I have landed a free hunt on a 5000 acre ranch just southwest of the YO, in Real County. Place hasn't been hunted (legally) in ten years, since it was tied up in court. Cant be more specific, what I need is tips on the topography, area specific tips for that region, closest I ever hunted was Castel/Llano.

There were some exotics on the place at one time, sheep especially, are supposed to still be present.

If anyone is hunting that region let me know what to expect down there. No blinds(known/currently) or feeders.

This has the possibility of turning into a long-term deal, sure hope so. It sounds promising to me!

I pass right by the YO on my way to Hackberry Ranch near Edwards county. Not too sure what kind of topography info/details you are looking for but I'll help you the best I can. I'm fairly certain that there will be axis on that place as they are all over around there. Not sure if you've ever hunted or ate any axis but I'd strongly recommend them over a whitetail anyday. If you will PM me with a few more details, I should be able to answer some of your questions on what the topo will look like as well as any other concerns you might have about the area.

Eric
TFF - Crappie Terrorist

Download google earth http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html . You can put in the address or GPS and get a satellite view of the area. Some areas have higher resolution then others. Worth a try. Great free tool and fun to use.

Vernon, For a couple years from '99 thru '01 I used to hunt "cleanup's for does and freak's aka cull bucks" on my B I L's lease every year at Thanksgiving northwest of the YO on the Junction/Rock Springs 377 Hwy just north of the Hwy 41 turnoff that goes in front of the YO.

Find running water, or water of any kind, hunt the oak groves, hunt the sunny side of ridges in cold weather and the head of any box canyon you can find, look for any kind of critter you could ever imagine from the "standard" exotics like aoudad, axis, monster sika & Indian black buck or 3-6 different varities of sheep and herds of spanish goat...but we used to go 40-50 miles out of the way south down to Hwy 41 then east from Hwy 377 to Mountain Home, pickup I-10 and then Hwy 16 north on the way home to Dallas for one of the highlights of the trip just west of the YO on the south side of Hwy 41 to see the herds of the really "exotic and unusal" exotics wandering around within sight of the hwy... like both varities of oryx, gemsbok, 3 color phase varities of fallow, kudu, impala, water buck, wildebeast, yadda yadda like driving thru a zoo only just behind a fence on the side of the road. Should be huge herds of russian strain hogs if the place has not been hunted in years, that will dull a knife worse than any North Texas hog I ever killed.

If this place is anything like I was on that bordered the South Llano River at the Blue Hole, the terrain can be as rough and rugged with short sharp very steep arroyo's, couple 2-3-4-500 feet tall bluffs and ridges in the loose limestone shale and granite outcroppings that are heavily treed in live oaks, cedar thickets and mesquite as any I ever seen or flat rolly pasture...but 4x4 and the possibiltiy for longer shots out to 500 yards with your 308 as a minimum is a given. Tkae GOOD binoc's. Just stay off of I-35 whatever you do.

We used Hwy 281 as the primary north/south route out of Hico - Hwy 67 from Dallas and the Hwy 220 cutoff to Hico - and cut west before getting into San Antonio usually on Hwy 29 thru Fredericksburg...and could make it in about 6 -6 1/2 hours to the turnoff into the ranch 40 miles south of Junction on 377 from north Carrollton.

Nephew killed a Silver Medal 32 1/2"?? aoudad if I remember right - biggest I ever saw anyway, I passed a shot on a 150-180 lb black hawaiin sheep that had a triple twist 30-36" wide curl - thought I could not take an exotic at the time,and one year the guy across from Bil's camp took a pair of 6x6 sika bulls that were well over any white tail buck I've ever seen, and I would dearly love to get back onto almost any ground in that area again but it has gotten so pricey it would be like making car payments on a new Cadillac. No telling what that 5000 acres is worth in todays dollars but 6-7 years ago last time I looked it would have gone for $5-10 million as unimproved land.
There are no services handy, except maybe for a Convenience store west of the YO on Hwy 41 at the corner of a county road. Gawd! what beautiful country to hunt in

Please Lord ...just let me win a BIG Lottery...just forward the check to Mountain Home care of General Delivery in my name.
Ron

Thanks Ron and Eric and Grinder. I have Google and some other sat programs, and have maps and pics already. There are supposed to be a lot of hogs there, and tons of whitetails, and the aforementioned exotics. Wish I knew more about them exotics, never put much reading into it because of the areas I am hunting. Hope I can tell a good exotic from a bad one, trophy from baby.

I have asked Santa Claus to bring me a book titled "Exotics of Texas" by Elizabeth Cary Mungall and William J Sheffield....just to drool over.
This book was recc'd as a great field and study guide. I also got a printed handout one time from Guadalupe State Park I can fax/mail you a copy of- very basic but will ID an axis or sika if I can find it -if you don't already suspect I am a pack rat with this kind of stuff - never! throw anything away...just can't always find it fast...but the best thing I used couple years back not ever having seen such a critter my own self and short of walking thru the Dallas Zoo with my fingers cocked like a Texas Tech football fan pointing and going "boom" at the critters in the cages! was to look at some of the pics on the Guides sites from Kerr or Kimble county. I'll see if I saved the website and post it if I can find it.
Ron

That is so funny I asked SANTA Clause to let Sig226 marry into our family this next weekend.