Illegial Aliens

These three javelinas must have come in through one of the holes dug by coyotes under the fence. Although I spend lots of time covering and blocking holes they must have slipped in while one of the holes was open. I don't mind though as it seems like their number statewide are decreasing. I wouldn't mind having a safe haven for some.

#310 still needs a name...

Last day to hunt...

Today is the last day to take deer with MLD permits. Pictured here is a nice three year old ten point buck that I saved. It will be interesting to see what he looks like next year. Hopefully with continued rains he will do well. Wouldn't it be fun to have a ranch filled with deer that look like this?

Dark-30 at the corn feeder...

The smart ones show up about an hour after dark. They have so much to eat in the pastures that it is like they have all crawled in a hole.

Do you know why deer are able to see so well at night?

I've told you this before...................................... they use their "headlights".

Plenty of rain.... plenty of oats.

The good rains we have received have produced excellent growth of the oats that was planted in October. It should make for a great spring. The wildflowers should be exceptional this year. It is a good feeling to have water back in the stock tanks too.

Now, just how do I get to that corn...

We all know that it is just a matter of time before he figures out how to access the corn.

They're Back...

This is what happens when you put something in the troughs that they like better than the shelled corn they get at the spin feeders.

Just another day at the "office".

It sure is nice when your work and what you enjoy doing are the same thing. Every day is "Saturday".

I think I can...

It looks like this racoon is getting ready to do a pullup to access the feed in this protein feeder.

Turkeys

It looks like these turkeys were making the rounds. Although the date stamp on this camera isn't correct I imagine they hit all of these feeders on the same day, 01-14-2010.

I was wondering.....

When the hell is spring going to get here?

Sunset

I know the date and time stamped on the picture don't agree with a sunset picture but when I replace a battery in one of my cameras I have to sometimes reset the settings. I can see I failed to do that with this camera. Anyway, I thought it was a neat picture.

Strolling by looking for a meal

Adding a couple of new points there, eh?

I see this fairly often on the pictures I download. It's a result of their raking the brush with their antlers trying to establish their turf.

You just never know what will turn up on a trail camera picture

I haven't seen a javelina show up on one of my trail camera pictures in over a year. I had been thinking that they had either escaped out one of the coyote holes underneath the high fence or they had died. I'm glad to see that I have at least one remaining. There were four inside when the fence went up four and a half years ago. I wish there were more as they are getting to be fewer and fewer in the wild.

Look who just turned 65!

Patricia and Victor drove down to the ranch to see Katelyn, Kristi, and Lex, and surprised me with this birthday banner. No one ever had a better sister than me.

Sitting by the fire

We built a fire at the ranch pulled up some chairs and enjoyed the afternoon.

Here Great Aunt Patricia is holding Katelyn as she is checking out the new surroundings.

Katelyn gets a feel of the dirt on her tootsies as she poses with her Mom and Dad. Yes, that is a knife Lex is holding. He has been peeling turnips he picked not far from where he is. I threw out some seed with the oats I planted for the deer.

Katelyn's Tree at the Ranch

Katelyn dressed up in her camo outfit and went to the ranch. While there she posed by her tree. Later she went and sat by a fire her Dad built so we could be warm while we sat and visited with her Great Aunt Patricia and Uncle Victor who had come to see her.

Lex, Kristi, and Katelyn's visit

Katelyn and her Great Mammaw

Katelyn's Curious George

Katelyn, do you like Christmas?

Katelyn playing with her toy

Plenty of Cats

The cameras are confirming what I already knew.... that there are plenty of Bobcats.

Rattling results...

My only rattling effort today resulted in these two young bucks. One was a spike and the other looked like a four point. It was really windy as a new norther had just blown in. I had seen a doe cross the sendero acting like she was trying to hide from what I guessed was a buck trailing her. Anyway, I shut down the mule and hid behing an agarita bush and tried rattling. Here is what appeared. I'm guessing there was a larger buck somewhere close but I never saw it.

Which way did she go?

This buck goes by in front of the camera going East then six minutes later crosses again going to the West. Notice the oats growing in the sendero. What a difference a couple of months makes. We went from a bad drought to a wet winter.

Checking out a young buck at the other end of the sendero

A view from the deer blind

Same place different cat...

Bruto

Bruto is a heavy horned eight point this year. He remains the biggest heaviest bodied deer on the ranch.

Just strolling by...

I think I have noted here before that you just never know what the cameras will capture. Pictured is what looks like a bobcat tom out for an afternoon hunt. The green stuff coming up in the senderos is my fall planting of oats.

Some a little more talented than others...

I think this is probably the same deer in all of the above pictures. It looks to be a yearling or one of the early fawns. Anyway it sure has figured how to get at the protein feed in this bulk feeder.

Ocho Mas

Here is another buck an eight point. I've been calling him Ocho Mas since he was a yearling. He is three and a half years old now. When I give them a name I'm not very creative. I guess I need a theme.

This deer needs a good name

This deer is three and a half years old. He really is starting to look nice. I need a good name for him. Anyone have any suggestions?

"Sid"

Here is Sid. He is a warrior for sure as you can tell by his right ear slit. He got this in some battle in years past. I bet he got the doe though, what do you think?

Oil and Gas leases

There are land men still running titles and chasing leases and land owners in this part of Texas. Here is the reason why. In this case, people who signed leases early left money on the table. It is always a gamble but now you can see by this map what all of the excitement is about. This map is an overview of the play showing the wells already drilled and where the different companies are concentrating their leases.

Ace is six years old now. He was two when the fence went up.

Ace has twelve scorable points with two "kickers" on his right G-3.

Ranch Dog

Ginobli, Lex and Kristi's dog really likes to run along while we motor around the ranch.

His pictures are being captured by the game cameras at the various feed stations.

He particularly liked the water troughs where he would jump in and cool off. I wasn't carrying my camera and didn't get a picture of that.

By Saturday he had enough running and I'm sure the pads on his feet were sore. Here he is after deciding to ride instead of run.

It was a real treat to have Lex and Ginobli in for a visit.

You have to let them grow up...

That is what Grandpa Swierc once told me. The deer on the left is three years old and the one on the right is six.

Nueve

Sandra named this buck "Nueve". I hope he will be spreading his wide genetics during this year's breeding season.

Our Thirty-seventh Anniversary

Here is my "bride" she is still smiling and just think..... thirty-seven years of marriage. Two wonderful children and their spouses and a brand new grandbaby. Yep, I'm smiling too.