La Bandera Ranch

I just got back yesterday from an incredible dove hunt in south Texas at La Bandera Ranch located just outside of Carrizo Springs. I went with a group of 16 guys which included my dad. Many of the people on the trip I already knew, but a few of them I met for the first time and now consider them to all be friends.
The trip started on Tuesday morning. My dad and I went to Meacham Airport in Ft Worth to meet our traveling party. Randy Pack, Larry Hilscher and Phillip Bell all own a King Air, and that is what we flew directly to the ranch. The plane turned 7 hours of traveling (if we went by truck) into just a little more than 1 hour. We landed on the airstrip located on La Bandera ranch. The other half of the group left from Executive Airport in Dallas, the plane they were traveling in was a Merlin.
The minute we touched down at the ranch we were greeted by 2 pickup trucks with seating for 8 in the back end and 2 suburbans. All of our gear was loaded in the suburbans and we all piled into the back of the pickups to go to the lodge.
My dad has been on a couple of quail hunting trips to this ranch the past few years and has always had a great time. He tried to explain what the accommodations were like, but his words and his pictures did not do it justice. The ranch is a first class operation. The lodge area is beautiful and extremely roomy. The pool and spa are spectacular; it almost looked out of place in the brush country of south Texas.
Most of us doubled up on rooms, but it was very comfortable with plenty of space. There was a large seating area in the middle of the sleeping quarters (for lack of a better term) that had all kinds of African and exotic mounts that I assume were killed by the owner of the ranch, Bob Hixson. Outside the sleeping area was a large port cache where the ranch vehicles would drop us off and pick us up. Across from that was the dining room, which was dominated by a large elephant mount and several of the Boone and Crockett class bucks that have been taken on the ranch. Across from the dining room was a large game room complete with a full wet bar, margarita machine included. This room was also littered with various trophy mounts of big game fish, elk, mule deer, bears, crocodiles and many other animals. Outside the game room and the dining room was a large outdoor fire place and seating area. An industrial type cooler loaded with beer, water and soft drinks and the pool and hot tub. The pool was on a deck that looked out toward old Mexico to the west. The view of the sunset was amazing from the pool deck. Just below the pool deck was an immaculate five stand setup for clay shooting. Whoever designed and built this retreat thought of everything and spared no expenses. This was a true sportsman’s paradise!
After a quick lunch we changed clothes, got our guns and split up into 2 groups of 8 to go out to the dove fields. We made a friendly wager between groups on which one would shoot the most birds, and of course my team won (not without plenty of protest and bickering from the other team) that first afternoons hunt was great, I think everyone on my team got their 15 bird limit.
After the hunt we returned to the lodge, changed out of our hunting clothes and all enjoyed the evening pool side. That night the cooks prepared us a wonderful Mexican dinner and then we retired to the outdoor sitting area and spent the night drinking, telling lies and enjoying good company amongst friends.
Wednesday morning we did not go to the fields to hunt dove, instead the ranch had arranged a box quail shoot. This is a game that usually involves pigeons, but it is the same none the less. I am not going to go into too much detail about what is involved in this game so as not to offend anyone or give the anti hunting community any extra ammunition. I do have to say that this was one of the most fun competitions I have ever participated in. We played 4 different games and therefore there were 4 more friendly wagers. Of course, once again, my team won 3 of the 4 bets. After the box bird competition we went back to the lodge and ate a nice lunch, and listened to the members of the other team bitch about how unfair the game was.
After lunch we got to tour the deer breeding program that the ranch has. This was very interesting. I learned quite a bit from the ranches breeding program manager and got to see some of the biggest bucks that I will ever have the opportunity of seeing alive, many were over 200 Boone and Crockett. When we were finished touring the breeding pens some of the group took naps while others hung out in the pool, myself included, relaxing before the evenings dove hunt.
We went to different fields for the evening hunt, and they were not as good as the previous evening. I think I ended up with 9 or 10 birds, which is not bad, but could have been better. My dad shot really well that evening, I think he got about 13 or 14, and led our team. I do have to admit that this evening I was on the losing end of the wager, even after bending the rules a little and hunting for about 30 minutes longer than the agreed upon stopping time, the other team beat us pretty handily. They were in a much better area; they had to have paid the guides to take us to the worst field on the ranch.
That night we ate rib eyes, baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese, and apple pie. It was a very manly meal that hit the spot. We were all pretty tired, but still spent quite a bit of time after dinner sitting by the outdoor fire place drinking beer and wine and telling the more stories and jokes. Many of the stories and jokes were the same as the ones told the night before, but due to the abundant spirits being served, no one really seemed to care, or remember for that matter.
The final morning came early; we were all out of bed before sunrise and headed out to the dove fields. My team went back to the field that we had so much success at the first evening, but it was not nearly as productive this morning. I ended up with 10 birds, 5 shy of the 15 bird limit. We didn’t have a bet on this hunt, I guess we had all grown tired of the arguing and it just did not seem like as much fun to us. After the hunt, I took a shower and packed my bags. A few of the guys got in the pool for a little while, and then we ate a big breakfast that was prepared for us.
At about 12:00 we all loaded up and headed to the runway to get on our respective planes and head back to Dallas and Ft Worth. I got to ride in the cock pit on the way home with my planes pilot, John. It was really cool listening to the air traffic controllers and seeing everything from a different perspective. I still do not have any desire to fly myself, but it was a neat experience none the less.
I hope that we go on this trip next year. It was a very memorable experience with a great group of guys. Our guides, Art and Alan were great! The food was great! The accommodations were first class! I will remember this week for the rest of my life. I thank my dad, John Roy Reid and Randy Pack for inviting me to go on this trip. Now it is time for deer season! I am not going to get to go to Brady this weekend for the bow season opener because I told my wife I would go to the A & M Arkansas game a year ago not thinking about the consequences, but you can bet I will be in a tree next weekend, and Kansas is only 4 or 5 weeks away! I am looking forward to another great hunting season, if nothing else happens this season, this past trip has already made it a great one.