Whispering Creek Ranch

Big Timber, Montana

$2,295,000

39± Acres

INTRODUCTION

Set beneath the Beartooth Mountains and the Absaroka Range just a few miles east of Gallatin National Forest and in the West Bridger Creek drainage, this exquisite mountain sanctuary features a custom 4,696± square foot home and guest quarters on 39± deeded acres. About 750 feet of both sides of West Bridger Creek cascades by the home, just 35± minutes from Big Timber, Montana. The easily manageable acreage includes a diverse array of mature timber and mountain meadows and a beautiful pond outside the home’s large picture windows, providing habitat and water for big game, birds, small mammals, and other wildlife.

1 Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

QUICK FACTS

• 39± deeded acres with year-round access

• 750± feet of West Bridger Creek

• Stunning 4,696± square foot, four-bed, four-bath main home

• Large mother-in-law suite above a 3-stall garage with kitchenette, bathroom, gas fireplace, and large entertaining area

• Excellent big game hunting for trophy elk and whitetail deer

• Endless recreation opportunities in the nearby National Forest

• Less than a half hour to fishing on the Yellowstone River

• 35± minutes to Big Timber and its private airport

• About an hour and a half to Bozeman and Billings and their commercial airports

ACREAGE

Comprised of 39± deeded acres easily accessed by W Bridger Creek Road, the terrain includes sweeping foothills, mountain ridges, creek bottoms, and valleys. The elevation ranges from 4,520± feet near the home to 4,839± feet. West Bridger Creek winds through the property, flowing east to the next major drainage, Bridger Creek, and into the Yellowstone River. Travel less than a mile west from the property on W Bridger Creek Road, and you will run into thousands of acres of Gallatin National Forest, prime for many recreational activities.

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

IMPROVEMENTS

Cross the Chief Joseph iron rock bridge to enter Whispering Creek Ranch. Walk out your front door to view rocky cliffs, mature trees, and mountain meadows. Enjoy the sights and sounds of West Bridger Creek, a private pond, and a beautiful fountain display off the wrap-around redwood deck. Overlooking a babbling creek, the main home blends into the surrounding foliage and landscape, providing views of wildlife, mountains, and the creek bottom. Built in 2004, this spacious home boasts large custom windows and vaulted ceilings, allowing for a great entertaining space. With four bedrooms and four bathrooms on three levels, the home was engineered around the living room’s massive floor-to-ceiling Chief Joseph iron stone fireplace. The home’s interior is dominated by natural knotty pine tongue and groove. Key design finishes include a custom mantle, a claw foot soaking tub and jetted bathtub, a mix of Corian and granite countertops throughout the bathrooms and kitchen, high-end appliances, a second gas fireplace, and a sitting area off the bedroom and bathroom in the loft, and radiant heat throughout. The home is rounded out by a finished basement with a bonus room, bathroom, large bedroom, a recreation room with a pool table, and plenty of storage. Feel safe thanks to an extensive indoor/outdoor security system with 16 cameras and web access. Other home highlights include a high-tech sprinkler system and three 1000-gallon self-sufficient propane tanks. A generator provides instant backup during a power outage.

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

Above the 3-stall garage and its bathroom and storage area are the 960± SF mother-in-law quarters, which boast a large open loft, kitchenette, bathroom, gas stove, and living room. An open-air four-stall shed is located north of the detached garage, perfect for storing recreation toys. This shed could also be used as a horse or livestock stable.

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

RECREATION

FISHING

Bridger Creek and West Bridger Creek are unknown, intimate fisheries with decent-sized trout and little notoriety. Running through larger private ranches mixed with some smaller parcels, there is little fishing pressure. There are a fortunate few who are aware of the fishery on both creeks, and even fewer have had the privilege of fishing it. The expectation is to catch mostly 8-to-12-inch fish in a mountain stream; however, as a tributary of the Yellowstone River, large fish move out of the Yellowstone and into these creeks. Combined with the spring influence throughout the length of the creeks, the fishery produces a multitude of decent-sized wild trout spread throughout its clear waters.

If a change of venue is appealing, some excellent choices are nearby, such as the Yellowstone River less than a half hour away. The legendary Yellowstone River is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states, flowing some 554± miles from its source in the mountains of Wyoming to its confluence with the Missouri River. There are more than 100± miles of Blue Ribbon trout water downstream from the Yellowstone Park border with excellent brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout populations. The Yellowstone is considered large by trout river standards and is a great river to float or wade fish. The river is most noted for the “Mother’s Day” caddis hatch. The Yellowstone fishes well for virtually 12 months of the year, with outstanding dry fly fishing throughout the summer.

Proximity to Yellowstone National Park, the birthplace of many of the finest trout rivers in the West, provides even more awesome fishing opportunities. Within its boundaries, headwater streams such as the Gibbon, Firehole, and Lamar create rivers such as the Madison and Gallatin. Yellowstone National Park hosts a lifetime of fishing locales with over a hundred lakes and a thousand miles of streams.

HUNTING | WILDLIFE

Wildlife is abundant on Whispering Creek Ranch, thanks mainly to reclaimed habitat and management for big game. An array of creatures, from elk, deer, moose, bear, mountain lion, fox, and coyote to upland birds and raptors, make use of the diverse terrain and nearby National Forest. Enjoy bird and wildlife watching while sitting quietly on the porch.

Due to habitat reclamation, big game hunting in the area is exceptional. Neighboring landowners have been implementing wildlife and habitat management, contributing to the array of animals found. Elk in the 350+ class and whitetail deer in the 160+ class have been harvested in the area. The mule deer are returning, and big bucks can be found. Whispering Creek Ranch offers quality feeding and bedding habitat for elk and deer. In addition to the ungulates, there are Hungarian partridge, sharptailed grouse, and turkey.

The nearby Custer Gallatin National Forest/Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness boasts endless trails to discover. The wilderness designation means no motorized vehicles, making it ideal for horses and hiking. The Beartooths include the highest peaks in Montana and 25 peaks that exceed 12,000 feet. The Absarokas are considered the most biologically unique mountain range in North America, with over 390 species of plants. The Wilderness has over 300 mountain lakes— many rich in trout—and abundant wildlife traverses the area.

Elk; not taken on property

Mule deer; not taken on property

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

GETTING THERE

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is an easy hour-and-a-half drive from the property. The airport is served by Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest, Sun Country, and United Airlines with flights to many cities. Billings Logan International Airport is also an easy hour-and-a-half drive northeast from the property. It is serviced by Alaska, Delta, Cape Air, Delta, and United Airlines and is also home to Edwards Jet Center. Big Timber Airport is a general aviation airport with private jet capability located three miles southwest of Big Timber. This airport includes two runways: 5,285 feet long and 3,475 feet long.

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

MINERAL RIGHTS

All mineral rights appurtenant to the property and owned by the seller will convey to the buyer at closing. Mineral rights are not guaranteed. It is suggested that the buyer conduct a mineral search with a title company.

CONSERVATION | STEWARDSHIP

This property is not under conservation easement.

Each of us at Fay loves the land and wants to see it remain a productive agricultural ground and a quality fish and wildlife habitat. Through promoting thoughtful land stewardship, Fay has guided owners toward a legacy of conserving wide-open spaces, enhancing and creating fisheries and wildlife habitats, and implementing sustainable agricultural operations. Fay is proud to say that since our company began in 1992, our clients’ conservation ethics and land-use practices have significantly enhanced our work landscape.

www.fayranches.com | 800.238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

WATER RIGHTS

Montana waters, in all their varied forms and locations, belong to the State for the benefit of its people. A water right is the right to use the water within state-established guidelines, and not any ownership of the water itself. Since water rights in Montana are guided by the prior appropriation doctrine, a person’s right to use a specific quantity of water depends on when the use of water began, establishing the relative priority date of use on the water source. The first person to use water from a source established the first right, the second person could establish a right to the water that was left, and so on. Additionally, water users are limited to the amount of water that can be beneficially used. Beneficial use includes, but is not limited to, agricultural, recreational, fish, wildlife and domestic purposes.

Montana is currently conducting a statewide adjudication of all water rights with priority dates prior to July 1, 1973. The statewide adjudication is a court process that prioritizes and quantifies all existing water rights in each Montana drainage basin. With 85 basins in Montana, and over 219,000 water right claims, the statewide adjudication is a massive undertaking that is expected to stretch well into the future. Until the adjudication process is complete, the status of any particular water right claim cannot be guaranteed. Fay Ranches, Inc., its brokers and salespersons do not warrant or make any representation concerning the quantity or quality of any water rights, nor any legal entitlement to use of water rights, permits to appropriate water, exempt existing rights, determination of existing water rights, nor any ditches, ditch rights, or ditch easements appurtenant to or constituting a burden on the property. Water rights claims appurtenant to the property may or may not have been fully or finally adjudicated, and any Buyer is advised to make any offer to purchase contingent upon and subject to such independent inspections, evaluations, and advice concerning the water rights and adjudication process as a Buyer might deem prudent. All Buyers should be aware that Fay Ranches, Inc., its brokers and salespersons involved in this offering have not conducted an expert inspection or analysis of the water rights for this property.

SUMMARY

Catch glimpses of rocky ridge views, mountain meadows, healthy verdant creek bottom, and dramatic canyons as you drive to Whispering Creek Ranch. The property boasts 39± deeded acres set below the Absaroka and Crazy Mountain Ranges, with small trout fishing during certain times of the year along 750± private feet of the small West Bridger Creek. Centrally located in Montana, Whispering Creek Ranch is 35± minutes south of Big Timber, Montana, and its private airport and within an hour and a half of Bozeman and its commercial airport. Exceptional creek frontage, a private pond, and natural beauty complemented by wellappointed improvements make Whispering Creek Ranch a quiet respite.

www.fayranches.com | 800.238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

Please contact Branif Scott at (396) 579-9599 | bscott@fayranches.com to schedule a showing. This is an exclusive listing. An agent from Fay Ranches, Inc. must be present at all showings, unless otherwise noted or other arrangements are made. To view other properties we have listed, please visit our web page at www. fayranches.com.

$2,295,000 Cash

Conventional Financing 1031 Exchange

Offer is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information regarding land classification, carrying capacities, maps, etc., is intended only as a general guideline and has been provided by the owners and other sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to research the information to their own satisfaction.

NOTES

Whispering Creek Ranch | Big Timber, Montana

except a dual agent:

Has a duty to disclose to a buyer or seller any adverse material facts that are known to the dual agent regardless of any confidentiality considerations; and May not disclose the following information without the written consent of the person to whom the information is confidential; The fact that the buyer is willing to pay more than the offered purchase price; The fact that the seller is willing to accept less than the purchase price that the seller is asking for the property; Factors motivating either party to buy or sell; and Any information that a party indicates in writing to the dual agent is to be kept confidential.

4. STATUTORY BROKER

A “Statutory Broker” is not the agent of the Buyer or Seller but nevertheless is obligated to them to:

Disclose to: i. a buyer or buyer agent any adverse material facts that concern the property and that are known to the statutory broker, except that the statutory broker is not required to inspect the property or verify any statements made by the seller; and ii. a seller or a seller agent any adverse material facts that are known to the statutory broker and that concern the ability of the buyer to perform on any purchase offer; Exercise reasonable care, skill, and diligence in putting together a real estate transaction, and Comply with all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations.

5. IN-HOUSE SELLER AGENT DESIGNATE

Created when the agency holds both the listing on a property from the seller and a buyer broker agreement with the buyer, an in-house seller agent designate is a broker or salesperson employed by or associated as an independent contractor with a broker and designated by the broker as the exclusive agent for a seller for a designated transaction and who may not be considered to be acting for other than the seller with respect to the designated transaction.

6. IN-HOUSE BUYER AGENT DESIGNATE

Created when the agency holds both the listing on a property from the seller and a buyer broker agreement with the buyer, an in-house buyer agent designate is a broker or salesperson employed by or associated as an independent contractor with a broker and designated by the broker as the exclusive agent for a buyer for a designated transaction and who may not be considered to be acting for other than the buyer with respect to the designated transaction.

BUYER AGENT

A “Buyer Agent” is obligated to the Buyer to: Act solely in the best interests of the buyer; Obey promptly and efficiently all lawful instructions of the buyer; Disclose all relevant and material information that concerns the real estate transaction and that is known to the buyer agent and not known or discoverable by the buyer, unless the information is subject to confidentiality arising from a prior or existing agency relationship on the part of the buyer agent; Safeguard the buyer’s confidences; Exercise reasonable care, skill, and diligence in pursuing the buyer’s objectives and in complying with the terms established in the listing agreement; Fully account to the buyer for any funds or property of the buyer that comes into the buyer agent’s possession; and Comply with all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations.

Montana law permits a real estate agent, after providing written disclosure to a buyer and obtaining a buyer’s written consent, to represent multiple buyers interested in buying the same property or similar properties to properties in which a buyer is interested and to show properties in which a buyer is interested to other prospective buyers, without breaching any obligation to the buyer.