Charles and Nancy Hundley began their ranch improvement program 10 years ago by reducing the number of cattle and deer and cross-fencing to improve grazing management, but this year they take home one of Texas’ Lone Star Land Steward awards. Their wildlife program on the High Lonesome Ranch emphasizes management for trophy white-tailed deer, quail and dove in combination with a cow-calf operation.
Important goals include nutritional improvement, genetic development, and water conservation. Since water availability is an important key to wildlife diversity in South Texas, the ranch has focused on capturing rainfall through vegetation and soils management along with construction of tanks, diversion levees, and pipelines.
The ranch offers quality hunting for deer, feral hog, dove, quail and turkey as well as fishing, photography, and educational tours. According to Hundley, wildlife management is like poker — you learn what to keep and what to throw away.