MDF Projects

Beckman Wildlife Management Area: The Man, the Land, the Plan

By Tracy Watt, May 2007

Just outside the small town of Denton, Montana lies a sportsman’s dream – over 6,500 acres of pristine mule deer habitat that is open to the public.

And there are stories behind it – at least three. The first is the sportsman with the dream, LeRoy Byron Beckman; then there is the land itself, the Judith River breaks in central Montana; and finally, there is the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP), entrusted with the care of both the land and the dream.

The first story, that of LeRoy Beckman, has been told in numerous Montana newspaper accounts since his passing almost a decade ago. In short, he was the type of man who would probably be mad as hell that his story is being told. But it is one of such character and inspiration that it cannot go unwritten.

Beckman was a hunter who he kept an old deer head mount on his wall, even though one of the eyes had popped out. He also was a shrewd investor, though he kept his stocks and papers in old orange crates around his small Great Falls, Montana home. An intelligent fellow, Beckman enjoyed reading and arguing politics. He led a frugal life, indulging only in hunting and oil expeditions.

According to Jim Luoma, a friend of Beckman’s for over 20 years, “He bought a drilling rig but never got anything. Drilled in Arrow Creek and on his BLM lease. All he got was a few dry holes.”

Luoma went on to say, “LeRoy’s favorite thing to do was chase mule deer. His last deer was a four-point buck about 22” wide. Petty good buck for a man in his 80’s.

“In his younger days, LeRoy liked to go to Alaska for a month or two in the spring or fall. He got quite a few bears. He wanted me to go to Africa with him, but I’m kind of a family guy and,” Luoma added, laughing, “I’m not a millionaire.”

That’s right, although very few people knew it, LeRoy Beckman was a millionaire.

When he was in his mid to late 80’s and beginning to wane, Beckman approached Jim McDermand to help make connections and work out the details of what must have been a long thought out dream. At the time, McDermand was a member of the Montana Public Lands Access Association and the Montana Wildlife Federation. His story of their first meeting seems to typify Beckman:

“He drove up to my house in an old green forest service truck with a spare tire bolted to the roof, wearing greasy overalls. He was hard of hearing so you had to shout. We talked about all his plans right there in my living room, with my wife in the kitchen doing dishes. She could hear everything.

“LeRoy said he thought he had quite a bit of money, but he didn’t trust lawyers. I commenced to tell him that he’d have to get a lawyer and suggested a guy in Great Falls who belonged to Trout Unlimited and was also a hunter.

“LeRoy finally agreed, and as he turned to leave said, ‘and don’t tell your wife about this, ‘cause I don’t trust women either!’”

What McDermand’s wife couldn’t help but overhear probably touched her heart. The old guy wanted to leave his money to help perpetuate conservation for mule deer so that sportsmen could forever continue the pursuit. Beckman not only wanted to leave his liquid assets, but also almost 1,000 acres of land he owned just north of Great Falls, Montana.

In good keeping with his intentions, Beckman’s land was eventually sold to the Great Falls Shooting Sports Complex group. The Mule Deer Foundation donated $20,000 to help purchase the land for the shooting complex. MDF Regional Manager Ron Knapp said, “This was a great achievement in protecting wildlife in central Montana, as proceeds from the sale of Beckman’s land will go into a Trust Fund set up to acquire mule deer habitat. Not to mention, the shooting range was sorely needed. The Great Falls area lacked a large, accessible public shooting area prior to this transaction. It was a real team effort, and the Mule Deer Foundation is proud to be a partner.”

In the end, LeRoy Byron Beckman’s Last Will and Testament established the RBB Deer Lands Trust Fund to purchase winter-summer range lands primarily for mule deer, to be used for public hunting and recreation. The land was to be acquired with monies from the Trust then gifted to the MFWP. The stipulations required that none of the money could be used for the management or operations of the property.

According to Graham Taylor, MFWP Wildlife Manager, “Beckman’s Will was quite a piece of work and very specific relative to ‘deer and public deer hunting.’” Taylor said those terms were used repeatedly throughout the document.

Tom Stivers, MFWP Wildlife Biologist who now oversees the Beckman Wildlife Management Area (WMA), said, “Beckman set a real example for what other people could do – have land managed for the public as well as for deer. He was pretty noble.”

The final dollars in the Beckman Trust were expended earlier this year. In all, LeRoy Beckman contributed over three million dollars towards the creation of what is becoming a premier wildlife management area in central Montana. The Beckman WMA is as beautiful as it is bountiful – which brings us to the second story – the land.

The majority of the 6,500 acre property is classified as river breaks. These breaks consist of steep-sided coulees with ridges and gently sloping benches. There are a dozen coulees that run water intermittently and seven perennial springs. The WMA’s east boundary is a bluff, 200 feet high, overlooking the Judith River.

The river flows across almost four miles of the WMA, and along its banks are almost 1,000 acres of bottomlands.

“It is a natural, undammed, freely operational river, which has a significant bearing on the timber and other aspects of the property,” said Graham Taylor, MFWP Wildlife Manager.

Vegetation on the WMA includes ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, cottonwood, willow, chokecherry, silver sage, western wheatgrass and more. Most of the riparian grassland terraces have been cultivated into alfalfa and tame grass hay fields.

This ecosystem makes the WMA year-round habitat for deer. Mule deer occupy the upland meadows and ridges and often make daily use of the alfalfa fields on the river bottom. Mule deer numbers on the property fluctuate, but are generally highest during spring and fall. To date, the highest number of mule deer surveyed during one season was 200.

This Mecca also hosts significant numbers of sharp-tailed grouse and pronghorn antelope on the grassy upland benches. Merriam’s turkeys favor the pine/fir sites, while ring-necked pheasants make extensive use of the riparian vegetation on the river bottom. The area is also home to foxes, coyotes, Canadian geese, raptors and myriad other creatures.

When entering the property and heading east, the view is a kaleidoscope of wildlife, sounds, textures and colors. In the foreground are fields of various grasses, sage and wildflowers, often dotted with mule deer around sunset. The landscape drops off abruptly into the Judith River Basin. On the far side, the jagged stone walls rise straight up in mottled tan and grey tones, to level off sharply at the far side, where privately owned farm lands produce golden crops that reflect the sun’s light. Finally, in the far distance, forested foothills ascend and surrender to the purple-blue Judith Mountains that give way only to the Big Sky.

Some people have written that LeRoy Beckman was an old curmudgeon, but perhaps the true nature of the man is more apparent by what he’s left behind.

The third story in this series – the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ management plan for the Beckman WMA – requires an article all its own. Look for it in the next issue of MDF magazine!

For more information on the Beckman WMA, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_1116176.aspx.

A Special Thank You to Jim Luoma for providing personal accounts and the two color photographs of LeRoy Beckman and to Tom Stivers of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for his candor, passion and time spent out in the field.

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