The Hansen Ranch offers a great opportunity to balance productive agriculture, quality bird, waterfowl, and deer habitat, and well-planned improvements on the southern edge of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. The ranch lies six miles southeast of the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge and is a near-perfect blend of rolling hills, marshy coulees, creek bottoms, and productive farm fields.
The ranch consists of approximately 2,720 acres of deeded and leased land located 14 miles east of Froid, Montana, and approximately 40 miles west of Williston, North Dakota, with convenient access from all directions. The ranch features ample grazing, farming, and dryland hay production balanced with ponds, creeks, and spring-fed marshes typical of the Prairie Pothole Region. The habitat is ideal for pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, waterfowl, and deer. The property’s wildlife prospers, due to good nesting and winter cover with food sources interspersed throughout.
All improvements on the ranch have been well planned and constructed. From the comfortable 3,700+ square foot home built in 2011 to the heated 40’X96’ shop and the livestock facilities, one will find all the improvements to be appropriate and well cared for.
The owners have endeavored to balance productive agriculture and recreation for decades.
The Hansen Ranch consists of 1,758± deeded and 960± leased acres. Of the deeded land, approximately 390 acres are currently under cultivation and the balance is in hay and grass. The leased portion of the ranch consists exclusively of Turtle Mountain allotment leases, which are all utilized for grazing. The Turtle Mountain allotments are five-year leases.
Historically, the dryland hayfields will yield one and a quarter tons/acre, hay barley about two tons/acre, and sorghum/Sudan grass about two and a half tons/acre. In wetter years, there will be some excess winter feed to carry over or sell, and in drier years, additional feed may need to be purchased.
The owners tend to calve later in the spring to take advantage of the better spring weather. The ranch will comfortably carry 200 pairs year-round.
The livestock working facilities are in very good condition and are functional. The Silencer chute and leadup are located inside a 64’X74’ metal barn, the weather won’t limit livestock work! The 32’X88’ calving barn boasts pipe pens throughout.
There are two shops at the headquarters, an older 40’X96’ shop with a concrete floor and a top-of-the-line heated 40’X96’ shop. The ranch fences are a combination of four-wire barbed and two-wire high tensile electric.
The Hansen Ranch represents all that is special about northeast Montana and the southern edge of the Prairie Pothole Region. It is a combination of productive agriculture and outdoor recreational pursuits rolled into a single package. It’s not often that a sporting and agricultural operation like this comes available within forty-five minutes of a major river, a national wildlife refuge and a brand-new international airport; a rare combination of access, enjoyment, and income.
Hansen Ranch sits at 2,100 to2,200 feet of elevation and is located 14 miles east of Froid, Montana and 40 miles west of Williston, North Dakota. Williston boasts a new international airport and has plans to add a medical center and shopping complex nearby.
The ranch lies on the western portion of the Bakken Formation within the Williston Basin, which is one of the most prolific shale oil-producing areas in the United States.
In past years, the area’s economy was almost entirely dependent on agriculture and the fortunes of wheat, durum, alfalfa, and cattle. In recent years, the focus has shifted to include various outdoor pursuits centered on birds, waterfowl, and deer.
The game bird population in the area is quite strong. The ranch is located approximately six miles southeast of the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is a lake and wetland complex made up of thousands of acres of water, marshland, and streams. This area is a critical breeding and stopover area for a wide array of migratory birds.
The Missouri River is 30 miles south of the ranch and offers a plethora of water-based recreation throughout the year.
Sidney, Montana the county seat of Richland County is less than 50 miles south of Froid, Montana. It is conveniently located and has numerous businesses and restaurants suitable to the area. In addition, Sidney Health Care Center provides the region with very good medical care and an array of outreach services.
Northeast Montana typically offers exceptional summer weather, with high temps in the low to mid 80s. Precipitation averages around 15 inches annually. Spring and summer rains are spread over a six-month span with the heaviest moisture typically in June and July.
Winter highs average in the mid to upper 20s, although extremes occur periodically. Annual snowfall, which averages slightly above 30 inches, provides ample run-off to fill the ponds and creeks on the ranch. Winters are what one would expect in northeast Montana; cold enough to keep out the riffraff, but warm enough to provide suitable living for hardier stock.
The ranch is also home to multiple springs and reservoirs, as well as miles of creek bottoms and slews, all of which feed into Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The diversity of grazing, cultivation, creeks, and slews provides excellent habitat for upland game birds, waterfowl, and deer.
The owners’ home is a very comfortable 3,700± square foot house with an attached two-car oversized garage built in 2011, that is in excellent condition. The home has four bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths, a main floor office, and ample storage space upstairs and down. The two main-floor bedrooms each have a full bath with two additional half baths on the main floor. The kitchen offers a walk-in pantry and large island.
The lower level has two bedrooms, a full bath, and family/media room with a wet bar. In addition to the main laundry room on the main level, the home offers an additional washer and dryer in the entryway from the garage, an excellent place to launder dirty outside clothes such as coveralls. The home enjoys ample south-facing windows, central air, and a fenced yard complete with an underground sprinkler system.
Water rights have been monitored by a capable water rights consultant, with whom the owners regularly work with to ensure their water rights are protected. All water rights will be transferred with the sale of the property.
The owners intend to retain all of their mineral interests with the property.
Real estate taxes are estimated at $6,342 per annum based upon previous years.
While the Prairie Pothole Region is primarily known as a waterfowl haven, its diversity of land and water features makes it a virtual mecca for upland game birds, deer, antelope, songbirds, and raptors. The interspersed agricultural lands and wide variety of crops raised in the area form a mosaic of habitat. The ranch’s proximity to Medicine Lake lends itself to enjoying a minimum of ten species of ducks as well as geese, swans, cranes, herons, and songbirds on a regular basis.
The Montana sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge seasons begin September 1 and pheasant season generally opens in early October and runs through December. These long seasons provide extraordinary hunting opportunities for regularly harvesting daily limits.
Montana’s goose and duck seasons extend from October into early January, offering ample opportunities to fill your limits.
The abundant food sources do not only support extraordinary bird populations, but provide forage for deer and antelope. Additionally, the wide-ranging environment supports a diverse collection of raptors, predators, and songbirds.
In summary, the fall and early winter hunting in northeast Montana is phenomenal.
