THE CURRENT BIGWOODS BUZZ

SEPTEMBER 2011

 

We’ve almost lived through the worst Texas summer of my lifetime. We got about ½ inch of rain from June thru September. I never before knew that 100 degrees would seem like a cold front (compared to 110). Tons of 50 year old oak trees have died. I guess the only surprise is not that so many have died but that any are still alive. If this goes on much longer I may have to change the name from the BigWoods to My BigSomalia in Texas. At least, unlike some of the unfortunates around us, we didn’t literally burn up, though I guess we gave it a pretty good figurative run for the money. 

But the animals are still here. There was plenty of forage through about the end of August and, hopefully, our several thousand of acres of food plots will carry the deer in good shape through the winter. 

I guess because of their having to move in search of food, we’ve seen more deer and, now for some good news, more big deer than ever before during our August deer census. 

Our hog and deer bookings are moving apace, but we still have some openings. Due to our high deer numbers, Texas Parks & Wildlife issued us about double our usual number of doe permits, enabling me to offer a really good value for father-son or daughter doe packages. This is an inexpensive way for someone to check out the BigWoods if you’ve never been here before. Nonetheless, we still have a 1:1 doe/buck ratio, still quite a good accomplishment for a fair chase ranch, if I say so myself. Also, for those of you who attended Ivy League schools, if you do the complicated math, you can figure out that we also have about double our usual number of bucks. 

As another salute to our deer herd, the top rated TV series, THE AMERICAN WHITETAIL AUTHORITY will film another event/episode here this October. This means that for the second year in a row, they have selected The BigWoods as one of the top five fair chase deer hunting ranches in the entire United States! And, as Abraham Lincoln might have said, it looks like it’s becoming an annual event. 

We took some advantage of the dry weather by constructing several new duck marshes this summer. Even though, so far, we’ve had no natural rain, I expect our “electric creeks” will be able to fill up about half of them if nature doesn’t come to the rescue. Unfortunately, we are pretty much sold out as far as duck hunts, but people are known to drop off, so, if you’re interested, call up and get on our waiting list. 

So, unless you see on the news that the BigWoods has become the center of a galactic marsh-mellow roast, yall come, and to repeat from the last BigWoods Buzz which, I think might already be the BigWoods lietmotif, despite the drought:  

In the meantime, we’ll be working on more mischief @ The BigWoods where ya never know what ya might run across, completely in line with the observation of British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane, “Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.”

P.S. I almost forgot to mention the biggest milestone of the year: For the first time in 40 years, quail are back!!! Prairie grass restoration does work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Robert F. McFarlane M.D.

Owner and Sole Proprietor of the BigWoods

And More Importantly,

Owner of Spook