Winter has just officially begun here in Beaverhead County, but don’t tell that to Jack Frost.  He got an early start this year.  Lower elevations (>5,500’) typically see little snow in the course of a year, and what does fall is normally short term, but this year it stuck.  The result: I’ve been able to cross country ski out my front door.

While I have enjoyed this novelty, the surrounding mountains have been building up some impressive early snow bases.  Maverick Mountain, a local ski hill, has opened with a snow depth that makes for great skiing and Lost Trail is off to an even more impressive start with 16 inches of powder on December 16, 2010.  Cross country skiing is good everywhere, but groomed trails like those at Chief Joseph are truly remarkable.

I don’t sled (snow mobile touring), but great reports are coming in from the Pioneer Mountains, the Big Hole, the Ruby’s and the Lima Peaks area.  Ice fisherman are moving their ice houses onto Clark Canyon Reservoir while the occasional intrepid soul still wets a nymph in Poindexter Slough, or even in one of the open leads on the Big Hole River.  Waterfowl season is open through the middle of January and hunters are still seeing a lot of geese and ducks in the area. Coyote calling and Mountain Lion season are in full swing and a few game damage hunts are still in the works so those late season hunters are still busy.

Winter sports are thriving this year, but the beauty of the full moon rising over the Grasshopper Valley in a slate blue sky was enough for me.  Sitting up to watch the lunar eclipse with a steamming mug of hot chocolate was priceless!

Best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy new year!

From your friends at Bramlette & Company Realtors

Bramlette & Company Realtors will be closed Friday, December 24 through Sunday, January, 2, 2011 to give our agents and staff time to spend the holidays with their family and friends.  We will reopen Monday, January 3, 2011.

Bramlette & Company staff and friends from the Knock-About decorated and donated a beautiful tree, titled “Oh My”, to the 2010 Festival of Trees.  The proceeds were donated to the dedicated folks at Beaverhead County Search and Rescue.

Stay warm and travel well!  Best wishes to all during this Thanksgiving holiday!

Boasting many attractions and a wealth of activities, Montana offers endless opportunities for summer entertainment. National Parks, art galleries, ghost towns, and a plethora of outdoor recreational activities, Montana has something for everyone. Outdoor enthusiasts as well as many others will fall in love with Montana.

Montana boasts many attractions that are undoubtedly worth seeing. One of the most popular, Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 as America’s first national park. Home to a variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk, the park is also full of geysers and hot springs that are truly extraordinary. With its beautiful forests, jagged mountains, alpine lakes and meadows, Glacier National Park is another must see in the area. Aside from National parks, there are also several ghost towns to explore from when gold was discovered in the 1850′s. Montana’s rich history can also be seen in the work at many art galleries. The work of western artists, sculptors, photographers, and jewelers can be seen throughout the state.

During the summer, Montana is home to an almost infinite list of outdoor recreational activities. Since there is a minimal amount of people per square mile, there are plenty of places for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and other recreation. Fishing is one of the areas most popular activities. Fly fishing and bait fishing may yield different varieties of trout, pike, bass, and more. A hunter’s paradise, Montana’s prairies are rich with mule, elk, antelope, and whitetail deer. The list continues on with rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, off roading, bird and wildlife watching, and almost any other outdoor recreational activity you can think of. No matter where you go in Montana, you will find something to do outdoors during the summer season.

Known as the “Treasure State,” Montana is a true treasure for more reasons than its rich mineral reserves. A beautiful landscape and wide open spaces provide Montana with many wonderful summer activities. There is something for almost everyone with plenty of outdoor recreation, an interesting history, many natural attractions, and much more. You might even find yourself wanting your own piece of Montana real estate.

Welcome to the Bramlette and Company blog, we are very excited to add this to our website and hope we get many viewers to share our information.

Here in Dillon, MT we’ve had a couple real rollercoaster months of weather.  In January and February we thought we’d skip right through the spring and started summer, guys were getting in some great days out on the Beaverhead Golf Course and the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers.  Now that we’re supposed to be transitioning from spring into summer, we’ve reverted back to what we were supposed to have in January and February.  Good thing is all this spring snow and rain is going to make for a very green summer and beautiful fall.

Going into the summer we look forward to prospective buyers out to many of our beautiful ranch and recreational listings.  The month of June can be the prettiest month of the year to visit southwest Montana.  The grass and hay are lush and green, the temperatures are perfect and there is lots and lots of water.  The rivers and lakes are all flush with water from winter and spring runoff.

We have an excellent line-up of properties on the market:

The Red Rock Spring Creek Ranch is a new listing in the heart of the Red Rock Valley.  This reputation cattle ranch is locally famous for hay and cattle production in our number one cattle producing county in Montana.  This 3,155 +/- acre property sits astride an incredible spring creek which meanders through for over 3 miles.  http://www.bramlettecompany.com/properties/detail/red-rock-spring-creek-ranch

The West Big Hole Ranch is another new listing situated at the foot of the breath taking Bitterroot Mountains which create the west skyline of the famed Big Hole Valley.  This 2,020+/- acre ranch encompasses a large riparian area full of hay meadows in a gorgious alpine setting.  This property is another example of excellent agricultural production combined with top-knotch recreation.  The Rocky Mountain Elk are a frequent visitor to the ranch and the property provides a great small creek fishery in Swamp Creek which traverses the property for 2 +/- miles on it’s way to the famed Big Hole River.  http://www.bramlettecompany.com/properties/detail/west-big-hole-ranch

These are just two of our many incredible listings.  Please visit the property portion of our website to browse through and feel free to call or email with any questions you may have.  www.bramlettecompany.com