High-Fenced Hunting & Recreational Land with Home For Sale in Irion County, TX
The Southern Star high-fenced hunting ranch consists of 628.77 acres and is located on the west side of Irion County in the heart of the golden triangle of west Texas hunting country. It sits 15 miles north of Barnhart on Highway 163. It also falls 25 miles west of Mertzon, Texas, and 50 miles west of San Angelo Regional Airport making it easy access for out of state hunters.
The Southern Star Ranch is a gorgeous private retreat. The beautifully manicured, 2400 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 ½ bath rock headquarters has a wrap-around porch with matching travertine tile floors inside and out, large patio with an oversized gazebo, and a separate 2-car garage. This home is fully furnished and furnishings convey to the new owners with the property.
Outbuildings include 2 fully furnished hunting lodges with a large covered concrete grilling patio, insulated and wired shop, sheds, 10×10 walk-in cooler, deer cleaning area, and a carport for the GMC 4×4 ranch pickup and Polaris UTV which both convey with the sale.
The high fences are in great shape on all sides. There is a west pasture that sits on the west side of Texas Highway 163 and is approximately 190 acres. The house pasture sits on the east side of the highway and consists of approximately 448 acres.
Located in the middle of the western Edwards Plateau, this ranch sits in the Middle Concho Watershed where the best deer are found. The Concho River Watershed receives flow from more than 9 west Texas counties. The area receives 21.25 inches of rain annually on average. The area is also known for extraordinary underground water in abundance from the Dockum minor aquifer and the major Edwards Trinity Aquifer. Both pastures are well watered. In the west pasture there are two water wells approximately 180’ deep with submersible pumps. In the east or “house” pasture, there are 4 wells. There is one well for the twin lodges and one for the main lodge complete with a rock well house. Both of these have submersible pumps. There are two solar wells in the pasture on the west side. There are 3 Santa Rosa water wells that do not convey with the sale. An easement will be retained by the seller for access to the Santa Rosa wells.
The Southern Star Ranch is known for its improved trophy white-tail deer. Recently harvested bucks scored 175 and 202. The hunting program is well managed. There are currently 40 does and 40 bucks. All of the feeders and blinds convey with the sale which includes 2 feeders and a blind on the west side and 6 feeders and 2 blinds on the east side. There are two feeder pens with two feeders in each pen. Other species of wildlife found here include Rio Grande turkey, Blue Quail, Bobwhite quail, and dove. Javelina have also been spotted.
Elevation is mostly level with a difference of only 60 feet across the entire ranch. There is a gentle draw that traverses the middle of the ranch where the does are often found browsing and bedding down.
The soils are good for grazing and conditions are practical for improvements such as seeding, fertilizing, and water control. These soils can be used safely for grazing or wildlife food and cover. Soils include Angelo silty clay loam (2c), Ector soils (7s) which are moist with a 1-8% slope, Rio Concho and Dev soils, 0-3% slope (6w).
The ranch would make a nice working ranch for livestock in addition to the hunting component as it is gently rolling to level ground with many good grazing grasses. In this region of Texas are a variety of good grasses, both tall varieties as well as short grasses, which is unique to this particular area because of variation in precipitation. Some of these good grasses include Curly mesquite, Vine-mesquite, Tabosagrass, Sideoats grama, Texas grama, Black grama, varieties of bluestem, Buffalo-grass, Texas wintergrass, Eastern gamagrass, Hall panicum, dropseed varieties, Green sprangletop, and many other strong west Texas grasses. You can readily find shrubs such as sumac, acacia, Honey mesquite trees and Algerita which provide food and cover as well as multiple varieties of forbes including filaree, sage, salvia and Tallow weed. Redberry juniper, Mormon tea, bunch grasses and other shrubs also provide cover for deer and quail and all other wildlife.
