The 113,613-acre Montana landscape where Ted Turner’s wild conservation legacy lives on

South of Bozeman, Montana, the terrain shows vast sweep of forests, meadows and high benches overlooking the surrounding countryside. At the centre of it all sits the Flying D Ranch, a 113,613-acre property that became closely linked to Ted Turner after he bought it in 1989.

Once run largely as a cattle ranch, the property gradually evolved into something more ambitious . It became a working landscape built around bison, native wildlife and the protection of large stretches of habitat.

Today, the Flying D is home to mule deer, elk, moose, pronghorn, black bears, mountain lions, wolves and badgers. Trout live in its rivers and streams, while bald and golden eagles are regularly seen overhead. Together, they give the ranch the feel of a living ecosystem rather than simply a private estate.


For Turner, that was the point. The ranch became a reflection of his belief that private landownership and conservation did not need to be conflicting ideals. Bison, predators and other wildlife could thrive alongside ranching and other working uses, he believed, if the land was managed with the long term sustainability in mind.

The Flying D has become one of the clearest examples of that philosophy.

Turner bought Montana’s Flying D in 1989

Turner’s connection with the Flying D began in 1989, when the media entrepreneur bought the property south of Bozeman.

According to Montana Free Press, the ranch covered roughly 113,600 acres and was not particularly uniform. The southern end rises into steeper, forested terrain, while farther north the land opens into rolling meadows and elevated bench country.

That mix of landscapes created different habitats for a wide range of species. More importantly, the ranch was large enough for conservation efforts to work across broad, connected areas rather than being limited to small, isolated pockets.

For Turner, the property was never just a place to raise livestock. It became part of a larger encapsulating idea, that a working ranch could remain productive while also being managed for wildlife and habitat.

The Flying D became a major home for Turner’s bison herd

Bison eventually became central to the identity of the Flying D. Turner maintained a large herd on the ranch as part of his broader effort to restore a species that had once been reduced to a meagre from its historic numbers.

The ranch’s combination of grasslands, forests, streams and higher ground made it well suited to supporting not only bison, but a much wider range of wildlife.

Turner’s interest in the animals was not distant or purely symbolic. According to Montana Free Press, in July 2017 he hosted visitors attending the International Bison Conference at the ranch. During the gathering, Turner examined a bison carcass that had been prepared to demonstrate the animal’s anatomy.

Those who worked with him also recalled his hands-on interest in the land.

Holly Pippel, who moved from Georgia to Gallatin County in 1995 to work for Turner as an equine manager, later spoke of spending long stretches on horseback with him, discussing wildlife, habitat and species under pressure.

The Flying D provides habitat for wolves, bears, elk and mountain lions

The ranch supports an unusually broad range of large mammals. According to Turner Enterprises, Rocky Mountain elk move across the property alongside mule deer and white-tailed deer, while Shiras moose occupy suitable wooded areas. Rocky Mountain gray wolves have also been recorded on the ranch. Furthermore, black bears, mountain lions, pronghorn antelope and badgers add to the mix.

The variety of terrain plays an important role in supporting those species. Forested areas provide cover and feeding grounds, while open meadows and rolling country offer grazing habitat for animals such as bison, elk and pronghorn.

Birdlife is another part of the picture. Golden and bald eagles can be seen across the property for much of the year, particularly around open country and waterways.

The result is a ranch where wildlife is not confined to one corner of the property, but spread across a landscape large enough to support different species with very different needs.

Rivers and streams add another layer of habitat

The Flying D’s ecological importance does not stop at its forests and grasslands. Rivers and streams run through the ranch, supporting trout fisheries and adding on to its mix of habitats.

Those waterways also connect with Turner’s wider conservation interests. Scott Bosse, Northern Rockies Regional Director for American Rivers, has said Turner supported efforts to protect Montana’s rivers through his foundation.

At the same time, the Flying D continued to function as a working property. Alongside wildlife management and bison production, the ranch also offered hunting opportunities through the Montana Hunting Company, according to Turner Enterprises.

This peculiar combination of ranching, wildlife management, hunting and conservation became characteristic of Turner’s approach to many of his properties in the American West.

How Turner used private ranches to preserve Montana’s open landscapes

The Flying D was only one part of Turner's enormous land portfolio. Throughout his life, he assembled conservation-oriented properties covering about 2 million acres across the western and midwestern United States.

In Montana alone, his holdings eventually reached roughly 130,000 acres across several ranches.This made Turner one of the state’s most prominent private landowners and brought attention to his approach to conservation.

He was also an early supporter of conservation agreements that can limit future development while allowing land to remain privately owned.

For Turner, such arrangements offered a way to protect open landscapes without removing them entirely from private use. Over time, they became an important part of his conservation legacy in Montana.

Conservation became part of Turner’s wider philanthropy

Turner’s environmental interests extended far beyond ranches and wildlife. Montana Free Press reported that he directed substantial amounts of his wealth towards conservation and humanitarian causes, including a $1 billion donation to the United Nations in 1997.

The money supported a range of international efforts, from refugee and child welfare programmes to landmine clearance and disease prevention.

His environmental philosophy was relatively simple.

In a 2017 interview with Mountain Outlaw, Turner rejected the idea that economic activity and environmental protection had to be treated as opposing forces. The Flying D gave him a chance to put that belief into practice.

Its bison herds, wildlife habitat and protections against future development turned the ranch into one of the most glowing examples of his belief that land could be both used and protected.

The man behind the land

Turner’s public identity stretched far beyond just conservation. He became one of the most recognisable figures in American media after founding CNN, while also building interests in sport, sailing and entertainment.

At 38, he won the America’s Cup, an achievement he later described as one of the high points of his life. He also owned the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks and became known for a personality that was often as bold as his business ambitions.

His personal life attracted its own share of attention. Turner married three times, including to actor Jane Fonda. Their marriage ended in 2001.

But people who spent time with him in Montana often described a quieter side. Environmental writer Todd Wilkinson, who co-wrote Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet, recalled early-morning walks and long conversations with Turner about conservation and the pressures facing the natural world.

A conservation legacy that remains on the land

Turner died on May 6, 2026, at the age of 87 in Lamont, Florida, surrounded by his family.

By then, the Flying D had been part of his life for nearly four decades. The ranch remains a working property rather than a conventional wildlife reserve. Bison continue to be part of its operations, while its varied terrain supports deer, elk, wolves, bears, moose, pronghorn and other species.

Its future is also tied to the conservation framework Turner helped put in place across Montana. Conservation easements on his properties will continue to restrict development in protected areas, helping preserve large stretches of open land while the ranches remain privately owned and operational.

That may ultimately be the clearest expression of Turner’s legacy at the Flying D. He did not try to turn the property into untouched wilderness. Instead, he tried to show that a working ranch could remain productive while still leaving room for bison, wolves, trout, eagles and vast stretches of open country.

Nearly four decades after he bought it, the Flying D continues to carry that idea across the Montana landscape.

(With TOI inputs)