The Duck Club

Farm Description

If you have ever wanted to own one of the best duck hunting properties in North America, this is it. This +/- 49-acre beauty with incredible water rights sits in western Colorado's Montrose County near the town of Olathe and showcases prime habitat, including being surrounded by the famous Olathe Sweet cornfields that waterfowl love, making it the ideal waterfowl retreat.

The hunting rivals that of any prime duck hunting spot, from the Mississippi Delta and Stuttgart, Ark., to the Canadian provinces known for their sheer numbers of waterfowl. This amazing property has 4 North-facing duck blinds for maximum concealment on 3 large ponds, borders the Uncompahgre River and has 20 acres of irrigated ground to grow additional grain or food plots. With the Montrose/Telluride Airport only 15 minutes away and multiple direct flights from many major cities, this gentleman's hunting property is easy to reach year-round, featuring a paved road to the entrance and well maintained gravel roads circling each pond.

Disabled hunters also enjoy easy access as hunters can drive right up to the ground blinds and drop off their decoys and gear, with one particular blind specifically tailored to meet their needs. Snow coverage is typically light during the winter with no need for plowing snow.

As you immerse yourself in what appears to be the most natural duck hunting spot ever, you may be surprised to know this waterfowl haven was engineered and actually took years to develop. Thanks to the owners' passion for duck hunting and help from experts at conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, development entailed digging 3 ponds by the river-home to trout, bass and sunfish-installing delivery systems to keep water flowing and aerators to keep water open even in the coldest conditions. They built islands on each pond for the duck blinds and a 1-foot-deep underwater walkway to ensure hunters could wade safely to the islands. The construction cost for this project was well over which would be considerably more in today's dollars as this project was started in 1983. The property is conserved in a conservation easement to ensure it remains intact as a wildlife mecca for future generations.

The property's tremendous water rights are what made the whole project possible. With 29.7 shares of Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association irrigation water, a 2 cubic-foot wastewater decree and a 1 cubic-foot clear spring ensuring good late-season shooting opportunities, the property always has efficient water that continuously moves through the ponds to avoid stagnation and keep the aquatic vegetation and fish in a healthy state. For an extra bonus, this paradise borders 1,700 feet of the Uncompahgre River, known for incredible trout fishing and waterfowl hunting.

More than a waterfowl haven, this property is also a refuge for other wild game species. It boasts a healthy mule deer population featuring some giant bucks that can be spotted feeding in the alfalfa field as well as coveys of Gambel's quail and large numbers of dove while the fishing on the Uncompahgre River is outstanding.

Helping to spread the word far and wide on this beauty, the owners currently donate 1-day hunts as auctions items for wildlife conservation groups' fundraising events. To date the property has raised more than million for groups such as Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. A single one-day hunt recently sold for It goes without saying that this property has incredible fundraising potential.