Well, that is an interesting question. Here are some thoughts.....

First of all, I am not sure what a "licensed" outfitter is. I suppose that is something legislated by state governments other than TX. (I have talked with theuser here on this site...."huntquest", and Iunderstand that is the normal thing in Colorado and maybe some other states as well).

If the government ever tries to impose that (licensing)here in south TX they are going tohave trouble. This is our property and they will NOT LEGISLATE IT AT ALL. What we do here is OUR business and no one else's.

Our ranch is just over 10 sections(6900 acres) andhas been in this family for justover 115 years.

About 7-8 years ago, we switched to hunting for our primarybusiness as opposed to raisinglivestock. However, we do still maintain a herd of spanish/boer goats for taxreasons.

Our primary business is EXOTICS....aoudad sheep, texas dall, mouflon,painted desert, merino,barbado,fallow deer,red deer, elk, varmints, all thefish you can catch,.....etc.

We have thousands ofaoudadand we practically give them away to hunters (flat fee of $400 bucks...no matter how big). Why??? Because they SERIOUSLY get in the way of our whitetail hunting.

We also have a largepopulation of hogs. We trap around300 per week in the winter months (not to mention what hunters harvest). And yes, we sell them by the pound to meat buyers.

Now to the question of "canned hunts" (mentioned above). I am not sure if I understand that one either (other than an obscenely small pasture).

Go hunt in New Zealand! That is the most "maintenance free" "high fence" I have ever seen. At least I have never seen a whitetail deer swim in the ocean. And no, I do not agree with someone fencing a few acres with eight foot fence and hunting that.

We have high and low fence here. We are high fenced on three sides of this ranch.....a little over 10 miles of fence.

Why do we do that? Because we don't want our neighbors (15 acre hobby farms that were once big ranches....now cut up into pieces)harvesting our deer.

We are in the business of growing big deer. It is as simple as that. We feed protein year around without exception. We have 11 food plots as well. And we run an intensive management program.

Now the question of price.....

For a semi-guided exotics hunt(we drop you off and pick you up at hunting locations withno guide sitting with you), you will spend $50 per day with us. That ismeals and lodging included.....and we do treat our hunters well!!Look at our lodging facilityon the website.Then add a modestkill fee on top of that $50. Go stay at a Best Western and eat three meals a day for fifty bucks!!

During whitetail season you will be fully guided. I.E. one of my employees/guides will besitting with you at hunting areas, visiting with you in the evenings, driving you around the ranch,taking you to and fromto S.A. airport, cleaning yourharvest, caping your animal,etc etc.....a full service deal (including daily maid service). Sorry, no chocolate on the pillow for 06-07as of yet. That is going to cost you $150 per day plus kill fee.

If you harvest a 150 class whitetail you are going to spend around 5 grand here. 200 inches and up is going to start at 9 grand and up. That is simply how we do it. Cull bucks start at $250!!

And to boot....it is not unusual to be here for three or fourdays and not see a darned thing.

Why is it so(or not so)expensive?

Pay for feed, electricity, guides, chef, fuel, airport transportation, employee salaries, etc ,etc ,etc....

There you have it.

Hope that helps you with your question.


best of luck