8,000-Acre Oklahoma Ranch Sells to New Owners for First Time in 80 Years

A sprawling, 8,488-acre Oklahoma property owned by the same family since the 1940s was sold in early May. The Hilseweck Ranch, located in the southeast part of the state, was a well-known and unique property. Brett Grier, the agent handling the sale, described it this way:

                        “It was like owning your own National Park.”

Beyond the maintained roads providing access, the Hilseweck Ranch has been largely untouched for fifty years. It sold for just over $15 million.

The Oklahoma land has history attached to it and was once used for oil and gas drilling. But it wasn’t land that could be used for raising crops or cattle.    

What makes it so special? 

According to Grier, two features made it stand out. First, it is good hunting ground. Second, it is a contiguous property that isn’t broken up by other land. Both things made it ideal land for conversion to a gaming ranch.  

RELATED: Here is an American Farmland Owner story on billionaires selling property that includes recreational hunting ground. 

Cattle Farms Transition to Gaming Ranches

This is a thriving industry, and Grier is even seeing cattle farms turned into gaming ranches because of the high return on investment. “People are paying big dollars to come and hunt a trophy or exotic animal like red stag, axis deer, fallow deer, and blackbucks,” he said. 

The Ox Hunting Ranch in Texas, is an example of a former private property converted into a gaming ranch. On its website, it explains the origins of the recreational property: 

“In 2007, the ranch launched one of the largest cedar removal projects in North American history. Over 10,000 acres of cedar were cleared at an expense of over $3,000,000. In 2012, the ranch was renamed from Four Acres Ranch to Ox Ranch. In early 2013 construction began on a 5,800-foot runway, 16-acre lake, multiple dams, 10 cabins, a giraffe pen, and a 6,000-square-foot hunting lodge.”

The Big Business of Hunting

 According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, hunting is big business. Its most recent report, released in 2023, gives us a look at how many people hunt and how much time they collectively spend doing it:

• Total hunters: 14.4 million

• Total days spent hunting: 241 million

• Total number of trips: 165 million

Here is what they spent on the recreation:

• $45.2 billion dollars on hunting expenditures

• $12.3 billion on trip-related expenses

• $19.6 billion on hunting equipment

Big game hunters spend the most time and money. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services survey breaks down hunting trends in 2022:

• Big game hunters spent an average of 12 days on 8 trips.

• Small game hunters spent an average of 7 days on 6 trips.

• Migratory bird hunters spent an average of 8 days on 7 trips.

  
  

Hunting is a pastime for people all over the country, with a national participation rate of 6%. The New England region has the lowest rate of 3%. The East North Central region -- which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indian and Ohio -- has the highest numbers of hunters.  

Landowners are also seeing the value in leasing their land to hunters. A quick search on the internet will also take you to websites that specialize in helping landowners lease their property to hunters. Base Camp Leasing, HLRBO, and Hunting Lease Network are a few that advertise and manage lease arrangements between hunters and land owners.

RELATED: Some land in Nebraska may be converting to hunting ground because the CRP is too low, this realtor believes.