Has anyone ever quail hunted there?

I've been there, visited with Ronnie smith.

I have dealt withhis brother in done dogs. I saw he ran the dogs down there and got me interested. I know birds numbers have been decent this year but have never heard of the Quail hunting there. Always just deer and nilgai

Beretta and Pointing Dog Journal did a video of a quail hunt down there several years ago. Pointing Dog Journal sponsored an essay contest and chose the winner to go along for the ride. The winner then wrote an article about the trip.

I saw the video and posted that they had grained the roads on the PDJ BB. Some of the people on there were not too happy with the post. They also shot un-pointed birds on the video. The dog work was good but not great.

http://www.ammoland.com/2008/10/next-on-.../#axzz4WQE5tXVF

ACCOKEEK, MARYLAND – Join hosts Chris Dorsey and Steve Smith as they introduce an enthusiastic young man to his first quail hunt in Texas. This team travels to South Texas, one of the few places left that has an abundance of bobwhite quail. There they will hunt the Mariposa Ranch, the premier spot in North America. The Mariposa spans 45,000 contiguous acres across Brooks and Kenedy counties and offers a diverse terrain that is an ideal habitat for the birds.

While this guest hunter may have won a contest to be at the Mariposa Ranch with Chris and Steve, can he win out against one of the stealthiest fliers in the world? Tune in and see how they fare against the bobwhites at the Mariposa Ranch this week on Beretta’s Bird Hunter’s Journal.

This exciting show will air on VERSUS Monday, November 3rd at 10 a.m. and Saturday, November 8th at 8 a.m. EST. For a listing of future shows and any schedule changes please visit .

I don't think they drive off the road, that's why they feed the roads

Not driving off mowed trails, or lanes, has become the norm for South Texas in recent years, if that is what you are referring to as roads.
We use to follow the dogs cross country. No more. Too many pasture fires. All the ranches we hunt insist that the trucks, or vehicle, stay on the lane, or road. We walk out to the point. And yes, many feed the lanes...many do not.

Yes, a commercial operation. Typical Falfurrias Ranch with oak motts and sand. Good quail population, good guide staff. Because it is so Sandy, you really would not want to drive a heavybtruck off senderos.

My group and I just got back from Mariposa. The numbers are down and some of the dogs aren't much on pointing and holding birds...the people are nice and the ranch is nice...but for what we paid I am very disappointed...

If we would have been allowed to get off the roads I know we would have seen much more action...some better dog work would have helped tremendously as well...

Was Ronnie Smith guiding?

He popped up to the house one morning, as we were loading up to go out, and introduced himself...told us the bird numbers were down...nice guy, didn't stay long and we never saw him again...our guides were both from out of state, one from Nevada the other from Kentucky...

Were you allowed to bring your own dogs if you had any?

Before the hunt they said I could talk to Ronnie about it...we thought about bringing our own string but then we decided that Ronnie Smith's dogs should be great dogs to hunt behind and we decided to give our dogs a rest and I never called him to set it up...I doubt we had any of Ronnie's dogs on our hunts...or I doubt he'd claim them...

...another tough lesson learned...wish it would have been a less expensive lesson...

I've heard its been really hot down there. Ronnie said dogs were having trouble with the tough scenting conditions. If he wasn't there, you weren't hunting over his dogs. Had it been cooler, I'm sure you would've had better dog work.

January our finds dropped in Cameron and Will act counties. Not sure why..it has been drier and hotter than usual.

I hunted the Five Sevens Ranch near Premont last week-end and had just a glorious hunt seeing in excess of 40 coveys on Saturday. We did drive off the roads but frankly it was easier to walk rather than climb up and down from the truck every time the dog pointed. The ranch is a success story of land that has been the pet project of the owner for the past 9 years. I was able to use my own dogs as well as their dogs. It is a very exclusive hunt with only three hunts booked per season. I consider this ranch to what quail hunting heaven must be like. PM me if you want any additional information or go to their web site.

Just returned from mariposa. My only comment is disappointing.

The ranch clearly has birds. You found them by accident every time you ventured far enogh off the road chasing covies busted by the truck. Because the dogs got beat by the trucks every time we went out.
It seems like their goal is to do all they can to keep you off the birds. It was like the strip club of quail hunting. Look all you want but no touching. The truck will not leave the road and the truck goes on the route chosen, wind direction be damned. Riding a diesel pickup downwind is a recipe for not finding quail. Also, they only run one dog at a time.

I can also say that I agree with some of the above posts that the dog work was horrible. I have given away dogs better than some of the ones we hunted over.

Accommodations are ok but need some updating. Food is beyond subpar for the price. Thank goodness for whataburger in fal.

The ranch is great. The habitat is great. Tons of wildlife. It just felt tired. Like they didn't care if you ever came back because they already had my money.

That's probably the reason,the smith's run their personal dogs on the king ranch.

Overall disappointed, not with the property,but the operation. I never gripe about not killing birds or not catching fish with a guide. That's the way it goes some times. But when the effort is clearly not there and five figures trade hands I get upset.

I was a guest at the Mariposa last year. There clearly was a disparity in guides and dogs. The best were the ones from Wisconsin.
With that soft sand you are going to have trouble if you drive a big quail rig off the road--especially if it is an automatic. (I hunted similar country on the cage ranch years ago--not kind to big quail trucks, you are better off walking or taking an atv.
The owner of the Mariposa is apparently a difficult person to deal with. He wants a count of birds shot called in to him immediately after the hunt. I had heard that Ronnie Smith was trying to start a guide service to hunt off the ranch, but some of the guides were resistant because he wanted them to provide a S. Texas style truck--a pretty big investment.
The guy on the King Ranch is Rick's brother. Delmar gave him the guide business on the King Ranch and Rick got the training business.
Rick brought his cousin, Ronnie, into the training business.