Snowcrest Ranch
Ranch Manager: Billy Salada
Snowcrest Ranch is a 13,343-acre ranch located along the Upper Ruby River in southwest Montana.
The landscape of the ranch is diverse and varies from cottonwood/juniper forested river and creek bottoms, to dry grass/sage upland benches along the river and pine forests under the soaring peaks of the Snowcrest and Greenhorn mountains. These habitats and the ranch’s vast, open spaces support a variety of wildlife from neotropical migrant songbirds, raptors, and upland game birds to antelope, whitetail deer and mule deer, elk and bison. Black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and wolves are also present on the property. The Ruby River corridor provides especially diverse and productive habitat for many species, including sand hill cranes, blue herons and bald and golden eagles.
In addition to managing the land in ways that promote sustainable bison ranching and wildlife populations, the Snowcrest Ranch is also involved in habitat restoration and native species conservation efforts. To promote riparian habitat diversity and bank stability along the Ruby River, the ranch is selectively thinning or removing monotypic juniper stands and planting native cottonwoods to enhance willow and cottonwood regeneration. Willow Creek, a small tributary to the Ruby River, was realigned to a more natural channel reversing past negative impacts that included straightening and entrenching the stream. In turn, fish populations are increasing in Willow Creek. In addition to these initiatives, Snowcrest also assisted resource agencies in reintroducing arctic grayling to the Ruby watershed and is currently working with state and federal agencies in an effort to conserve and restore westslope cutthroat trout in the upper Greenhorn Creek watershed.
Snowcrest has two 2 KW solar array systems generating electricity to help power structures on the ranch.
For more information on outfitting opportunities, please contact:
Montana Hunting Company
Phone: (406) 585-9051
Email: info@montanahuntingcompany.com
