Turkey Track Ranch is featured in the Fall 2023 issue of LAND magazine. Click here to find out more.
Photos by Wyman Meinzer and Icon Global
The Turkey Track Ranch, encompassing 80,000± acres under one fence and the legacy of the Coble/Whittenburg empire, is a repository of historic stewardship and untapped opportunity.
The Turkey Track Ranch, located in Hutchison County near Spearman, was pioneered in the era of the legendary WT Waggoner, 6666 and Goodnight ranches, and was the site of both Battles of Adobe Walls. Twelve generations of the family invested their blood, sweat and stewardship into the “Prize of the Panhandle.” The land reflects generational care and thoughtful management.
With about 26 miles of Canadian River frontage, the ranch is a rare confluence of natural resources. When the “Drought of Record” hit in the 1950s, the family responded by stopping erosion and saving topsoil by building earthen dams. Over time, 50 significant dams and 250 smaller ones became invaluable natural infrastructure that conserved water, soil and enhanced biodiversity.
The river is a major travel corridor for mule deer and whitetail deer, which are managed under a Texas Parks & Wildlife program. Waterfowl stop over during their annual migration. Quail, pheasant and wild turkeys inhabit the uplands. Pronghorn antelope bound over the open prairies.
Abundant water, a rarity in the Texas Panhandle, enhances the ranch’s overall productivity that includes vast fertile grasslands. The topography varies from rolling to rugged and includes mesas, draws, valleys and vistas interspersed with open rangeland. The land, the modern iteration of the legendary buffalo plains, and the lifestyle are the stuff of epic westerns.
The Opportunities
Because of the careful stewardship, the Turkey Track Ranch has accrued an astonishing amount of natural capital. Options exist in minerals and renewables as well as emerging ecosystem markets such as carbon, water and biodiversity.
The natural assets of the ranch have been meticulously curated and improved across the decades, where modern practices and technology have been applied, even pioneered. A customized rotational grazing system serves the ranch’s varied range types: sub-irrigated bottomlands, Caprock country, hardened flats and rolling sand hills.
More than 2,000 cattle complement its 1,200 acres of cropland, 830 of which are irrigated through five Ogallala aquifer wells. The grazing system is designed to improve ground cover, vegetative diversity, root system hardiness and soil health. In fact, the grazing practices have encouraged wildlife habitat to flourish.
An absolute wealth of water resources is a defining feature of the Turkey Track. In addition to the Canadian River’s presence, eight major creek basins, along with numerous springs, provide year-round water to several lakes, the one of which is 35 acres; the lakes are stocked with bass and other species.
The ranch lies in a 20-inch annual rainfall belt. Its extensive network of erosion-control, conservation-oriented dams increase water quality and quantity. Roughly 64 wind- and solar-powered wells supply water troughs throughout the ranch, supplementing the surface water and providing additional grazing options across the entire ranch.
The ranch carries an array of existing offerings for hospitality including well-conceived hunting and angling opportunities. Potential exists to develop additional programs to meet society’s growing demand for access to the outdoors. Groups, ranging from families to corporations on retreat or non-profits, could enjoy and learn from the ranch.
The right mix of history and biodiversity make Turkey Track a marquee venue for visionary partnerships. The ranch’s evolution over 120 years reflects a changing America. It’s poised to shape the future as surely as it has the past.
80,000± Acres
Hutchinson County, Texas
$200,000,000
ICON GLOBAL
214-855-4000 • Info@Icon.Global
Icon.Global
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