COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Retired NASCAR driver and Columbus native Tony Stewart is moving ahead with plans to turn his Bartholomew County ranch into a commercial hunting and fishing lodge.
Hidden Hollow Ranch, Stewart’s 414-acre property just west of Columbus, will host guided deer and turkey hunts as well as fishing tours for groups of up to 12 guests. Turkey hunts will begin as early as this fall.
Paperwork was filed last July to turn Stewart’s ranch into a bed-and-breakfast type hunting and fishing facility.
The Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved the proposal in December.
The property is “entirely enclosed with a black wrought iron fence,” according to the zoning application. That fence is 10-feet tall on the west, east and south sides of the property and 8-feet tall on the north part, which runs along Youth Camp Road.
Guests would be able to use the property for hunting during the autumn and winter months. It will be used as a general residence the rest of the year.
The property will offer meal and housekeeping services with staff on-site 24 hours per day.
Stewart’s ranch is one of the first in the state to take advantage of a 2016 law that allows hunting of farm-raised deer on fenced properties.
