Just a Chunk of Land

Nameless Range

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With all the talk of the transfer of public lands to the states, I think it is worth remembering that State Trust Lands are managed for direct profit - and when a parcel is no longer profitable, those lands are often offloaded. A piece of land I grew up hunting and fishing is now for sale, with the DNRC stating it will be sold by July 1st in a recent public meeting. The direct agricultural profits from this land are minimal, as it is either rocky and steep or riparian - but it is a gem if you want to fill your B tag or catch a slew of fish. On Saturday I packed my son and dog up and took a hike to appreciate it while I still can.

Map.jpg

The land lies just south of Clancy, Montana.When the interstate came through this section was bisected - the parcel west of the interstate is to be sold. Elk often cross the interstate here - coming from the Elkhorns on the east through this parcel on the west. It is one of the few remaining chunks of undeveloped land between Helena and Jefferson City to the south.

BeaverDam.jpg

Recently, beavers built a sizeable dam. It's unique in that it has the interstate on one side and an old railroad grade on the other - not a typical spot for the beavers.

Pond.jpg

Because both sides are rip-rapped and steep, Prickly Pear Creek, which is typically no deeper than 3 or 4 feet, is 6 to 8 feet deep for a hundred yard stretch. When the creek was hot in late summer, this is where I took my 4 year-old to make a killing on 6 inch brookies.

DeerTracks.jpg

We saw whitetail, mule deer, and elk tracks on our walk.

Whitetail_Country.jpg

It is an island of good whitetail country in a sea of rocky, ponderosa-filled mule deer country.

Wetlandstoforest.jpg

The south end of this land is a 20 or so acre stand of older growth ponderosa giving way to the north to rocky hills.

Abby.jpg

A great place to play growing up.

Looking_North.jpg

Looking North to Alhambra.

No doubt it will be subdivided like the rest of the I-15 corridor north of Boulder Hill. Beautiful building sites exist throughout this parcel.

When you have a personal history with a chunk of land, and that history is ending, 176 acres can seem like a lot.
 
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Sadly, this could be a common occurrence if the states get a hold of the federal lands and then realize that they can't afford to maintain them. Thanks for sharing about this special place and giving us another reason to fight these hair brained proposals by states to acquire federal lands.
 
This is a double edge sword. First ranchers will by what ever they can and people like Wilks will buy all they can get their hands on and last but not least environmental groups will step in.
I don't like this having states take over management of public lands. First off most states dont have a balanced budget.
 
I wonder if this is on RMEF, TU or DU radar? seems to me that this gem might be of interest to one or maybe all of those groups.
 
I wonder if this is on RMEF, TU or DU radar? seems to me that this gem might be of interest to one or maybe all of those groups.

I really doubt it and honestly, I don't think it would be their money well spent. The elk cross the interstate between these two state parcels often, but many don't make it. I know because I see their carcasses on the way to work in the morning. A decade ago my mother-in-law plastered a pregnant cow all over the interstate totaling her Buick.

It is a small parcel with subdivisions on it's north and south ends. A source of local outdoor recreation for sure, and an island of good whitetail habitat, but when it comes to securing elk populations it is probably pretty insignificant due to the interstate being it's eastern border.
 
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Damn man that's a bummer. Thanks for the writeup.

I doubt you could find a finer real life example of why the land transfers are a bad idea.
 
Bummer.
I first hunted elk/deer in the 70's west of there on the same kinda land,allowed us access to the FS land beyond a ranch. Out by Basin. Tags cost about $25 OTC. Great brookie fishing and grouse hunting too!!
 
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