First point in January

[OUTDOORSMANEVERETT]

I thought it was a great place and inexpensive for the opportunity at quality South TX deer. Mike and Nancy are very nice, and if your respectful Mike will even let you know where he's seen the bigger deer in your pasture during feeding. Lots of deer including shooters and pigs both years I've gone.

[txdukklr]

i gotta tell you, I expect hunting to be hit or miss and i judge leases by everything.

I've been there and let me start with this. I walked up with my 13 year old son who I had paid for, we had two spots. Mike looked over and said where is number 2 i said here he is, without a question, a comment or much to do about it he tore up my check and said matter o fact. You pay for one, he hunts for free. The place was booked and he now had an open spot that he could have made money on. Like I said didn't think twice, didn't make a big deal about just tore up the check and kept on moving me through the process.

Second, I showed up with a brand new puppy. I'm divorced and get a few hunts a year with my son. I drove from houston to the ranch and was supposed to drop the dog off in San Antonio. well guess what murphy's law kicked in and the people watching the puppy bailed on me. I was very worried it was clear not to bring a dog. I got there and first thing out of my mouth was listen i'm sorry I have this dog he'll stay in his kennel but i had no choice. They said the problem is that other hunters will not want a dog around in shared cabins . . . . . . so use our small trailer. You'll have it to yourself, you, your son and the pup stay in there that way you don't bother anyone.

third, show up as early as you can. Get out there and set you up a couple of spots. Mike was up front that the does will feed the road and that if you want a buck you'll have to be off the road to get him. He pointed out three/four spots on my pasture where he recommended i set up. He was clear don't set up where you see a blind find a trail and if you can figure out what the wind is doing set up here/here/here. gave me a very detailed map and spots to hunt.

i saw a ton of deer, I saw a couple of bucks out of range and an absolute bruiser about 400 yards down the road walking down a spot he'd told me to take a look at.

So my assesment, none cheaper with deer as nice that gets a lot of pressure because it's worth every penny. Add on top of that real good and I don't use that term losely . . . real good people and if I could time the dang call right I'd go every year. My only complaint is I'd love to kill a doe.

[Brian H]

i know for a fact they let people book early. While i was there in january Mike was on the phone booking december hunts. It was practically already full before the season ended.

[Brian H]

Don't misunderstand my last thread. This is a very good place to hunt and Mike and Nancy are very good people. If you listen to what and where Mike tells you to hunt, you will do well no matter what time of year you go. I went in October, November and the last weekend of the season. It was just as good in October as it was in January. The deer seem to come to the road and eat no matter what month it is. Just listen to Mike

[A&MDoc]

The Real Deal about 1st Point

I'm new to this forum, and have skimmed some of the messages here.
In terms of an opinion; I'll bite. I am familiar with 1st point, and killed a large 10 point buck there last year. The habitat and local genetics are excellent for
producing large bucks. The only real tangible problem with the place is the large number of inexperienced hunters that are herded through there each year. The motor vehicle traffic, foot traffic, and number of hunters getting busted each year makes for some very intelligent deer. Additionally, my greatest fear about 1st point is dishonest people who shoot deer and don't report them because 1) They are too young and will carry a fine; or 2) They made a poor shot and cannot find them. While some management improvements could be made at 1st point, the behavior of the day hunters has a significant impact on the success of future hunters. Being careless about when you get to and/or leave your blind (Busted), and shooting illegal (young) bucks and/or more than your stipulated ranch allocation will only serve to diminish the future quality of the hunting experience at 1st point. Notably, first point remains one of the only affordable (quality) hunting operations around. My minimum recommendation for improving 1st point would be as follows:
1) Require people to leave with only 3 arrows, names on them, and check
quivers upon return from the hunt.
2) Ban all people who I believe shot a deer and didn't claim it based on hunter-pasture records and coincidentally dead deer.

Alternatively, most problems could be overcome by simply finding 30-40 honest, management-minded bowhunters and putting them on a revolving hunting schedule (20 max at any time) for a flat fee.