New Haven Ranch

Farm Description

The New Haven Ranch is in the northeast corner of Wyoming on the northern boundary of the scenic and adventure-laden Black Hills. Its about 18 miles northwest of the small town of Hulett, and the world-famous Devils Tower our nations first National Monument, next to which are also the impressive Missouri Buttes these can be seen from the ranch. Comfortably and privately situated in this beautiful region of Wyoming, this ranch has all the benefits of the areas attributes, especially the scenery. It consists of about 2,442 total acres of which about 2,182 are deeded and 260 acres of BLM land. All of it is contiguous and situated on the east side of Mule Creek Road, providing good access to its headquarters and what used to be the town of New Haven, WY. All that remains today is a community hall and the New Haven Ranch buildings, which were once part of the old town. With some care and restoration from the current owners, these buildings are now used as guest cabins for the ranch. New Haven is just a shadow of its earlier days importantly however, the ranch and the character and ambiance of the area is still intact. Like much of the area, the ecological diversity of the ranch includes topography consisting of two primary drainages, TL Creek and Music Creek. In between these drainages are rolling hills, rough and scenic draws, flat-top open meadows, hay fields, and food plots. TL Creek is the largest of the two drainages. Both are filled with seasonal flowing water, spring-fed reservoirs, good grass, ponderosa pine, juniper, burr oak trees, and many other native trees, like wild plum, and chokecherry. The habitat is perfect for all kinds of wildlife, especially Merriam turkey, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, waterfowl, and other upland bird species. The ranch is currently used for livestock grazing, hay production, commercial hunting, recreation, and it also serves as a guest ranch. Livestock Grazing The owners have taken great pride in their management of the land over the last 30 years by enacting regenerative, grazing practices that have significantly improved the overall health and well-being of the land. The densely sodded land, comprised with diverse grasses, forbs, and other native plants is evident. Any new owner can be assured that the ranch is in excellent ecological health, and one can get right to grazing. Even the fences and water systems are all in great condition. On a traditional carrying capacity basis the ranch should run about 150 cows/pairs per year with some hay supplementation. Another way to look at it is by animal days per acre ADA, in which case it is rated around 24 ADAs for yearlings or 16 ADAs for pairs, and not grazing the hay meadows but haying them. Currently, the ranch is leased to a neighbor who runs, depending on the year, between 450 and 500 yearlings from May through August or September depending on the grass and markets. Intermingled amongst the deeded land is a small amount of Bureau of Land Management BLM grazing lease that allows for 36 animal unit months of supplemental grazing. The owner currently runs about 20 horses on the ranch for guest operations. Water Resources New Haven Ranch has extensive water development for livestock, wildlife, and recreational uses. Natural surface water resources include many natural springs and several reservoirs. One in Section 24 four in Section 7, one in Section 18 New Haven Lake Reservoir in Section 7 is permitted for 80.01 acre-feet per year of water and is listed for several surface uses, in Section 17, four reservoirs, and a well in Section 19. The New Haven Lake is about 12 surface acres and about 117 total acre-feet in terms of its size. It has been stocked with fish in the past and can support various kinds of fish year-round. Its fun to use recreationally for small paddle boats, swimming, fishing, hunting, and just for aesthetic purposes. For developed water, the ranch has three wells. Two of the wells one new, another old and unpermitted at the headquarters are interconnected for redundancy if needed and provide water for the livestock waterers, all the buildings at the headquarters including the Sellers separately owned residence plus, they supply water to a another buried pipeline with three tanks in different pastures on the west side of the ranch. The third one, called the Music Well, is at the head of Music Creek. It was new in 2020 and supplies over 7 miles of buried pipeline and 12 concrete stock tanks, which are all strategically distributed around the ranch allowing for a rotational grazing program for livestock and that benefits wildlife. It is supplemented by a large storage tank for plenty of reserve water storage for high-demand use. Hunting & Recreation New Haven Ranch is located on the very edge of the Black Hills, where the variety of timbered terrain, spring-filled draws, lush meadows to sagebrush prairie provide the ideal habitat and feed for healthy and diverse wild game populations. Mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, antelope, turkey, sharptailed grouse, sage hens, geese, ducks, eagles, bobcats, coyotes, fox, and even beaver can be found on the ranch and the neighboring and very limited access public land. This allows the hunter or just the avid wildlife lover to experience a variety of wildlife viewing, hunting, and even trout fishing when stocked from the ranchs own New Haven Lake reservoir. You can pretty much expect that the hunting and viewing opportunities for wildlife can and do begin as you step out the door or even while looking out your window. Residential The Lodge Offering comfortable accommodations with a rich local history and all the features of home Year Built 1953 remodeled in 2010 and 2015 1,408 SF Main Level with wood deck 1,248 SF Walkout Basement entertainment area with pool table Stained Log Siding exterior Metal Roof replaced in 2022 5 Bedrooms with a total of 10 beds 3 queens, 6 twins, 1 full, 3 bedrooms on main level, 2 bedrooms in basement 5 Bathrooms 3 on the main level, 2 in the basement Full Kitchen on main floor, open to living room and dining room Additional Features phone and wifi storage rooms meat processing room 2 water heaters 1000 gallon propane tank water storage tank wood stove central and baseboard heat The Guest House The 952 SF bunkhouse is the original home on the ranch. It was built in 1909 and is currently rented out. It is located south of the lodge with access from Mule Creek Road. It includes 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom was remodeled between 2010 and 2015, and is plumbed into one of the two domestic wells for the farmstead area. Exterior wood siding with a metal roof Heat/HVAC Propane/Wood with electrical baseboard Deck/Patio 84 SF enclosed porch and 176 SF covered wood deck The Bunkhouse The remodeled mobile home is wood-sided and a new metal roof was installed in 2022. It has a covered porch and an open deck plus a wood stove. It also has a propane furnace, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen/dining/living areas, and laundry area. Guest Cabins 3 All three guest cabins are remodeled and updated, original homestead buildings that were built in 1909. All are now used for guests of the ranch, hunters, and paying vacationers. Each has wood siding on top of logs, new in 2022 metal roofs, Wifi, indoor plumbing with instant water heaters, and small wood decks and, all share the same septic system. North Cabin 592 SF, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Baseboard electric and woodstove for heat. It includes a laundry area, kitchen, and an open living room area. East Cabin 419 SF, it includes a laundry room though no washer/dryer, one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen. It has baseboard heat and a wood stove. West Cabin Excellent building for storage purposes, specifically for hay and equipment storage. 320 SF, it has somewhat of a kitchen with a sink, microwave, and refrigerator/freezer. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, and only has baseboard heat. Ranch B