To better plan your hunt on the Ranch we offer this link to the TPWD Site for full details on Hunting Seasons at the Ranch.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/dickens
Deer Season 2020 – 2021 for the Ranch is rapidly approaching.
Through a consultation with notable airgun hunter’s during their recent visit to the ranch for a night predator hunt we are pleased to announce that our pricing for hog and predator hunts has been discounted from $150 per 24 hour period to $100 per 24 hour period per hunter.
Included in this fee is entry to the Ranch, Camping, Fishing (channel catfish) and Predator / Hog hunting. No Texas Hunting License for Hog Hunting or Texas Fishing License for fishing is required for either in state or out of state residents at the Ranch.
Additionally you may feel free use our 400 yard range for sighting in or shooting your long range airguns. Engage in nature photography, stargazing and astrophotography in our scenic / very dark sky location. Enjoy being out in a quite location far from the cities hussle and bussle.
All hunts include free breathing grade air fills.
Other pricing now includes Texas Big game.
Whitetail Deer: Doe’s and Antlerless Deer are $300 additional if a harvest is successful *.
Whitetail Bucks: Start at a $400 additional fee and may be more if the deer is scored as a trophy animal.
Mule Deer Start at $500 additional and as above can go significantly higher if scored as a trophy animal.
Animals are expected to be scored at the local feed store (Star Feed and Seed in Spur, Texas 8 miles from the Ranch) which holds a big buck contest with prizes each year. Final pricing of trophy animals will be based on Star Feed’s scoring. Prizes earned in the contest are yours to keep.
Upland Game Bird hunting will be $50 additional.
We reserve the right to set daily and visit bag limits in order to maintain healthy populations of all species of game animals.
We generally will not allow more than 4 hunters per day to reduce hunting pressure on game and maintain a better experience at the Ranch for each guest.
To assure your prefered hunting dates please schedule your visit to the Ranch Today using our hunting contact form.
* An animal that is hit by a hunter fired projectile and unrecovered is still considered a successful harvest. This applies to all Deer.
I had the good fortune today of spending the afternoon with Jim Chapman (American Airgun Hunter) and Chacho Gonzales. Jim arrived about 2PM driving in all the way from Minnesota and Chacho arrived from Midland – Odessa about 6PM or so. After setting up camp and an afternoon of great conversation Chacho prepared some of my grass fed angus home grown beef in the form of T-Bone steaks. Once a quick and simple meal was over we went out for a night predator hunt on my acreage. Jim made 4 sets at different locations. Chacho was the red spot light operator and primary transportation / hunting platform provider. It was easy to tell he and Jim operated as a finely honed team and were well practiced in this night hunting exercise. The first location did not bring in any song dogs but the second location proved productive and a song dog came in behind us. The angle and poor visibility in addition to physical obstructions present resulted in a missed shot on this dog who was lucky enough to live to see another hunter one day. The third location yielded a dog coming in at a very rapid pace to Jim’s electronic call. A quick sighting of glowing eyes by Chacho’s expert spot light handling and sharp eye resulted in a shot by Jim at about 50 yards with his Hatsan .457. It was a firm hit about mid dog it looked like from my perspective angle producing a resounding thud. The dog ran into some brush and was not recovered due to thick cover in the area consisting of mesquite trees, bushes and tall grass compounded by a very dark moonless night. We will go out again tomorrow to see if we can recover that dog as he is most certainly dead. A fourth location did not yield a target either although it is certain that the dogs were in the area due to hearing them call and also the fact that it is near one of the only permanent water sources on the ranch. Jim then called it a day and we returned to camp about 11:45 PM. A short hunt for sure but everyone was tired due to a lot of traveling to get here for the hunt.
I am thankful that this hunt has reintroduced me to an aspect of my ranch that I had tended to forget in life’s daily routine. The countless stars and the vast milky way were absolutely fantastic with at least 2 shooting stars being observed. These things are simply lost to modern society in locations where the night sky is mostly obscured by thousands upon thousands of street lights. I am thankful for this remote location far from the cities with dark skies in which to view the absolute glory of the Lord’s creation and enjoy a level of silence mostly lost now in our present society.
Thank you to my new friends Jim and Chacho for showing me what I have and had forgotten to appreciate for so long. It is a pure pleasure to get to spend a bit of time with some actual airgunners at last. Although we just met in person I feel like I have known both for years.
Well September 1st began the new hunting season for Texas with hot temperatures here at the Ranch in the upper 90’s to near 100 degrees. Thankfully for both man and animal alike we got our first day of the Fall season flavors yesterday. Temperature fell from 96 degrees to 59 degrees in a couple of hours which of course with the high winds prompted a sandstorm until the ground temp and the air temp normalized. We received a bit of moisture during the night as a brief rain shower and today as mist. Spotty rain and fog are expected until sometime tomorrow afternoon and we need it after a very dry year of only 8 or so inches of precipitation falling to date. High temps today topped out briefly at 50 degrees following a chilly windy night with temperatures in the lower to mid 40’s. Tonight is expected to drop as low as last night but I suspect from past history that we might even see a brief movement into the 30’s. Hogs like humans prefer cooler weather and are on the move with much sign being observed at various places on and off the Ranch. Several groups with 2 to 3 adults and several litters of smaller “pocket” pigs have been sighted as well. The coyotes are on the move tool with much “singing” going on about dusk each evening and throughout the night. It is therefore a good time to book a hunt at the Ranch to get in some hog hunting (no hunting license required for hogs) for a memorable barbeque feast and some night varminting on the side as well. Remember we also provide a tank (dirt reservoir for the cattle to drink from) stocked with channel catfish for our guest (no fishing license required) to enjoy fishing and cooking a catfish meal over a mesquite fire. Mesquite is plentiful at the Ranch. The cattle knock a lot of dead wood to the ground and it does not take long for a guest to pick up an ample supply for a quick cooking fire during a brief stroll through the pasture. Or you can sharpen your small target airgunning skills with a few shots at some of the pest turtles that also inhabit the tank with the fish. They only present their head above the surface of the water so require an accurate shot to dispatch them at ranges up to about 50 yards.
Contact us to book a primitive hunt soon on a first come, first served basis.