Wildcat Mountain Ranch

Description

Listed for $10,500,000

The historic Wildcat Mountain Ranch provides some of the most scenic views in West Texas. It is high fenced for game management purposes, and is an extremely balanced combination hunting, cattle, family or corporate recreational property. There is an abundance of wildlife, including a highly managed trophy whitetail deer and quail program, Turkey, Dove, Hogs and Javelina. The ranch is also home to 3 Exotic species, Including Axis deer, Blackbuck, and Fallow deer. Formally part of the historic 200,000 Acre L.B. Harris ranch, it was the route of the Butterfield Stagecoach which carried mail from St. Louis to California. There are several Calvary lookout points on the ranch which were used to protect the stage from the Comanches, who used the area for their hunting grounds. The ranch has many improvements including a 6,800 SF hunting lodge, equipment barns, processing facility, and storage barns. In addition, there are 3.5 miles of all-weather caliche roads, 26 miles of high fence, 2 lakes as well as stock tanks, 16 +/- miles of interior fence, and multiple food plots, game feeders, and hunting blinds.  The current owners retained a wildlife biologist in 1995 and began a strict game management plan designed by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Institute.  The ranch has been awarded the State of Texas Game Management Certificate and is under the MLD program, which allows for an extended deer hunting season. Wildcat Mountain Ranch has received additional awards from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Institute for its outstanding management practices and habitat management. Currently, the ranch has 5-6 Windmill units on the back portion of the ranch that produce a substantial income. 

LOCATION: The property is located at the northern edge of the Edwards Plateau near the town of Robert Lee, Texas, and is situated about 1 ½ miles from the Colorado River. The property is 76 miles Southwest of Abilene, and 30 miles North of San Angelo. The main entrance to the Ranch is about 4 miles from the center of Robert Lee.  Distance to the ranch from Dallas/Fort Worth is 224 miles with an estimated travel time of 3 1/2 hours.

LODGE: A 6,800 SF custom built lodge was constructed in 1996 with scenic views of the rolling terrain and looking over the ranch. The lodge has nine (9) bedrooms, seven (7) bathrooms, a master apartment within the lodge (with separate kitchen facilities and living areas), and a large great room with stone fireplace and tile floors. There is an open commercial kitchen, dining, and living area with panoramic views of the ranch. The large wrap around patio is covered with a grand fire pit and wildlife viewing area.

TERRAIN:  Consistent with that of the Edwards Plateau region with several exceptions that really differentiate this property from neighboring ranches. The terrain possesses some of the most beautiful topography in the area with elevation changes on the ranch from 1,640 ft up to 2,425 ft within its boundaries. Range conditions on the ranch are special, with a good mixture of brush, food plots, canyons, creeks and draws.  A brush management plan was established in 1997 and includes the removal of cedar, some mesquite, burns and reseeding, which has created exceptional wildlife cover and food sources throughout the property. The tree cover is diverse with the predominate species consisting of mesquite, oak, ash and soapberry. The ranch also has fantastic grasses and browse consisting of side oats, big bluestem, little bluestem, windmill grass, green Spindletop, winter rye grass, catclaw, lime prickly ash, elbow brush, holly, acacia as well as others. Soils consist mostly of Tillman, Vernon, and Hollister soils.

WATER: Surface water on the ranch consist of two (2) man-made lakes stocked with channel catfish and bass, and 5 stock tanks. Coke county has an average rainfall of 22 inches annually with higher amounts throughout the county. There are 7 wells on the ranch and 6 +/- miles of underground water lines that will provide water for the lodge and additional water for cattle and wildlife. This ranch has the best water in the area and currently shares water with some of its neighbors. An additional opportunity to build an even larger 60–65-acre lake on Antelope Creek is possible. This lake would provide additional irrigation opportunities for the food plots, and an additional water source for the wildlife and livestock. 

WILDLIFE: The owners of the ranch retained a wildlife biologist in 1995 and the property has been under a strict game management plan designed by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Natural Resources Conservation Service since that time. The property is rich in wildlife and is under the MLD program, which allows for the most flexible seasons and bag limits. Current helicopter surveys estimate about 600 native whitetail deer, rio grande turkey, javelina, ducks, and the ranch has excellent dove hunting on the food plots and lakes. The current owners have been strict with the management plan and only harvest 2-4 trophy bucks per year. The owners continue to focus their attention to the culling of management bucks and does in line with their management program keeping a current buck to doe ratio of 1:1 This management practice has allowed for the increase in trophy quality, and the reduction of bad genetics. This makes hunting on this ranch overly exciting because of the quality and the number of deer that you will see when on the ranch. In addition to the native wildlife, the ranch is also home to three (3) species of exotics. Axis deer and blackbuck make for a very challenging hunting experience with their elusiveness and ghostly movement through the brush on the ranch. Excellent quality Fallow deer can be seen grazing in the food plots in the early morning and late afternoon among the whitetail deer.

QUAIL: The ranch has one of the largest Bobwhite and Blue Quail populations per acre in Coke County. In 2002 the owners of the ranch formed a relationship with the Rolling Plains Quail Research Institute to place an additional focus to sustaining and growing the excellent quail numbers that were on the ranch. This quail management plan includes the development of adequate year-round food supplies and water, along with reasonable protection from the hazards to the bird’s kind of living. As a result, this continued management plan that includes grubbing and seeding, the ranch has reestablished native grasses, food sources and brush shelters that create cover for the birds. The ranch has hosted Dale Rollins Quail Appreciation Day and has 20 quail call stations that have been used for research by his students.

 IMPROVEMENTS/ EQUIPMENT:

-          40 insulated tower blinds

-          28 corn feeders

-          16 protein feeders

-          20 quail feeders

-          4 wheelers and side x side

-          Ranch trucks

-          Dog pens w/ water

-          Additional ranch equipment list available