Managing the deer herd on your ranch can be a daunting task if not approached in the correct manner. It is certainly one of those topics, like habitat management, that can come with a lot of opinions, bad habits, and practices. Many land owners solely rely on techniques that have been passed down throughout each generation based on past successes or failures, and have been tweaked along the way. There is nothing wrong with that, and in some cases, it’s very effective, but along with those are a few bad habits that are often hard to break. That’s where the Quality Deer Management (QDM) approach comes in. Their framework is structured more toward developing and maintaining a healthy herd rather than trophy management, but certainly not exclusive to a particular style of management. QDM is science based, research driven, and will work in both low and high fence environments. https://www.qdma.com/qdm-vs-trophy-traditional-deer-management/
Herd management can be a double-edged sword, and I personally, have been guilty of using some of these inherited bad habits. There’s nothing wrong with knowledge that’s been passed down from real life lessons, but if not applied correctly, they can create a lot of headache with today’s changing conditions. We’ll highlight several of the key components of herd management and look at practical ways to implement them on your property.
First, we’ll discuss predator management and fawn recruitment. Simply put, if fawn recruitment is low, the natural reaction is to back off of your doe harvest. That’s the quick fix, but don’t stop there. The source of your fawns is certainly a key resource, but once they hit the ground the story isn’t over. There’s no question that in any region in the country, particularly the south/southeast coyotes and bobcats take a large toll on our fawn population. With this, comes balance, it certainly isn’t necessary to totally eradicate all predators, but you cannot manage your deer herd, without managing your predators. Many land owners often minimize the effects that bobcats can have, but they are just as fierce and in some cases more challenging to manage due to their nature. In this case trapping is certainly the way to go, especially in late winter and early spring just before the fawns drop. However, becoming an effective trapper in one season is very difficult. It takes a lot of time and effort to become successful at trapping these wily animals. Hiring a professional may be the way to go for most land owners unless you have the time and resources, then learning the craft will benefit you for years to come. https://www.qdma.com/coyote-control-right-option/
Second, managing your herd is also managing their habitat like we mentioned in the previous article, and remember, it’s not just about the growing season. This is a year-round chore. It also means getting out and monitoring the availability of food in late winter and early spring. That is the most critical time for deer as they are approaching spring and fawning season and food sources are low. There are several practical ways to go out and assist them during this stressful time. The first way is to manage your native vegetation. Here in the south there actually is some food available, but it’s sparse. Green briar and honeysuckle for instance will be green during this time of the year and pulling it down into a deer’s reach can help them. On the property we lease we have areas where either an old brush pile has been over taken with honeysuckle or something similar along a tree line; we will hinge cut small saplings where these vines cling to and actually bring down the vegetation lower to the ground where the deer will be able to reach it. This seems trivial, but a few hours’ worth of work could help tremendously. https://www.qdma.com/provide-emergency-winter-deer-food/
Also, the food plots we planted in September and October will be key right now as well. Acorns have just about vanished, and the turnips, radishes, and winter grass have all fully developed. Deer will key in on these food sources and depending on the volumes your land is able to produce, could be the only quality source of food they have. This could make a huge impact on building your deer herd. If they know they can find food all year, especially during early spring, they will more than likely use your property the rest of the year. Another option is placing mineral throughout the property in the form of a salt lick or block. This is also an excellent way to monitor your deer herd, which is key to managing them. In the south, it’s rare to find a property unaffected by wild hogs, so we’ve adopted this method from the QDMA for securing our mineral blocks where the hogs can’t hijack them. See this video for further explanation. https://www.qdma.com/video-hog-proof-trophy-rock/
We personally use the hard-rock mineral blocks from Trophy Rock. They last around 4 months, depending on the rainfall, and deer will literally use them year-round. They have turned into an incredible source of supplemental feed that is very cost effective and helps us keep tabs on our deer herd.
Trophy Rock mineral
Ok, back to deer management. Doe management is vitally important to developing a healthy deer herd. Before you start shooting does, and recording data, take a step back and develop an overall plan. Maybe even have a biologist come in and conduct a deer survey on the property to assess what you already have. https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_1126.pdf Once you have a good handle on your current herd dynamics, it’s also good to go ahead and supplement this with a thorough camera survey. This will be beneficial as the seasons and conditions change, and also serve as a way to keep an eye on inventory throughout the year. More on that in the next article. https://www.qdma.com/video-5-tips-better-deer-camera-surveys/
Now that you have an idea on how many does you’d like to take this coming fall, develop a plan on how and where you want to take them. I, personally, try and take my does early in the season before the rut, but this is due to our antlerless season, and leaving time to focus on my buck harvest during mid and late November. Most people focus on achieving a certain sex ratio when doe harvest is brought up, but this is only a piece of it. Taking does each fall can actually increase fawn production. https://www.qdma.com/taking-can-actually-increase-fawn-production/
This is one of those traps I fell into. I grew up with the notion that if your property wasn’t just ‘over-run’ with deer, then shooting several does each season was hurting fawn production. I just couldn’t wrap my head around shooting multiple does in a season, knowing they were potentially carrying next year’s fawn(s). There was no scientific data to back up my assumptions, just too many years of being uninformed led me to be hesitant to shooting does. Then once I was aware that does needed to be taken each year, I only wanted to take the ‘old dry doe’ and preserve a potential producing doe for next year. The main problem with this is neither I, or the other hunters on our lease could single handedly alter the population that drastically. Second, I was forgetting about the carrying capacity of the property. Too many does equals an unhealthy deer herd, thus taking does out each season will immediately equate to more food available for the remaining deer. It really is that easy. It just took time, and me getting out of my uninformed comfort zone to actually learn this. Also, shooting the right doe was also revealed to me.
In years past of waiting around for that old, usually very wise doe to show up, I was passing a lot of younger and truthfully, higher maintenance does. Those younger does, even yearlings are the highest maintenance deer on the property. They require more forage for the first year’s survival than an old dry doe. Long story short, the correct doe to take, is the one that presents the best opportunity for a clean shot. So consequently, in some cases punching a few tags could mean a much healthier deer herd. https://www.qdma.com/shoot-doe-fawns/
Another result of managing your herd is achieving a desirable sex ratio. This is accomplished with shooting both bucks and does. Generally speaking, nature provides bucks and does each year in proportion, so we should harvest them the same way. This will be limited in some areas due to restricted harvest bag limits set by the state game department. Either way, don’t get caught up in trying to whittle your herd down to a perfect 1:1 ratio. This isn’t realistic to achieve and maintain in most cases, but a 2:1 (2 does to 1 buck) is certainly more realistic and much easier to maintain once everyone is on board. For a more detailed look at this check out the following. https://www.qdma.com/reality-doebuck-ratios/ Other consequences of managing your herd is possibly intensifying the rut. Achieving a tighter sex ratio, will usually yield to a more predictable and intense rut period. Check out the details here, https://www.qdma.com/triggers-whitetail-rut/
Now that we are talking about shooting bucks – which one is the correct buck to take? This is where the debates really heat up. In many areas of Texas hunters only have one “trophy” buck tag, and usually another one for a “cull” buck. So, what is a trophy and what exactly is a cull? This is a whole other article in itself, but essentially it all comes down to you and your goals for your property. We won’t even get into the spike debate, there is plenty of research showing where some young spikes grew into a nice, branch antlered buck later in life. There are too many variables to make a general statement there, but in the end a trophy is in the eyes of the beholder. https://www.qdma.com/video-put-real-trophy-display-jawbone/
For several seasons, I was thrilled with a 3 ½ year old buck, but over time that motivated me to try and target a 4 ½ year old or better. The next two seasons I was yet again rewarded with a buck from this age class. However, during those years, we only managed to take few bucks off the entire ranch, allowing our age structure to climb. See, when we began leasing this particular ranch, we didn’t punch a buck tag for 4 years due to over hunting by the previous tenants. So, we invested those first few years and went into full rehab mode. As the seasons passed, and we learned the property and herd dynamics, our age structure climbed. Last year I was finally able to take a buck that was 5 ½ years old. We’d never seen him on camera in daylight, but had an idea of where he lived. This was purely one of those moments where opportunity meets patience and hard work. I happened to hit the rut perfectly and my setup was just the ticket for that moment in time. Those days don’t happen very often, and I understand that. Will I ever go back and shoot a 4 ½ year old buck again? Probably. Hunting the area in East Texas where we are, it’s not common for a 5 ½ year old to slip up, so again, I have to be realistic with my approach.
Here are a few facts to help you make your decision this fall. A buck is at 60% growth maturity at 2 ½ years old and at 80% at 3 ½ years old. Bucks make the biggest leap in antler and body growth in those first 3 years, then their bodies start leveling off and filling out. Their antlers will typically do the same thing. They’ll usually put on more mass, and possibly more points and length, but their frame is mostly established in the first 3 years. Now this isn’t the case everywhere, just generally speaking. The wild card here is the hunter’s ability to judge a deer’s age on the hoof. This is where conducting trail camera surveys are vitally important to monitoring your buck inventory. Educating people on QDM and encouraging them to wait to take a 5 ½ year old buck is very difficult to do, but not impossible. https://www.qdma.com/take-qdm-one-step-time/ However, there is nothing wrong with hunters taking a 3 ½ year old buck. If they can wait and pass on those yearlings and 2 ½ year old’s, then a 3 ½ year old buck will be a substantially larger buck than they would’ve possibly taken without understanding QDM. On the other hand, like other aspects of management, allowing these bucks to mature another year or two can certainly yield to taking a larger, more mature buck. https://www.qdma.com/kill-right-bucks/
| A young East Texas buck tending a doe. |
Taking the right buck will also help with the age structure of the herd. Again, it’s tough to manage an aspect like this with just a few hunters, but you SHOULD take that 4 ½ to 5 ½ year old buck, even if he’s not a high scoring buck. These are the bucks that dominate a given area, and if he’s running off your 2-3 ½ year old bucks, then you’re not recruiting anything for next season. So, try to focus on age rather than antler score when managing your herd. This will vary, especially on ranches that are more intensely managed.
However, in most hunters’ eyes, taking a 4 ½ year old buck is rarely a mistake. This is where trophy management takes a turn off from quality deer management. There is nothing in the world wrong with managing your property for trophy deer if you have the resources in place to do so. However, for the majority of land owners in Texas and Oklahoma, QDM is what we all would love to achieve. For a hunter to go out and hunt a wild, acorn-fed buck on his terms and successfully take him with a quick, clean shot is an achievement many long to have. It’s not about lowering standards to be able to take a buck each fall, it’s about keeping it real. That brings us to the last factor we cannot forget as land/wildlife managers… have fun!
We have to remember to have fun and in doing that we recruit new hunters and the next generation of land managers. It’s incredibly important to teach them the correct way from the beginning so we can minimize that learning curve we’ve all had to overcome. With that being said, we also have to be willing to relax the grip on our management techniques at times to allow these young hunters to participate. It won’t kill our management plan to allow your child/grandchild to take a young doe or buck. It gets them involved at an early age and provides an incredible teaching tool to understanding and respecting this magnificent animal we have the opportunity to enjoy. https://www.qdma.com/the-decision-to-shoot/
To learn more, be sure to read Stephen’s first article of the series: Intensive Deer Management on Your Ranch
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About the Author: Stephen Schwartz is a Texas licensed farm and ranch real estate agent with Hortenstine Ranch Company and a graduate of Texas A&M with a BS in Agricultural Engineering. Mr. Schwartz has also earned a Level 1 Deer Steward QDMA from Clemson University. Stephen is also a gifted photographer and captured the beautiful images in this article. Learn more about Stephen Schwartz at https://hrcranch.com/stephen-schwartz/
Hortenstine Ranch Company Represents Louis Vuitton
/in Texas Ranch Real Estate News /by Chad PolkAFTER PRESIDENTIAL VISIT, HORTENSTINE RANCH COMPANY REFLECTS ON WORK WITH LOUIS VUITTON TO ACQUIRE FIRST U.S. RANCH PROPERTY FOR LEATHER WORKSHOP
Hortenstine Ranch Company hired for unique property transactions requiring utmost discretion and professionalism
Hortenstine Ranch Company (HRC) represented Louis Vuitton in acquiring the 260-acre Rockin’ Z Ranch in Keene, Texas for a new leather workshop. Renamed the Rochambeau Ranch, the $50 million facility received national attention on Thursday, October 17th when President Trump joined in its grand opening to highlight the administration’s efforts to create U.S. manufacturing jobs. HRC’s role in the project, and the project itself, had received little attention until the presidential visit, a testament to our company’s ability to discreetly serve clients with unique needs and requirements.
“Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s most iconic and well-known brands so we were ecstatic when they selected Hortenstine Ranch Company to represent them in their efforts to purchase a Texas property for their new leather manufacturing facility,” said Cash McWhorter, Broker/Partner, Hortenstine Ranch Company. “However, we absolutely could not share the news at the time, thus demonstrating the trust Louis Vuitton had in us to represent the brand properly, and confidentially, in what would be their first ranch property acquisition in the U.S.”
Hortenstine Ranch Company Broker, Casey Berley, ALC added “Seeing this team effort come to fruition, and create hundreds of jobs in North Texas, makes it especially satisfying knowing that we were able to play a small role in the project.”
Berley and McWhorter represented Louis Vuitton in the transaction and were honored to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony with the President and special guests.
We’re Growing our Ranch Real Estate Team
/in Texas Ranch Real Estate News /by Chad PolkHortenstine Ranch Company is pleased to announce the addition of three new agents to its ranch real estate team of talented and diverse rural land experts. Each of these men has an innate understanding of the value of rural real estate and a deep appreciation for the land, as well as strong business experience. Avid outdoorsmen, they are well equipped to recognize and promote the recreational and investment attributes of unique rural properties throughout Texas and Oklahoma.
Along with his business partner and Dallas native Paul Tomaso, Mark founded Living Earth, a mulch and soil company, in Dallas in 1990, and over the next 24 years, grew the business to 34 locations with 270 employees in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Nashville, and Knoxville. At Living Earth, Mark oversaw dozens of real estate transactions on behalf of the company. He also served for 14 years on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Municipal Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Council where he gained valuable experience working with environmental regulations.
He was raised in Austin where he spent much of his free time hunting and fishing with his older brother.
Mark is an active life member of the Dallas Safari Club, the State Fair of Texas Youth Livestock Committee, the Houston Safari Club, and the National Rifle Association, and is a lifetime associate member of the Boone and Crockett Club. He also is vice chairman of the Double Oak Planning and Zoning Commission, which serves the town of Double Oak in Denton, County where he currently resides with his wife Peggy of 31 years. Mark is the proud father of two daughters. When not volunteering, he enjoys family time at his ranch in northwestern Jack County.
A sixth-generation Texan, Turner was born in Abilene and raised in Texarkana and is equally at home under the wide-open West Texas sky or in the thick Piney Woods of East Texas. His commitment to go above and beyond for each client dovetails seamlessly with Hortenstine’s emphasis on creating an unparalleled customer experience.
Chance lives with his wife and their two sons in Dallas while spending as much time as possible at their ranch near Athens.
Chris interned for Hortenstine Ranch Company for three summers while he was in college, assisting on several large and complex projects where he proved his worth as an integral part of the team and developed a reputation as a problem solver with a never-quit attitude.
Chris was raised in Dallas where he graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School. While in college, Chris developed a passion for the outdoors, spending many mornings and weekends hunting ducks and geese in the wheat fields and sloughs of the Central Flyway and bowhunting whitetail deer in the Arbuckle Mountains. Chris combines his knowledge of wildlife habitat management with business skills and real estate experience to help clients evaluate opportunities and maximize their property’s potential.
In his free time, Chris enjoys hunting, fishing, and simply being outdoors with friends and family.
Tejas Ranch & Game Fence a Go-To Ranch Contractor
/in Texas Ranch Broker Articles /by Cash McWhorterMeet Tejas Ranch & Game Fence
The modern day rural landowner often times resides in major metro areas yet has the desire to own land in the country. Owning land may be a great investment, and it is also one of the few investments that you can enjoy. The pleasures of getting out of the city, creating a family getaway destination, or relaxing in the quiet surroundings are simple yet valuable motivations we all yearn for.
This new breed of landowner also has a vision. Whether creating a home away from home or filling the land with wild game or livestock, you can increase your property’s value and see your plans come to life.
Tejas Ranch & Game Fence is a company that has been known for delivering on a landowner’s vision for his or her property with their uncanny ability to visualize and plan out a property. Tejas was originally founded on providing superior ranch fence solutions including horse & cattle fences, high deer fences, as well as predator fences and hog exclusion fences.
But, fencing is only part of the equation. Over the years, they have evolved into a full-service ranch development company with a reputation for excellence in master planning ranch properties. Their land services and engineering teams have the skills and equipment to construct ranch roads & bridges, clear trails and underbrush, construct lakes & ponds, build structures and much more.
Learn about Tejas’ Ranch Fence Solutions
Each project and ranch is different in its fencing needs such as high deer fence, cattle fences, and horse fences. However, considering land use, elevation changes, gate placements, water gaps, and soil types are all important factors in a successful custom fence solution as well.
In addition, Tejas provides not only fences for the animals you want to keep on your property but also fences for predator deterrence, and hog-proof fencing.
Other project based needs that can be met are Tejas’ exclusive water gap solution system, and its use of superior quality electric fencing.
Fencing them in
Tejas uses framework that provides 50,000 psi yield strength, Class 3 Galvanized high tensile wire, great corrosion resistant coating, along with custom predator barriers and solutions that deter under digging which means you are getting a stronger fence with more capabilities and a longer life span.
Fencing them out
If you have exotic game or wildlife on your property, you will need to deter predators. Tejas has delivered predator proof fences on many client properties to protect their valuable exotics, wildlife and livestock with extraordinary success.
In the case of feral hogs damaging your property, exclusion is vital. Hog proof fencing will protect your land from this menace. Tejas Ranch & Game Fence can even retrofit an existing fence with high-tensile steel mesh specially designed to exclude feral hogs.
In some instances, owners find electric fencing an option for feral hogs and other predators. Tejas selectively uses the full line of trusted Gallagher electric fence products and solutions.
Water Gap Fence
Taking into account elevation changes, seasonal creeks, and low lying areas while maintaining an effective barrier is often an essential element when constructing a fence on rural property. Tejas Ranch & Game Fence provides the exclusive FloatMaster™ water gap system. With its revolutionary design, plus the use of high quality materials and expert installation, the FloatMaster system resists clogging and forms a reliable seal when closed. Tejas even backs this system with a 10-year workmanship warranty!
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Land Services
Master planning your ranch property is more than installing effective fencing. It may require land clearing, pond construction, road building, lodge construction, and more. This area of expertise is one of several ways Tejas has set themselves apart from other ranch fence companies. They have a land services team to help you develop a plan for your property which improves its usefulness and value.
Whether you need to open up pastures or vistas, Tejas Ranch & Game Fence has the proven know-how and experience along with the equipment to clear your land. Tejas provides land management that not only clears property views and improves grazing capacity but also frees stumps, piles and works to reduce fire potential. Their practices also promote native grass growth including forbs that are beneficial for deer. Most importantly, the land services they provide have been proven to increase the value of your property.
One way to boost your land’s value is by making it more accessible with roads and walking trails while preserving the natural beauty and desired plants. Tejas Ranch & Game Fence has extensive experience constructing and grading ranch roads and trails. Also, the use of mulching and other forestry equipment allows for clearing even within densely forested areas.
Is a lake or pond part of your plans? Tejas Ranch & Game Fence has been a resource for ranch ponds, tanks, or lakes, as well as being able to dredge an existing lake, pond, or stock tank to maximize its use. Water can have a significant impact on property value, so it is possible to see a good return on money well spent.
Our Recommendation
Tejas Ranch & Game Fence has proven themselves to be the go-to resource for landowners with a vision for their property. They are known for listening to their client’s plans and needs, then working with them to get the project done on time and within budget. Hortenstine Ranch Company understands the importance of using trusted recommended vendors. Tejas Ranch & Game Fence is our trusted fence & ranch enhancement contractor.
To learn more about Tejas Ranch & Game Fence, visit their website TejasRanchFence.com.
To learn more about Hortenstine Ranch Company and their Texas ranches for sale, visit HRCranch.com.
Private Lake Property Featured in Dallas Morning News
/in Texas Ranch Real Estate News /by Cash McWhorterThe Valley Lake Ranch, up for grabs on the eastern edge of Grayson County, comes with its own private 1,080-acre lake. (White Rock is 1,254 acres.) The lake is on the 2,245-acre spread that’s between Sherman and Bonham.
Located just south of the Red River, “this very unique property combines heavily wooded oak and elm forests,” according to the sales firm, Hortenstine Ranch Company, which is asking $24.5 million.
To read the full Dallas Morning News story on this private lake property available for purchase, click here.
Offers must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm (CST) October 12, 2018. Visit Valley Lake Ranch listing for complete purchase offer criterion including maps, photos, and video.
Hunter Management on Your Ranch
/in Texas Ranch Broker Articles /by Stephen SchwartzAs we all know too well, people are hard to control, especially when it comes to land and big bucks. The selfish nature of humans is one of the tallest hurdles to get over when it comes to deer management. We all want those bucks to stay on our side of the fence, we want those fawns to be born on our property and stay there, we want, we want, we want… But what if we took a step back and looked at managing deer from a regional standpoint and not just within our property lines? Whether we want to admit it or not, most of us are managing our neighbor’s deer throughout the year. On the flip side, they are managing ours too! So, it just makes sense to make that phone call or knock on the neighbor’s door, share a cup of coffee with him and join forces in deer management. Right? https://www.qdma.com/guy-next-door/
That’s obviously much easier said than done. I even find myself having a hard time with it due to the trust factor. In 2016 I took my largest buck to date on the land we lease in East Texas. I finally had physical proof that I could share with my neighbors that allowing a buck to grow to 5 ½ years old was worth the wait. That extra year did wonders! But my excitement was also met with hesitation. I began to wonder if my transparency would bring cooperation or issues with poaching. See, I grew up in a hunting culture of “if you don’t shoot that buck, your neighbor will” mentality. Even I have been guilty of allowing that to influence my decision on taking certain bucks over the years. I hate to admit that, but it was the world we grew up in. As antler restrictions changed and education became more accessible, the hunting public began to transition their mentality into more of a “let them go so they can grow” frame of mind. It has taken some years, but we are much farther along than we were 10-15 years ago. Most of the larger land owners and deer managers have been there for decades, but the general public and smaller land owners are dragging behind.
A young up and comer
So, what’s the answer? I believe it purely comes down to trust. If you don’t trust your neighbor and trust the system of sound deer management, you’ll always have that hole in your plan. The Quality Deer Management Association has what they call QDMA Cooperatives that are formed by landowners coming together and collectively adopting a general management plan for their properties. https://www.qdma.com/qdm-practiced-benefits-boundary-signs/ Once we have that mutual understanding, your neighbors (typically) feel more comfortable about letting that 3 ½ year old buck walk next season, because they know that you are going to do the same thing. It just takes a leap of faith to initiate that conversation. In many cases several adjoining landowners can group up, establish a game plan and essentially manage their collective properties together and have much more control of their herd dynamics. You don’t have to manage the exact same way, but the take away is that everyone is on the same page with their end goals. https://www.qdma.com/buck-brought-neighbors-together/
So, take a chance, spend some quality time with your kids, neighbors, and friends and expand your deer hunting community. Be patient and remember to take it one step at a time. We all had to start somewhere.
Our next generation
To learn more, be sure to read Stephen’s first two articles of the series: Intensive Deer Management on Your Ranch and Managing the Deer Herd on Your Ranch.
Download Printable eBook for this Article
About the Author: Stephen Schwartz is a Texas licensed farm and ranch real estate agent with Hortenstine Ranch Company and a graduate of Texas A&M with a BS in Agricultural Engineering. Mr. Schwartz has now earned his Level 2 Deer Steward, QDMA . Stephen is also a gifted photographer and captured the beautiful images in this article. Learn more about Stephen Schwartz at https://hrcranch.com/stephen-schwartz/
Hortenstine Ranch Company Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary
/in Texas Ranch Real Estate News /by Chad PolkJust ask Blake and he’ll tell you. Time sure does fly when you’re BUSY and having fun! Blake Hortenstine, founder of Hortenstine Ranch Company in April of 2003, never could have imagined in his wildest dream that the business would grow to what it is today. From a one man show cold calling land owners from a single room office to now regularly closing over $100 million in sales volume each year, the journey has been incredible to say the least.
Blake Hortenstine Wildlife & Fisheries Background
Blake grew up in Dallas, Texas and enjoyed hunting and fishing even as a child. In his teenage years, he assisted a wildlife manager on a Shackelford County ranch and it was here that he decided to develop his love of wildlife and fisheries management into a career. After graduating from Highland Park High School, he attended Texas A&M University earning a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management. Upon college graduation, Blake was hired as a hunting guide for Dresser Industries’ Mota Bonita hunting operation in south Texas. His next move was managing wildlife on the King Ranch in Brooks County where he also guided business executives on quail, deer, hog and turkey hunts. Blake then moved back to North Texas to pursue a career in real estate. While building his real estate career, Blake became the game manager of a low fenced 14,000 acre hunting operation and wildlife management program in the eastern Rolling Plains west of Albany, Texas as well as an 11,000 acre property north of Breckenridge, Texas in Stephens County. After 15 years of serving these two ranches, Blake resigned in 2013 to practice ranch real estate full time.
Hortenstine Ranch Company Beginnings
While managing ranches, Blake started his real estate career with Henry S. Miller Commercial Farm & Ranch Division where he focused on rural and recreational property sales from 1998-2003. During this time he grew tired of wearing a suit and tie to show ranches each day. As a result, in April of 2003, Blake decided to launch Hortenstine Ranch Company, LLC and has been wearing boots and jeans (or occasionally flips flops) ever since. But if you know Blake, that’s no surprise. He’s not in to frills but his knowledge of land and wildlife is second to none.
He started Hortenstine Ranch Company by out hustling his competition. Any free time he had was spent at the local tax office gathering the name of land owners and cold calling. To this day, the strategy at Hortenstine Ranch Company is simply HARD WORK.
2011 proved to be a big year for Hortenstine Ranch Company and a turning point in the business as Blake formed a partnership with Cash McWhorter. Like Blake, Cash’s love for the outdoor lifestyle started way back as a child as he hunted and fished while growing up in east Texas.
Cash is a graduate of Baylor University and started his career at Colliers International, the third largest global real estate firm. For ten years he worked in corporate real estate, representing numerous local businesses and fortune 500 companies.
In June 2010, Cash left Colliers International to start Ranch Capital Group, a fund formed to purchase recreational ranches as an investment vehicle, all located within two hours of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. During that time, Cash was able to design and build multiple water features, enact several controlled burns of more than 700 acres, restore native grasses with land clearing and brush eradication practices, develop and enhance more than 260 acres of wetlands, work with NRCS on a number of projects, drill water wells and install irrigation piping to wetlands, establish wetland management programs, plant food plots, and construct new fences, roads, and homes. It is in this line of business that Cash crossed paths with Blake and the rest is history.
Blake and Cash continue to successfully run the business and together they have grown the team to include Jack Fauntleroy, Wright Monning, Bret Polk, Casey Berley, Brandon Rutledge, and Stephen Schwartz. Hortenstine Ranch Company as been named America’s Best Brokerages by The Land Report from 2011-2017.
Click to view full biography’s of each associate: About Us
A Word from Hortenstine Ranch Company Partner Cash McWhorter
“It is not often that you find a career doing what you love alongside a truly exceptional group of men and women and for that I am humbled. I would first give credit to God for leading me down the path of life that brought Blake and I together. Second to Blake for trusting me to be his business partner and allow me to help grow the business. Third to my wife for her understanding of our long but fun work days away from home (so fun that many days she accuses me of calling it work but thinks we really are playing). Fourth to Wright, Casey, Stephen, Jack, Bret, and Brandon for all their friendship and hard work that makes this a truly special company to be a part of. Finally to our clients that trust us with such a special moment in life. Seeing the excitement, joy, family memories, life dreams all coming true when we find the right ranch makes all the leg work well worth it. We have been honored to represent an amazing group of clients. We look forward to the next 15 years.”
Happy 15th Anniversary Hortenstine Ranch Company!
Texas Historical Commission | Comanche Crest Ranch
/in Land for Sale, West Texas Ranches /by Chad PolkHistory helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be. Many of us feel the almost poetic appeal of the past and have a passionate interest in finding out what really did happen long ago. In fact, almost all the major tourist attractions in the world relate to the appeal of the past. Through understanding the history of a place we are able to gain an incredible perspective which in return, enhances our lives.
The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is Texas’ agency for historic preservation. “Real places telling real stories” is their motto. The commission works hard daily to authentically communicate such stories of historical significant in an effort to enhance the well-being of individuals and communities. Click here to read more about the Texas Historical Commission.
Two of these important historical markers erected by the Texas Historical Commission can be found along Highway 380 near the gates of Comanche Crest Ranch. The 10,298 acre Comanche Crest Ranch presents one of the best large acreage, cattle and recreational ranches in the Rolling Plains. The historical markers displayed near the ranch share events that happened in this area over 150 years ago! A time where Comanche Indians roamed the land and how explorers reached out and started sharing culture. The other dates back to 1841 and the story of Thomas Lambshead, the first colonist to venture this far west.
Pictured below is Texas Historical Commission Marker 1 which commemorates a friendly meeting in 1849 between the men of Captain Randolph Marcy and Comanche Chief Senaco:
“In 1849, U.S. Army Captain Randolph B. Marcy was charged with establishing an overland road from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Santa Fe, New Mexico for emigrants seeking gold in California. On October 20, a party of Comanches approached Marcy and his men while they were crossing through Throckmorton County on a southerly return route. Other Native Americans arrived and greeted the trailblazing party. Among those present was Senaco, a high ranking Comanche chief. Marcy and he spoke, and Senaco and others camped with the soldiers before the groups departed on their separate ways. Marcy and Senaco would meet again near here in 1854, while Marcy was on another expedition.” (2009)
Texas Historical Commission Marker 2 explains how the earliest settlers of the area where able to buy land and settle in what is now a thriving Throckmorton County:
“In 1841, the Republic of Texas granted William S. Peters and others an empresario grant in north central Texas, including most of what is now Throckmorton County. The colony’s western boundary was three miles east of the current Haskell County borderline. Thomas Lambshead was the only settler to venture this far west in the colony. By 1844, the Texas Emigration & Land Company (T.E. & L.) began to manage colony settlement. However, few settled the land and Peters Colony ended in failure. Still, it proved vital for Throckmorton County settlement. The T.E. & L. owned much of the county land and divided it amongst shareholders, many of whom were speculators who sold property to county’s earliest settlers.” (2009)
The old saying is true. Everything IS bigger in Texas, even the history! Contact us today to tour Comanche Crest Ranch and see why this land was, is, and will always be a natural treasure in the Lone Star State. Experience the vastness and wonder of Comanche Crest Ranch and the surrounding Texas Historical Commission sites.
Managing the Deer Herd on Your Ranch
/in Texas Ranch Broker Articles /by Stephen SchwartzManaging the deer herd on your ranch can be a daunting task if not approached in the correct manner. It is certainly one of those topics, like habitat management, that can come with a lot of opinions, bad habits, and practices. Many land owners solely rely on techniques that have been passed down throughout each generation based on past successes or failures, and have been tweaked along the way. There is nothing wrong with that, and in some cases, it’s very effective, but along with those are a few bad habits that are often hard to break. That’s where the Quality Deer Management (QDM) approach comes in. Their framework is structured more toward developing and maintaining a healthy herd rather than trophy management, but certainly not exclusive to a particular style of management. QDM is science based, research driven, and will work in both low and high fence environments. https://www.qdma.com/qdm-vs-trophy-traditional-deer-management/
Herd management can be a double-edged sword, and I personally, have been guilty of using some of these inherited bad habits. There’s nothing wrong with knowledge that’s been passed down from real life lessons, but if not applied correctly, they can create a lot of headache with today’s changing conditions. We’ll highlight several of the key components of herd management and look at practical ways to implement them on your property.
Also, the food plots we planted in September and October will be key right now as well. Acorns have just about vanished, and the turnips, radishes, and winter grass have all fully developed. Deer will key in on these food sources and depending on the volumes your land is able to produce, could be the only quality source of food they have. This could make a huge impact on building your deer herd. If they know they can find food all year, especially during early spring, they will more than likely use your property the rest of the year. Another option is placing mineral throughout the property in the form of a salt lick or block. This is also an excellent way to monitor your deer herd, which is key to managing them. In the south, it’s rare to find a property unaffected by wild hogs, so we’ve adopted this method from the QDMA for securing our mineral blocks where the hogs can’t hijack them. See this video for further explanation. https://www.qdma.com/video-hog-proof-trophy-rock/
We personally use the hard-rock mineral blocks from Trophy Rock. They last around 4 months, depending on the rainfall, and deer will literally use them year-round. They have turned into an incredible source of supplemental feed that is very cost effective and helps us keep tabs on our deer herd.
Ok, back to deer management. Doe management is vitally important to developing a healthy deer herd. Before you start shooting does, and recording data, take a step back and develop an overall plan. Maybe even have a biologist come in and conduct a deer survey on the property to assess what you already have. https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_1126.pdf Once you have a good handle on your current herd dynamics, it’s also good to go ahead and supplement this with a thorough camera survey. This will be beneficial as the seasons and conditions change, and also serve as a way to keep an eye on inventory throughout the year. More on that in the next article. https://www.qdma.com/video-5-tips-better-deer-camera-surveys/
Now that you have an idea on how many does you’d like to take this coming fall, develop a plan on how and where you want to take them. I, personally, try and take my does early in the season before the rut, but this is due to our antlerless season, and leaving time to focus on my buck harvest during mid and late November. Most people focus on achieving a certain sex ratio when doe harvest is brought up, but this is only a piece of it. Taking does each fall can actually increase fawn production. https://www.qdma.com/taking-can-actually-increase-fawn-production/
In years past of waiting around for that old, usually very wise doe to show up, I was passing a lot of younger and truthfully, higher maintenance does. Those younger does, even yearlings are the highest maintenance deer on the property. They require more forage for the first year’s survival than an old dry doe. Long story short, the correct doe to take, is the one that presents the best opportunity for a clean shot. So consequently, in some cases punching a few tags could mean a much healthier deer herd. https://www.qdma.com/shoot-doe-fawns/
Another result of managing your herd is achieving a desirable sex ratio. This is accomplished with shooting both bucks and does. Generally speaking, nature provides bucks and does each year in proportion, so we should harvest them the same way. This will be limited in some areas due to restricted harvest bag limits set by the state game department. Either way, don’t get caught up in trying to whittle your herd down to a perfect 1:1 ratio. This isn’t realistic to achieve and maintain in most cases, but a 2:1 (2 does to 1 buck) is certainly more realistic and much easier to maintain once everyone is on board. For a more detailed look at this check out the following. https://www.qdma.com/reality-doebuck-ratios/ Other consequences of managing your herd is possibly intensifying the rut. Achieving a tighter sex ratio, will usually yield to a more predictable and intense rut period. Check out the details here, https://www.qdma.com/triggers-whitetail-rut/
Now that we are talking about shooting bucks – which one is the correct buck to take? This is where the debates really heat up. In many areas of Texas hunters only have one “trophy” buck tag, and usually another one for a “cull” buck. So, what is a trophy and what exactly is a cull? This is a whole other article in itself, but essentially it all comes down to you and your goals for your property. We won’t even get into the spike debate, there is plenty of research showing where some young spikes grew into a nice, branch antlered buck later in life. There are too many variables to make a general statement there, but in the end a trophy is in the eyes of the beholder. https://www.qdma.com/video-put-real-trophy-display-jawbone/
Here are a few facts to help you make your decision this fall. A buck is at 60% growth maturity at 2 ½ years old and at 80% at 3 ½ years old. Bucks make the biggest leap in antler and body growth in those first 3 years, then their bodies start leveling off and filling out. Their antlers will typically do the same thing. They’ll usually put on more mass, and possibly more points and length, but their frame is mostly established in the first 3 years. Now this isn’t the case everywhere, just generally speaking. The wild card here is the hunter’s ability to judge a deer’s age on the hoof. This is where conducting trail camera surveys are vitally important to monitoring your buck inventory. Educating people on QDM and encouraging them to wait to take a 5 ½ year old buck is very difficult to do, but not impossible. https://www.qdma.com/take-qdm-one-step-time/ However, there is nothing wrong with hunters taking a 3 ½ year old buck. If they can wait and pass on those yearlings and 2 ½ year old’s, then a 3 ½ year old buck will be a substantially larger buck than they would’ve possibly taken without understanding QDM. On the other hand, like other aspects of management, allowing these bucks to mature another year or two can certainly yield to taking a larger, more mature buck. https://www.qdma.com/kill-right-bucks/
Taking the right buck will also help with the age structure of the herd. Again, it’s tough to manage an aspect like this with just a few hunters, but you SHOULD take that 4 ½ to 5 ½ year old buck, even if he’s not a high scoring buck. These are the bucks that dominate a given area, and if he’s running off your 2-3 ½ year old bucks, then you’re not recruiting anything for next season. So, try to focus on age rather than antler score when managing your herd. This will vary, especially on ranches that are more intensely managed.
However, in most hunters’ eyes, taking a 4 ½ year old buck is rarely a mistake. This is where trophy management takes a turn off from quality deer management. There is nothing in the world wrong with managing your property for trophy deer if you have the resources in place to do so. However, for the majority of land owners in Texas and Oklahoma, QDM is what we all would love to achieve. For a hunter to go out and hunt a wild, acorn-fed buck on his terms and successfully take him with a quick, clean shot is an achievement many long to have. It’s not about lowering standards to be able to take a buck each fall, it’s about keeping it real. That brings us to the last factor we cannot forget as land/wildlife managers… have fun!
To learn more, be sure to read Stephen’s first article of the series: Intensive Deer Management on Your Ranch
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About the Author: Stephen Schwartz is a Texas licensed farm and ranch real estate agent with Hortenstine Ranch Company and a graduate of Texas A&M with a BS in Agricultural Engineering. Mr. Schwartz has also earned a Level 1 Deer Steward QDMA from Clemson University. Stephen is also a gifted photographer and captured the beautiful images in this article. Learn more about Stephen Schwartz at https://hrcranch.com/stephen-schwartz/
Star Brand, Historic Ranch featured in the News
/in East Texas Ranches, Land for Sale, Uncategorized /by Chad PolkWith roots as old as Texas, it is no surprise that such an offering has captured the attention of several local media outlets. Recently, The Dallas Morning News featured the storied past of Star Brand, Wynnes’ Massive East Texas Ranch, site of first Cattle Baron’s Ball, Up For Sale.
“One of the last vestiges of the sprawling empire of Dallas oilman-lawyer Toddie Lee Wynne is now for sale. Owned by the same family since 1850, the showplace Star Brand Ranch near Kaufman has been listed for sale by Wynne’s great-grandchildren.
In the summer of 1982, Wynne died aboard his gleaming private airliner as it lifted off from Matagorda Island, his southeast Texas enclave where he had once entertained President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was 85.
Today, Wynne’s name may be unfamiliar to a new generation of Dallasites, but his mark is everywhere. In downtown Dallas, he and his son, Toddie Lee Jr., built the Plaza of the Americas complex. He and his nephew Angus Wynne Jr. developed Six Flags Over Texas and Wynnewood. Toddie Lee Wynne Sr. was a minority owner of the Dallas Cowboys. He used a historic mansion on Turtle Creek as the headquarters for his American Liberty Oil Co. Today, the same house is part of a restaurant-hotel complex appropriately named the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.
For more than 40 years, Wynne lived in a pink mansion, the most opulent home on Highland Park’s most opulent street, Lakeside Drive. His brother Angus Wynne Sr. lived on Strait Lane in a house now occupied by Ross Perot. But the Star Brand was the place most like home. Wynne’s wife, Imogen, was the daughter of Congressman James Young. Her great-grandfather founded the Star Brand Cattle Co. in 1850.
Click to read the full article: The Dallas Morning News
Neighborhood.com, an online real estate resource that helps people find the perfect home as well as the ideal neighborhood, also featured Star Brand Ranch in a recent publication, Historic 4,820-Acre Wynne Ranch for Sale Near Kaufman.
Located near Kaufman just 30 minutes from Downtown Dallas, the ranch includes 4,820 beautifully-maintained acres, paved roads, a 10,000 square-foot main lodge that was built in 1992, and the “Big House” that was built in the 1940s at the site of the original ranch house, which was Wynne’s home-away-from-home.
In addition to hard assets, Star Brand Ranch offers a lot of history. The first Cattle Baron’s Ball was held at the ranch in 1974. A young Charley Pride performed for the black-tie gala, and Tom Landry and Winthrop “Win” Rockefeller Jr. were among the distinguished guests.
While Star Brand is still a working cattle operation, it’s a prime location for the next big multi-use development since an influx of Dallas County residents are steadily migrating east to less populated areas of North Texas.
Click to continue reading the full article: Neighborhood.com
At Hortenstine Ranch Company, we are truly honored to be chosen to offer Star Brand Ranch for sale. Star Brand is the result of decades of visionary land and resource management by Toddie Lee Wynne’s family. Star Brand is at once a serious cattleman’s ranch, with a storied history for entertainment. Texas is blessed with several such ranches, but only Star Brand is within 30 miles of downtown Dallas. There is no other ranch like it.
For complete details of this once in a lifetime offering, contact Wright Monning, (214) 794-1475 mobile, wright@hrcranch,com.
TACKLING A THORNY PROBLEM: Pricklypear Removal
/in Texas Ranch Broker Articles /by Blake HortenstineAs any experienced rancher knows, rangeland requires regular maintenance, especially when it comes to controlling invasive species, such as Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri, more commonly known as the Texas pricklypear. The cactus, native to the American Southwest, can be a particularly, uh, thorny problem. During drought, pricklypear grows when nothing else will and can quickly overtake an entire pasture. If you’re finding massive stands of pricklypear where once tall grasses waved, it’s time to get serious and call in the experts.
Unless you’re an experienced land manager and you know what you have to do, it’s best to start with a phone call to the local USDA office. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service provides advice and assistance to landowners to restore wetlands, recover losses after wildfires, and control invasive species. Federal grants to assist with the cost of brush removal and land restoration are available through the NCRS Environmental Quality Incentive Program. Each state has its own NCRS website with extensive information about available assistance, programs, and local conditions and NCRS agents can help on a one-on-one basis.
Through its Brush Busters program, the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service also provides do-it-yourself instructions for pricklypear removal on its website.
Proven methods of Pricklypear Removal
There are two generally recommended ways to get rid of pricklypear: spraying or mechanical removal with a grubbing hoe (isolated plants) or a skid-loader (large stands). Occasionally, controlled burns can be used, but burning requires lots of ancillary dry brush (cactus don’t burn easily) and fire isn’t selective. Burn bans in place throughout much of the Southwestern U.S. also take this method off the table for most.
Spraying and grubbing have distinct advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the size of the cactus growth and surrounding vegetation. Temperature and rainfall also can impact the success of your method. And cost can be an important consideration.
Digging up cactus with a skid-loader is generally considered the most effective, immediate, and ecologically friendly way to remove large stands of pricklypear. It can, however, be costly, with rates for the equipment and operator reaching $80 to $100 an hour. Michael Dalrymple, a Mills County, Texas, contractor who specializes in brush removal, recommends a skid-loader equipped with a rock rake for attacking large stands of cactus. The tines of the rock rake permit dirt to fall back to the ground, thus reducing top soil loss and disposal weight. This process permits the operator to remove several inches of the root, enough to kill the plant.
Dalrymple recommends trenching a pit and burying the uprooted cactus under 18″ to 24″ of dirt. (Unlike cedar which can be piled and burned, piled cactus will re-root and grow into an impenetrable mound.)
It’s also important to collect as many of the fallen pads as possible. Each pad left on the ground has the potential to root and form a new cactus.
While mechanical removal can be done all year, fall and early winter are optimum to permit reseeding in time for the growing season.
2. Herbicides
Spraying works best on individual plants and thin growths of pricklypear. Because pads and stems must to be thoroughly coated, it’s virtually impossible eradicate a large, dense stand with ground-level spraying. It’s also important to avoid spraying near trees and mature vegetation, as their roots can take up the poison.
Aerial spraying is occasionally recommended for large stands of cactus at a safe distance from trees and other desirable vegetation, which could be damaged or killed by the herbicide drift.
While cactus can be sprayed year-round, most recommend using herbicides in warm weather when rainfall is expected, as moisture facilitates the uptake of the poison.
It can take six to eight months to see results and more than one application is often required to kill the cactus.
The Dow AgroSciences division of Dow Chemicals makes several effective herbicides, though two of the most well-known, Tordon 22K® and Surmount®, are federally restricted and require a license for use. Some ranchers recommend Dow’s PastureGard® HL herbicide for spot maintenance, as it can be used without a license. The cost to hire a licensed applicator varies locally but can run upwards from $35 an hour plus the cost of the herbicide.
Once the cactus is gone, it’s important to reseed and restore the rangeland with a mix of native grasses, forbs (herbaceous flowering plants) and pollinators. Shop seed prices, as some native species can be very expensive.
Follow up, Follow up, Follow up
Invasive species management is never one and done. Spot spraying is the easiest way to remove isolated growths. Cactus growing near trees should be removed with a grubbing hoe to avoid damaging or killing the tree with heavy machinery or herbicides. It doesn’t take long for little cactus plants to become a big nuisance. However, with regular maintenance, your eradication efforts will pay dividends for years to come.
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Helpful Resources for Pricklypear Removal
Texas A&M University AgriLife Research and Extension Service
National Resources Conservation Service
Texas A&M AgriLife Brush Busters Program
Author: Blake Hortenstine