# biggest high fence ranch in tx ?



## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

I always hear about high fence ranches that are "too small". What is the largest high fence ranch you have heard of or hunted on ?


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## donkeyman (Jan 8, 2007)

anaconcha ranch near sportford tx


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## donkeyman (Jan 8, 2007)

junco ranch was huge also


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

I hunted on a 10,000 acre ranch and an 8,000 acre high fenced ranch.

Ain't no zoos lol.

TH


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Boggy Slough is 20,000+ acres high fenced.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Not Texas, but Kodiak Island off the coast of Alaska is 2,300,858 acres and you've got them hemmed up big time because there ain't no way they're getting off that island alive.


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

AvianQuest said:


> Not Texas, but Kodiak Island off the coast of Alaska is 2,300,858 acres and you've got them hemmed up big time because there ain't no way they're getting off that island alive.


There's bears in them there woods though :help:


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## spook jr (Jun 25, 2008)

Duval County Ranch close to 130,000ac

www.saltgrasscustomrods.com


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## Outcast (May 20, 2004)

They are now up to about 180,000 owned acres but it is not one solid high fenced piece. They are sectioned off in various sizes.



spook jr said:


> Duval County Ranch close to 130,000ac
> 
> www.saltgrasscustomrods.com


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## chad (Sep 7, 2006)

I know there are larger ones out there but, the 74 ranch is 28,000 acres high fence.


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## drred4 (Aug 12, 2005)

Ranch by my friends up north of Rotan a bit is little over 22,000 high fenced.


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## LBS (Sep 2, 2004)

*$$$*



Outcast said:


> They are now up to about 180,000 owned acres but it is not one solid high fenced piece. They are sectioned off in various sizes.


The cost of that fence is probably more than most ranches in Texas! Geez!


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## gigglez2025 (Jul 11, 2008)

We hunt out neat ft stockton on about 15,000 acres, but not high fenced. We do drive by a ranch owned by the owner of DR Horton homes. He has to have several hundred thousand acres (i may be wrong). I cant remember how far, but i think alond the road, he has between 5 -10 miles high fenced.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Cost of fence use to be $10,000.00 per mile..I'm sure it's more now though.

TH


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## chasingtails123 (Mar 23, 2009)

I have hunted the YO Ranch in Mountain Home, TX, I think it is about 40,000 acres.


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## FINNFOWLER (Sep 2, 2004)

I have hunted 11,500 acres it was about 23 miles of high fence.


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

Trouthunter said:


> Cost of fence use to be $10,000.00 per mile..I'm sure it's more now though.
> 
> TH


Last high fence I had done was $16,000 per mile. Dozer and maintainers work was extra.


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## buckbuddy (Sep 1, 2008)

The old "Exxon"country (Tomas Ranch) out of Freer- 44,000 acres


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## TXDRAKE (Jun 24, 2004)

sotol buster said:


> I always hear about high fence ranches that are "too small". What is the largest high fence ranch you have heard of or hunted on ?


Sorry, but who cares?


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

TPWD's Chaparral Wildlife Management Area is 15,200 acres under high fence.


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

TXDRAKE said:


> Sorry, but who cares?


 just curious.


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## TXDRAKE (Jun 24, 2004)

sotol buster said:


> just curious.


Not a problem and nothing against you personally, Sotol!


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## Jbs8307 (Jun 29, 2009)

1/8 acre. I shot a possum in my backyard once. i got a 8ft fence around it.


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

Jbs8307 said:


> 1/8 acre. I shot a possum in my backyard once. i got a 8ft fence around it.


Was it a cull possum or did you have it mounted ?


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

Anacacho Ranch has to have the most expensive fence I've ever seen( but built during the Depression ). I go past it every couple of days... funny thing, tho... I rarely see much game on it.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

kweber said:


> funny thing, tho... I rarely see much game on it.


If it's well managed for trophy whitetail production, then you won't see a lot of deer inside the fence. There's probably 6-times the number of deer per acre outside the fence.


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## DirtKat (Dec 10, 2009)

kweber said:


> Anacacho Ranch has to have the most expensive fence I've ever seen( but built during the Depression ). I go past it every couple of days... funny thing, tho... I rarely see much game on it.


 We hunted on the A&M ranch on the backside of the Anacocho. Several times we saw huge white tail and axis. The biggest axis I have seen was standing about 10 yards inside there fence. Also saw a typical 10 Point about 50 yards inside there fence that would have gone over 200.:spineyes: They also have some big ***** indigos there also, seen one that was about 8' long on the road next to the ranch and yes it was left alive to catch more rattlers.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

AvianQuest said:


> If it's well managed for trophy whitetail production, then you won't see a lot of deer inside the fence. There's probably 6-times the number of deer per acre outside the fence.


I've only seen a couple of averge bucks on it in the last 11 yrs that Ive been going past it on a regular basis. 8 miles high fence across the north side of it. now, going south from Spofford to Eagle Pass, dang, Ive seen a lot more good deer. but then, my observations are from a locomotive cab 12 ft up. 3rd wk Dec is prime viewing time.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

kweber said:


> my observations are from a locomotive cab 12 ft up.


Sometimes they can be hard to see even from the cab...


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## RRfisher (Mar 5, 2007)

gigglez2025 said:


> We hunt out neat ft stockton on about 15,000 acres, but not high fenced. We do drive by a ranch owned by the owner of *DR Horton homes*. He has to have several hundred thousand acres (i may be wrong). I cant remember how far, but i think alond the road, he has between 5 -10 miles high fenced.


It's 2 seperate ranches basically side by side. About 140,000 acres. He doesn't own it, the company does.


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## t-tung (Nov 13, 2005)

"He" owns the company. Company owns the ranch. So, he owns the ranch, no?


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## nhampton (Aug 8, 2007)

Factoid: 180,000 ranch
 Shape: Square (minimum perimeter)
 Cost/ft of High Fence $5

Cost of High fence $1,770,965.84
With a 10% ROR over 15 yr you need in yearly net income of 
($211,668.70)​
 just to make the fence a viable investment. Now add in the cost of land, roads, housing, pasture improvement/maintainance, improvement/importing of wildlife stock, feed, blinds, employees, etc. and you can see why that B&C buck costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread with a bunch of accounting, just an observation.


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

Across the street from Chaparral WMA. Piloncillo, not sure how many acres but bigger than anything stated on here so far except for Duval, I think.


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Cynoscion said:


> Across the street from Chaparral WMA. Piloncillo, not sure how many acres but bigger than anything stated on here so far except for Duval, I think.


I heard 100,000 acres, not sure of the exact measurement or if it is all high fenced.


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## buckbuddy (Sep 1, 2008)

*X2 -- I've been on the Piloncillo. Not for sure, but I think it's between 80,000 - 90,000 ac.*
* (give or take a little)*


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## br1006 (Mar 24, 2006)

piloncillo I thought was 110,000 acres one high fence.


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## The Last Mango (Jan 31, 2010)

We izzzzzz all going to be in a high fence when Obama let's em' build that mosque!


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

donkeyman said:


> anaconcha ranch near sportford tx


I've read the Anacacho is 20,000+.


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

kweber said:


> Anacacho Ranch has to have the most expensive fence I've ever seen( but built during the Depression ). I go past it every couple of days... funny thing, tho... I rarely see much game on it.


A concrete candycane every 16ft on the north side for 7.5 miles! Wonder what that would cost now days.


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

kweber said:


> I've only seen a couple of averge bucks on it in the last 11 yrs that Ive been going past it on a regular basis. 8 miles high fence across the north side of it. now, going south from Spofford to Eagle Pass, dang, Ive seen a lot more good deer. but then, my observations are from a locomotive cab 12 ft up. 3rd wk Dec is prime viewing time.


Saw the biggest deer I've seen in person in the wild near the railroad crossing bridge over 1572. I would say it went in the 155-160 range. This was on the road side of the fence. Knifeman might say it was bigger, he was reaching for my pistol, that I left at the ranch!!


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

Charles Helm said:


> I heard 100,000 acres, not sure of the exact measurement or if it is all high fenced.


I've always heard close to 100K. They were still working on the fence in when I was in school (10+years ago). Its got to be finished by now for sure.


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## pacontender (Jun 26, 2004)

Piloncillo is 107000 acres and is low fence. Some of the neighbors have built fence. They own the Arrow S too, which is 30+ thousand. was part of the 74.


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## Hevy Dee (May 26, 2004)

*DR Horton is a public company*



t-tung said:


> "He" owns the company. Company owns the ranch. So, he owns the ranch, no?


_

NYSE DHI_ No person owns the company. Outside of mutual fund holders the most predominant single owner of the 320,000,000 outstanding shares is an LLC called FMR, LLC. They own 48,000,000 shares, about 15%.


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## jdickey (Jan 30, 2009)

The biggest ranch that I've hunted that was high-fenced was on the FLAT TOP RANCH in Walnut Springs, TX. It was 18,000 acres or roughly 40 square miles, more area than most whitetail deer cover in their lifetime!


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## Knifeman (Sep 27, 2009)

longhorns13 said:


> Saw the biggest deer I've seen in person in the wild near the railroad crossing bridge over 1572. I would say it went in the 155-160 range. This was on the road side of the fence. Knifeman might say it was bigger, he was reaching for my pistol, that I left at the ranch!!


 LH13 you are so wrong. That deer would go 175 to 180 easy. You must not have been able to see through all the cracks in that Dodge's wendshield. And yes I was reaching for a gun. You do not get a chance at buck like that all the time.


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

Knifeman said:


> LH13 you are so wrong. That deer would go 175 to 180 easy. You must not have been able to see through all the cracks in that Dodge's wendshield. And yes I was reaching for a gun. You do not get a chance at buck like that all the time.


I think them east Tx eyes were looking thru a fishbowl!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

jdickey said:


> The biggest ranch that I've hunted that was high-fenced was on the FLAT TOP RANCH in Walnut Springs, TX. It was 18,000 acres or roughly 40 square miles, more area than most whitetail deer cover in their lifetime!


18,000 acres would be more like 28 square miles. A whitetail deer's range averages one square mile, often less.


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## longhorns13 (Aug 22, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> 18,000 acres would be more like 28 square miles. A whitetail deer's range averages one square mile, often less.


Com'on Avian, its more like 28.125 square miles!!!!


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## ATE_UP_FISHERMAN (Jun 25, 2004)

Jbs8307 said:


> 1/8 acre. I shot a possum in my backyard once. i got a 8ft fence around it.


OK I couldn't wait any more..

"Did you eat it???"


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## t-tung (Nov 13, 2005)

Hevy Dee said:


> _
> 
> NYSE DHI_ No person owns the company. Outside of mutual fund holders the most predominant single owner of the 320,000,000 outstanding shares is an LLC called FMR, LLC. They own 48,000,000 shares, about 15%.


Gotcha. Didn't know it was a publicly traded company.


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## bklem (May 12, 2006)

Hunt on the Driscoll Ranch. 52K high fenced except where the highway goes through the middle.


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## jdickey (Jan 30, 2009)

longhorns13 said:


> Com'on Avian, its more like 28.125 square miles!!!!


Sorry...mistyped....was aiming for 30 square miles. But I was right about the whitetail's average area; usually they will not go beyond a 10 sq.mile area unless forced or conditions warrant!


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

jdickey said:


> But I was right about the whitetail's average area; usually they will not go beyond a 10 sq.mile area unless forced or conditions warrant!


In a word.....No.

A whitetail's range is a single square mile......less in most cases. Given cover, water and food, a whitetail inside a high fence can be born and live out it's life without ever seeing a fence.

Show me data on a radio-tracked whitetail that roams over a 10 square mile area and I'll show you a starving deer that will soon have vultures circling overhead.


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

I think you may find that bucks will travel out of their home range during the rut, and may even have a different home range at that time of year. I think a lot of folks who hunt South Texas have seen bucks show up well away from their normal haunts.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Charles Helm said:


> I think you may find that bucks will travel out of their home range during the rut, and may even have a different home range at that time of year. I think a lot of folks who hunt South Texas have seen bucks show up well away from their normal haunts.


Yes, they will move around during that time, or if they are shot it or harassed. They will even move their home range if the water or food supply goes away, but they won't expand their home range to include their old and new home range. They still need to keep it to a square mile or less.

If the habitat is degraded to the point where more territory is needed, then they will get stressed. Whitetails in desert areas often have to push the envelope on that territory during droughts, but it really hurts.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> 18,000 acres would be more like 28 square miles. A whitetail deer's range averages one square mile, often less.


Not to jack the thread or be argumenative but the ranch we hunt is approximately 1 mile wide and 5 miles deep. We routinely see the same deer at the front end and the back end. Have for almost 30 years now. We are low fence too. Deer may bed in a 1 mile square area but they travel a greater distance than that all the time.... not just during rut either.


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## buckbuddy (Sep 1, 2008)

Charles Helm said:


> I think you may find that bucks will travel out of their home range during the rut, and may even have a different home range at that time of year. I think a lot of folks who hunt South Texas have seen bucks show up well away from their normal haunts.


*X2 - You're "RIGHT", Charles*


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Haute Pursuit said:


> Not to jack the thread or be argumenative but the ranch we hunt is approximately 1 mile wide and 5 miles deep. We routinely see the same deer at the front end and the back end. Have for almost 30 years now. We are low fence too. Deer may bed in a 1 mile square area but they travel a greater distance than that all the time.... not just during rut either.


Do you think he walks all 5 square miles of the property to go from back to front? It's as common for a deer to have an elongated range as it is for them to have a more circular one.

A strip 352 yards wide x 5 miles is one square mile. There's no way the buck walks from side to side to cover all that area on his walk. If the buck stays on a path, even though it typically zig zags around, the width of the area he covers along the path is only a yard or less.

If that were a straight line, then he has only occupied .000568 of a square mile on his 5 mile walk. The rest of the square mile of his range covers the area he uses during his wandering for food, water and cover.

Take a look at a section (square mile) of open pasture land. That 640 acres is a lot of land for an animal to live on. Now fill it with forest or brush, and it's more than enough for him to live out his life on.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> Do you think he walks all 5 square miles of the property to go from back to front? It's as common for a deer to have an elongated range as it is for them to have a more circular one.
> 
> A strip 352 yards wide x 5 miles is one square mile. There's no way the buck walks from side to side to cover all that area on his walk. If the buck stays on a path, even though it typically zig zags around, the width of the area he covers along the path is only a yard or less.
> 
> ...


LOL... OK, you are right! You feel better now? I have camera evidence and 28 years of experience on the same place. I know a little about deer patterns. I know that 5 linear miles are 5 linear miles... Are we "squared up"???


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