Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 40

Bud Love WHMA, located 6 miles northwest of Buffalo, is open to hunting, fishing, hiking and camping. (Photo by Patrick Wine/WGFD)

"The Bud Love WHMA is a premier property owned by the Game and Fish Commission," said Sheridan Region habitat and access
coordinator Seth Roseberry. "It is unique
with its geology and topography, providing
lots of mahogany ridges with large, grassy
areas and creek bottoms to provide habitat
for a variety of species. The area provides
fishing, upland bird and big game hunting,
photography, hiking, horseback riding and
access to federal and state lands, all while
providing critical habitat seasonally and yearround for a variety of native wildlife."
PUSH FOR PURCHASE
The local hunting public began advocating
for purchase of the property as early as 1962
when the UM Ranch was offered for sale by
owner Mildred Tarbet after the death of her
husband, Clarence.
"This ranch...has the most appropriate
winter pasture to be found anywhere on
the Bighorns. We wish you would make the
utmost attempt to purchase this ranch...,"
wrote Harry Washut with the Johnson
County Sportsmen's Association to state
game warden James White in July 1962.
40 | September 2020	

"(It) is the greatest desire of all sportsmen
in this area to at least be able to maintain the
present elk herd if not increase them."
Washut and fellow sportsmen members
Larry Keffer and Robert Trebelcock followed
up with an in-person visit to Game and Fish
headquarters in Cheyenne in March 1963 to
White and Game and Fish lands manager Joe
Zachritz. It is possible they carried with them
a petition, as White noted in a letter soon
after that he was in possession of hundreds
of signatures of local and out-of-area hunters,
urging purchase of the property.
Buffalo Game Warden Bill Morris compiled a biological report to White on April
2, 1963 providing information about the
ranch and outlining possible benefits to
wildlife, hunters and anglers if the property
was acquired.
"A herd of between 100 and 200 elk are
present upon the lands nearly the entire
year...during the winter months this herd
increases to about 400 animals," he wrote.
"The ranch is a very good winter area for
these animals and includes some timbered
slopes which the elk frequent during the
daytime, working into the lower range at

night and on stormy days. The ranch has been
well managed and there is a good variety of
grasses as well as the browse plants found in
the Bighorn foothills."
However, after much discussion the Commission decided against purchasing the ranch
at their May 2, 1963, meeting.
"Our decision was that it would not be
possible for our Department to consider purchase of the entire holdings because of the
large amount of money involved, and because
of improvements and irrigated lands which
would be surplus to our needs," wrote Commissioner Steve Jiacoletti to realtor Frank
Long in May 1963. "In the event that it is
decided to sell this ranch in parcels rather
than in its entirety, we might consider buying
that portion of the ranch which would be
more important to us for game management."
The UM Ranch was purchased the following year by Edward Kimbrough "Bud"
Love. A St. Louis native, Love began visiting
the Bighorns in 1914 as a young boy when
he came with his family to spend time at the
Teepee Lodge dude ranch near Big Horn.
"He liked it so much he wanted to continue to come out and he did," said his
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