Feast Your Eyes On The 10 Biggest Ranches In Texas

One thing is for sure, there are plenty of ranchers in Texas. Did you know that a massive portion of the state is privately owned? It's true, about 95%. If you do any traveling in Texas, you'll see pretty quickly the miles and miles of these private ranches. It's a way of life for a lot of folks. Agribusiness is a big business in Texas.

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I remember spending time at my Pappy's farm in the summers. It was only about 50 acres or so. Back then I thought it was huge but it's only a drop in the bucket compared to the ranches you'll see below. These bad boys are gigantic with acreage in the thousands. Take a look at these "Big 10" and see how many you know.

LOOK: FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE 10 BIGGEST RANCHES IN TEXAS

Jones Family Ranch

255,000 acres

This one has been around for a while. Since 1897. W. W. Jones is the man behind this ranch. It mainly produces oil and is still run by the Jones family.

The Four Sixes Ranch
275,000 acres

This ranch has not one but three locations throughout Texas. It all started with a few heads of cattle; it's now one of the largest ranches in Texas. The land is owned by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.

Kokernot Heirs (O6 Ranch)

278,000 acres

The Kokernot family has been known for ranching since 1836. This ranch, located near Alpine, runs a cattle operation and has been the filming site for multiple movies.

Nunley Brothers Ranch

301,500 acres

Red Nunley started this ranch over 70 years ago. Based out of Sabinal, it's a cattle-operating ranch but with a specialty. This farm runs the Santa Gertrudis breed.

Longfellow Ranch

350,000 acres

These ranches are a hunter's paradise. Folks come from miles around to the Big Bend area to hunt mule deer and elk.

Hughes Ranch

390,000 acres

The wealth of this family came from oil and gas. The main man who started it all was Dan Allen Hughes, Sr. Most of this ranch is for private use only, although they do sell cattle and some hunting leases.

O'Connor Ranch

500,000 acres

Turning the half-million-acre mark is the O'Connor ranch. This place is huge and based in the coastal region of South Texas. Irishman Tom O'Connor showed up basically broke and started a fortune.

Waggoner Ranch

535,000 acres

The W. T. Waggoner Ranch is well-known in Texas...and it is massive. It runs a productive cattle and oil business. At last check, it was still owned by LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke who has another ranch in Montana.

Briscoe Ranches

640,000 acres

It was 1910 when Dolph Briscoe Sr. founded the ranch near Uvalde. Dolph Briscoe Jr. would go on to extend the massive wealth of the ranch and the family.

King Ranch

825,000 acres

This is it folks. The biggest in Texas. The King Ranch. And it is indeed the king. The familiar running W brand even has its own line of pickup trucks. The best part is that it's still a working ranch.

If you were to add up all the acres these ranches share, it's no wonder that most of the state is privately owned. It certainly proves that ranching is still very much a way of life here in Texas.