The BaRJAR Ranch in Hardeman County, Texas is a 1413 +/- acre recreational paradise, ideal as a family getaway or corporate retreat! The ranch has so many unique features and improvements they are hard to list in full, but here is a quick synopsis:
- A private 25 +/- acre stocked lake, currently under professional management, complete with five fishing pavilions, dock, fish cleaning station, and boat ramp
- Three miles of frontage on both sides of a livewater creek
- Beautiful ranch headquarters with keypad-operated electronic entry; two-story 3500 sq. ft. 7 BD/6.5 BTH lodge, completely furnished; attached 2500 sq. ft. workshop to the lodge, plus a detached oversized two car garage; outdoor kitchen and entertaining area; two large metal barns, new cattle pens, an equipment carport, and grain bins
- Scenic terrain, rolling hills, thick wooded bottoms, improved grass pastures, irrigated ...
- Scenic terrain, rolling hills, thick wooded bottoms, improved grass pastures, irrigated farm land
LOCATION:
The ranch is all contiguous, with no public roads dividing it, and has paved road access on both its north and south ends. The main ranch entrance on the south side is at the end of the road, directly across from the Quanah Country Club, which has a nine hole golf course and swimming pool. The ranch itself is just a few miles from the city of Quanah (pop. 2,665), where there is a large grocery store and meat market, feed store, hospital, and several restaurants.
A municipal airport is just south of Quanah, with a 4,445 ft. asphalt runway. Approximately 30 miles away is a slightly longer runway (5,099 ft.) at the Wilbarger County Municipal Airport. The closest commercial airport is Wichita Falls (1.5 hours away), which offers daily commuter flights to DFW airport; international airports are in Amarillo (2.5 hours) and Dallas (3.5 hours).
LAKE AKERS:
In 2009, the owners vision to create one of the states most prominent bass fishing lakes became a reality, and Lake Akers was dammed up on October 10th of that year. Constructed in one of the ranchs deepest canyons, this lake boasts 25 +/- acres of surface water, with a 32 depth at the dam. Careful attention was applied at every stage of the planning process. Before the dam was even built, the owner had the bottom of the canyon dozed out and truckloads of stone and concrete culverts hauled in to create a superb fish habitat. After the dam was built, the owner installed four water aerators, each of which are capable of churning eight acres of water, so the lake is more than adequately circulated.
The lake filled up quickly after the dam was completed - not from rainfall, but what appears to be a natural spring. The lake held good levels during the droughts of 2011 and 2012, only dropping four feet during the summertime, so although the owner has never been able to verify the spring, it seems very plausible.
A variety of species of fish were imported over the first two years, including Florida hybrid and non-hybrid largemouth bass, native bass, blue and mud catfish, hybrid and native bluegill, Red Ear perch, and crappie, plus bullfrogs, crawdads, shad and several varieties of minnows. A detailed spreadsheet can be provided for the stocking numbers (contact listing broker or see attached document LAKE AKERS - STOCKING), but basically over 50,000 fish were introduced into the lake from 2010-2011! Calculate the annual breeding rates of these species, and youll get an idea of just how many are actually here now!
Six feeders are positioned around the lake to feed the large numbers of fish. They are set to feed in the morning, noon, and evening, and let me tell you - it is truly a sight to see several thousand catfish emerge at feeding time! The local game warden in Hardeman County, Matt Thompson, professionally manages the lake for the owner and is an invaluable asset to the productivity of it. When the lake was recently reviewed by a state specialist, along with Mr. Thompsons management plan, he believed Lake Akers should be one of the top four bass fishing lakes in the state of Texas in ten years! Indeed, the current plan should produce 10 lb bass within ten years, and 15 pounders in twenty; not many private fishing holes can boast of these kind of numbers!
Around the lakes perimeter are a series of covered metal pavilions. The main pavilion is approximately 40 x 30, and has a concrete slab, picnic tables, and an attached storage building with refrigerator & freezer. A floating covered dock is here too, which has two jet ski ramps and a diving area with two ladders. A concrete boat ramp is located next to the main pavilion as well. Just up the road is a covered fish cleaning station and a bathroom for guests, which is heated and cooled.
Four other covered pavilions provide additional places to cast out a line. Three of the four are 20 x 20, and have concrete slabs, attached storage buildings, electric generators and water pumped in from the lake. The fourth is a covered sitting area located on the highest point on the lake, with a large bench for enjoying the view. All of the pavilion areas are nicely landscaped, with irrigated lawns.
The owner hauled in several truckloads of beach sand and had it put on the edge of the tail of the lake, to create a swimming area where you could stand but not worry about rocks. (see LAKE AKERS - DETAILED MAP). The owner planted different kinds of trees around the lake, which are all irrigated too. The lake as it stands now it truly breathtaking, and the vision for its future is even more so!
GROESBECK CREEK:
Winding through the heart of the ranch for over three miles is a beautiful livewater stream, named Groesbeck Creek. This is the main stream of Groesbeck, after the south and north forks converge several miles west. The creek runs water year around and even in the worst of the 2011 drought, had a couple feet of water in it and was moving steadily.
Groesbeck is home to native catfish and provides additional fishing activity here. Two wide concrete crossings were installed to provide access across it. One of the crossings alone took over 40 truckloads of concrete to complete. A fishing pier was built on one of them too, right off a deep fishing hole.
Parts of the creek are wide and deep, and other parts are more narrow and shallow. This allows places for wildlife and livestock to easily get to it. The owner has put in an intricate road system throughout the ranch, which includes roads that follow most the whole creek. Four other water tanks and/or ponds are scattered throughout the pastures for wildlife and cattle.
LAND TERRAIN and VEGETATION:
Elevation changes vary across the ranch from 1416 to 1526. Some of the pastures are flat, while others are rolling. Along the creek are several steep bluffs, which provide very nice views across the ranch. Deep ravines, gulleys, and washes transverse the landscape too, all which run water down to Groesbeck Creek.
The BaRJAR is a diverse mix of native and improved pasture land, coupled with productive farm land. The estimated percentages of land use are as follows:
- Wooded Areas: 21%
- Mesquite pasture: 22%
- Improved pasture: 6%
- Food Plots: 3%
- Farm land: 32%
(The balance is taken up by Lake Akers, the ranch headquarters, etc.)
The hardwoods in the creek bottoms include hackberry, elm, cottonwood, and chinaberry. Cleared hunting lanes, ATV trails, and picnic areas have all been set up throughout this area of the ranch, to maximize its use. The thick mesquite pastures on top provide excellent cover and bedding areas for deer and other game.
Most of the farm land is on the north side, with only one 70 acre field on the south, next to the headquarters. The cultivation has been used in the past to grow winter wheat and run cattle. It has a sandy loam soil base and would also be good to grow into coastal hay, alfalfa, or cotton. While the land is currently being farmed as dryland, the north fields have two irrigation wells, which could be used to set up irrigation pivots. One of the wells was tested in August 2012 at 500 gpm, and the other at 275 gpm.
The ranch has new perimeter and cross fences, all of which are five-line barbed wire, with metal t-posts and piped corners & braces. Most of the pasture gates have cattle guards installed, so getting around the ranch is easy. The interior road surfaces vary, from gravel to grated, to shredded. The main ranch road going from the headquarters to the lake is gravel, so you can get to Lake Akers under any weather condition. All of the interior ranch roads have been named by the owner, and street signs have been put up to guide the way. The ranch, and especially the lake area, has a park-like feel to it.
WILDLIFE and HUNTING:
Hardeman County is known for its excellent whitetail deer hunting, with bucks from either end of the county being harvested in the 170+ B&C range. Several nice ones have been taken off of the BaRJAR itself. The ranch is set up with several tower blinds and feeders. Two main food plot areas are on the ranch too - 18 acres surrounded by the creek, and another 28 acre plot. Both of these provide great places for staging deer, while providing supplemental nutrition to grow them in mass.
The ranch also has year around hunting for feral hog and predators, such as bobcat and coyote. Spring turkey hunting down by the creek is always good. Quail numbers are down, as they are throughout most of the state, but four coveys were counted last year. The ponds and farm fields are great for dove hunting in September. While the lake has not been developed for waterfowl, it certainly could be to provide some awesome winter duck hunting! Migratory geese and sand hill crane visit the ranch too.
THE RANCH HEADQUARTERS:
On the south side, the ranch headquarters sits, surrounded by a pipe fence. Three electronic, keypad-operated gated entrances grant you access to this area; the gates can also be operated by a remote control.
The lodge has over 3500 sq. ft. of living space, two stories, and a total of seven bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms. It was built in 2007 and is completely monitored by a security system, with video cameras accessible remotely via an internet connection.
The lodge comes fully furnished with everything imaginable - tables, couches, beds, wardrobes, plus plates, utensils, lines, towels, everything! The owner has only a few personal objects inside the lodge that will be reserved. Each level has a living room with a propane fireplace, which is remote operated with electric blowers. The kitchen, dining area, and office are downstairs, as well as two of the bedrooms. The kitchen and bathrooms all have granite countertops and custom oak cabinetry. The kitchen has top-end GE stainless steel appliances.
Attached to the lodge is a 2500 sq. ft. heated workshop, which also has an attached carport. Another oversized two-car garage is detached from the lodge, but connected by a breezeway. There is also a 60 x 45 metal barn, with two tall bay doors. These structures provide plenty of room for vehicles, watercraft, equipment, and toys.
Around the back is an outdoor kitchen and entertaining area, constructed in 2012. It has a granite bar capable of seating up to ten people, stone propane fireplace, additional sitting area, remote controlled blinds, and cabinet-enclosed flat screen TV mounted above the fireplace, with a wired speaker system. The kitchen area has a 48 stainless steel propane grill, a big green egg smoker, cook top, sink, refrigerator, warming drawer, microwave, and storage drawers. This facility is great for hanging out with friends and family at the end of the day, to tell war stories and watch the deer come out in the field to graze.
The headquarters lawn is landscaped and irrigated through a water well. The lodge itself is tapped into the Red River community water system. A basketball playing area, covered breezeway, spacious underground cellar, and river rock lighted driveway add even more features to this enjoyable ranch headquarters.
Outside of the pipe fence are a couple of other buildings - an 80 x 30 three-bay metal barn and a 120 x 30 equipment carport. The metal barn has attached cattle pens with a loading chute; a long cattle trap leads from the front pasture to these pens. Two older grain silos are on site as well, which have not been used in years.
ASKING PRICE:
The BaRJAR Ranch is being offered at the flat price of $4,000,000. This is a bargain, if you consider the value of the raw land alone, plus the cost of the extensive improvements.
BROKER COMMENTS:
This ranch has so much to it, the video tour, photo gallery, and maps just cant adequately portray everything it has to offer. The lake, the creek, the land, the headquarters you will benefit from years of extensive effort and labor, pouring out of one mans vision to create a ranch that simply has it all. The ranch has an incredible amount of depreciable assets for tax purposes as well.
CONTACT:
To arrange for your private tour of this amazing northwest Texas ranch, call land agent Ben Belew at cell phone (940) 357-9940.
See "Helpful Files" tab for RANCH MAPS, BROCHURE, and LAKE STOCKING info!