A Morning on the Ranch: Life Between Hunts

It takes more than patience sitting in a blind to effectively manage predators while having visitors on your working ranch. Time to stock, maintain equipment and inspect pasture between sits is as valuable as sitting in the blind itself. The same schedule is used for your working ranch and for visitors.

Start with the route, not the rifle

Check with the landowner or person responsible for the property before you leave for the day to get an idea of the best route for the destinations you plan to visit for the day. Even a short trip can cross a pasture, service road or section of property being used by stock and other people including other hunters. Stick to established roads unless they’re bogged. Wet clay, loose caliche or sloppy edges to water troughs can transform an apparently easy repositioning into a recovery job. Even short distances can be better walked when the ground is doubtful, in order to avoid screwing up the road and allowing the trucks to determine your schedule. When arriving at a stop guests should decide where to park and how to communicate with others before leaving their vehicles. This should be decided in the morning before feeling tired, being too hot or when light is failing, and landowner instructions take precedence over convenience.

Gates and water deserve a deliberate check

Gates on a ranch are working pieces of equipment. Check to see if a closed looking gate is latched. A chain can slip when it is under tension and lying on the ground. Do not assume the last person to go through a gate had closed it. Make sure it is closed and left as you found it. Inspect water points carefully for signs of stress: look for a damaged or missing float, loose pipes, fresh mud around the edges or signs that animals have been pushing at the trough. While you may want to make repairs to a water point that shows signs of stress, it is generally better to report your observations to the landowner as soon as possible rather than making any repairs. Finding signs of recent animal activity such as tracks going to a water point, soil being disturbed around a dam edge, bird or mammal hair or even signs of recent animal rubs against trees can be great indicators of where animals may be moving. However, the signs of wildlife must be viewed with evidence in mind and greatly affected by recent wind, rain, human and animal activity and even by recent maintenance activity on the property.

Keep the vehicle and shade working for you

A lot of vehicles are only used between trips to move supplies, equipment and people. Check all of the vital items before you take off on your next trip. Items such as fuel, tyres, lights, communication devices as well as the location of recovery and first aid equipment. Also, clear away any loose gear that could become a hazard in the event of an accident by sliding around in the vehicle. When parking choose a place that allows enough room for other vehicles to pass and room for ranch hands to move around. Be sure to park so that you don’t block gates and keep clear of low hanging limbs and soft shoulders. A shaded area is desirable in hot weather for the comfort of people and gear but keep in mind that a shaded area is not necessarily a safe area to park. Ant activity, dying branches, pools of water and positions that restrict visibility of the vehicle are just a few things to watch out for when choosing a safe parking area. Having everything with you creates a trade off between having comfort & emergency supplies and being able to easily move short distances. Choose to take more stuff as needed based on distance to destination, weather, etc. and avoid packing so much ‘comfort’ gear that you are crowded out of essential items like water, communications, and room to get in & out of vehicle.

Make gear checks brief and repeatable

A gear check between sits should be as straightforward as confirming hearing and eye protection are available as required, checking the weather and the clothing you are wearing and ensuring all essential gear has been brought from the previous location and all is in order with your packs. You need to take an extremely cautious approach to firearms and related equipment. Be sure to keep guns pointed in a safe direction and adhere to the landowner’s and guide’s methods for managing such equipment. Check the condition of such gear only in an approved location. Be extremely cautious when loading, unloading, storing or checking the function of firearms. All such actions must be done in compliance with current laws, range rules and any specific safety instructions you have been provided. If in doubt about anything – don’t do it – ask for guidance. You would pack differently for a short stroll from a vehicle and a long trek, needing more water, more weather clothing and more means of communication. And remember, having more of something is not better. It can slow you down, be noisy and make it harder to realize you are missing something when you’ve got duplicates.

Read sign without forcing a conclusion

When out of stand take time to determine useful sign from normal disturbance. A track crossing a road as a sign of animal travel on that route is of little value as to when that animal traveled. Freshness to a sign can be determined by sharp edges, loose, fresh soil, and very good detail. Note repeated use of paths through cover, worn crossings over fences, etc. Only move the point for an observation after sufficient information has been gathered to warrant a change in venue. Note that in open country, animal signs are more visible than in heavily vegetated, washed out or fenced areas and thus are more appropriate for observations in such locales. Resist the urge to interact with sign, even if you have permission to be on that property for other reasons. In your activity plan, note what sign you find and take photos from a safe distance, then inform your guide as soon as possible. This way you can ensure that the sign is recorded safely without reason to subsequently destroy habitat or set up unsafe situations.

Choose the next sit with the whole property in mind

Just because a site is nearest does not mean it is best. Consider wind, access, shade, backstop to scenery, wildlife activity, new sign of wildlife use and whether another will need the same road or pasture. While a site with good sign is attractive, safe fields of view and minimal disturbance to carry out ranch work can override good sign. Staying may save time and disturbance on a site that has stable conditions. However, moving to a new site could be more beneficial if the wind has changed, visibility has dropped, it has become too hot or that new sign has been found in a different area and that area provides suitable fields of view and will not disrupt other aspects of the ranch work. Telling others about changes is essential. A guide or landowner needs to know where guests are going when there are vehicles, livestock and other hunters using the property. This is part of responsible predator management not an after thought of administration.

Between-sit field checklist

Between-sit field checklist

Good days on Texas properties are made of good small decisions. Gate latched, pathway unobstructed and guests leave as instructed. Report a water problem (dmg, unusual activity, a maintenance issue) before it becomes a bigger problem. Make sure your vehicle is fueled, tyres are in good condition, lights are working and you have all necessary communication and recovery gear with you. A clean vehicle with checked gear and a shared location with working ranch staff ensures that guests arrive as safely as possible and leave as safely as possible.

Let the work shape the morning

Observe, maintain, inform others and move to a new spot with caution. Make sure the area for your shade is stable, clearly visible and does not pose any hazards. In addition, ensure that you have all necessary equipment with you, safely stowed and suitable for the next walk or sit. From there on, choose a new spot only if the guide, the property and current law allow you to move to a better location. All signs are treated with caution and the same question asked of them: Are they part of a pattern or are they an isolated incident of doubt? Moving to another location is better than staying put only if the new location is better than the location that was left. The weather, terrain, cover and animal movements all change so the standard remains the same. Good manners and respect for the property are what allow for a good sit later on.