Distinctly Montana Magazine

HOW A MONTANA RANCH FAMILY PAYS IT FORWARD ENTERPRISE Ironically, the Wickens family land holdings have expanded as the cattle business has shrunk, with son Matt adding more acreage at the edge of the Breaks, where he has built a multi-purpose lodge for everything from his Dog Creek Outfitters hunting operation to weddings, par- ties, and reunions. Enterprise, it seems is in the Wickens’ family genes. After settling here in the early part of the 20th century, John Hickey, a Wickens ancestor, arranged for “Wild West” shows back East, creating income from the shows as well as from the sale of “broke” horses after bucking events. For a long stretch after that family mem- bers worked in road and reservoir construction, again for the extra income. While both Eric and Matt are very focused on revital- izing traditional ranching through the right combina- tion of “smart calving” and herd rotation, both brothers realize that ranching now means accepting the fact that BY BILL MUHLENFELD PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICOLE WICKENS profitability means diversification; and that diversification means...well, almost anything. “It’s all about cash flow,” John observes, rubbing his salt-and-pepper stubble, chin hammocked onto a broad hand, his smile and gaze warm- ing the room across the steam of morning coffee. Diane nods and agrees. “Things would be a lot tighter if it was just cattle.” Ironically, John has been the one to move his sons to- ward accepting diversity as part of the ranching business. A nimble list of moneyed enterprises ranging from paleontol- ogy licensing to “varmint hunts,” from ranch caretaking for absentee neighbors to leasing mineral rights for oil and gas exploration, keep the ranch profitable and viable in a way which suggests that the Wickens Ranch will be around for another hundred years. Not everything, though, has been a success. Dude ranching for vacationing families was a short-lived, though “very profitable” venture, as liabil- ity issues and the summer demands of ranch life proved The Wickens’ believe THEY WILL LET THE LAND GUIDE THEIR BUSINESS DECISIONS. www.distinctlymontana.com 81

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