Some Gifts Can’t Be Wrapped

Winecup Gamble Ranch buckaroos cherish their remote lifestyle and raising beef

By Dianna Troyer

Christmas at the vast Winecup Gamble Ranch in Northeastern Nevada is a time to celebrate presents that cannot be wrapped.

General Manager Joe Glascock says his family and staff of about 20 cherish the gifts of their scenic isolated lifestyle, raising quality beef and crops, and offering trophy big-game hunting and fishing adventures.

While receiving gifts, Joe says he continues a core value of the ranch—giving to local schools and nonprofits benefiting veterans.

“Even though we’re on a remote ranch, it’s a blessing to be part of the community and to have a great crew,” he says.

Joe lives at the Gamble Ranch headquarters, about 7 miles north of Montello.

“People here make the ranch successful,” he says. “We’re 100 miles from our main business hub, Elko, so people who work here do it because they really want to be here. It takes a certain type of person to choose a lifestyle like this.”

The ranch, established in 1868, combines three divisions and encompasses a little more than 1 million acres of private and public grazing land where raising cattle is the primary business. The ranch is comprised of multiple divisions—cattle, a farm, and a guided hunting and fishing service.

“It’s a challenge that I enjoy, running three divisions in sync while constantly working on the infrastructure of the feedlot, wells, fences and roads,” Joe says. “It’s a heavy lift, but with our crew, it all gets done.”

To express appreciation, he and his wife, Shannon, organize a Christmas dinner for employees and their family members at the hunting lodge on Winecup Ranch.

“We have some musicians and— depending on the weather—have a bonfire outside,” Joe says. “We look back on the year and talk about what we want to accomplish in the coming year.”

Members of Wells High School’s National FFA Organization chapter cook the Christmas dinner. To thank them, Winecup Gamble Ranch makes a donation to the program.

“Throughout the year, we host work days for area schools’ sports teams and make a donation to their programs,” Joe says.

The ranch also donates to a national nonprofit veterans program, Heroes and Horses, by offering two bull elk tags.

Joe says living at the ranch makes him more aware of several gifts, such as Raft River Electric Co-op lineworkers responding quickly to outages.

“My hat is off to them, they’re amazing,” he says. “We’re so remote and at the end of the line here. They’re good to deal with and provide great customer service.”

Joe and Shannon appreciate raising their five children on the ranch.

“Kids who grow up here learn a work ethic and honesty,” he says. “They’re not obsessed with their cellphones. Even at a young age, they can look someone in the eye and have an adult conversation.”

The landscape is a gift, too.

“We feel a connection to the land and see beauty every day with all kinds of wildlife and different habitat from 5,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation,” Joe says.

Raising food is also gratifying.

The ranch breeds cows that can raise healthy calves for 10 years on a range that gets 7 to 11 inches of rainfall a year.

“We’re always evolving and dialing it in better, watching how well the cows gain weight in different areas,” Joe says. “We rotate and rest one-third of the land annually, knowing if we take care of it, it will take care of us.”

Winecup Gamble Ranch is one of the West’s historic ranches. It was owned by Nevada Gov. John Sparks and later by actor Jimmy Stewart.

“The ranch history is rich and colorful, and the current owner wants it to continue as a working cattle ranch,” Joe says.

The ranch has been home for Joe and his family since 2020. When the former manager retired, he contacted Joe.

“We knew each other from attending beef industry meetings,” says Joe, who was working at a ranch in Oregon and wanted a bigger challenge.

His background dovetailed with the ranch’s needs. Joe grew up on a family ranch and had worked as a range conservationist for the Bureau of Land Management.

“I’m familiar with both the rancher’s and the agency’s viewpoints about grazing on public lands, which helps here,” he says.

By December, the year-round ranch crew has prepared for winter.

“We slow down a little,” Joe says. “Some calves are in the feedlot, while others are being shipped. The cows have been turned out for the season. We’re running wells and putting protein blocks out.”

At the farm division, machinery is being maintained. With the outfitting business, a few late season hunters linger.

“There’s a lot of 24/7 sweat-equity and hard work that goes on here,” Joe says. “Still, we’re exactly where we want to be.”