As a relative newbie to this board, I’d like to get some input on activity in Glacier County. I’ve purchased what I think is 60 NMA out of about 240 total, straddling Section 25 and 36 in Township 30 North, Range 8 West. I’m hopeful about this area since it lies above 30 feet of shale, and is in the overpressurized zone of the southern Alberta Bakken. Directly next to my acreage lies the Blackfeet reservation. I have the following questions:
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Is it possible to put together a 640-acre section with part privately owned land, and native land?
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Is 640 acres the minimum here?
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How can I figure out who the other 75% owners are of my parcel, and verify the percent conveyed to me?
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Is it possible to have several leases covering the same land, each with different terms?
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Has anyone heard how Newfield or Anschutz are doing in the area, since they are the closest operators to this area?
I realize that is a lot to ask, but any info would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg Sorter
Greg:
Looking at the GIS map of this area, there are several old P&A’d wells to the South, no new production observed in the area. The leases in Montana tend to lean toward 1280 spacing units instead of 640 acres. The names of the mineral owners in your section would be on record at the County Clerk’s Office in Glacier County. It would take an individual to research these records to get the needed information. Each mineral owner negotiates their own leases with their own terms (% royalty, bonus amounts and length of lease). No info about Newfield or Anschutz but no drilling permits appear on the GIS map for this area. Hope this info helps.
Greg, check ESER.org. It will give a lot of info.
Charles and Vena,
Thanks for the info. I didn’t know about eser.org, but it does have quite a bit of info on it. Is there a decent service I can subscribe to that allows access to courthouse records regarding leases, conveyances, etc? I’ve tried a local title company but they didn’t seem very helpful regarding mineral deeds, etc.
Greg:
Google “montana oil report” and join that site for updates. It will periodically release info on drilling in the Montana area. Don’t know if MT has any subscription service but you could contact the MT Oil & Gas Commission and pose that question as they should know. I know that ND has a subscription service to their O&G records which costs about $50/yr. I just watch the “Weekly Activity Report” on the MT O&G website for my info. This is posted every Thur. or Fri.
Greg Sorter said:
Charles and Vena,
Thanks for the info. I didn’t know about eser.org, but it does have quite a bit of info on it. Is there a decent service I can subscribe to that allows access to courthouse records regarding leases, conveyances, etc? I’ve tried a local title company but they didn’t seem very helpful regarding mineral deeds, etc.
Greg:
Google “Montana Oil Report” and join that site for updates. It will periodically release info on drilling in the Montana area. Don’t know if Montana has any subscription service but you could contact the Montana Oil & Gas Commission and pose that question as they should know. I know that North Dakota has a subscription service to their O&G records which costs about $50/yr. I just watch the “Weekly Activity Report” on the Montana O&G website for my info. This is posted every Thursday or Friday.
Greg Sorter said:
Charles and Vena,
Thanks for the info. I didn’t know about eser.org, but it does have quite a bit of info on it. Is there a decent service I can subscribe to that allows access to courthouse records regarding leases, conveyances, etc? I’ve tried a local title company but they didn’t seem very helpful regarding mineral deeds, etc.
In Montana you have to hire a landman to do your research. You can’t research online. I doubt if you can partner up with the Blackfeet Tribe. You can lease out small parcels of land. I just leased out 160 acres on the Canadian border with a partner who leased out with a totally different company, so you can have different companies lease out the same parcel. Newfield and Auschutz are drilling in northern Montana and Alberta, Canada. You can keep track of drilling and new permits at the Montana Board of Oil and Gas BOGC.DNRC.MT.GOV/ACTIVITY. Their website is hard to figure out. It took me a while to learn how to get around, but all the info you need is there. I’m from Montana close to where your parcel of land is located. Hope this helps. Anything else?
Vana,
How about some big gushers? That would help the most! Are you an individual investor or an operator? I’m curious as to what your general investment strategy for the area is. The reason I asked about the Blackfeet land is if I am a part of 240 acres, and if the drilling unit needs to be 1280 acres, it seems like the land is worthless without the ability to form a larger unit. I did notice there are some leases for very small Montana-owned tracts near me, and did not understand why a 20-acre parcel or so would be worth leasing.
I own some mineral rights in Toole County. The big hits are in Alberta, Canada, some on the Blackfeet Reservation. You can do a search by typing in Northwest Montana or Alberta Bakken in South Alberta. The drilling activity is mostly on the Montana-Canadian border and the Blackfeet Reservation, some in Pondera County to the south. Do you have any land descriptions? If so, you can find your property on ESER and check out the drilling going on in your area.
Our rights are along the southernmost eastern corner of Glacier County, near 89 and 44. Not much activity now. I do know that whole area is above 30 feet of Bakken shale, and the shale is deep enough to be overpressurized and liquid, so it seems like a prime area for future development.
If you plan on leasing, check the price per acre and don’t jump into it too fast. If it is prime land in the right area, you should get a good sum. I don’t know if you are in Alberta Bakken Fairway. There are maps showing the fairway. The fairway north and south is 150 miles straddling Interstate 15, Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta, and 75-100 miles wide. I have some mineral rights that are due to renew in the Bakken Basin in Canada. Prime area! 160 acres.
Good luck. Did the leasing company approach you, or did you find them? We are in the fairway according to most maps I’ve seen. We are near where Anschutz and Newfield have large leaseholdings, but not much actual drilling.
I think everyone is waiting around for the price of oil to go up. Most of the land has been leased but you might check with a landman in that area to see if anyone is looking to lease. Chip Miller with Pegas and Rick Stephens with Restana are two landmen in Toole County.