Mesa Mood Ranch - An Outdoorsman's Paradise

Biggest fair chase bull elk in Colorado

Best trophy elk hunting ranch in Colorado

Unit 40 hunting ranch on Glade Park near Grand Junction

no conservation easement in place

Mesa Mood ranch once owned by Ricky Schroeder

Mesa Mood Ranch, Glade Park, Colorado

Sportsmen and investors looking for the finest hunting property in Colorado must see the Mesa Mood Ranch on Glade Park. Once owned by actor Ricky Schroeder, the property has gained renown for its huge bull elk and outstanding hunting. In addition to simply world-class hunting, the ranch offers privacy, seclusion, terrific views, easy access, and proximity to a major airport.

Colorado hunting ranch near Grand Junction

Located near the Utah border on the Western Slope of Colorado, the Mesa Mood Ranch is located approximately 22 miles southwest of Grand Junction on the locals’ best-kept secret, Glade Park. Access is via the world-famous Colorado National Monument, a collection of sandstone monoliths and rimrock cliffs south of Grand Junction. The setting is breath-taking. While Grand Junction itself is at a fairly low elevation—4,500 feet—the Mesa Mood Ranch tops out at nearly 9,800 feet.

Ranch topography and setting

The Mesa Mood Ranch is known as the jewel of Glade Park. The top of Glade Park is a relatively flat mesa, but the sides of the formation are cut by deep, rugged canyons. The ranch itself has good variety in its terrain, with part of the ranch descending into a lower mesa, but the majority of the terrain is relatively flat and easy to walk or ride. On the lower part of the ranch, there are mixed ponderosa pines, Gambel oak, sagebrush, and open meadows, as well as some pinyon and juniper. The majority of the ranch consists of aspen groves, ponderosa pines, and open meadows, as well as over 25 wallows and ponds.

airports, shopping, restaurants, and culture

With approximately 120,000 residents, Grand Junction is Western Colorado’s largest city and biggest trade center. Auto dealers, large law firms, big box stores, a large regional airport, many restaurants, nightclubs, concerts and cultural activities, as well as Colorado Mesa University—it’s all right there in Grand Junction. The airport has direct flights to Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, and connections worldwide. The airstrip will land any private aircraft, and wait times are short.

Unit 40: Colorado elk hunting at its absolute finest!

It’s true, you can go to some high-fenced ranch and shoot a monster bull that someone kicked out of the horse trailer the day before. For sportsmen who want an authentic experience on truly world-class elk and mule deer in a fair-chase environment, there is no better hunting ranch than the Mesa Mood Ranch. At 2,236 acres, the ranch is almost 3 ½ square miles of the finest hunting in Colorado. In 2010, we invited Jim Mueller of The American Outdoorsman to film a show for the syndicated program. On the third day of the hunt, Jim and his guides called a huge bull to within 15 yards, and Jim downed the monster bull with one shot from his bow. Most hunters would never imagine shooting a 396 7x7 bull, but Jim and his crew actually saw several bigger bulls that would score over 420. All in all, the crew saw over 35 bulls a day, with dozens of them scoring over 300.

“The Bedroom”—the perfect combination of terrain, elk, and management

So why are the bulls so big on Glade Park? It’s a combination of management, terrain, and the elk herd. Colorado’s Unit 40 is a limited-draw unit that is managed for trophy elk. It is difficult to draw a tag, though landowners are given preference for limited licenses, and the acreage of the Mesa Mood ranch puts it high in the standings for annual licenses. There is a high percentage of  private land on Glade Park, and the public BLM and Forest Service lands are often difficult to access through private land parcels. Even if you draw a coveted Unit 40 tag (which could take the average hunter 10-15 years), you may not find a good place to hunt. The Mesa Mood Ranch is, simply put, where the elk like to go to breed, and that’s why locals call it “the bedroom”. While other ranches may look like good hunting terrain, the elk favor the timber, aspens, ponds, seeps, wallows, and open meadows of the Mesa Mood Ranch to do their annual breeding. We will warn you, it can be tough to get a good night’s sleep while staying in the luxury cabin on the property during the rut in September. There are too many bulls screaming too loud all night long. It is not at all uncommon to see bugling bulls from the deck of the cabin at all hours of the day.

Luxury cabin is off-grid and private

The cabin on the property is made of some of the most massive timber you’ll ever see. It’s truly astounding. The workmanship is of the highest quality, with all the amenities that you could pack into a cabin on the top of the mountain. Granite countertops, office, hardwood floors—it’s gorgeous. The cabin is off the grid and has both a solar system and backup generator.

The financials—no conservation easement and many amenities

If you’ve looked at Colorado ranch properties and have been disappointed by the lack of care and thoroughness in representing these properties, this ranch has been carefully prepared for sale. The entire 2,236 acres has been surveyed at more than considerable expense to the seller. If an 80-acre parcel can cost $2,500 to survey, just imagine what this survey cost. The entire ranch has been fenced around its boundaries. Do the math on 5 miles of fencing at $5 a foot. The seller has proved all possible water rights on the property at considerable expense. Every possible spring, creek, and trickle of water has been adjudicated by Colorado water courts.

     Further, savvy buyers investigating hunting ranches will know that several large elk hunting ranches have been offered for sale—and almost all of them are already under conservation easement. That means a good portion of the “play”—as much as 50%--has been removed from the deal. Would it be possible to develop the Mesa Mood Ranch into 35-acre parcels? Absolutely. Would conservationists and land trusts like to pay handsomely to avoid that scenario? Absolutely. The bottom line is that a purchase of the Mesa Mood Ranch could result not only in a huge federal tax write-off for the right owner, it could also result in a cash payout for putting the property in a conservation easement. In short, could you own a $20 million trophy elk hunting ranch for $8-10 million? Let’s get together with the accountants and lawyers and see if it’s possible. It may just be.

Opportunity for Expansion

If you’ve always wanted to run a cattle ranch or horse stable, we have your solution. You can still enjoy the alpine beauty of Mesa Mood Ranch while providing feed and winter pasture for your herd of cattle or horses at a lower elevation. A neighboring property of 588 acres, complete with luxury hunting lodge and irrigated hayfields is available for just $2,200,000.

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