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Deer Management Limited Impact Guides Rattling Trophy Hunts Our Guarantee Photographs We do not hunt deer from vehicles. Our typical and preferred way to hunt is from deer blinds that accommodate two persons. The blinds are set in areas where deer are known to frequent. All blinds have some type of feed available whether it is a planted food plot or a timed corn feeder. We set the hunters in their blinds before daylight and return at the time designated by the hunters. Hunters may walk and stalk in their hunting area. With only 25 blinds on 16,000 acres, there is plenty of ground to walk. In the afternoons, hunters are again placed in blinds and picked up after dark. Our lodge is leased to groups only, and only the group leasing the lodge or staying at Rough Creek Lodge will be trophy hunting on the ranch. We have a 300 yard range to sight guns in upon arrival and also to put a reality check on those hunters who boast of 300 plus yard shots.
Rattling for Bucks During the Rut: The rut in our area begins mid-October and ends mid-November. Rattling a set of antlers to simulate two bucks fighting is one of the most exciting ways to hunt deer; however, because the speed of the bucks coming in and the short few seconds to evaluate the animal's quality, harvesting a trophy size buck can be challenging. Rattling is done with a guide because it is a two or more person event, and also the continual moving to new areas requires knowledge of the ranch.
Our preference is to put hunters in deer blinds without guides. Our reasoning for unguided hunts is twofold. One, there is less movement and noise with only one person in the blind. Two, the hunter is alone and must be the hunter, not merely the shooter. His own instincts and knowledge of hunting are the difference in bring home a trophy or not. For truly novice hunters, a guide will be arranged. Whether you are with or without a guide, the driver or guide will field dress and transport your game to the ranch cooler. We will skin and quarter the animal at no charge. If the hunter prefers to have his meat commercially processed, we will deliver the meat to a local processor, but the hunter is responsible for all processing charges. If the hunter elects to donate his meat, we will find appreciable recipients free of charge. We recommend a local taxidermist from Granbury for any shoulder mounts.
The Flat Top is striving to achieve a stocking density of one deer per 20 acres or more. This density number is an average from various biologist and horticulturalist opinions. Free ranging drought stocking could be as high as one deer to 30 acres, whereas feed trough operations can stock more than one deer to the acre. Because of our low stocking density, we feel the quality of animals is much improved over unmanaged deer populations. The deer can reach maximum potential because of the balanced demand on the naturally available forage. We do provide supplemental feed in drought conditions, but not so much as to prevent mortality, rather to assure quality.
Each year deer surveys are run in late August and early September to determine the deer density, sex ratios and fawn crop. We attempt to keep the sex ratios at 1.5 doe to buck. This assures the natural balance is in place and only the dominant bucks do the breeding, just as nature intended. A harvest guideline is established from the survey and through the use of Texas Parks and Wildlife special permits, in conjunction with hunting licenses, we are able to manage the deer herd. The fawn crops are normally high, which requires an extensive harvest of the entire herd. Fortunately for us, our family and friends, with great effort, are capable of harvesting the required number of doe and cull bucks. We do however sell management buck hunts. We have found there is a market for the large 8-point bucks and we are now serving this market.
We have limited the trophy hunts to 15 per year or less. We watch for large bucks and attempt to pattern their habits so we can put hunters in the best spot, but because of the size of the property it would be difficult to guarantee anyone a sure thing. We like to think of our ranch as a deer sanctuary, whereby the animals have many places to retreat to if they feel threatened by humans. There have been many instances that a hunter has harvested a 10-point or better buck never seen before by the ranch personnel. Our better trophy bucks will score in the low 150 SCI range.
We are sure of our quantity and quality, but to assure the hunter of our sincerity, rather than paying up front the full harvest fee, a minimum of $500.00 per day will be deposited and charged for the days in the field, and if the opportunity does not arise for the hunter to harvest the contracted animal, the harvest fee will be waived. A successful hunter is a happy hunter. Photographs of our quality. Click on an image for larger picture. Use your browser back button to return to this page.
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