We are west of Big Lake and south of 67. [/quote]

You on the O7?

The notorious 07. Yes I was on it a few years ago. The lake once know as Big Lake was on my lease. By far the worst ever lease in my lifetime. The guy running it then was Roy Bobitt from Odessa Tx. Place sucked. Heavily over hunted. Didn't shoot a rabbit that yr. then again there weren't any. I always saw the add in the Odessa American looking for numerous hunters. Maybe it has rebounded??

I hunted the Adobe ranch back in 08 leased it from Tommy in town group of us(40) or so not many deer for a 20k acre ranch had some friends who have hunted in Texas before and couldn't understand why there werent many deer on it seems there were more bucks than does seems bout 75-80bucks were killed and around 40+ does not sure but they were from La and they leased it the next yr but i got out killed 125" 10pt and turkey that was it let some bucks go and does have mule deer and mountain lions on it which may be reason not many deer there...supposely hadnt been hunted in bout 20yrs after family that owned it passed away and willed it to UT..... any questions u can pm me
thanks
Jeff

any body hunt the owens ranch

Why do you ask this? I hunt on the Adobe as well. Were you on the lease with benbob east of biglake off of 67?

7Mag, I've been hunting the 07 ranch since 2009 and it has been a struggle getting it back in shape. The guy that leases the ranch for grazing and hunting rights let us take out the outfitter since we know him. We have been trying to manage it and let the deer repopulate. Of course the dry conditions have crippled that somewhat. A few really nice deer have been taken the last couple of years.

I was suprised at how many old deer feeder pens we have found... I can see why there was no deer out there if the outfitter had that many hunters.

I hunted the Elkins Ranch for a while. I begins at Barnhart and runs along 67 towards Big Lake. It's 20,000 acres. Part of it is highway frontage but there's a strip along the highway owned by some old woman. There is a 700 yard range on the lease and any time we sighted in our rifles during bow season, she called the GW.

Two Elkins brothers live on it (separate houses) and one of them used to be a JP or Judge or something. He told me that their family was going to lose the ranch for taxes back in the 30s (I think) so they deeded it to UT. Their contract says they can run cows on it as long as a family member lives on the property. He also said that UT sets the $$/acre lease price. Don't know that part as a fact though. Maybe he just wanted to blame the increases on somebody else.

You on the O7?

The notorious 07. Yes I was on it a few years ago. The lake once know as Big Lake was on my lease. By far the worst ever lease in my lifetime. The guy running it then was Roy Bobitt from Odessa Tx. Place sucked. Heavily over hunted. Didn't shoot a rabbit that yr. then again there weren't any. I always saw the add in the Odessa American looking for numerous hunters. Maybe it has rebounded??

I hunted the Adobe ranch back in 08 leased it from Tommy in town group of us(40) or so not many deer for a 20k acre ranch had some friends who have hunted in Texas before and couldn't understand why there werent many deer on it seems there were more bucks than does seems bout 75-80bucks were killed and around 40+ does not sure but they were from La and they leased it the next yr but i got out killed 125" 10pt and turkey that was it let some bucks go and does have mule deer and mountain lions on it which may be reason not many deer there...supposely hadnt been hunted in bout 20yrs after family that owned it passed away and willed it to UT..... any questions u can pm me
thanks
Jeff [/quote]

Hmm, I was on the o7 when the LA boys were on the Adobe across the fence. Those LA guys shot it up pretty bad. We took some good bucks off of the o7 and passed on many future studs, but once the LA boys moved in next door all of our prospect bucks took off the next year.

Not sure if the same guy is still running it. I know when I was hunting it, I went through Randy Piel of the Trans Pecos Hunt Club and his brother Armen. Good guys.

I believe this is the largest buck we took off of the O7. Member of my hunting party, Roy Barner, takes the credit for this one.

147 and change

Pretty sure my hunting party is the one that had it before you. We used it as a corporate ranch to entertain clients and take clients hunting. We had something like 30 stands/feeders on it, majority of them were never hunted. So yea, I'm betting your finding ALLOT of old feeder pens.

CSDarden what year was that one taken? Was it pretty shot out when yall were there? We dont see a whole lot of deer at the feeders. Seems like the doe's tend to stay away from feeders more than the bucks.


Here is a pic of a nice one we have on camera.
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc428/brandon507/untitled.jpg

tu land

Not sure why my phone does quotes like that.

Anyways, I think the last year we had the o7 was 2007, and Roy's buck was taken the year prior.

In 2006, we had so many GREAT bucks that we let walk... we knew 2007 was going to be a knockout year. Then the drought hit hard and the Louisiana boys hit harder. Sounded like WW3 over there.

Trapper still living on the o7? Out in front of hunter's house, that circle, there was a trailer house on the right hand side (if your looking off the porch) where ROOSTER, the trapper lived. He always seemed to know where the bruisers were any given weekend.

He also caught yotes and sold their urine.... wonder how profitable that it?

This is the best buck I saw my last year on the o7... and I shoulda popped him, but wasnt after a buck.
This was my favorite set on the ranch. This area is off the main road heading towards camp off the left hand side. A road will cut back behind you to your left. Had feeder down there and blind up on that hill there that faces the road.

Yes, my hunting group leased the whole thing as a corporate lease.

Same blind? Really? They didn't go get the dang blinds? Been wondering where they all went. I know they got the feeders, still have all 35-40 of them. But I got home from college and our collection of blinds (40-50 probably) had dwindled to 3... makes sense now. SMH.

We tend to leave allot of stuff when we switch places.

I think NighBird and/or family has taken two nice 10's from a blind I left in Howard County 2 years ago. No telling how many we left on 07. I know we left allot on Brown, Turk, and Poulter as well.

Yes im sure it was the same one. I can see the insulation where its weathered in your photo. Its not there anymore though. Burned down to the stand frame after the fire. BTW it was the same pen too! I appreciate yall leaving it though so i didnt have to build it!