On the west bank of the Marias River sits one of Montana’s most diverse recreational and agricultural properties. Comprised of 3,172± total acres, with 1,478± deeded, and almost 4 miles of river frontage, Marias River Sporting Ranch is ideal for upland bird, big-game, and waterfowl hunters, anglers, stockmen, equestrians, and lovers of the outdoors. With a lush, cottonwood-lined river bottom, and rugged breaks rising to a vast bench of native grass or small grain, this landscape is awe-inspiring.

Imagine yourself canoeing, exploring the draws and breaks by horse or ATV, testing the pools and runs looking for big bass, catfish, or walleye; searching for upland birds; or hunting for a big buck with family or close friends.

The ranch is in a great location for those looking for a small livestock or farming operation. Properties like Marias River Sporting Ranch are rarely on the market and represent a great opportunity for buyers who love the Rocky Mountain West.

Marias River Sporting Ranch is located in Chouteau County in North Central Montana. The small river town of Loma is five miles to the south down Lower Marias River Road, and Fort Benton is just off Highway 87, about 20 minutes to the southeast.

Montana’s third largest city, Great Falls, is just an hour to the west and offers daily commercial air service, first-class medical care, shopping, fine dining, and many musical and cultural activities. Private and public golf courses can be found in Great Falls, as well as tennis, swimming, and indoor and outdoor riding arenas.

North Central Montana is synonymous with wide-open big country, contrasting landscapes, great recreational opportunities, friendly folks, and agriculture. Locally known as the “Golden Triangle,” this region fosters some of the finest soils in the county and yields excellent crops of wheat, barley, oat, and canola. Ranching is big business with the area being home to some of the finest registered and commercial cattle and sheep operations anywhere.

Approximate driving distance to area towns and cities from the ranch are as follows:

With a total of 3,172± acres, Marias River Sporting Ranch consists of 1,478± deeded acres, 369± of which are farmed or have a history of being farmed or hayed, and 1,128± acres of native pasture.  The ranch also boasts 1,694± acres of leased land, including 1,480± BLM lease and 214± acres of State of Montana lease. The property benefits from multiple water rights, including irrigation, stock, and domestic.

The acreage classifications for the ranch are generally described as follows:

BIRDS & WATERFOWL

Pheasants are plentiful along the river bottom, in the sage, grass breaks, and hills on the ranch while Hungarian partridge and sharp-tail grouse prefer the upper benches and draws. Sage grouse are occasionally seen on the ranch.

Food plots, permanent nesting cover, and other habitat improvements would enhance bird numbers on the property.

BIG GAME

Mule and whitetail deer are constant residents of the ranch with pronghorn antelope being commonly seen. Numbers and trophy-quality deer are both good to excellent. The ranch is in Region 400, which is managed for trophy quality better than most of the state by closing the season just before the rut.

FISHING

The Marias River is a true “sleeper fishery” that most serious anglers in Montana have never seen, let alone fished.

With the next bridge upstream of the ranch 50± miles away, access to the Marias River is hard to come by, making it one of the most private and lightly used rivers in the country. There is good trout fishing in the 10 or so miles down from Tiber Dam, which creates Lake Elwell, about 70 miles upstream from the ranch. The few who fish the Marias River know it as one of the finest multi-species fisheries in the county. Bring your fly rod, spinning, or bait casting gear; the river has a great population of smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger, northern pike, catfish, and some paddlefish and shovelnose sturgeon.

Fort Benton was once the largest city in the territory and served as the innermost port for steamboats and other river traffic traveling up the Missouri River. Founded in 1846 as a military and fur trading post, Fort Benton was home to, or frequented by trappers, mountain men, prospectors, traders, Indians, and sodbusters. Fort Benton ranks as one of the most authentic and charming small cities in the state and serves as the jumping-off point to the 150-mile stretch of the Missouri River, which is now designated as “Wild and Scenic” by the Secretary of the Interior.

This special landscape has remained mostly unchanged from when the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through in 1805. Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent several days exploring the lower Marias and almost certainly spent time on the Marias River Sporting Ranch. The Marias River, flowing approximately 210 miles to its confluence with the Missouri River, originates in Glacier National Park and is formed where Cut Bank Creek meets the Two Medicine River. The river was named for a cousin of Meriwether Lewis, Maria Wood.

There is an older farmstead on the upstream end of the ranch, most likely not suitable for living quarters but in a beautiful location for a replacement home. Electric service reaches multiple parts of the ranch, including the older, remote farmstead. There are also several great locations for a home or cabin in other areas of the ranch. Fences and ranch roads are mostly in good condition.

The real estate taxes for 2023 were approximately $2,833.

The seller will convey with the ranch 100% of whatever mineral, oil, gas, geo-thermal, hydrocarbon, solar, wind, and gravel rights it owns, subject to reservations by previous owners. The seller makes no representation as to the quantity or quality of any mineral or other subsurface rights appurtenant to the property.

According to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Water Rights Division, the ranch owns 8 water rights, including 2 irrigation rights, 1 domestic right, and 5 stock rights. Please reach out to the listing brokers for detailed information.

All water rights in Montana are subject to eventual re-adjudication by the Montana Water Court and, as a result of that process, may be changed as to the validity, amount, priority date, place of use, and other such changes as the Court determines. The seller has made all the filings currently required and will transfer the water rights as they currently stand with no warranty of future viability.

All water rights appurtenant to and for the benefit of the ranch will be conveyed to the buyer at the closing of a sale.

The property sits at about 2,700 feet in elevation and enjoys a mild climate. Temperatures in summer months average in the low 80s and the mid-30s in winter. Snowfall is light in the winter and one can expect some sunshine well over 300 days a year.

The ranch’s topography begins as flat to gently rolling grassland near the river bottom and transitions into steep and sometimes rugged breaks as it rises to the farmed bench. Many large limestone cliffs, breaks, and outcroppings on the ranch and in the area offer interesting and challenging hiking and climbing.

Electricity is provided by Hill Country Electric Cooperative.

Internet can be provided by Triangle or Sprectrum, and Vontage can supply landline service.

Good cellular coverage in most locations throughout the ranch is available via AT&T and Verizon and can be enhanced with a booster.

Marias River Sporting Ranch is a rare and outstanding property representing the best of what North Central Montana has to offer. Seclusion, privacy, vast views, great home sites, and outstanding recreational opportunities are all readily available. You will love spending time on the ranch hunting, fishing, riding, and hiking. This is an exceptional opportunity to be a part of the rich western history of this ranch.

TERMS OF INSPECTION

The Sellers reserve the right to effect a tax-deferred exchange for other real property in accordance with provisions in Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code.  The Buyer will not be required to incur any additional expenses nor to step into the chain of title on any property which the Seller may acquire.

This entire Offering is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change, or withdrawal without notice and approval of purchase by the Sellers.  Information regarding land classifications, acreages, carrying capacities, crop yields, potential profits, hunting districts and regulations, etc., are intended only as general guidelines and have been obtained from sources deemed reliable; however, accuracy is not warranted or guaranteed by the Sellers or Swan Land Company.  Prospective Buyers should verify all information to their sole and complete satisfaction.

The Seller is making known to all potential purchasers that there may be variations between the property lines and the location of the existing fence boundary lines on Marias River Sporting Ranch. The Seller makes no warranties with regard to the location of the fence lines in relationship to the property lines, nor does the Seller make any warranties or representations with regard to specific acreage within the fenced property lines.

The Seller is selling Marias River Sporting Ranch in an “as is” condition which includes the location of the fences as they now exist. Boundaries shown on any accompanying maps are approximate. The maps are not to scale and are for orientation purposes only. The accuracy of the maps and information portrayed thereon is not guaranteed nor warranted.