B grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1988, he graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in Business Administration. He then moved to Colorado and began a nine-year career in the ranch and resort industries. His admiration for the wide-open spaces and the abundance of recreational opportunities in Montana inspired his move in 1997. After farming and ranching in central Montana, B settled in the Bozeman area and guided fly fishermen on southwest Montana’s renowned waters for seven years. He was licensed in real estate sales in 1999 and is currently a licensed broker in Montana and Wyoming. His lifelong recreational interests and professional background in ranching and the resort industries naturally led to a real estate focus in ranch and recreational properties. B treasures the time spent with his family on their small ranch and home along the Madison River. He is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys backcountry adventures and hunting and fishing throughout Montana.
Copper City Ranch offers a rare opportunity to purchase a working ranch at an attractive price point between the growing communities of Bozeman and Helena. The ranch’s 3,430± contiguous deeded acres include 1,000± tillable acres for small grain production, improved grazing, or dry land hay. The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom owner’s residence and three log guest cabins have all been newly constructed since 2022. A three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath residence with attached 60’x110’ insulated, heated shop and equipment building is ideal for a manager or guests. The ranch has been thoroughly improved with a new pond, corrals, fencing, asphalt ranch roads, and water systems. Adjoining the deeded acreage are 3,281± acres of BLM and 640± acres of state lands leased for grazing. The current carrying capacity is approximately 200 head with the heaviest use in the spring. This is a move-in ready ranch with long term investment value in an area of increasing amenities, just 34 miles from Bozeman and 64 miles from Helena.
Copper City Ranch is scenic, productive, superbly well-improved, and maintained. What stands out is the large number of contiguous acres and the price point in this desirable and growing location between Bozeman and Helena. The ranch is set up for horses and cattle with quality infrastructure in place. Proximity to the nearby communities of Three Forks and Townsend, with Bozeman or Helena also within an easy drive, makes it attractive for a family, year-round residence, and long-term investment.
The ranch is located in southwest Montana, between the growing community of Bozeman and Helena. It is accessed from Highway 287, which follows the Missouri River from its headwaters at Three Forks, Montana, toward Helena. The nearest towns are Three Forks (approximately seven miles southeast) and Townsend (approximately 27 miles north). Both Three Forks and Townsend are stable communities with approximately 2,000 residents, K-12 schools, and various basic services.
The thriving cultural, retail, and service center of Bozeman, , is located approximately 34 miles to the east. Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport, Montana’s busiest airport, is approximately 26 miles from the ranch. Helena lies approximately 64 miles to the north. Three Forks offers a paved and lighted 5,099’ x60’ airstrip at 4,080 feet in elevation with instrument approaches, fuel, and hangar rentals.
Copper City Ranch lies on the south end of a broad agricultural valley that separates the Elkhorn and Big Belt Mountains. The area is known for its agriculture, primarily hay production, which is made possible by irrigation from the Missouri River. The Missouri and nearby Canyon Ferry Reservoir attract anglers and boaters, and the surrounding mountains harbor trophy elk and other big game.
Located seven miles southeast of the ranch, the town of Three Forks is named because it is near where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers converge to form the Missouri River. The area is rich in Lewis and Clark history, and the nearby Missouri Headwaters State Park includes the three forks of the Missouri National Historic Landmark, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped in 1805. The abundance of trout fishing opportunities on these rivers attracts fly fishers from across the country.
Thirty miles east of Three Forks, Bozeman is southwest Montana's cultural, economic, retail, and transportation hub. The Bozeman area has built a reputation as one of the most desirable communities in which to live in the U.S. It combines a vibrant downtown with a strong business community, an agricultural center, and Montana State University all set in a beautiful expansive mountain valley that offers virtually every recreational amenity that one could ask for in an inland location. It has attracted residents from all over the world, creating a diverse population. Bozeman is a jumping-off point for skiers (both alpine and Nordic), anglers, hikers, climbers, explorers, big game hunters, floaters, kayakers, and Yellowstone National Park visitors, to name just a few. It has all the benefits of a resort community and a university town.
The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport became the busiest airport in Montana in 2013. The airport continues to grow and provides nonstop access to many of the major airports in the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Denver, Seattle, and other west coast airports.
Nicknamed “the first city on the Missouri River”, Townsend is primarily an agricultural community 27 miles north of the ranch. Townsend sits near the southern tip of Canyon Ferry Lake which the Missouri River feeds. Canyon Ferry is Montana’s third largest body of water and was formed by damming the Missouri River, which was completed in 1954. The lake is a popular destination for boaters, anglers, and waterfowl.
Thirty-five miles north of Townsend is the state capital of Helena. Helena has a rich gold rush history which contributed to the city’s prominent Victorian architecture. Helena is Montana’s sixth largest city with a population of approximately 30,000 residents and 80,000 in the greater Helena area.
The Copper City Ranch headquarters are between 3,800 to 4,000 feet in elevation. The area experiences lighter snowfall than does the Gallatin Valley to the east, which makes it conducive to winter grazing livestock. Climate data at Three Forks shows an average of 13 inches of rain per year and 32 inches of snow per year. The average high temperature in July is 86 degrees, and the average low in January is 13 degrees.
The ranch is comprised of 7,351± total acres (3,430± deeded acres, 3,281± BLM lease, and 640± acres State lease). There are 1,000± acres of non-irrigated cropland that have been used for small grain production. In 2019 and 2020, the cropland was planted back to grass for grazing.
The ranch infrastructure and structural improvements have all been made since 2013, with the majority since 2020. Newly constructed in 2022, the custom owner’s residence has four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms on two levels. Three one-bedroom custom log guest cabins, also completed in 2022, are nearby. A large pond is situated among the residential structures, providing an attractive gathering spot during the summer.
Another significant structure sited above the pond is a 60’x110’ shop building with an adjoining 2,160 ± square foot ranch residence constructed in 2013. The residence features three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms on one level, with an outdoor patio overlooking the pond. The shop has concrete floors and is fully insulated. One-half of the building is heated with propane overhead radiant heaters and used as a shop, while the other half is used for equipment storage. A partition wall separates the two sections. At each end of the building, there are dual electric overhead doors. The smaller door on both ends is 10’ wide, and the larger door is 18’ wide by 16’ high on the south end and 24’ wide by 16’ high on the north end.
There are electric gates at the main ranch entrance off Highway 287 and at the southerly entrance off Old Town Road. An asphalt drive leads from the main entrance to the owner’s residence and from there south to the livestock facilities and the Old Town Road access. Livestock facilities include a horse barn, outdoor riding arena, round pen, corrals with cattle tub and loading chute, and horse paddocks.
Additional ranch infrastructure includes new fencing, wells, and stock water systems. Heated tanks are located where needed for winter livestock water. Like the residential structures, the livestock facilities and infrastructure are newly constructed and thoughtfully designed, adding efficiency and minimizing maintenance.
Groundwater wells provide livestock water on the ranch. There are six wells and four livestock watering systems. Stock water is well distributed throughout the deeded acreage to enhance grazing.
The north system has a 3,000-gallon cistern and a heated pumphouse. It serves four stock tanks, with a heated stock tank for winter water at the pumphouse. This system services the northerly deeded acreage as well as the state and BLM lease ground.
The new house system serves three stock tanks as well as the pond.
The south system, located at the working corrals, has a heated pumphouse, three stock tanks, including a heated concrete tank in the corrals, plus horse waterers and a hydrant in the hay barn.
The east system is a single well with a single heated water tank.
A mineral search has not been conducted, so the ownership of the ranch's mineral rights is unknown. The mineral rights owned by the seller will be transferred to the new owner .
Annual taxes on Copper City Ranch are approximately $8,620.00.
Copper City Ranch has resident mule deer and antelope that are frequently seen throughout the year, and trophy-quality bucks have been harvested. Elk are on the deeded acreage occasionally and utilize the adjoining BLM acreage more frequently. Hungarian partridge are also found on the ranch. The native range provides quality habitat for these hardy upland birds, and the stock water systems provide necessary water. When planted to grain, Canadian geese frequently utilize the grain fields in significant numbers. The Missouri River system attracts migrating waterfowl throughout the season.
The ranch can be operated as a combination farm and cattle operation or maximized for cattle by grazing the 1,000± tillable acres, depending on the owner’s preference. Winter wheat has been grown in the past, with yields typically in the 40 to 50 bushels per acre range. In other years, triticale has been grown, and cattle have grazed on it throughout the growing season. In 2019 and 2020, the tillable acres were seeded to grass for grazing.
The ranch has an excellent tenant lease in place through the 2025 grazing season, and the owner highly recommends the tenant if the future owner desires to continue leasing the ranch. The stocking rate varies seasonally, from 100 to 300 cow/calf pairs plus bulls. Most use is for winter and spring grazing, with the pair numbers reduced during summer and fall. In normal years, the range is open for most of the winter, which makes the ranch very conducive to winter grazing.
BLM Copper City Allotment #20284: 3,281± acres | 128 AUMs | 5/15-10/15 | Expires 2/28/2035
State Lease #10061: 640± acres | 115 AUMs | 1/1-12/31 | Expires 2/28/2033
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