McMillan Ranch

Location

McMillan Ranch has been in the same family since the 1940’s and is due west of the Eagle Mountains which tower over the ranch creating breathtaking views. The ranch is accessed off Red Light Draw County Road southeast of Sierra Blanca on I-10 that dead ends into local ranches.   It’s a mere 1.5 hours from El Paso International Airport and 1 hour from Van Horn Airport.  Large neighbors surround the ranch including one experimental ranch owned by Sul Ross University.  All have low fences with excellent game management programs, making McMillan Ranch the perfect hunting and recreation property.

Acreage

7,520± acres Owned and Leased

3,840± acres Fee Ownership

3,680± acres GLO 5 year Lease

Description

The Eagle Mountains are part of a chain of “sky island” mountains that stretch from New

Mexico through West Texas and into Old Mexico.  With the Quitman Mountains to the west, Sierra Blanca Mountain to the north, and the Diablos Mountains to the northeast, the Eagle Mountains are a mountain island in a desert sea, creating unique high-elevation habitats and stunning landscapes and views. McMillian lays between the Quitman and the Eagle Mountains and the Red Hills to the south.  Mountain features like Devils Ridge, Red Hills, and Love Hogback create excellent topography with large draws and flats in between.

This Chihuahuan Desert ranch has elevations ranging from 4,039 feet at Red Light Draw to 4859 feet at Devils Ridge and is a series of canyons, peaks, valleys, rolling flats, and arroyos creating rugged yet accessible terrain.  The higher elevations of the Eagles are just to the east at 7,400 feet. The Rio Grande valley to the south and west, with the Mexico mountains beyond, creates extraordinary geology and rock outcrops, one of which, NT Mountain, tower over the ranch. Sunrises and sunsets on this ranch are nothing short of stunning and vistas stretch into the distance for 100s of miles.

McMillan Ranch is rich in history as this was the raiding ground of Chief Victorio and his Mescalero-Warm Spring Mimbres Apache’s where Buffalo Soldiers fought to protect the Overland Trail that runs through the ranch.  In 1879 Lt. Carpenter mapped out the main Indian Trails used by Victorio which traveled directly through McMillan Ranch.

Hudspeth County remains the second-least populated county in the state.  It is possible to experience spectacular sunsets and at night marvel at the heavens filled with billions of stars.  After taking all this in, one can’t help but appreciate what few people rarely get to experience – what true silence is all about.

Habitat

This mountain range functions as a habitat island, with intermountain ridge lines and valleys serving as corridors for wildlife migration, especially between Texas and Mexico along the Rio Grande.  Numerous bird species that are normally associated with the Rocky Mountains

and/or Mexican Highlands are known to occur within this island of montane habitat. The climate and soils support a mix of desert and mountain vegetation from scrublands to grasslands, to juniper and oaks uplands.  Grasses include sideoats, blue, black, hairy, and

chino grama as well as cane bluestem, green sprangle-top, tobosa, and many others.  Along the canyon floors, and especially on the north facing slopes, there are juniper and sandpaper oaks.  A variety of flowering plants and cacti provide habitat for migrating and resident birds, bats, and butterflies.

This is truly a sky island habitat with unique plants and animals as higher rainfall in the mountains supports a diversity of habitats.  Views of area mountains and grasslands of the Trans-Pecos as well as into Mexico are breathtaking.

Wildlife

This is big mule deer country as the Van Horn region is known for its large antler size genetics.  Blue Quail, Gambel’s Quail, and dove populations are tremendous and there are great hunting opportunities which include Aoudad and other game species.  There is also a population of elk located in this area and you can hear and see bugling bulls in October.   Native trees, brush, and grasses provide excellent habitat for these game species and many native birds and other non-game animals.

Other wildlife include fox, javelina, coyote, golden eagle, mountain lion, bobcat, songbirds, hummingbirds, and an amazing diversity of reptiles, invertebrates, and mammals, making this a very special place to see and experience the various Chihuahuan Desert wildlife species.

Improvements

McMillan Ranch has a well landscaped easily accessible headquarters central home with three bedrooms and two baths with an updated solar electrical system. Electricity passes close to this home and can be easily hooked to the grid. There is a camp house nearby but separate from the main house with electricity and could serve as the operational headquarters if improved in the future.  There is a barn and shop near the Headquarters home. There is a gravel cross runway near the headquarters with just a little work this could be a great ranch airport.

Water and Lease

The ranch has 3 water wells.  One well with electricity is used to pump to the headquarters and other storage.  One to the north is wired for a generator although the electric line is next to the well and could be converted to grid supply.   The third well to the south is pumped into a large storage tank for wildlife and livestock waters.  There are several large surface tanks that also hold water which could be expanded into larger lakes.

The ranch has a hunting and grazing lease with the GLO which is $1,840 per year and is renewed every 5 years.