5 Iconic Texas Ranches for Sale — Rare Wonderlands With Real History, and Plenty of Natural Wows

This article is part of a promoted series and not produced by the editorial staff.

Owning a mega ranch — a sprawling nature escape from the world — is a dream for many. But even for those with the means to do it, finding enough workable acreage is no easy feat these days. The Wild West has been pretty well carved up, and most of the largest ranches in Texas have been subdivided even further as they passed from generation to generation.

There is still a way to discover and land one of those dream properties, though. Icon Global — a Dallas-based real estate firm that specializes in truly iconic properties — has put together a rare portfolio of five of Texas’ most iconic ranches and is calling for offers on them.

Icon Global was founded by international real estate advisor Bernard Uechtritz. The Australian native designed the global marketing campaign that led to the sale of the famous W.T. Waggoner Ranch in Vernon, Texas. His straight-forward “Call For Offer” campaign brought in four finalist bidders, leading to the closing of a record-setting sale in 2016.

Finding the right buyers for the massive 535,000-acre W.T. Waggoner Ranch, that was listed for $725 million, is just one of the many exclusive sales Uechtritz has orchestrated.

Some of Texas’ biggest and best-known ranches such as The Broseco, The Hageman Reserve and Sulphur Bluff Ranch, and the KC7 Ranch near Balmorhea in West Texas were all sold under the same format. Now, Icon Global Group has determined it’s the ideal time to offer for sale a portfolio of five such landmark Texas ranches. Some of these properties offer subdivision and parcel combination options as well.

The deadline to submit a sealed bid is fast approaching, so take a gander at these once-in-a-lifetime properties which are spread across the Lone Star State, and offered by a mix of sellers.

West Texas Marvels

The iconic slate of ranches includes two large West Texas properties. One is a dramatic legacy ranch with 7,700-acres. The Davis Mountains Hunting Ranch, also known as Fox Canyon, is owned by a Texas family consortium. This unspoiled ranchland is filled with beautiful mountains and canyons full of wildlife.

The other is the Lely Ranch. It is an almost 70,000-acre mega ranch, resting adjacent to the state treasure of Big Bend National Park and the renowned Cibolo Creek Lodge. Lely Ranch is a hunter’s paradise, with a plethora of wild game and the ranch lies contiguous to the Presidio County International Airport for added convenience. An international investor has owned the ranch since the 1960s.

King Land & Water, an acclaimed West Texas brokerage, is teaming up with Icon Global to show, negotiate and sell these fabulous West Texas properties.

“We are excited to join Icon Global in this campaign, to sell the Lely and Fox ranches. Our local knowledge of West Texas combined with the Icon Global Group marketing machine’s incredible international reach is a great combination of our respective talents, resources and strengths to put these sales together,’’ James King, King Land & Water’s conservation realtor, says.

East Texas Ranch Wonders

The dream ranches in East Texas featured include a 364-acre, lender-owned estate with multiple homes, lakes and improvements. Previously known as the Wampler family’s T Bar W Ranch in Mineola ― the property was foreclosed in December of 2019. The unique property is being offered as one ranch, or it can subdivided into two parcels, each with separate entrances, homes and infrastructure.

Famous for John and Rebecca Wampler’s herd of longhorn cattle, the ranch donated six fabulous longhorns to Fort Worth’s famous twice-daily Cattle Drive which runs along East Exchange Avenue in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The ranch also served as the garage home of famous Rolls Royces (such as the yellow one seen in The Great Gatsby movie).

The property is a working ranch, as well as an exceptional equestrian and recreational wonderland. It is being offered under past appraised value, with the bank reviewing all offers.

The Big Cypress Bayou River Ranch incorporates more than 1,100-acres, including a massive 75-acre lake. It also boasts 2.6 miles of Big Cypress Bayou River frontage to boot. A duck and wildlife haven, Big Cypress offers recreational opportunities galore and it’s a cattle ranching property with historical significance.

The ranch is located near Jefferson, Texas ― which is known as the bed and breakfast capital of Texas. The owners are retiring from ranching, and ready to pass on their legacy to its next steward.

Lastly the 2,554-acre 7D Ranch near San Saba is being offered as a single purchase option. Or, its owners, who are retirees, will also make it available in a four-parcel subdivision, with up to a six purchase option combinations, including its Hill Top Lodge, headquarters and guest amenities.

The breathtaking beauty of 7D Ranch’s elevations, privacy, location and the potential to develop parcel subdivisions into recreational ranchettes make this a very attractive asset.

“We are also working with Capital Farm Credit to provide immediate ranch financing and underwriting package alternatives for prospects and clientele around these properties,” Uechtritz notes.

Earlier this year, Icon Global advised these clients to hold back on selling their renowned properties, awaiting the clearer and calmer days of the fall market to be well-positioned for this campaign launch. “I have fine-tuned this program and campaign initiative over many years with great success for sellers and a quick, clear path to attainable results for buyers,” Uechtritz says.

Collectively this group of sellers have agreed to meet the market with their properties in this “Call For Offers Campaign.” It’s about negotiating the best, bona fide offers received either on, or before the associated close of bid deadlines ― which vary between November 6 and 13 depending on the property.

Scheduled ranch tours will continue to run for prequalified buyers and brokers throughout October.

For additional, individual property photos and video, please call (214) 855-4000 or email JC@icon.global. For more information on Icon Global or to view its other beyond unique properties available, head to Icon Global’s full website.