valley operations in addition to purchased hay.  Currently, the ranch has 2 years of feed on hand. The ranch contains well-maintained pastures, all fenced and gated.

Irrigation in the valley is done via a series of pivot lines where alfalfa and sorghum are grown.  280 acres of sub-irrigated pastures provide excellent grazing and flowing stock water.

The ranch owner and management maintain excellent relationships with the grazing permitters and have worked hand in hand with the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to eradicate invasive species in riparian areas as well as improve pasture management.  Water on the ranch for irrigation and stock watering is plentiful and sourced through several priority water rights in addition to valuable water shares.  The natural resources on the ranch provide opportunities for a new owner to vastly improve grazing capacity and stocking rates via an enhanced rotational grazing plan.

Investment Value

There are several portions of the ranch that would make excellent primitive camp or cabin sites.  The current demand for recreational cabin and RV sites is strong and the ranch’s owners have identified development sites on the ranch that could complement income from ranching and hunting operations.