Visit to Hardware Ranch.............

There are certain places in US which can be specially visited in Winter only. One such place is the Hardware Ranch in Utah. Its the wildlife management area where Elk (a type of Deer) is being feeded in winter. The Elks come down to this area from the mountain due to the snowfall in the high elevations. Its located 15 miles east of Hyrum, Utah, in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. I got a chance to visit this place last week and let me share with you my experiences there through this blog.



Ranch in Summer



Ranch in Winter

Its usually opened for visitors from mid of December until mid or late January depending upon the amount of Snowfall. The State of Utah purchased the land from Box Elder Hardware in the year 1945 and hence this place got the name as the "Hardware Ranch".Visitors are taken a ride through the elk meadow to have a closer look of them. A guide accompanies us who explains all about the history of the Ranch.



Horse Ride


The Elk is feeded with the hay which is grown in the Ranch during spring season. Nearly 300 tons of hay are needed each year for the whole of the winter season to feed the elk. But we were informed that due to a bad harvest this year they were able to raise only 90 tons of hay.


This hardware ranch is also helpful in Elk research. Each year a group of Elk are given ear tags which is helpful to learn more about them. Certain type of elk travel long distances. The male elk is called the “Bull” and the female one is called the “Cow”. The Lifespan of a Male one is approximately 16 years whereas females live upto 22 years.

There is a visitor center which explains us more about this Elk. It was a different experience to visit such a place in winter.




Visitor Center