Delta Duck Hole

Details & Features

The Delta Duck Hole is one of those places that do not come on the market often, particularly right now. Not because there are no other wonderful hunting properties out there. But because in the last two years, the answer “No” has been given to many, many requests from people looking for a duck property with a budget of a million or under, let alone a great one at that! The “Small-But-Mighty” are just hard to find. And once you stack on tremendous goose hunting, legitimate stream trout fishing, walk-up quail, and the possibility of bagging a large mule deer, it’s rarity increases dramatically! If you download the brochure, you’ll read how the Delta Duck Hole impressed me the first day I experienced it. And I was serious. I personally considered buying it or into it with partners. But my wife reminds me that I already have plenty of hunting property, and there are other things more important in life than duck hunting (that’s the part I can never remember). But to all you who are reading, in my personal and professional opinion, this one is a HOT little honey hole! Take off your skies or put down your 9-iron, and come see it.

The Story, by Steve Farris

For 22 years I have personally been buying properties and developing them for hunting, with an emphasis on waterfowl, particularly ducks. And as a product of this, I have also been selling these types of properties as a realtor for about half as long. Currently, Brian Hartley and I are realtors representing this “crazy property.” Here’s how it came about:

Just about the time I was joining Live Water Properties, I got a call from a person telling me about his place, and what a phenomenal duck spot it was… near Delta, Colorado, just southeast of Grand Junction. “Yeah, go on” I replied. (Keep in mind, everybody’s place is phenomenal… right?) As he spoke, he told me he was originally from Minnesota and his dad was a market hunter… pause. (Southwest Colorado was the first large nugget to swallow, but it was about then that I really started to doubt the whole thing. Not because nobody is from Minnesota, but because market hunting was a VERY long time ago!) However, the more he spoke, the more I was intrigued. It also became clear that as a duck guy, he in fact knew what he was talking about. And because it all sounded so unusual, this one really piqued my curiosity!

So, in response to his invite, I drove down the week before Thanksgiving to meet in Delta, have pizza with he, his wife, and a good friend who’d come all the way from his old neck of the woods… the north woods at that, Wisconsin. In addition to some fine pizza and hearing “you betcha” twice, the continued enjoyment was to come from looking at the property the following morning. Oh, and hunting it as well. “Lots” to look forward to!

The Advent of Belief

In the morning before the sun was even a suggestion, we experienced what we would later dub, “the Delta Duck Hole”. (After driving down to a certain spot, we stopped the trucks, got out our guns and gear, and made an easy walk across a wooden footbridge to get to “Gilligan’s Island”. (Later the story of how it got its name, would emerge while eating some fabulous breakfast burritos prepared for us by a local woman who certainly knows her craft!) But on this little mote-protected piece of earth, was a surround of very “ducky-looking water.” It was almost pothole-like with cattail edges, channels between bullrush islands, brushy trees, and other vegetation providing wind cover from uplands around it. And on its north side, was a rather primitive duck blind overlooking a tight but ample “hole” within the maze. The blind was not some fancy pit with servants in a back room preparing breakfast (I’ve seen it), but aboveground, and really not much more than a frame, only suggesting that you were actually hiding from the quarry. (To be honest, for me it seemed very open and didn’t instill much confidence… but hold on. This too, plays into just how good the place is). After introducing me to our minimal “hide” for the morning, we sort of randomly threw out some decoys, while he clearly felt obliged to tell me that the mallards were late, not down yet in the usual numbers, so we might have to shoot widgeon. Owning multiple duck properties myself, and also running my own duck clubs in Nebraska, I knew all too well that the normal number weren’t down… it was late, everywhere! So, not an excuse… I related!

Mallards “Please”

But being a self-described mallard-snob (for the record, I will also shoot canvasbacks, pintails, wood ducks, mallard/pintail hybrids and rosy-billed pochards … if anybody is sending out invites), I offered that I really didn’t need to shoot anything at all, and posed, “How about if I don’t shoot widgeons, and just see if any mallards show up?” He was not only fine with that… probably welcomed the surprise, more used to people needing to pull the trigger. So that’s what we did. And a bit before shooting time (I know you all know this one), the widgeon… and I mean a ton of them, started pouring into the spread! They were like swarming mosquitoes! Make no mistake, it was “lots!” (There’s that term again!) And this went on for an hour! But shortly thereafter… bit by bit… mallards did start to appear. Not in wild descending tornadoes or huge flocks, but in singles and pairs, and later a few small groups. We took turns dispatching them, laughed, smoked some cigars, and had a truly great hunt! I was even told how the island of our vantage point got its name (story not as good as the burritos). But the takeaway was clear: This place can probably really light up! Because if that was a day with the mallards not being down yet, I can only imagine what it would be like when they are! Furthermore, I can only imagine what the hunting would be like if we were actually hidden? Ha. But that’s the follow up to the earlier point. It’s the fact that the blind was SO open, yet we still had them right in our face. Not sure how that even happened, but it sure as heck did and says a lot about the property… the Delta Duck Hole is “quality hunting”!

Trout

Between the greenheads, I asked about the small river that he had us park next to? He told me it was, “The Uncompahgre, a tributary of the Gunnison. We own about a half mile, both sides for most of it.” Knowing the Gunnison’s reputation for fly-fishing, I asked if there were any fish in it? He kind of casually, almost in a dismissive fashion answered me, “Yeah, one time I had a guy hunting with me, and he wanted to go fishing after. So, I sent him out with a couple of my younger employees who like to fly fish”. I asked, “Did they catch anything?” He replied, “Yeah they caught a lot of fish!”… “What kind?”… “Mostly brown trout about 14 to 16 inches, but there are 4- and 5-pound rainbows in there.” Pause again. I lost it a little with my next sentence being, “Well we sure wouldn’t want to bring that up when trying to sell the property”. I was probably in shock, but admittedly a bit of a wise cracker… couldn’t help it. I also think that was the moment when I first started mumbling under my breath, in a manner one might if wandering the desert after two days of no water, “Man, I might want to buy this myself… maybe put together some guys… blah-blah-blah”. But wait again, there was still more to come.

Quail & Mule Deer

Later he mentioned all of the Gamble’s Quail on the property… “About 4 coveys”. Hmmm. Then between puffs on the cigar, right after some more mallards definitively fell into the hole with a splash, he so happened to show me a couple of pictures of giant mule deer on his phone, complete with the smiling faces of the responsible hunters gripping their racks. I asked if they were killed on his property? His answer was, “No, right near it. But they cross over the property. I’ve just never hunted them here”.

Geese

As the morning went on geese, on their typical later morning schedule, increased making their presence known. As a matter of fact, I am not much of a pass-shooter, but had I been, it would have been pretty easy to knock them out of one group of about 20. They flew over us like nobody’s ever shot at them. Must be a different one of the 11 sub-species of Canada geese. Because they acted quite unlike the ones where I live. I asked, “Do you kill many geese here?” “Oh yes… LOTS of geese… particularly after it gets cold!”

Checking

OK, anybody else getting this? I certainly did! I mean, really? First and foremost, this place offers tremendous duck hunting… and also goose hunting! But then add on a fly-fishing stream for trout (told to be large), a chance to walk-up Quail, and maybe have a trophy mule deer to bag, all on just under 50 acres? Where are we again?

Open Water

Then I asked about water staying open after freezing temps set in. He told me they have electricity on the property. Therefore on 2 of their 3 ponds, they use bubblers with buried tubing running back to motors and an electrical panel. In addition, they have one natural artesian well of which they direct its flow to the perfect spot, by using a hose placed under water out into their south pond. This creates an ideal decoy hole after everywhere else is frozen. They’ve got that covered too.

Water Rights and Future Potential

Nope, not done yet. He went on about all the water rights. He particularly wanted to tell me about all (of) the positivity that has already been expressed by the local Army Corp representative regarding additional duck habitat construction. And he added a separate story about how the Fish & Wildlife Service wanted to create a moist-oil management unit on the property. And that they in fact not only have the water, they have the rights to use it for such things. However, they’ve simply never done it… but could!

OK. Uncle! I give!

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but it is also pretty with a wonderful view of Grand Mesa. And it’s true – His dad was born in 1906, so he actually was a market hunter! Hey, the whole thing is true! Fricking unbelievable!

Proximity

If any of you reading this are from, or have a second home in, or simply frequent vacationing in Aspen, Telluride, or the Roaring Fork Valley… what a great place to split from those who want all day and every day to be about skiing. Occasionally just to cater to your more primal needs, you could instead of the lift, get on a fabulous duck and/or goose hunt… maybe catch a trout after… or walk up over a pointer to flush quail… while all the time maintaining your marriage and other relations by returning that evening… just sayin.

Management (and more)

Lastly, being in the hunting business myself, I was talking things over with the owner, and wondered if he’d want to stay on in a management capacity? He actually kind of lit up! Maybe that’s what he was hoping for. It’s clear he loves the place, and along with his co-owner, they have put a lot of time, treasure, and care into it over the last nearly 4 decades. Plus, he went on to say that he could provide a staff of young guys that would do everything but shoot the ducks… if that’s what the new owner/s wanted. This would include keeping up the property throughout the year, brushing in blinds, putting out and picking up decoys for every hunt, cleaning birds, and even processing the meat into delicious bratwurst and other sausages! If that’s not enough, it could furthermore include guiding and/or calling as well as dogs and handlers for them. Yes, there would be some fee for this of course, but who wouldn’t pay? I’m in (mumbling, mumbling, mumbling)! What an asset! And lastly (I’ll save you time), the answer is no, he doesn’t want to, or need to, hunt it. He has other places for that and just wants to manage.

Wonderful Surprise

The Delta Duck Hole is just plain impressive as much as it is a surprise! It is certainly unique! Charming and “very cool” to sound like I did when I was younger (sometimes still). Pound for pound, it could appear expensive. But try to find anywhere that will shoot this many limits of this many mallards… or other ducks…. large allowances legally… and probably as many geese as you ever want throughout the winter. Then stack on great trout fishing, quail hunting, and the possible bag of a trophy-quality mule deer, and try to find it all for under a million bucks… good luck! For that matter, cut all the bonus species out, even the geese, and ask the same question only including ducks. Again, I wish the best to you on your quest.

Summary

The Delta Duck Hole is one of those places that do not come on the market often, particularly right now. No one has a crystal ball, I don’t know how long this will take to find its new owner. But I can tell you that in the last two years, I have had to answer “No” to many, many requests from people looking for a duck property with a budget of a million or under. The “Small-But-Mighty” are just hard to find. And I was serious. I personally considered buying it or into it with partners. But my wife reminds me that I already have plenty of hunting property, and there are other things more important in life (that’s the part I can never remember). But to all you who are reading, in my personal and professional opinion, this one is a HOT little honey hole! Take off your skies or put down your 9-iron, and come see it.

• Lots of ducks, few hunters!
• Pacific Flyway limits - 7 ducks, all of which can be mallards
• 3 ponds constructed for ducks and geese, and the hunting of the two
• Approximately .5 mile of the Uncompahgre River, most of it, both sides
• Excellent fishing for brown and rainbow trout
• Multiple coveys of residing Gambel’s Quail
• Substantial water rights with enough to expand habitat
• Large mule deer that frequent the property
• In close proximity to Aspen, Telluride, and the Roaring Fork Valley
• Offered with extensive management if desired