Hunting Ranch in Val Verde County for Sale
This large west Texas hunting ranch in Val Verde County has been in one family for generations. It has been well managed and ranched for the duration of the family’s ownership. This ranch’s best and highest use is hunting and recreation and has everything you need.
It is well watered, has great access, and is well electrified. The ranch even has a resident couple that lives near the ranch who has cared for everything and are available to work for the new owners if so desired. They take care of everything from repairs to filling feeders to guiding hunts. They know the ranch like the back of their hands and are very handy to have at the ranch.
Electricity can be scarce in this part of the country but not on this ranch. There is electricity provided to many locations of the ranch bringing power to the wells. The ranch foreman lives on his own piece of ground right off of the county road.
The ranch has great access from Fielder Draw road, which is a well-maintained county road. The road system across the entire ranch is good. You can access just about any part of the ranch in a pickup. Fielder Draw Road runs through the middle of the ranch and out the west side. There is a landing strip just east of the ranch on the county road for the convenience of flying in.
The topography of this ranch is diverse, attracting many species of wildlife. The elevation change is not too drastic and has a gentle slope from oak-filled draws that run when it rains to outcroppings of rock and caves up in the canyons. There is about a 60′ difference between the draws and the hilltops. In the draws, the elevation is approximately 1980′ and, on the mesa, elevations are around 2040′.
The ranch capacity is greater than expected with the amount of browse and grasses produced. Historically it has supported one animal unit per 35 acres. There is a humble set of pens. The fences are also good as they keep sheep and cows inside. Many varieties of browse and grasses grow here. In the draws, there are many mature live oaks mots and thick, strong grasses such as side oats grama, hairy grama, blue grama, and more. There are also very good weeds such as tallow weed among other healthy weeds. In the flats is a good variety of browse such as Sage, Elbow bush, Acacia, Algerita, Mesquite, Persimmon, Sumac, and more. Desert ornamentals include Ocotillo, Sotol, Yucca, Spanish Dagger, Guajillo, and Barrel cactus.
Broad tops with big valleys create a combination of easily accessible gentle land with deeper soil and the limestone bluffs, rim country, steep hills, and canyon heads creating a diversity of habitats. This is a working ranch with exceptional hunting. It’s also loaded with canyons, mountains, caves, and excellent vegetation cover making this an explorer’s dream. It has been well managed for decades and is known for its combination of native grass, shrubs, and trees. This is the Western Edwards Plateau transitioning into the Chihuahuan Desert, a convergence of two biologically distinct eco-regions in Texas.
The ranch is the perfect combination of topography, vegetation, accessibility, scenery, history, and beauty. From Yucca and Sotol to Hackberry and Mesquite woodlands, to Persimmon and Juniper, the ranch represents a crossroads of diversity. The property’s browse and grasslands are in great condition, a result of responsible grazing methods. Native grasses, forbs, browse, brush, cacti and trees not only provide excellent habitat for game species such as deer, turkey, quail, and dove, but also for non-game species such as Texas horned lizard, songbirds, fox, ringtail, lions, bears, and many other animals. Mule deer and Whitetail deer populations on the ranch are good. There are also many exotics that roam this area including elk, blackbuck, red deer, and axis. Wing shooting opportunities for blue quail, Bob White and Morning dove are also good. The ranch is divided into upper mesa land and lower valley/canyon land.
This is a fun recreational ranch that offers something for everyone. Explore the rock cliffs and caves for Indian artifacts, visit Pandale crossing and kayak the Pecos which is just minutes away, go mountain lion hunting, deer hunting, or night calling, go boating and trophy fishing on Lake Amistad and study the cave paintings and dinosaur tracks at Seminole Canyon. Most of all, enjoy the peace, beauty, and quiet of the west Texas desert.
