Notes From J-L

Bryan Ulring

General Manager and Head Honcho at the J Bar L Ranches

Where are you from?  Born in Minnesota and raised in South Dakota.

Favorite season?  I like the changes and could never pick just one favorite season...ok maybe fall, if I have to pick just one. It's nice and cool, clear skies, but still warm. Spring is awesome too. I love the green grass and the regeneration of new life. Of course, in the summer there's grasshopper fishing... and there's skiing in the winter. Oh, the options are just overwhelming.

Favorite place?  Geographically speaking, it's Montana. More specific? It's hard to beat the Centennial Valley. Mentally I prefer outer space. That's where I spend most of my time.

Tea or Coffee?  What's with making all these tough decisions? I like both.

My best hidden talent?  This is a hard one. I brag about almost everything so it's hard to think of a hidden talent. I guess most people might not guess that in my day, I was a pretty fair skier of both the liquid and frozen variety.

The best thing I ever ate...  Duh, grassfed beef! I actually like fresh seafood just as much as grassfed beef, but it's just a little harder to come by in the Centennial Valley.

On the weekends I...  Enjoy time with the family. Now that Charlie is a little older I am very excited to take him fishing, camping, hunting, and skiing.

The best thing about the J Bar L is...  Hands down, the J-L team is the best thing about the ranch. Well, the team and Grandma Birdie's granola bars!

photo by Lynn Donaldson

Here is a list of restaurants and retailers where you will find Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, produced by the J-L, either on the menu or behind the meat counter.

  Restaurants

• Aleworks, Bozeman
• Over the Tapas, Bozeman
• Nova Cafe, Bozeman
• Sola Cafe, Bozeman
• John Bozeman's Bistro, Bozeman
• Vera Fare Cafe, Bozeman
• Banditos, Virginia City
• 2nd Street Bistro, Livingston
• Livingston Hospital
• Cafe Chinook, Harlowstown
• Blue Hills at Stonebarns, New York

    Retailers

• Town and Country Grocery on 11th and 19th street in Bozeman and in Livingston

Yellowstone Grassfed Beef is also the beef provider for the University of Montana in Missoula.

Spring fishing on the Big Hole is incredible. April and May are some of our very favorite months to be on the Big Hole. It is rare to see other anglers and the fish are fresh out of their winter slumbers. The rainbows and browns are voraciously hungry and far less choosey with their diets. Nymph and streamer fishing is the norm and 30+ fish days are common. There are also those incredible days when the Skwala stones or BWO's are hatching and the fish make their first appearances to the surface. It is really hard to beat a warm spring day on the river! Come stay at the J Bar L Fishing Cabin and enjoy your own private access to the Big Hole.

Make a reservation at the J Bar L Brundage Cabins now through May 1st and receive $400 off your stay of a week or longer! Check out pictures and a description of the Brundage Cabins under the Vacation Rentals tab by clicking on the photo labeled Brundage Cabins.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Perhaps during your time together you will be considering next year's vacation plans. We would like to encourage our past and future guests to confirm reservations soon at the J-L by offering our 2008 rates to everyone who places a deposit by check or credit card BEFORE January 15th, 2009. Please call or email to get the 2008 rates. Thank you!