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Mustang Ranch Camp - 2008
Please note: Hunt reports are posted in reverse order. The first hunt of the season is found at the bottom of the page. The most recent hunt is posted at the top.
Also note: click on a photo to enlarge it and to get more information.
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Hunt 3 Dec. 12-16
The third Mustang Ranch hunt was to have been a reunion of all four of last season's hunters, but when the two Californian brothers cancelled, there were only two hunters in camp. With both of them being veterans, they needed little advice and counsel on what to expect or what to do. "Easy keepers", you might call them.
In fact, Art St. John from Westminster, CO was here for the third time. Mike Anderson was back for his second Mustang Ranch adventure. Mike, a fellow Texan, lives in Richardson, up by Dallas.
As was the case at our other camps during this time, weather was a big factor in the hunt. It was either too hot, too windy, or too cold - take you choice. Despite less than ideal conditions, both Art and Mike collected fine bucks. In addition, Mike put three does on the Mustang Ranch tally board and Art took a pair, which was all he really wanted.
In studying the photos below, the attire of the hunters will give you a clue to the variety of the weather during the four days.
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Hunt 2 Dec. 3-7
The second hunt of the 2008 season at the Mustang Camp was to have four hunters in camp for the duration, but it didn't quite work out that way. The four hunters, all of whom work for the same business, were only together for the second night in camp. Here's what happened:
Mike Lloyd arrived the second afternoon, loaded down with more camera equipment than can be carried by a stout mule. But it was Don Wilson who had to leave the next morning when it was learned that his wife was to undergo an emergency operation back in East Texas. Ben McCulloch, owner/operator of the Mustang Ranch rushed Don sixty miles to Brownwood where he rented a car for the fast drive home. The good news is that his wife is reported to be doing well now and is expecting a full recovery. TYJ.
Before the emergency came up, Don had seen seveal bucks, but was still waiting for the big one. Son Travis Wilson, however, connected on a good eleven-pointer, plus three does. However, there is a good story connected with Travis' second doe, with a good photo below that tells the tale. The bullet Travis put into that doe drew lots of blood, but she wasn't found until the next day. But uh-oh, someone else had found her first - a bobcat. Or at least the evidence strongly points that way. The doe was partially eaten and was covered with with grass, safely hidden away for a future meal, or so the cat thought. Come to think of it, the feline might have been a mountain lion - we'll never know for sure.
According to Ben, Mike Lloyd, the camera man, had thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment - several cases full of it - and took thousands of photos during his stay on the Mustang Ranch Camp. With that 16 gig card, even with the camera set for high resolution, your finger would wear out snapping photos before you ran out of room. Ben was furnished a bunch of them, and we hope to post some of the better ones later on down the road.
The other hunter in camp was John Furlow, Jr. who brought along a sack of mandarin oranges he raised in his yard back in Tatum, TX. Who knew oranges grew that far north? Talk about sweet fruit - mercy. The best ever.
Despite the emergency that befell the event, the hunters had a productive hunt. Don, of course, wasn't there long enough to harvest but one doe, but the rest of the group filled all the slots on Ben's tally board in his skinning shed, except for one DNF doe next to Mike's name. The old girl was tracked at least a half-mile and was never found. But the good news from this event was that it was learned that John Furlow has an amazing ability to track a deer. He was finding blood that the others simply could not see. Maybe we ought to adopt Bro. John and make a pet out of him during the hunting season. It would be super-handy to have a good tracker at our beck-and-call.
Lots of photos are posted below, but no matter how many are shown, it is impossible to capture the fun that is had on a hunt at the Mustang Ranch Camp.
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Hunt 1 Nov. 10-13
The first hunt of the Mustang Ranch 2008 season found some mighty familiar faces in camp, and a couple of new ones.
Each year since signing on with our Adobe Lodge group of hunting camps back in 2004, Ben McCulloch has hosted Kevin Niedoba and Ross Restuccio from New Jersey. This was their fifth consecutive year to hunt the Mustang Ranch. But instead of coming with their amigos, the Grassos, this year Ross brought his two sons, Ross Jr. and Frank. Kevin lives in Berlin and the Restuccios live in Hammonton. It is always great to see old friends, and this year was no different. And it was our pleasure to meet Ross's two fine sons.
The hunting got off to a slow start due to the wind, which was plaguing hunting all over the area. Finally, when the wind laid, things got better. All the Restuccios took bucks plus their quota of three does. Kevin, who hunted our Home Camp with his dad years ago and has plenty of experience hunting deer in Texas, knows what to look for about as good as anybody. He waited and waited for that exceptional buck and wasn't going to be satisfied with anything less. When finally he decided to pull the trigger, he missed. Because Kevin had made good shots on the three does he had already taken, the guides returned to the "scene of the crime" to gather evidence. Which they found in the form of two broken twigs exactly in Kevin's line of sight. If this excuse won't stand up in court, we cannot come up with a better one. Not a drop of blood was found - a clean miss for sure.
So the Mustang Ranch tally board was filled except for that buck slot next to Kevin's name. Four hunters took 12 does and three bucks (plus a couple of twigs). As a matter of interest, all twelve does were just the right kind to harvest - big, mature, older does. Well done, hunters. This doe harvest helps manage the herd. Thanks.
Ross Jr. and brother Frank were keely interested in the methods used by guides Cam Kleibrink and Mike Turner to process deer. In the photos below, the Restuccio brothers are doing all the work while the guides are watching and instructing. Wow - this might start some kind of trend. We ought to open a special school to share our secrets of buthering deer. And the Mustang Camp could teach the rest of us all the secrets in getting their hunting clients to do all the work.
Better yet, come hunt with the Mustang Ranch to see the process for yourself on sight, in person. Photos cannot capture the entire event. We promise - Cam and Mike will process the deer - you can simply watch.
As he always does, Little Ben McCulloch put some mighty good meals on the table. Don't come to the Mustang Ranch and think you are going to lose weight.
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