MLD permit hunt

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MCgunner

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We hunted 2 days 3 miles outside Uvalde in a high fenced 600 acres. Now, I'd never heard of MLD (managed lands deer) permits. Seems, high fenced ranches can apply and the biologists will check out the ranch and issue doe and spike and whatever permits as needed. Doesn't even cost you a tag off your license. This being high fenced, they issue what is needed to keep the population in check and properly manage. We used six permits in two days this weekend, all doe and spike. My preacher knew this guy and took me with the owner's permission. He doesn't charge MLD hunters, only lets friends and family, but Pastor James gave him 300 bucks to help for corn and we gave the "guide", who just stayed at camp and cleaned and quartered the deer for us, $100 as tip. He probably makes better tips from the rich folks, I'm sure, but he's a college kid and studying wildlife management I think. I was a fisheries management type in school and I can tell you that kid makes more money working for game ranches than he ever would if he takes a state job. :rofl:

Anyway, first evening I shot a small spike and Pastor James shot a doe and a spike. Next morning all I saw is large racked bucks, LOTS of 'em, guessing a dozen or more. WOW, but hey, it IS a high fence ranch I had to keep telling myself. I didn't take anything that morning, but a HUGE doe walked out at the feeder that evening. It was walking straight toward me from about 100 yards and eating corn we'd scattered on the sendero. I didn't have a good shot presentation, thought about a head shot, but it was moving back and forth too much and I just told myself, "patience Grasshopper." :D THEN, she looked to her left and took off to her right into the brush. Sure enough, the same HUGE 8 point (had to have a 20" spread anyway, young deer, though) walked out onto the sendero. THEN, after about 10 minutes of watching the buck that ruined my shot, the doe walks back out and presents me with a broad side shoulder which I took advantage of. That buck took off. I figure he owes me tuition for that lesson. :rofl: So, my doe had more body mass than that big buck, was a 5 year old doe (guide estimate from the teeth). I figure I can tell folks I COULD have taken that buck, but I just wanted to teach him a lesson. :D Near dark I shot another smaller doe.

So, we came home with 6 deer. Pastor James has several deer and an elk in his freezers anyway so he gave me all six which are now soaking on ice to be butchered in a few days when ready. So, got venison. :D It wasn't so much a hunt than a shoot, but hey, I can HUNT here! I have been since bow season without success. This was a meat expedition.

I haven't been to Uvalde in a while. It has grown a lot in 45 years. :D Pretty country there, where the south Texas brush country meets the hill country. Saw lots of other stuff like green jays which we don't have here and I had to text my wife to make sure what these things were. I kinda knew, though, when they squawked, typical jay noise, though I'd never mistake it for a blue jay. There were javelina at a feeder at camp when we rolled in with the last two does I shot in the Polaris Ranger. They scattered, then while we were chatting with the "guide", they just came back! Tame javelina like in state parks or something.:rofl:

I also saw a couple of jake turkey, no hogs. I wasn't going to shoot a hog, anyway. The guy gets 100 bucks for a hog. I can get plenty of those right here for free. We saw axis and fallow, but don't even ask what they charge for exotics.

If anyone is interested, the place is the MLZ ranch in Uvalde, Texas. I don't work for 'em, but just passing on info.

Oh, I used my .308 150 grain Nosler BT and loaned my 7 mag to Pastor James as he hasn't gotten a chance to shoot is .300 win mag since his elk hunt. ALL were bang/flops. Bang flops are a good thing when there's as much cat claw, huisache, and prickly pear as there is on THAT place.
 
As a kid in Montana, they gave owners of vast tracts ''B tags'' for culling X ammount of does.
I know your having fun :D

My dad was a ranching 'good ol' boy' in the Flathead Valley and knew alot of those fellas, if they weren't his Uncles or cousins allready .
 
I should say, this is only the second high fence ranch I've ever been on. I wasn't there to hunt so much as to take meat and heck, it was cheap! Didn't pay, just helping thin the herd. The guide tip was well earned. I'd been sore as HECK if I'd had to skin and quarter 6 deer. :rofl: THAT was money well spent.

The other high fence I went to was advertising pig hunts, 3 pigs 100 lbs or less for $180 IIRC and 3 days to get 'em. I got all 3 in the first day. That was fun, but it was hard hunting as the pigs were mostly nocturnal and I had to hunt daylight. I walked around looking in little thickets and would find them bedding in there.

So, two high fence ranches and I had lots of fun and got lots of meat. No, I wouldn't go after exotics or "trophies" on one of these places. That first one I hunted the exotics could come right up to you looking for a handout. Talk about TAME! "Hunting" them would be like shooting pets. But, I guess these places have their place even for me, so long as it don't cost too much. :D
 
Oh, I had to mention, we were in a cafe eating breakfast last day before going out to the ranch and getting the meat out of the cooler and turning in the electronic gate "key". I overheard an old rancher talking to his buddy. He says, "Those 4 guys paid $2500 each to hunt this weekend. That's $10,000. You can't make that kind of money on cows." :rofl: Hunting is big business out there and I don't have that kind of money to spend on deer hunting, anyway. They've priced me right out of the market. I can recall when you could do a doe hunt for no day fee and 20 bucks per doe out in Llano. The deer there are about the size of my Labrador retriever, but hey, I could afford THAT even in high school! Now days, you want a "trophy buck", all it takes is money. That's why I've never chased "trophies", but I do like meat. I've shot lots of bucks on my places, but there aren't trophies either place. The bucks do run a little better up here, but nothing to brag about. I've shot 4 since I bought this place 6 years ago and they all barely made the 13" to be legal in this county.
 
Butchering today. Egad that's a lotta meat! I fired up my chest freezer since there's no way the upright will hold it all. I have plenty of room for it, though, just had some pork in the upright along with some misc. groceries, sausage, and stuff. Not much venison left from last year's deer, but James wants to go back next year, so at least we ain't gonna starve to death. :rofl:
 
Yep, it's basically a way to optimally balance the deer herd. Assuming a property is large enough to support 100 deer, and everyone shoots bucks, eventually the place will become overrun with does. Excess deer will either leave the property or die, but the population will be out of balance. If it's out of balance to begin with, it's not like all the extra does are going to leave and the bucks remain. So getting MLD permits to shoot some of the does will allow more bucks to remain on a given property. https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/permits/land/wildlife_management/mldp/
 
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