Fort Peck, Montana 59223, USA, Fort Peck, MT 59223

Fort Peck Lake Deeded Acres, Fishing, Hunting in CMR Refuge

Sand Arroyo is located along the east side of the Big Dry Arm on Fort Peck Lake in Garfield County, Eastern Montana. The property sits roughly 6 miles north of the Rock Creek Marina and 14 miles south of Fort Peck Dam. Sand Arroyo is made up of 595+/- deeded acres and is one of few privately owned properties within the boundaries of the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge. Sand Arroyo was the resort town vision of developer Del Webb, well known for establishing retirement communities such as his original 1960 development, Sun City Arizona, as well 58 others now spread throughout 20 states. The official Sand Arroyo Plat, filed in 1969, calls for 240 lots, a city park and streets, and while the development never came to fruition, the platting is complete should a new buyer desire to execute the original plan. An unpaved airstrip in place on the property is registered with the FAA and is currently noted on the MT Aviation Map as an emergency airstrip. The property is split into two parcels, 515+/- deeded acres near Sand Arroyo Bay, and another 80+/- deeded acres just north of Sand Arroyo on Spring Creek. It is possible to drive to each location, however road access is without written easement through private and US Fish and Wildlife properties. If accessing by road, Sand Arroyo is 47+/- miles from Glasgow, Montana. Sand Arroyo is located in Mule Deer hunting unit 652. Both resident and non-resident landowners in this unit qualify for landowner preference tags on an annual basis. This area is one of the only special draw permits issued in Eastern Montana and is known to produce mature 4-point bucks, occasionally topping 170+. The property is isolated from traffic and other residential areas and is in close proximity to Fort Peck Lake's legendary fishing for lake Trout, Walleye, Pike and Smallmouth Bass. The Dry Arm of the Fort Peck Lake is known as a migration path for walleye that run to the far south end of the Arm during late winter and spring to spawn before making their way back to the main lake as the it warms in early summer. The Fort Peck Lake was formed by the 1930's construction of the Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River. Fort Peck is the 5th largest artificial lake in the United States covering 245,000 acres and reaching into 6 counties. The Lake is home to over 50 species of fish and is renowned for its' fishing in summer months and ice fishing when the area temperatures drop below freezing. Notable events in Fort Peck include the Annual Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament and the Fort Peck Summer Theatre throughout the summer months. The Charles M. Russel Wildlife Refuge is popular for wildlife viewing, bird watching, and bighorn sheep, elk, deer, antelope, and upland game bird hunting. Measuring almost 1 Million total acres, it is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states. Created in 1936, it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. The CMR Wildlife Refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers in combination with the 56,000+/- acre UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge. The largest population of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep outside the Rocky Mountains exists within the refuge, which is also home to 4,000 prairie elk, the largest remaining prairie elk herd in the United States. 2 notable Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils have been unearthed from with the refuge, making the area a significant tourist destination for a variety of nature and wildlife enthusiasts.