This column is part of a regular weekly series highlighting the largest land sales recorded each week through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program. To learn more and participate in the program, or to subscribe, click here.
Congratulations to Sam Middleton with Chas. S. Middleton and Son who sold the 19,145-acre Red Mountain Ranch in Sandoval County, New Mexico, this week. This sale occurred on May 22, 2017, and was submitted through the Lands of America Comparable Sales Program.
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Set at elevations between 6,300 and 7,000 feet, Red Mountain Ranch is framed by the rimrock cliffs of the Jemez Mountains foothills, an area of ancient volcanic peaks that includes Valles Caldera National Preserve and Bandelier National Monument. Snowcapped peaks characterize the region in winter, while fall colors are resplendent along the banks of the ranch’s Rio Puerco.
The Rio Puerco, a small ephemeral stream, traverses the entire east boundary of the ranch for an estimated eight miles. Flowing down from the San Pedro Peaks Wilderness area of the Jemez Mountains, the stream is an essential source for wildlife and livestock making Red Mountain Ranch their home. The stream and rugged rimrock areas also afford the ranch a natural boundary for roaming cattle.
Historical operation of this ranch has been to graze approximately 250+/- animal unit cattle year-round, with the addition of big-game hunting opportunities in the fall, either by the owners and their guests or by lease to an outfitter. The livestock water system on Red Mountain Ranch is supplied by six electric wells located primarily along the Rio Puerco stream bed, along with over 40 earth stock tanks strategically located throughout the ranch.
Big mule deer and elk make their home throughout the ranch’s rolling sage flats, while other wildlife here include aoudad, bear, lion, bobcat, fox, coyote and numerous small game species and birds. The ranch is enrolled in the New Mexico Game and Fish Department’s E Plus System and receives annual permits for four mature bulls, three either-sex archery kills and three antlerless elk authorizations. Additional hunting opportunities are offered via the public draw system whereby a hunter draws a license and hunts deeded lands on the ranch with written permission from the owner. The ranch is also enrolled in the Game Department’s Mule Deer Conservation Tag program.
The ranch’s 7,880 deeded acres are complemented with 3,178 acres of state trust land and 8,087 BLM-leased acres. With the leased acres being intermingled within the ranch’s deeded land, the new owner has the advantage of being able to control vehicular access into the ranch and blocking public hunters and any other public traffic.
Only an hour north of Albuquerque, Red Mountain Ranch is well-positioned to be enjoyed as an exceptional recreational property with a good measure of accessibility and natural seclusion. Other area highlights include the mineral hot springs scattered throughout the Jemez Valley and the artistic, culinary and cultural attractions of Santa Fe (95 miles to the east).
View Sam Middleton’s other listings on Lands of America
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