Because each exotic species behaves differently in the wild, we offer a number of hunting methods for the exotic. Our ranch has a variety of exotic species includes, Axis Deer, Blackbuck Antelope, Aoudad, Sika, Fallow Deer, Mouflon Sheep, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Rocky Mountain Elk. Our sex ratio is kept very close to 1 buck per doe. Our average whitetail deer density is a deer to every 7-10 acres, which varies from pasture to pasture. We are careful to remove only 6-8 year old bucks so that plenty of mature bucks are available to our hunters year after year. In addition, approximately 20% of our mature buck herd is harvested each season. After our wildlife biologist formulates a management plan, we use our annual deer harvest to both remove genetically inferior bucks and numbers of doe and spike antlered deer. ![]() Each Fall during the months of August and September, we conduct a driving spotlight census to ascertain both total whitetail numbers and sex ratio. Finally, though every hunter likes to see plenty of deer on the range, too large a deer herd is actually counterproductive to a whitetail buck reaching his best antler potential. Besides a light rotational grazing program, the ranch mechanically removes many acres of cedar each year and uses prescribed fire to keep cedar from encroaching, crowding out valuable deer habitat. The cow can actually enhance deer forbs if grazed and rotated correctly. Since domestic goats and sheep directly and heavily compete with whitetail for available forage, we discontinued grazing anything but the cow over two decades ago. Since 1989, the ranch has implemented every tool available in order to enhance our whitetail deer habitat. In other words, this hunt is in the true sense of the word, “fair chase.” Since our ranch encompasses 10,500 acres, under game fence, our deer have the ability to establish territories as well as travel long distances. These animals were born and raised in the wild. In rainy, spring seasons, the famous Texas Wildflowers adorn our hunting pastures, so don’t forget your camera.Īll of our whitetail, exotic deer and sheep are free roaming animals. While some of the Hill Country is very hilly with steep canyons, our ranch is located on the divide between the Hill Country and West Texas, so the terrain tends to be level to rolling. (Edwards Plateau) We are located on Highway 83, 100 miles west of San Antonio and 45 miles northwest of Kerrville. The ranch is located in South Central Texas in what is known as the Hill Country. The emotional bond Kana feels with the land is shared with her two adult daughters, Ashley and Kelcie, who now help run the ranch. "For some reason, this piece of property has been entrusted to me, and it's my responsibility to take care of it," she says. Barbara’s philosophy of land ownership reflects her respect for Native American populations who believed that the land did not belong to man, but rather, man belonged to the land. Some years later, Barbara was transferred management of the family’s entire holdings into her now proven capable hands. He looked at the land primarily as an investment.īarbara quickly became the seminar queen, learning all she could about land management. He believed the land should be run by “good ole boys”. It wasn’t an easy battle convincing her father to relinquish the land. The ranch was continuously grazed with goats and cattle until the late 1980’s, when Barbara observed the damage this was causing the land and the wildlife. ![]() Trull, the father of Barbara Kana, purchased six sections of land from Charles Schreiner III, owner of the YO Ranch.
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