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Hunting & Canine

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October/November 2016 $5.99 US & Canada

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TOP 7Luxury Hunting Lodges of the West

October/November 2016

FEATURE

30 / WESTERN HORSE & GUN

Who says hunting has to be done with long days in the brush and long nights in an uncomfortable tent? Sometimes you want to just get away from it all, relax with five-star cuisine, Egyptian cotton sheets, and bring home a trophy for the wall in the process. These seven luxury hunting lodges are some of the best in the West, and you’ll want to plan your next hunting trip soon.

Rough it out in the wilderness while bagging a big catch during the day, then relax and enjoy luxury at night at these top lodges in the West

Destinations for Hunting HeavenBy M e g a n A r sz m a n

WESTERN HORSE & GUN / 31

Straddling the Colorado and Wyoming border, Three Forks Ranch offers two distinct experiences, perfect for just about anyone looking to get out and experience the West and luxury relaxation. If hunting is your focus, you can enjoy the finest accommodations in individual vacation homes located on the property for your own seclusion and peace and quiet. Tackle one of the largest elk herds in the world; with Three Forks’ own free-ranging herd of almost 6,000 head, hunters can revel in a license-guaranteed hunt with their experienced guides. Mule deer and pronghorns offer you exotic hunts, testing your spot-and-stalk skills and your yearning for excitement.

A day of hunting is sure to accelerate your appetite, which is good because you get the opportunity to experience world-class cuisine at the River Rock Lodge, located on the ranch.

Perhaps, just this once, you want to keep the rifle at home and just get away from it all. The Lodge and Spa at Three Forks Ranch offers couples and groups of friends the perfect combination of lavish comfort, unspoiled privacy and comforting hospitality.

Outdoor activities at the Lodge and Spa at Three Forks include fly fishing, wildlife tours, horseback riding, sporting clay, target shooting and cattle drives in the summer. Winter activities bring out the adrenaline in you with downhill skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing.

Come in, warm up and get spoiled with luxurious massages in the 6,000 square foot spa that offers an indoor/outdoor pool, steam rooms, exercise facility and treatment rooms where you can receive the highest quality body and skin care regimens to come home a whole new you.

You can take a little bit of Three Forks home with you when you enjoy a cooking class (or two) with the renowned chefs, learning their favorite delectable recipes and discovering the secrets of the world class kitchen and the chefs. Afternoon tea is a popular activity, served every afternoon in the Great Room, where you’ll feel more than elegant partaking in tea blends, chocolate truffles and jam tarts.

Special packages allow for you to craft the perfect getaway, whether for two nights or a week.

ThreeForksRanch.com

Three Forks RanchSavery, WY


Grey Cliffs RanchThree Forks, MT


Grey Cliffs RanchThree Forks, MT

Trout-filled ponds, rolling hills and spectacular mountain views surround the 8,000 square foot post and beam style lodge at Grey Cliffs Ranch in Three Forks, Mont. The ranch is a 5,200-acre hideaway of serenity. If you’re looking for a getaway for you and your significant other, the staff at Grey Cliffs can help put together the ultimate romantic package, perfect for reconnection and romance. From January to March they have a special Winter Getaway Package, and there are plenty of couples activities on the ranch including pottery lessons, sporting clay shooting classes and cooking classes.

The ranch’s culinary options are second to none, with a quarter acre organic garden on site, a beehive colony to produce their own honey and chickens roaming the area. With the finest ingredients, guests can tailor their dining options to fit their daily needs—gluten free? Not a problem. Vegetarian? No worries. And when it comes to lunch, the staff can pack you a hardy lunch to keep you satisfied when on your day trips.

For the hunter, Grey Cliffs Ranch offers upland bird hunts, which are half-day guided hunts amongst the property’s grasslands and crop fields. Ranch Manager Chris Pfadt leads

the hunts and he brings along his two trained bird dogs, German Shorthair Pointers named Katie and Hunter. Have your own bird dog? Guests are welcome to bring their own dogs for the hunt, and they can stay in indoor/outdoor kennels on the property. You can enjoy the perfect day: a morning of hiking, lunch at the ranch and then close it out with an afternoon of fishing on the river or one of the many private ponds on the ranch.

Other activities the ranch offers include sporting clay shooting, horseback riding along their 5,000 acres of trails, tubing, hiking, mountain biking and pottery lessons taught by on-site artist Licia Lucas-Pfadt. Guests are welcome to enjoy surrounding areas of Grey Cliffs by seeing nearby Yellowstone National Park, whitewater rafting, ghost towns and the Montana state capitol of Bozeman.

GreyCliffsRanch.com


Castle Valley OutdoorsEmery, UT

The mountains of Central Utah offer home to big game perfect to excite any hunter from mule deer and elk, to bear, ram and mountain lion.


Growing from unforgiving land settled a couple hundred years ago, the beauty of the rich Utah landscape lends to a unique and wonderful sense of relaxation at Castle Valley Outdoors. The picturesque landscape and the dry, cool climate of the Utah desert invites hunters seeking a plethora of opportunities when it comes to wingshooting and big game.

Wingshooting enthusiasts can enjoy a mixed bag of pheasant and chukar with experienced guides and exceptionally trained dogs. And if you’re not one for plucking feathers and cleaning, the wingshooting package at Castle Valley offers free cleaning and packaging.

The mountains of Central Utah offer home to big game perfect to excite any hunter from mule deer and elk, to bear, ram and mountain lion. The Master Hunting Guides can tailor any hunting trip to suit your needs and to help you feel the rush of capturing that big game.

All hunters can return to their own private retreats, with single occupancy luxury hunting lodges, complete with gourmet meals sure to satisfy any starving hunter prepared by the culinary staff. With your meals, you’re invited to discover local Utah wines and drafts, all while taking in a camp fire under the expansive starry sky above.

Other activities at Castle Valley include half- or full-day horseback riding excursions—the perfect way to experience the West, exactly how the settlers did. Fly fishing in blue ribbon mountain streams and lakes, as well as fishing in our stocked trout ponds. And what better way to thoroughly enjoy a fishing excursion than by enjoying your catch that night for your meal? The Executive Chef at Castle Valley can prepare your catch for the meal you’ll be dreaming about for months to come.

Other western adventures at Castle Valley include taking in the mountain scenery aboard all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), sporting clays and rifle golf and yard activities such as horseshoes, croquet and golf.

Don’t worry about packing books for the trip—Castle Valley offers a small library full of cowboy stories and Western lore.

CastleValleyOutdoors.com


If you’re looking for a hunting trip that allows you to rest easy and know everything is taken care of, look no further than the mountains of Kamiah, Idaho, and the Flying B Ranch.

Flying B RanchKamiah, ID

Customer service is number one at the Flying B, with the field staff taking care of the boring part of hunting—licenses, activity registration, guns and shells ready for use and extremely well-trained German Shorthair and English Pointers ready for your call.

Nestled in Lawyer’s Canyon in North Central Idaho, the Flying B is comprised of 5,000 acres and has special permits to use 740,000 acres of the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests for some of the best hunting you can find.

And when it comes to fishing, if you haven’t been a big fan before, the Flying B can make you by the end of your stay, offering steelhead, smallmouth bass and rainbow trout. Whether you’re a novice angler or more experienced, you can also partake in fly-fishing school so you can tackle backcountry fly-fishing.

The lodge is 14,000 square feet with 14 spacious and comfortable guest rooms. Rooms are outfitted with top-of-the-line amenities and the lodge offers an outdoor Jacuzzi, sauna and massages to help you relax in the serenity of the valley.

“We are blessed to outfit in one of the most diverse and spectacular landscapes that most of our guests will ever experience,” says Karen Syron, Director of Marketing for the Flying B Ranch. “About 85 percent of our guests are return guests, and they feel like friends because we encourage a personal atmosphere where we connect with each and every guest.”

The Flying B’s activities offer more of a chance to relax with taking in the natural views via hiking, enjoying a helicopter tour and unwinding in the private lounge.

It’s not just your typical hunting and fishing trip when you visit the Flying B. Hunters have the opportunity to go for some big game with mountain lion, bobcats, black bears, elk or turkey. In fact, many guests take in the Flying B double—bag a turkey in the morning and pursue a black bear by the afternoon. Truly a huntsman’s dream.

FlyingBHunting.com


The main lodge offers 51 guest rooms, all featuring a wall of windows looking out over the majestic Mallard Lake and private balconies to breathe in the clean, country air any time. If a little privacy is more your style, the ranch offers private cottages located a half mile from the main lodge, quietly situation in a wooded area. And if that’s still not enough, vacation homes are available for rent all over the ranch—perfect for extended family trips, reunions or just a getaway for larger families.

When it comes to feeding your hunger pains, look no further than top tier dining that has been called the best dining in Texas with creative menus, sure to appease your desires.

The ladies of the group (and gentlemen, of course) can enjoy the spa at Rough Creek with full service massages (including hot stone, pre-natal and couples massage), facials and body treatments. You can make it a family affair with special youth packages and men’s packages as well.

The opportunity for fun abounds at Rough Creek for couples,

families and professionals. Just some of the on-site activities include the kids’ ranch, fitness center, archery, disc golf, swimming, tomahawk throwing, fossil hunting and ziplining. Off-site activities are within an easy drive and include the Brazos Drive-In, Granbury Golf Course, art museum, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and the Prehistoric Museum.

And, of course, there’s the hunting. Rough Creek is a premier destination for hunting, with 11,000 acres of prime hunting land that’s perfect for hunting fowl, deer and even some exotics. Professional Texas hunting guides will assist with experienced dogs as you aim for turkey, quail or pheasant. But if bigger game is more your style, you can look to load up your wall with axis deer, blackbuck antelope, fallow deer, Corsican rams, black Hawaiian rams and wild hogs. And you won’t need to worry about packing your guns and ammunition if you don’t want, as the lodge offers those services for a nominal fee.

RoughCreek.com

Rough Creek Lodge and Resort is nestled just 90 minutes south of Dallas-Fort Worth, with 11,000 acres of land that provides the perfect opportunity for not only a romantic getaway, but also the

option of a family vacation spot or a business retreat.


Rough Creek Lodge & Resort

Glen Rose, TX

Looking for impeccable wilderness views and activities mixed with incomparable luxury? A must-see destination for families, and couples alike, is the Paws Up Resort in Greenough, Montana. The resort is located on sprawling 37,000 acres of Western Montana wilderness, offering the authenticity of a working cattle ranch as well as a destination for the outdoorsman.

Accommodations are as unique as the resort itself, offering expansive private homes fit for your family or luxury tents, perfect for glamping. And, don’t worry, “roughing it” in the tents means having an en suite bathroom so you don’t have to share a tree with the bears. And if you can’t decide between staying in an actual home or experimenting in a tent, the ranch offers a package where you can stay in both if you stay for a week—the best of both worlds!

Knowing that a successful family vacation is one where everyone has fun, even particular kids, Paws Up does everything they can to ensure no one is bored. Activities

that are included in any stay at Paws Up include hiking, archery, geocaching yard games such as bocce ball, tether ball, horseshoe and disc golf. Children can participate in the Kids Corps of Discovery with age-appropriate itinerates for kids of all ages—toddlers, children and teens. Activities as part of the Corps can include learning to make pizza, treasure hunts, go-kart racing, kayaking and more. It’s like a summer camp, but with the family tagging along—trying new things, eating healthy meals and making new friends.

Not to be excluded, couples can enjoy romantic getaways at the ranch with honeymoon or Valentine’s Day packages. While you might think that a family resort might not be the most romantic, Paws Up promises romantic seclusion, perfect for reconnection for any couple, while offering open doors to try new things and experience the West that Montana can offer.

Bask in the sunshine as you enjoy fly-fishing on the legendary Blackfoot River or rappelling off of cliffs once traversed by Lewis and Clark. Or relive your childhood dream of playing cowboy by participating in an actual cattle drive on the ranch, working more than 200 Black Angus cattle through the rolling pastures.

PawsUp.com

Paws UpGreenough, MT


Thirty thousand acres settled in the heart of Wyoming’s Platte River Valley offers the versatility of a luxury ranch for romantics, family-oriented or adventure-aspiring individuals are looking for in a getaway. The philosophy behind Brush Creek Ranch is about sustainability and making an impact in the lives of visitors, without making a large impact on the environment. It is a working ranch that has and expanse of land as part of a conservation easement. The ranch also prides itself on the Brush Creek Ranch Staddle Camp—a science enrichment program that provides support to Catholic schools in inner city Chicago. Middle school students are invited to spend five days at the ranch to learn about conservation, native animals, the food cycle and resource services.

Activities at Brush Creek include some of the best fly fishing in Wyoming on more than 20 miles of free flowing, crystal blue

water of the Brush Creek, French Creek, North Platte River and the Encampment River.

Experienced guides can take you out for some big game hunting with antelope, deer, elk, moose and mountain lion all roaming the rolling acreage. You can leave your gear at home and use the ranch’s top-of-the-line shooting equipment. Or, you can do the best of both worlds and relax with some private-water fly sighing and wingshooting for the true outdoorsman.

The younger members of the family can experience fun and education as part of the Lil’ Wanglers program that includes horseback riding, mountain biking, pond fishing, zip lines and ranger tours, all tailored for kids aged 4 to 8.

If you’re looking to reconnect with yourself, take in the unparalleled practice of yoga at Brush Creek Ranch while overlooking the Platte River Valley. The instructors have expertise in a variety of yoga styles and offer a multitude of options from private lessons to family yoga time. What better way to refresh your mind than sunrise yoga from the deck, breathing in clean mountain air?

Brush CreekSaratoga, WY


Brush Creek offers a taste for everyone with six different palate-pleasing restaurants including the Chuckwagon, Trailhead Great Room and destination yurts.

BrushCreekRanch.com


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