# Spindletop Hunting Club management!



## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

You have our money, now we want our water......the water that we paid for!

It's time for you to do the right thing, (Mike/Hargrave).


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Seems to be alot of that going around this year


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

I only want what I paid for. No one promised any ducks, but they did promise flooded fields. Levies are FULL and just need the pump turned on.


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## Reel Screamer (Jun 8, 2004)

Heard that line before. They promise flooded fields to sucker you in, with the hopes of mother nature doing all the work. When it don't happen, you get ****** off hunters and lame excuses as to why it's not flooded.


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

could this have enough merit to make it in small claims court?


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## drred4 (Aug 12, 2005)

Yep, they don't want to pay the bill to flood those fields to that farmer with his eletric or diesel irrigation pump.


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## callin'coop (Jul 8, 2005)

ringneck said:


> could this have enough merit to make it in small claims court?


depends. If the lease agreement was in writing then yes, if not you are going to have a tough time proving what the verbal agreement was.

P.S. I have been through this before and personally if its not in writing (my situation) you might be screwed which sucks...


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## asolde (May 22, 2004)

Too bad b/c that place could be a good goose and duck hunting spot. I know b/c I have been there when it was. Then it started going bad so I got off. If you can't get Scott to do something about it then go to the owners house and talk to him about it. The other thing that the land owner started doing was drilling wells everywhere. That place has been getting a bad reputation for the last three years on this board.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Go rent you a pump and fire it off at dark, flood it starting with the low end first so if theres a problem you will have water in the low end. WW


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## Reel Screamer (Jun 8, 2004)

As usual, there are two sides to every story and I am sure every effort is being made to make things right. These are stand up guys.


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## TexSpec (Jun 28, 2006)

Who's running that place? I had same sort of trouble with Circle H a few years back. Sounds like same song and dance.


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

What do you mean by "two sides"? Care to explain? By the way, NO EFFORT is being made. As far as stand up guy's, yea, they are good ole boy's, friendly as used car salesmen, but friendly never the less.


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## JCN57 (Feb 25, 2005)

There is still the problem of the canal shutting down and not allowing water to be pumped after Oct. 1. Best bet would be to try and get your money back. Hate to see someone essentially stealing your money and hunting season.


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## Loco Pato (Jun 22, 2004)

Ringneck, first off in the pm I sent you I put my phone number call me, Mike Gill never promised field water even though field water was pumped for teal season ( which has dried up with record high temps low humidty and no rain).( Mike took this lease over a few years ago but since a week ago he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is going through chemo and will not be leasing anymore Richard Holst a member who shoots a lot of birds out there has stepped in to help mike out)There is two resavoirs amounting to over 350 acres of water (which is getting shallow but thats what puddle ducks like and with a decent cold front will migrate in), some flooded timber, 7000 acres of rye grass that was flown in (needs rain to germinate) dove duck and goose hog hunting with shotguns on 17,000 acres for $600 a gun with guest plus immediate family members are welcome and dont count against your guest(basically a $600 family lease)55 members on 17,000 acres. Yes we need rain and we are praying for it. I apoligize that this lease has not met your expectations but to hopefully extend an olive branch to you or any of Mike Gills lease members whom are unhappy e mail me at [email protected] and I would whole heartley extend an invitation to come down to Rockport stay at the lodge and hunt on tidal water with us at no cost. I have been told that Richard and some members had good hunts the first two weekends in the small res and on the shallow flats on the north compartment of the big resavoir. There was new water control structures installed and lots of new levy work prior to teal season on the bottom side of the big ranch so when and if the rain comes it should be great waterfowl hunting. The canal company is considering bringing back some employees and pumping some emergency water for cattle ranchers and will try to bleed off some water to the big resavoir as of this morning thats the story(the 320 acre marsh resavoir is part of the canal system). Thanks and safe hunting.. Scott


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

I will not argue on what was or wasn't promised, I know what I was told. The resv is 1/3 mud bog, you have to repel off the levels and walk 75 feet to get the bottom of your boat wet yet the canal is FULL! The little resv is choked and not huntable. No one has yet to find the rye, it's said to have been out for 2 months so thats a bust. The rye has had more than enough rain to seed out, yes I'm a farmer so dont try to tell me othersie. Flooded rice to hold geese, cant find that either. Nothings was plowed/planted for doves, 17,000 arces of flat cow pasture & oil wells with NO DOVES or water,so no hogs. We were told to shoot hogs only in self-defense, what give here?

*All that aside*, _I'm impressed_ with the olive leaf which is a sign of good faith. I'll past the word, so look for some calls on the rockport offer. Or would you rather that they use your email and not call. PM me.


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## JCN57 (Feb 25, 2005)

Mike Gill tried to tell a buddy of mine they were holding close to 10K teal before the season started 2 years ago, yet no one limited opening morning. I think a lot of people are misled by the place. It is in the chronicle for leasing every week.


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## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

texas waterfowl did that to us a few years ago. told us flooded fields, then they even told us they didnt have enough money to pay to pump the water in so they where hoping the rain would flood the fields.

we scouted some ducks on a semi flooded field once, told them we wanted that spot for the next morning, they said "the ducks are roosting there so no one is hunting it" the nthe next morning we where out hunting the spot we got (close by) and they where day hunting the "roost"

we got off the lease and never looked back
i suggest the same. cut your loses


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## Loco Pato (Jun 22, 2004)

*(All that aside*, _I'm impressed_ with the olive leaf which is a sign of good faith. I'll past the word, so look for some calls on the rockport offer. Or would you rather that they use your email and not call. PM me.) Ring Neck, I am not going to get into an arguement with anyone on who said what but We are fair and can only do so much when conditions get bad. Yes my e mail is best and can be a day or two to reply. You will find that in life you will get more by being civil and not name calling or threats. Thats a good place when conditions are right. I know most areas are dry around here and ducks are spotty. The canal is pumping emergency water for cattle and will be letting some water into that 320 acre resavoir and to give you an idea how dry it is that resavoir was chock full two months ago and all the local water holes have dried thus the emergency water they are pumping for ranchers. Thanks for your patientnce and again we all need rain. P.s. 7000 acres of rye grass was planted(on pastures thats how they do it and if winter shows up dec-march goose hunting there is as good as it gets.


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## spectre (May 24, 2006)

I hunted with Richard the other day and we shot a 1/2 limit of duck. We could have had a few more but missed. I had a great time with a little bit of efffort. As for as the rye grass goes I was told it was flewn in 3 weeks a go, so with no rain the grass has not had enough water to germinate. Good hunt, lots of land just need some rain. 

good hunting to all


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

Loco Pato, 
We'll leave it as it is then. It's shouldn't have had to come to this "open airing" of grevences against ST, but none of the problems were being addressed. A face to face gate meeting or something in writting and all this could have been avoided. Fact is Richard might be too overwelmed to be throwed into this and really isn't fair to him. 
I've found out in life that up front discussion and a contengiency plan for worst case has served me well. When you take someones money for a product or service you also take on the responsibility for a degree of satisfaction and customer service. Thats just good bussiness practices. Water, even gravity flow, to the resv. and the offer to hunt in Rockport is a solid move on your part, it shows good faith and is applauded. 
PS: May be those skin & bones cows will leave alittle grass for the geese?
RN.


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

Spectre,
We have a saying "you cant spit on rye grass and it will grow in the bed of your truck".
Dew will allow rye grass to grow, gulf or brusa, either one.


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## spectre (May 24, 2006)

also the grass is for the cows, we just get the benefits


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## ringneck (Nov 5, 2007)

I have to power wash the "benefits" from underneath my wheel wells ever time I go over there!


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## spectre (May 24, 2006)

your right there are alot of cows ,lol that may be the way they make their money.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

I hunted the place for several years - never was promised water (other than the reservoir) but there was usually some around. Had a lot of fun out there for the money. I don't know Richard or about the rye grass. 

I do know a TON of money has been spent in recent years to improve the way the property holds water, either by the landowner or the outfitter, but with the downturn in rice prices, I'd assume it was done mostly to improve hunting. 

I've also leased elsewhere, with supposedly guaranteed water, and more duck ponds. Problem is it costs about 8 x $600 ($4K-$6K) for a blind. And once in a while even "guaranteed water" doesn't happen. That's hydrology in SE Texas.


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## duck2duck (Nov 16, 2007)

i hunted the spindletop place last year. and yes mike promised alot of things last year also. i was shown a "du pond" that was the smell on the bait. i got on the lease,and a couple of weaks later i was told we lost the du pond. how do you lose something you never had? i complained to mike about the lyes that he told me, and he told me to call scott.i called scott, told hime about the lyes, and he asked me what he could do to make things right. i told him that i thought it would be fair if i got my money back. he told me "that aint gonna happen". he said that mone had already purchased water. lol water that i hadn't seen yet. and it was right after teal season had started. i could go on and on about the lyes


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## cajun connexion (Dec 8, 2007)

Anyone on this lease killing ducks/geese? Does the lease have water now?


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## donbmt (Nov 19, 2004)

Is that lease off of Hwy 90 between Devers and Nome?


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## specked.out130 (Dec 16, 2007)

duck 2 duck, He told me the same thing last year, about the du marsh. He also told me that the levee broke letting all the water out. Same ol excuses every year i guess, He also told me that they kill ducks in the big reservoir/little reservoir all year long. I only did well during teal season, we didn't fire a shot the rest of the year other than a few high fliers out of frustration. and coots. I dont see how he can run a legit business with all the lies. Mike also told us about the wood duck flooded timber, having 100's buzz though every morning. WE went in there for first light before we tried to kill geese, the woodies never showed, never fired a shot at geese either. Never again with these yahoos, if I wanted to waste $600 dollars Id go to bass pro or gander mtn and waste it, at least i would have something to show for it.


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## GrapeNutsCereal (Sep 16, 2004)

wheres that spindletop at?


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## duck2duck (Nov 16, 2007)

*spindletop hunting club*

the lease is just east of devers. although its advertised as devers/winnie. the only way scott and his bunch keep TAKING peoples money is if we don't spread the word.


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## donbmt (Nov 19, 2004)

I hunted there back in the mid '80's and it was as good as you'll ever see for waterfowl. We once damned up so much area that toilets wouldn't flush in Devers, no joke. I sat with TPWD once while they filmed snow geese coming to roost and watched the film later on PBS, I still have the original tape. Back then it was called Red Wolf Ranch and it was truly a waterfowl paradise. I was a season member and got to know all the guides by working at the place in the off season, I would help with goose parties during season, which is where I learned to hunt geese, and would sit in the roost in the evenings listening and observing ducks, it was an unbelievable experience. It was not uncommon to see 10's of thousands of birds at a time, numbers that were given to us by USFW. Someone from Galveston bought the place, Moody?, and we lost the lease. I was once driving to my pond, members had their own ponds, and there was a herd of baby pheasant in the road and wouldn't get out of the way, I later learned that they had been stocked there. I hate to hear that the place is in the shape it is today.

Later


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## MouletteRouge (Aug 11, 2004)

I don't like to slander, so I guess I will keep my mouth shut...but if we were just sitting around "telling bear stories," then I might tell everyone what I think...It's not the least bit pretty either...


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## cajun connexion (Dec 8, 2007)

donbmt, Yes that is the lease. I am a 1st year member and I hunted the big res. a couple of times and killed a few puddle ducks, but not what I expected. I've been around the other parts of the lease and have not found all the geese that I expected.


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