I am part of a fortunate group of hunters that lease out the 5,400 acre Cotulla Ranch, a South Texas sportsman's paradise located on the border of Webb and Dimmit counties. This low-fence wildlife sanctuary in the heart of the famed "Golden Triangle" is full of surprises. Only two years into a six year lease, we're constantly mesmerized by the creatures that inhabit this rugged, yet beautiful ecosystem.
A photogenic mountain lion and a 178" whitetail buck that is as old as he'll ever be, top the list, but each day brings something new. It could be the explosive quail population that has shown us twenty-covey days. It could be the traffic from our neighbors South of the border. It could be a seven foot rattlesnake, an albino blue-wing teal, or a flight of doves that reminds you of a certain Alfred Hitchcock movie. Usually though, it's the deer. Bucks that will haunt a hunter's dreams for years. They're not standing in a picturesque pear flat around every bend in the road, but they're there, and usually where you least expect them.
It's that element of surprise that makes the South Texas experience so unique and so incredibly enjoyable. Couple the mystique with brilliantly colored sunsets, star-studded night skies, a chorus of coyotes, and campfire camaraderie, and it's easy to get addicted.
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Enjoying a sundowner at the big lake - June 2009.
