FORECAST: 2005/2006 Hunting Season

Dear Friends,

It's that time again, to forecast the upcoming hunting season in Texas! It’s been unusually hot but then again the rains have been heavier these past few weeks and we have averaged out on rainfall for the year. However, a cold brisk winter morning…couldn’t get here fast enough for me. I am truly ready to waste away a day, sittin' in a blind, disconnected from email and cell phones, contemplating some analytical subject like Evolution vs. Creationism or even peace in the middle east. What the heck, I may just decide to turn the ole' brain off.

As you may have heard by now, it’s expected to be a very productive season. The forecast for the Lone Star State is better than ever! With more than five million deer living in Texas, not to mention the dozens of bucks scoring 150-inches or better that are tagged each and every fall, we rarely have a year that we could call “down right pathetic”. But with that said, conditions in 2004 were exceptional and 2005 is shaping up with similar weather results out at Sycamore Creek Ranch near Del Rio, Texas.

As reported by the national weather service, “The average July 2005 temperature in Del Rio was 87.9 degrees, 2.6 degrees above normal. Rainfall from January 1st to July 31st was 10.44 inches, that's 0.43 inches below normal.” However, I talked with our ranch manager Charles Bruce this morning and he was lovingly complaining about the wet weather, thick brush, and constant necessary mowing. All in all, I would have to say...a typical summer in south central Texas! Meaning, the deer that got away last year will look just as good if not better this season.

As you may already know, just last year our Edwards Plateau region of central Texas had one of the best spring seasons in more than 20 years and the antler and fawn production were superb. At Sycamore Creek Ranch, with an average regional Whitetail score of about 120, we harvested 5 bucks scoring above 140 in 2004.. It was the best season in our 23 year history. And on the heels of last year’s amazing season, the 2005/2006 deer season in Texas could also prove to be a mega-antler year. Of course, since antler quality depends on much more than just rainfall, Sycamore Creek Ranch has a number of management practices applied to its 10,000+ free-range contiguous acres, which play an important role in producing good quality bucks including limited guided hunting and selective buck harvest practices.

However, with good rains and good management comes a tougher hunting environment. To be successful, a hunter is going to have to implement some well-thought strategy this season. The General Whitetail hunting season in our area will begin on November 5 thru January 15, the same for Rio Grande Turkey. Exotics can be hunted year-around. As for the peak whitetail rut, dates for our area can range from mid-November to as late as Christmas Eve and as a general rule, I prefer the first or second week of December.

Sycamore Creek Ranch is a privately owned family ranch founded in 1982 by internationally recognized Big Game Hunter David B. Terk. David hunted in nearly every hunting region in the world including Africa, Alaska, British Columbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Nepal and Mongolia. David was also an outdoor enthusiast dedicated to wildlife conservation and a member of many organizations such as The Grand Slam Club, Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, International Sheep Hunters Association, Safari Club International and Ducks Unlimited. You can learn more about David at Dave's Page. Dave was an avid sheep hunter and with this type of history, he put together one of the most special hunting facilities in the state of Texas. Besides an abundance of native Texas game, Sycamore Creek Ranch is also home to some ten species of exotic animals including Aoudad, Blackbuck, Sika, Axis, Ibex, Fallow, Mouflon, Scimitar-horned Oryx and Barasingha. We have a beautiful 3,000+ square foot lodge with a vista view for miles and we welcome you to visit us this fall. For more information, contact us at 512-894-4868. And whatever you decide to do, have a fun and safe hunting season in Texas!

Best Regards,
Wheat and Kristin Terk Belt
Kimberly Terk Murphy