A little way from where two dirt roads cross on the Kansas prairie sits a newly-purchased $30 million hunting compound — the Hooray Ranch. This exclusive lodge serves five-star meals three times a day and includes lush accommodations and a more than one-to-one employee to guest ratio.
In June, when Bob Hixson heard the central Kansas property was for sale, he and his wife, Amanda, decided to act quickly. After attending hunting weekends for several years as a guest at the lodge, Bob Hixson, who lives in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, knew this was a property he wanted to invest in — and grow.
“I really enjoyed coming here,” said Hixson, who owns Hixson Family Properties.
Hooray Ranch spans five counties in Central Kansas. Real estate specialist Tom McFarlane of Whitetail Properties Real Estate, who listed the property, said Hooray Ranch is one of the few of these type properties in the Midwest.
Spanning five counties, the land is loaded with waterfowl, pheasants and deer. Because the original owner, Eric Dunn, wanted to create a legacy, he sold all the hunting and farm land, including water sources and structures, as one parcel.
The main campus in Reno County consists of a 10,000-square-foot home, a 9,000-square-foot lodge, a gourmet farm-to-table dining room, guest rooms and hunting facilities in Kingman. Comprising more than 20,000 acres, the 11 non-adjacent farms and hunting lands are in Harper, Kingman, Reno and Sumner counties with the most farmland being held in Stafford County.
The Hixsons want to expand and add more land for hunting. The couple enjoys hunting waterfowl and have traveled to Canada, Mexico, New Mexico and Texas to hunt. But their favorite place to visit was always the Hooray Ranch.
Farm to table dining at Hooray Ranch. Along with the professional guides, European tower and unmarred landscape, visitors are treated to Kansas-raised and Kansas-grown foods, including wagyu steaks. The wagyu are raised in Garden Plain — about 30 miles from the ranch.
Executive Chef Michael Benson was brought in from California to procure a five-star menu. In addition to most of the fruits, herbs and vegetables coming from the ranch’s garden that he helps tend, he utilizes eggs from the facility’s free-range chickens and procures pork and beef from Kansas ranchers.
“If you want fresh produce, you have to grow it yourself,” Benson said. Benson makes fresh-from-the-garden tomato sauce. He also pickles and cans and labels the meals as superbly-cooked Midwest Comfort food. In addition to the stepped-up Hooray Ranch dressing, the meats are often cooked over coals on a grill, the Hooray Ranch Grill, which is built and sold in Hesston.
With a five-year waiting list, most Hooray Ranch guests reserve an annual spot
Visitors from across the U.S. call this place home for a few days each year. With a waiting list of more than five years, most visitors reserve an annual spot.
The ranch tries to keep the number of guests low, providing several guides and a close-knit atmosphere. “We go the extra mile,” said Jesse Vliet, the general manager. “We strive to exceed expectations in everything we do.”
Although they try to expand their brand every season, the ranch does not want to outgrow their intimate feel. 
Eddy Moore from Dallas planned a trip with five friends. He hunted in Kansas before but not at Hooray. After his mid-December hunt, he said he’d be coming back.
“This is an outstanding place to stay,” he said. Justin Healey, from Viking Yachts, has helped coordinate retreats at the ranch for Viking. What impresses Healey most is the staff, saying they are five star.
“They know everybody by first name, and they treat you like family,” he said. “There are not many places in North America with this incredible vision. They are world-class in every regard.”
Started in 2013 by Wichita businessman Eric Dunn, Hooray Ranch continues to grow. Along the way, the ranch added more land, increased the hunting to include deer and a variety of waterfowl, invented a new grill, and introduced farm-to-table dinners, which occur during the summer months.
With each addition, the ranch experiences more customer loyalty. “It’s the most amazing place,” said Carmine Galati, the owner of Galati Yacht Sales, who came back this December for a third year. “Everything at it is awesome — from hunting to food to the accommodations. Everything is off the charts.”
Dunn put the ranch up for sale for $32 million this past June. One month later, the place was sold.
Who owns Hooray Ranch? In June, Doman Building Materials Group in Vancouver, Canada, purchased Hixson Lumber, a family-owned company that conducts business in eight states and has 19 facilities, including five sawmills in Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Doman acquired this leading wholesale and manufacturing lumber company that employs more than 1,000 people, according to Doman’s June 4 press release, for approximately $375 million.
“I sold out my lumber business and invested some of the proceeds in this (property),” Hixson said. The Hixsons want to make people feel at home at his “new” ranch.
“Eric (Dunn) did a great job building this place. I want to maintain or improve it,” Hixson said. “I want everybody to enjoy their time here, relax and have good fellowship.”
