South Texas Whitetail Deer
Early September rut begins. Bucks (male deer) use their antlers to fight each other and win does (female deer). Only the bucks possess antlers. The rut season lasts for several months, the continuous fighting can be very hard on the bucks and can cause some to die. In the spring the bucks lose their antlers and begin to grow new ones, normally larger than the year before. Late spring and throughout summer is when the does begin to have their fawns. The fawns are brown with spots covering their backs. The spots create a camouflage for the fawn and protect it from predators. Often they are left alone for hours at a time, while the mother feeds. Sometimes fawns are found by hikers and others in the woods and thought to be orphaned or abandoned. Like most animals, deer mothers do not abandon healthy offspring. They are usually nearby and watching while humans carry the fawn away intending to “rescue” the baby. The best thing to do if you find a fawn in the wild is to leave it alone. They are very cute but they don’t need to be rescued by humans, what they need are their mothers and when you go away, the mother will return.
South Texas produces the biggest white-tailed deer, due to the protein in the brush that the deer eat there. During a spring of average precipitation, the nutritional value of some brush can exceed 21 percent crude protein. Even the ubiquitous prickly pear cactus, which contains about seven percent crude protein, is fortified with carbohydrates, representing an important source of energy for deer. This is particularly important for mature bucks during the post-rut period when they experience substantial weight loss. Prickly pear represents a valuable energy source when deer need it most and is plentiful in South Texas.
777 Ranch History
777 Ranch is the premier hunting ranch in the United States and has been for well over 50 years. The Ranch was acquired by African Dangerous Game Professional Hunter Jeff Rann and has never been the same. The ranch has been in operation for decades and the herds that call the ranch home are unique, exotic, and challenging to hunt. The ranch is home to over 60 species of animals from 80 different countries spanning 5 continents. The game on 777 Ranch is unlike anything you could ever hope to find in the wild.
Each animal is managed and kept so that the animal that you are hunting is going to be healthy a perfect specimen, and they are also going to have big horns. The brush of Southern Texas is similar to the brush of Africa making the location of the ranch perfect for a wide range of species. The animals are all healthy, they are given access to medical care as needed, and they have been bred with the best genetics in mind. The game at 777 Ranch is also allowed to fully mature so hunting an exotic like the Dama Gazelle is going to get you a fine specimen that is perfect for any hunter.