Ted Turner Dies at 87 RIP

[LFC911]

Per Google, As of the 2026 Land Report 100, Ted Turner ranks #4 among the largest private landowners in the United States. He controls approximately 2 million acres of land across the Great Plains and Mountain West, featuring extensive ranch holdings focused on bison conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Key Details on Turner's Land Holdings:

• Ranking: Consistently ranked in the top 5 (sometimes noted as #3 or #4 depending on the exact 2026 update).
• Total Acreage: Approximately 2 million acres.
• Flagship Property: The 558,000-acre Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico and Colorado.
• States Involved: Holdings are located in Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Kansas, and South Dakota.
• Usage: Operates the largest private bison herd in the world.

I wonder if his family will keep all of his properties or start dividing them up?

 

[CRJR45]

I remember in the late 70’s watching Atlanta Hawks play on TTN late nights , it was the only thing on at that time . Gave birth to the NBA as we know it , imo .
Ted was a trailblazer in many ways . RIP .

 

[Phaseolus]

He was quite the ocean racing captain and won some pretty prestigious ocean racing events including The Americas Cup and Fastnet Races.

 

[7mm-08]

Ted Turner was prophetic in many ways- television programming and marketing, acquiring and preserving large swaths of land and preserving intact ecosystems and, ultimately, coming to terms with the funding mechanisms required to accomplish that objective. Quite the visionary man. RIP.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

He was quite the ocean racing captain and won some pretty prestigious ocean racing events including The Americas Cup and Fastnet Races.

My mother knew him in the sailing world and, at the wise old age of 19, turned down a proposition from him. She’d seen too many other girls doing the walk of shame down the docks to fall for it.

 

[Swamp Fox]

My mother knew him in the sailing world and, at the wise old age of 19, turned down a proposition from him. She’d seen enough other girls doing the walk of shame down the docks to fall for it.

Many moons ago, I had a first and last date with a girl I met on match.com at Turner's Montana Grill. We got the bison filets. Incredible meat, but the girl talked nonsense about herself the whole time and left with a doggie bag.

I, of course, finished my steak there at the restaurant, but left with a headache.

 

[Mojave Kid]

Wish Ted would have invited me to hunt on his NM ranch.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Dang hopefully his heirs open up their MT ranches to block management…yea right.

 

[wyosteve]

My understanding is some, if not all, of his properties are in a trust so family is limited on what they can do. I’m heading to one of his N. M. properties again in November for a hunt.

 

[william schmaltz]

Back before the internet turned Big Sky into snowy California, we would see Ted every time we would go. Even rode up the lift with him a couple times!

 

[Oregon]

He married a communist. Jane Fonda. Owned CNN.
Neither makes me think he had a good brain. RIP regardless.

 

[406flyfish]

Ted made significant contributions to the land, and while he may not have publicly opened his land or enrolled in the BMA, his extensive ecological restoration and habitat protection efforts are undeniable. Every day, I drive by his ranch in Montana, and it’s refreshing to encounter undeveloped, open spaces that remain untouched by human interference.

 

[Caseknife]

Believe a lot of his properties are in conservation easements.

 

[7mm-08]

He married a communist. Jane Fonda. Owned CNN.
Neither makes me think he had a good brain. RIP regardless.

These are fair points - Fonda continues to be on the shit-list of my friends who served in Viet Nam (and deservedly so). The CNN we know of today is a vastly different one than the one Turner created in 1980 (yes, that's 45 years ago). I'll submit that CNN leans way farther left today under Time Warner's oversight since its acquisition of the entity from Turner Broadcasting Systems in 1996. I'll agree that CNN today is NOT "The Most Trusted Name in News." In fact, I believe it thrives on sensationalism and suffers from liberal editorial bias.

 

[coloyooper]

Owned CNN.

Made money off of suckers. Okay in my book!

 

[MTBackroads]

Hope he fishes cherry creek post rotenone forever.