March 09, 2016 by Jason Cross
What a great season it was this year once again! Last year was a hard season to beat, but the hunters pulled it off again this year.
We broke the ranch record for whitetail again, this time with a bow! A 209 inch heavy monster of a buck. We also took the #3 whitetail ever on the ranch this year at 198 gross score, one of the most beautiful deer you will ever see. Very typical and symetrical frame for that big of a buck.
Many other great Whitetail Bucks were taken as well. Some Gold and Platinum 180s and 170's. Many Silvers from the 150s-140's and a couple nice bronze bucks.
Our whitetail hunters did a great job this year and made some great shots!
The Exotic Hunts also had a memorable season. One of our longtime hunters took a nice axis with a bow! That is probably the hardest thing to do on the ranch and is a great accomplishment.
Another hunter took one of the best blackbuck to ever roam the ranch. The #1 and #2 Fallow were taken this season, with the second being with a bow!
The #1 Red Sheep was taken last spring (Which is also an unofficial top 20 all time SCI) and we had the ranch's 2nd best taken this fall, a really old bruiser of a ram. A few trophy Aoudad were taken as well, each of which was an exciting hunt.
Great Job to all our Hunters this season. There were so many great times and memories made. Also, a big thanks to all of our loyal hunters who keep coming back to see us and make the Cross Oaks Ranch possible. We are proud to currently have about 90% or more repeats each season. You all know who you are and we are so thankful for you!
We have also built a really great staff that did an unbelievable job this year. Our full time ranch managers are not only great guides, but they work all year taking care of and improving the ranch. We have several part time guides, who are always requested by their returning hunters. Most of all we are lucky to have some of the best cooks around, besides the few extra pounds that brings! So thanks to our ranch family for all you do!
It was a very busy season once it got going. The field notes/blog suffered because of that. I wish we could go over each and every hunt in detail, but if you go to our facebook page you can look around at the pictures from each and every hunt and animal taken this year.
Right now we are currently getting ready for Spring Turkey Season. We have our same group as last year coming back and look forward to another great time! One of them will also be hunting a blackbuck during that time.
Several improvements for the ranch are planned, with some already being completed. Most are smaller scale projects than last season. Some will make the ranch nicer and look better. Some will help our wildlife to thrive even more.
We are already really booked for the 2016-17 season. We do have some Texas Blackbuck Hunts, Iranian Red Sheep, and Spring Axis Hunts available.
We are also taking a few early bookings for the 2017-18 Season. So if your going to miss out on Texas Whitetail Hunts or Texas Exotic Hunts this year, let us know if you might be interested in getting something reserved for next year.
Thanks again to everyone who made this another great deer season! Hopefully we can write an even better story next year!
