South Texas Ranches Are a Hunter’s Paradise
Published Mar 28, 2008
The Alamo Area is home to a wealth of hunting ranches.
The Alamo Area is truly an outdoorsman’s paradise. The sheer number and variety of animals — including whitetail deer, turkey, wild hog, quail, ducks and other species — have given birth to an impressive hunting industry that includes small ranch operations as well as large, luxury resorts.
David A. Smith, owner of Texas Wild, hosts hunts on 50,000 acres. A cattle rancher by trade, Smith has also been an outfitter for the past 25 years.
“My number one thing I showcase is dove hunting,” he says. “That’s my personal favorite. It’s my passion.”
His company hosts deer, hog and other game hunts, as well. “We’ll actually end up harvesting 500 or 600 hogs each year,” he says, adding that close to 6,000 hunters visited his camps last year.
“The brush country is world-renowned for its hunting opportunity,” Smith says. Most visitors come from the United States, but Smith has also hosted hunters from China, Russia, Denmark and Mexico.
Milo Abercrombie, ranch manager for the 74 Ranch Resort, says corporate clientele make up a large portion of the business on his family’s ranch. The 27,000-acre ranch offers a stone and cedar lodge that sleeps 24, two private cottages, a clubhouse, dining facilities overseen by an executive chef, and an onsite air strip for corporate planes.
“The ranch has been in the family since the late ‘30s but turned into a commercial ranch about 15 years ago. We used to be a cattle operation, but the wildlife is worth a lot more than the cattle,” Abercrombie says.
The 74 Ranch focuses heavily on native Texas game but also keeps one interior pasture fenced off with African game such as eland, elk, aoudad, zebra, kudu and gemsbok.
The 74 Ranch Resort is renowned for its championship sporting clay course designed by Gil Ash.
“We have probably the finest practice sporting clay facility in the country,” Abercrombie says.
Smaller ranch owners have also found success. Butch Long, owner of the Long Ranch, hosts 15-20 hunts a year on his 800-acre ranch, which specializes in guided hunts for whitetail deer.
With a “level three” designation under the Deer Management Plan, the Long Ranch has management pens for selective breeding.
“We end up with larger deer with bigger horns,” Long says, adding his ranch is allowed to offer an extended season.
While there is certainly an economic component to the decision to host hunts, Alamo Area ranchers are also avid outdoorsmen who are passionate about their sport.
Story by Cindy Sanders
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