Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 5, 2010 20:48:52 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Was just sorting some of my wife's pics from around the yard and the ranch. Thought I'd post a few just for fun. Thanks for looking.....Mel If you look real hard you can see a huge blackbuck way out in a valley just over the hill from our house. Elvis, our pet blackbuck, just outside out game fence. Feeding time: Some of our larger bucks a few weeks ago. All are much larger now. A fawn cooling off in the stock tank A ground skink. These little boogers are all over the garden. A Guadalupe Spiny softshell turtle on one of our pond dams And finally, A Texas sunset over our yard
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Post by catskillrocks on Sept 5, 2010 21:08:08 GMT -5
Ya know, Mel, I don't post too much, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your posts, whether of your latest perfect polished batch, your cool rock finds, your ranch photos, all the narrative, and your endless knowledge of all things lapidary. You & many others are such an asset to this hobby.
Thank You!
Don
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Post by rockmanken on Sept 5, 2010 21:48:48 GMT -5
Ditto. Ken
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Post by Bikerrandy on Sept 5, 2010 23:08:14 GMT -5
Your ranch is totally awesome bud, great pics!!
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Post by texaswoodie on Sept 6, 2010 7:04:50 GMT -5
Do you guys allow hunting Mel? If not, how do you control the population?
Curt
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,639
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Post by carloscinco on Sept 6, 2010 7:23:13 GMT -5
Great looking place Mel. Love the wildlife. Those blackbucks are establishing themselves outside of game ranches in lots of places now.
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spokanetim
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2009
Posts: 656
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Post by spokanetim on Sept 6, 2010 8:15:24 GMT -5
Holly Cow, now that's a ranch! You have a amazing place.
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Post by tanyafrench on Sept 6, 2010 8:44:39 GMT -5
What a blessing to wake up in the morning to sights like that. Thank you for taking us along for a peak at life on your ranch. Tanya
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 6, 2010 9:35:04 GMT -5
Curt: We mainly trap and dart up to about 250 animals per year but we're trying to work it out among the other owners so we can do some selective shooting of the doe and spike whitetail so we can get into the population a little better ( we need to remove about 300-350 per year). We also need to eliminate the Axis deer ( friggin giants!) and reduce the mouflon herd from about a hundred down to maybe a dozen or so but it's very difficult working it out among a bunch of co-owners some of which are ardently anti-hunting. The blackbuck thrive here except during very cold winters and they bring very good prices and eat grass which is good. The mouflon are not very valuable and compete heavily with our cattle and the blackbuck so there are multiple issues to work out...Mel
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Sept 6, 2010 9:59:31 GMT -5
What a Blessed place to live Mel. I also appreciate all you bring to the forum. Steve
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Sept 6, 2010 10:28:16 GMT -5
Hey Mel!
You got Karen to look over my shoulder with these pics!!!!
Post a few more and We'll be out to meet you in the spring!!!
Love your wildlife!
But man, you pay in chiggers, scorpions, random scary lookin' bugs, and masses of hairy spiders that lurk in dark corners.
Actually, it looks pretty awesome!
I love your quote, what was it...something about your wildlife fences are meant to keep the people in, not the wildlife out... Something like that....
Hope you're done with your birthday cake, and boy, it looks like somebody up high decided to ice the sky with some wonderful colors,
Lowell
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 6, 2010 12:13:02 GMT -5
Howdy Lowell, Spring time is a good time. The wildflowers are awesome around here. I think my quote was something to the effect that here on the ranch the people are in the cages while the animals roam free. regarding the chiggers and such: I think there's another old Texas saw that says " In Texas, if it don't bite, kick, stink or sting, it probably has thorns!" *L*..Mel
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Post by beefjello on Sept 6, 2010 12:23:49 GMT -5
Very cool Mel! The black bucks look like they'd be more at home out on the Serengeti! Do the bucks have velvet on their antlers? Man you got a nice slice of nature there. Have you seen many rattlers on the ranch?
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Gem'n I
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2008
Posts: 980
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Post by Gem'n I on Sept 6, 2010 12:35:05 GMT -5
Mel,
You sure traded land at the right time...now all you need are some lions and you could set up a safari ranch..course you then would have to be a little careful in looking for rocks...cool place!!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 6, 2010 14:48:02 GMT -5
Beef: Blackbuck are actually from the scrub deserts of India and Nepal. Incredibly fast and apparently used to be preyed upon by cheetah. When they get really rolling, they make long horizontal and fairly high leaps. Very impressive to watch as when one starts, it usually gets the whole herd going. The whitetail are just starting to rub off their velvet now and soon will be in rut when they go fairly psychotic. We have rattlers but they are fairly rare as here their rodent food base is fairly small compared to many areas of Texas. Coral snakes are probably the most common poisonous snake but being nocturnal and subterranean they seldom come into contact with people.....Mel
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Post by texaswoodie on Sept 7, 2010 5:37:31 GMT -5
I no longer hunt Mel, but still get ticked by Tree Huggers that would rather see an animal starve than be shot. Wouldn't be much fun to walk up to one of those dudes, pet it, then shoot it. ;D But better for the animal and puts food in the freezer.
Curt
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Post by frane on Sept 7, 2010 13:33:35 GMT -5
I love these pictures Mel! I too was wondering about the crowd control. There is a power plant that is pretty much deserted in San Angelo that has so many deer living inside it's fences it boggles the mind! They are safe there though so they stay. Now, you made me homesick with that sunset! Fran
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