Josh Koch
Runs day-to-day operations, leads the hunt program in the field.
Est. 1905
The Ranch
Six generations on the same land. A working hunting and cattle operation in Central Texas.
From the Beginning
300 Acres in 1905
Arthur MacArthur Monteith of Belton bought the first 300 acres in 1905, just west of Salado. He and his wife Hitie raised the family there and added another 700 acres over the years, bringing the place to 1,000 acres before they passed it to their son, Walter Embree Monteith.
Walter served as Mayor of Houston from 1928 to 1933. He registered the -V- brand for the family cattle, named for his wife Vera, and acquired another 1,300 acres, pushing the ranch past 2,000.
Their only son, Walter Morey Monteith, was set to inherit. He died in a plane crash in 1941. When Walter passed in 1953, the ranch went to their niece and nephew, Carolyn Monteith Clarke and Edgar Monteith.
Carolyn and Edgar acquired the neighboring Willingham tract, refined the cattle herd, and began opening the land to friends and family for hunts. That was the start of today’s hunting program.
Today the ranch is owned and operated by Edgar and Carolyn’s descendants, down to the great-grandchildren, the sixth generation.
The -V- Brand
The Brand
The -V- has marked Monteith cattle since the Walter and Vera Monteith era. It still runs on every animal we put on the ground. Read aloud, it’s bar V bar, the way cattle brands are spoken.
The Work
Today
One ranch, two complementary uses.
About 3,000 acres of Central Texas pasture and brush, 1,200 of them game-fenced. 45 minutes north of Austin, outside of Salado.
We manage the land for the hunting and the cattle both. Native and exotic game share managed habitat with a year-round protein-feeding program. Cattle move on a careful rotation across the same pastures.
Hunting season runs fall through winter. The annual beef harvest follows in its own time. The rest of the year is fences, water, brush work, and waiting for the cold front.
The Place
One ranch, six generations, worked by the same family on the same ground.
Established 1905Established
acresPasture and brush
acresGame-fenced
gen.Generations
The Lodge
After the day.
Comfort and camaraderie after a day on the land. The lodge is built to keep a group together once the rifles are put away, with room to spread out and a place to land come evening. Designed with groups in mind.
- Rooms
- 4, queen + bunk each
- Layout
- 2 lodge, 2 casitas
- Casitas
- About 25 yards off
- Lounge
- Pool & shuffleboard
- Screens
- Several large TVs
- Evenings
- Patio & bar
The Team
The Crew.
Monique Koch
Hospitality logistics across hunts: meals, lodge operations, guest services.
Lead Guide
Matt
Hunting Guides
Royce, Todd, Gary
Ranch Staff
Andrew
