Recreational Land & Farm for Sale in Gateway, Colorado

Bugling Bull Ranch extends from Pinon Mesa down into the majestic Unaweep Canyon of Mesa County, Colorado. Approximately 40 miles southwest of Grand Junction, 30 miles west of Whitewater, and 10 miles east of Gateway, this stunning ranch offers seasonal-use cabins, exceptional grazing, and world-class elk hunting. Elevations range from 6,240' to 9,150' as the ranch climbs from the bottom of Unaweep Canyon, up the Fish Creek / North Fork watersheds and ultimately plateaus atop Pinon Mesa. Across this topography lies a diverse landscape-- from high altitude desert to lush creek bottoms, deep canyons to flat-top mesas, and irrigated meadows to dense ponderosa, aspen, and evergreen forests. If this sounds like a breeding ground for monster elk, that is because it is! Bugling Bull is in trophy game unit 40 and 340" bulls are commonplace on both the ranch's deeded acreage and the surrounding BLM. Along with the world-class trophy elk, the ranch also boasts quality mule deer, bear, and mountain lion. Whether your preference is archery or rifle, Bugling Bull Ranch is truly a hunter's paradise. During the off-season, the ranch is well situated to raise cattle with 120 +/- irrigated acres, historic water rights, and two BLM grazing permits for 3,630 +/- additional acres. The south edge of the ranch runs along Highway 141, allowing easy, year-round, paved access, while the northern portion of the ranch has seasonal access through Glade Park. With big views and even bigger elk, the Bugling Bull Ranch is the standard bearer for a trophy elk ranch.

Bugling Bull North Portion (1,514 +/- deeded acres) This north portion of the ranch is a high-elevation parcel (7,320' to 9,150') that sits atop Pinon Mesa and provides fantastic elk habitat during the early season. The North Fork of West Creek cuts through the heart of the ranch and is flanked by alpine meadows and aspen, pine, and ponderosa forest. The vegetative and topographic layout allows elk to migrate up and down the canyon and forms a sanctuary within the ranch's boundary. Big bulls and their harems will utilize the ranch's premier forage until snow pushes them down onto the BLM or the southern portion of the ranch. The property is accessible from the north by private dirt road from May to October and three hunting cabins are available for seasonal residential use. The main cabin contains a kitchen, living/dining room, two bedrooms on the main floor and a bunkhouse-style loft. The other two cabins are single-room structures used for dry camping. While no commercial utilities are readily available on the property, a generator can be used in the main cabin during visits. There are outhouses for sewage and cisterns for water, and the main cabin has a water-capture tank on the hillside that diverts natural runoff into a holding tank for transfer to the cistern.

Bugling Bull South Portion (2,151 +/- deeded acres) This southern portion of Bugling Bull lies along the Unaweep Canyon, at the foot of Pinon Mesa. The property has year-round access via Hwy 141 and is 10 miles from the world-famous Gateway Canyons Resort. This lower portion of the ranch, which incorporates seven separate drainages, is a premier elk wintering ground that virtually controls access to thousands of acres of public land. Elevation ranges from 6,240' to 7,900' with terrain varying from steep foothills to rolling, irrigated, hay land (120 +/- acres). Pastureland is irrigated by historic water rights from Burg Reservoir, Burg Ditch and Silzell Ditch. The unirrigated land is typified by picturesque pinon-juniper vistas alongside heavily treed oak and cottonwood draws. Hunting potential here is just as strong as the northern piece, but year-round paved access opens this end of the ranch to additional development. When combined with the northern portion of the ranch, these parcels offer an incredible, full-season, recreation, and cattle ranch. Large, pristine tracts such as this are getting harder to find.