HUNTING GUIDES: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT ONE ON A TEXAS RANCH

WHITETAIL DEER -- MANAGEMENT BUCK, EXOTICS, HOG, TURKEY; part 2
By (c) Russ Barnes

AC RANCHES near SONORA, Texas. 2010.  The owner of AC Hunting Ranches told me, “When you come to the ranch, you really become yourself.  You get younger every day.  It takes about two days.  This place is the love of my life.”

BECOMING YOURSELF

Your experience of being here may also become one of your loves.  As a hunter, or nature observer, you confront the wild here.  You meet yourself.  You seek something exceptional inside yourself -- the wild part -- in the near-desert minimalism of this West Texas, hill-country ranch.

A GUIDE

You are not completely on your own in seeking whitetail deer or management buck, exotics, hog, turkey. As you may be seeking a high- or low-fence ranch experience, these aspirations may be why you come here to hunt, but you get something more, something else.

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[NOTE: Discounts, Premiums for outdoorsmen and their companions -- You must mention these articles to AC Ranches and you will get 20 percent off your selected hunting and outdoor journey.  Check out AC Hunting Ranches for rates and bookings at: http://achuntingranches.com  Contact Allen Spence for information about transportation from Austin or San Antonio:  allen.spence@wildblue.net.  (325-387-2085) Future articles will feature other hunting and regional premiums which you may access by contacting AC Ranches or this website.]
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Who you will find here is an expert outfitter guide, Allen Spence, experienced in the ways of West Texas game, their habits and the fascinating dry, big-sky habitat they thrive in.  Allen will lead you to the best hunting opportunities on this 20,000 acres of ranch, which also may guide you for “getting to yourself.”  

LIFE STIRS IN THE BRUSH

Rise in the morning at 5:00 a.m.  Breakfast, served by Allison.  Drink coffee.  Take your rifle.  Out on the truck. Through the ranch gates.  

Wait for the magic hour up in the blind.  At sun-break in the coolness of morning.  The birds chirp.  It’s dry and it’s stark.  Life stirs in the brush.

Groups of hunters climb up their separate hunting blinds in different locations across the ranch.  Allen guides you to your optimum place for what you want to accomplish.  You observe.  You wait.  He says, “There are two ways to hunt.  You can stalk or you can sit.”  Sitting is the logical way of hunting on AC Ranches.  Patience.  Observation of nature.  The movement of herds and animals.  Of yourself in relation to the animals, their environment, and yourself.

Allen Spence has been a guide for nine years.  He began guiding at AC Ranches in 2008.  He describes his job as we -- his guests; Sharon, Joe, and I -- approach one of the many watering pools on the ranch feed by wells and pumped by windmills, 

“Guiding is just like being in any customer service business,” Allen says.  “The customer always is put first and you try and meet their demands to help get them what they pay for.”

He loves his job saying, “It fulfills a life long dream of working with wildlife and whitetail deer.”

Allen is about 55 years old and fit for the job.  He is married to Allison who is both cook and co-manager of the hunting ranch.  Allen is also expert in bow hunting.  “One of the two best bow hunters I know,” says my friend, Joe Heidelmeier of Austin Texas, himself an outfitting guide.

“Out here,” Allen says, “You need to know the laws, guns, bows and how to set up the right situation for each individual hunter.”

STORIES AT NIGHT

You return. Dinner served again by Allison.  You talk.  You exchange stories of the brush with other outdoorsmen.  The sleep is good.

MOON PHASES AND WEATHER

Allen astonishes me by informing, “Moon phases are important.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because animals, and herds, react to different phases of the moon.  Hunters need to understand that information,” Allen replies. “We have printed tables.”  These tables explain the relationship between animal behavior, their movement, and the phases of the moon. (information on moon phases at: http://primetimes2.com/pages/4-astrotables.html)

My friend, Joe, says, “Sometimes the full moon is as large as Texas.”

“The weather is important too,” observes Allen.  “You could hunt out here in very warm conditions to below freezing in a matter of days and sometimes hours. So you need to pay attention to your local weather man or an old rancher who sometimes is more accurate. Wind can be your friend or your worst enemy if you set up wrong.”

KEEP YOUR FACE TO THE WIND AND YOUR POWDER DRY

One of the things said out here in West Texas is, “Keep your face to the wind and your powder dry.”  The full meaning of that saw can only be explained in another article online here.  Or if you can get to AC Ranches, just ask and you will learn.  And take home much.

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To see more articles in this AC Ranch series, go to: 

# 1 "Where the Wild Things Are" 

Links: 
The Ranch:  http://achuntingranches.com

An Outfitting Guide Describes the Harvest -- Two audios range over topics covering outdoorsmanship. Click here:  Hunting Guide  

Sonora Texas information at: http://www.sonoratx-chamber.com

Many thanks to Anne Tongren for providing her excellent editing skills.