May 11, 2015 by Jason Cross
Its been a great spring at the Ranch so far. Good rains have it really green, which will be important for all the wildlife heading into summer.
A couple weeks ago we had our good friends from Colorado back to see us, this time for a Texas Spring Turkey and Exotic hunt. They have had some really great deer hunts the past few years, so they wanted to try something a little different. Not much is more exciting than spring turkey hunting!
Bobby Guillory came with the group for the first time this spring and was a great addition! Good hunter and has lots of fun doing it.
Bobby saw several gobblers early in the hunt and heard several more. They just werent quite able to ever seal the deal.
Later in the hunt, Bobby had 3 big ones get so close he couldnt move to get his gun up. They were right on top of them, strutting and making all the noises that get the nerves going. The gobblers started going after a jake and never presented a good shot opportuninty.
After a while they decided to head towards a big draw in a secluded area of the ranch. They started hearing a gobbler and before they knew it they were withing 50 yards or so. It was thick brush and on the side of a hill.
Bobby peaked around the corner, saw the gobbler strutting, and made a great shot. This was Bobby's first Rio Turkey and definetely a good one. A very exciting hunt that ended perfectly. Congrats Bobby!
Josh Goff has been back several times now and has become one of our most successful hunters at the ranch. Early on he decided he was going to go after a blackbuck first and work on turkey last.
Over the last few months we have had several trophy blackbuck travel to the front of the ranch, all looking to take dominance of the front pasture. Apparently, one of the blackbuck taken this fall was the king of that area.
They were able to see several the first day, but could never get a shot off. The second day, they saw a nice one walking a ways out near a tree line. After deciding it was the one, Josh got steady and made a great shot at well over a hundred yards.
It was a great blackbuck and a fun hunt!
During the hunt Josh and his guide had seen a monster Iranian Red Sheep running in a herd. We actually had a cancelation in the late winter that left one available, so Josh decided he was going to go after it.
Obviously, Josh was focusing on the exotics a little more than the Turkey! Late morning on the last full day, they finally got on a big one that was off in the trees. Josh made another perfect shot and took it down!
It was a monster Iranian Red Sheep. Unofficially it was just 3/8 inch of making the top 10 SCI all time. So probably unofficially, its a top 15 or 20 SCI All Time. Great Job Josh and Congrats on taking a Huge Ram!
With Exotics out of the way, Josh still had a turkey to go after. Sure enough that last evening him and his guide got on some. Josh made his final shot of the hunt and got a great Rio Gobbler.
It was a great end to an awesome hunt for Josh! Congrats!
A couple of days into the hunt, Jamie Silva got a blackbuck doe one afternoon. She was able to do it with her son Easton by her side, which was really neat. Jamie made a great shot as usual!
Jamie decided to try her Turkey hunt with a bow, which is quite a challenge. She was able to see several Gobblers during her hunt and had alot of exciting moments. They had some opportunities, but she was unable to get one down. But she will be trying again next year!
Jesse Silva was also bow hunting for his Turkey. His little boy Easton was an assistant guide on the hunt. Jesse was able to get on several gobblers as well. But he also just wasnt quite able to get one. Jesse will give it another try next year. Hes been our most succesful bow hunter on the ranch, so we have no doubt that getting his turkey will come sooner than later.
Jeremy Guillory was also hunting turkey. Hes been hunting with us for quite a while, being one of our most accomplished deer hunters. He also was able to get on several Gobblers, but was not able to get one. He will be returning to get redemption next year!
It was a great hunt overall. They were able to take a couple great Gobblers and Exotics. Everyone was able to get on several gobblers each. Unfortunately some missed opportunities, bad weather, and bad luck limited us to only 2 succesfuly hit Turkey.
But the most important thing is they had a great time, which we always do with this group. They will all be returning next spring to do it all over again! But before that we look foward to their Texas Trophy Whitetail and axis hunt in the fall!
This hunt concluded our 2014-15 Season. It was a great year, with alot of awesome hunts and hunters.
We look forward to the coming season and hopefully, like every year, be able to call it our best yet!
As every year, we have several changes, updates, and imrpovements that have either happened or are in the works. We look forward to sharing all of those in the future!
We do tend to book up hunts fairly quicky, so let us know if you have any interest in Texas Whitetail Hunts for the Fall.
We will also be offering some Dove Hunting and still have a few exotic hunts left.
Stay tuned for updates during the summer as we start preparing for next season.
Thanks for reading and share any comments below!
