Exotic Game
My wife and I have just completed an excellent exotic game hunt in Texas. Our great guide took us to three different, but equally beautiful, ranches in the heart of the Texas hill country where we witnessed a wonderful diversity of games species. We saw many African big game species from the giant Giraffe, to the dangerous Cape Buffalo, to the rare Bongo, and the small yet graceful Springbok.
The Ranch
The comfortable ranch we stayed at sits on a ridge overlooking a large valley in a very private setting. The lodge has 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms and a very nice living room and kitchen. The guides prepared hearty, home cooked meals and it was difficult not to put on a few pounds for the duration of your stay.
The Guides
The guides are very familiar with these high-fenced ranches that vary in size from a few hundred acres to thousands of acres. They typically know where the different game species hang out and how to plan the best approach for a successful hunt. Depending on the species, time of year, and weather conditions, you can hunt safari-style, from a blind, or spot-and-stalk.
The Hunt
We originally booked a 3 day, 2 night hunt for a Nile Lechwe and possibly a Hawaiian Black Sheep (a.k.a. Black Hawaiian) if time permitted. We were able to harvest a dandy Nile Lechwe the first day. After that successful hunt, I asked about a species that I have been dreaming about for quite some time. Once I discovered they indeed had access to a nearby ranch with some trophy-sized Nubian Ibex, I was hooked. On the second day, I was able to fulfill a long-time bucket-list goal of harvesting a great Nubian Ibex that I’m extremely pleased with. One of the many things I love about hunting with this outfitter is they have access to 30+ different species. They can make things happen quickly because they have strong, long-term relationships with many exotic ranches.
After hunting the Nubian Ibex, we spent the rest of our time looking for trophy-size sheep. We were able to locate a small herd of sheep that contained 5 different species (Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian, a Jacob’s four-horned, several red sheep, and a very good Corsican ram.) We carefully watched the group as they fed on grasses located in a grove of cedar trees. After some contemplation, I decided to try for the largest Hawaiian Black Sheep. It seemed like forever as we waited for a good shooting opportunity. The “big boy” was either behind a cedar tree, had a different sheep between us, or he was in a position where a pass-through shot could strike a second animal. He hit the ground with 1 shot when he finally gave us an unobstructed opportunity.
Of course the rest of the herd took off after the black Hawaiian went down. After waiting for 10 minutes or so, we drove to the downed animal and loaded the ram in the back of the side-by-side. As we were admiring the wide, symmetrical, beautifully-curled Hawaiian Black Sheep, I started thinking about how gorgeous the Corsican sheep looked. Since we knew the direction the herd ran, we decided to see if they would stop or slow down so we could catch up to them. As luck would have it, we found them huddled together in a smaller group of cedar trees. The Corsican Sheep eventually took his last steps as he walked where I could take an unobstructed shot.
Fishing
Now that we were done hunting for the trip, we were able to hook into a few 1 to 3 pound large-mouth bass at a stocked pond on the property for some catch and release fishing.
Summary
In summary, this outfitter provides a diversity of high quality trophy game, at reasonable prices, with nice accommodations, great guides, very good food in a friendly laid-back low pressure environment.