Indian Creek Ranch

Visit Game Cam Gallery to see more amazing wildlife from Indian Creek Ranch

At Half Price books, found an interesting book this week called “The Whitetail Deer Hunters Almanac” by John Weiss.

The book is packed with over 800 no nonsense tips and tricks that will help hunters of all experience levels.

From the book description:
Here are more than 800 tips and tactics that can help any hunter be more successful.
THE WHITETAIL DEER HUNTER’S ALMANAC, is an easy-to-read reference and guide, loaded with helpful illustrations and photographs, that can help any deer hunter¾from beginner to expert¾take a buck this coming season. Written in a simple manner, the ALMANAC is just the type of book that hunters need¾packed with tips and tidbits that the author has picked up over a lifetime of hunting whitetails. Opening-day tactics, tips for hunting in cold weather, how to still hunt effectively, where to place tree-stands, suggestions for black-powder hunting, how to take whitetails in croplands, how to call and rattle¾it’s all here, along with much more.

From the Back Cover

By all accounts, the whitetail deer is the wiliest big game animal in North America, if not the world. To achieve trophy status, a buck has to make it through an adolescence fraught with dangers. He learns to survive any way he can: by becoming a nocturnal creature during hunting seasons, by bedding in areas where he can detect approaching predators and avoid them, by feeding on browse or fruits that give him the most nutrition for maximum growth, and by using all of his senses – in particular, his keen senses of smell and eyesight. Today, there are more than 25 million whitetails in the United States alone. They have proven to be an incredibly adaptable creature, learning how to live quite well in proximity to mankind. Just because there are so many deer doesn’t mean it is easy to hunt them, however. In fact, statistics generally show that only one in ten hunters is successful each year – despite light-gathering optics, rifles with more power and more punch, camouflage clothing that lets a hunter truly blend in with his surroundings – everything that technology has to offer. To take a whitetail deer, and especially a good-sized whitetail buck, a hunter must be woods smart. He has to know his quarry, know its habits, know the terrain it lives in, plus know how to use his weapon of choice efficiently and effectively. This book is aimed at the hunter who wants to succeed consistently. Loaded with an incredible array of tips, tactics, woods craft, and lore, the Almanac will make you a better woodsman, and a better hunter. It will enable you to hunt areas where you have a good chance of seeing deer, where you won’t, as legendary deer hunter Larry Koller observes, be a watcher of barren ground. (71/4 X 91/2, 284 pages, color photos, b&w photos, diagrams)

The book is out of print but you can get used copies on Amazon.com for around $2.

Good news and bad.  The Phase I pressure pump has been replaced and that well is now back in service.  On the bad side, a large pressure tank has failed at the central pumping station – it will take almost 2 weeks to get it repaired.  All of Phase III will be out of service, with some residents in Phases II, IV, and VI also impacted.   This will be a very expensive repair (at least $3,000) and could impact some of the road work we planned to do this year.

On another note, we have had no nominees for Indian Creek Board positions.  Although Robert Lenz has agreed to stay on as Treasurer, we do need someone to serve as President and Vice President.  Although some folks have asked me to stay on, I simply won’t have the time this next year as we work to close Brooks Air Force Base here in San Antonio.   I will be more than willing, however, to work with anyone who is willing to serve.  I also don’t mind maintaining the address list for the Association.

Please let me know if you are interested in running.  Thanks for your help!

Bill Wilson
President
The Owners Association at Indian Creek

One of the land owners at Indian Creek captured a picture of a trespasser on his property. Do you know this person? If so, please let a board member know ASAP.

Over the past year, I’ve watched the steady progression of Oak Wilt as it decimates ranches across the hill country. My friend Rolf Smith is just beginning to see it on his ranch in Fredericksburg, but from what I’ve seen in my drives to Rocksprings, it’s much worse just west of F’burg.

I occurs to me that as we move into the cooler months, some of our members might be inclined to buy firewood from grocery stores or from road-side vendors & thereby potentially transport the fungus or the beetles to ICR.

As a preventative measure, it might be a good idea to post a note on this topic, and to request that our members do NOT bring wood (particularly wood with the bark still attached) onto the ranch. We may not be able to prevent Oak Wilt, but we can cut off as many avenues for infestation as possible.

- Dan Himmerich

Bourbon-Chili Marinated Venison

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs venison steaks

Marinade:
2 TB olive oil
2 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB crushed red chili peppers
2 TB red wine vinegar
¼ cup bourbon whiskey
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp black pepper

Directions:

Tenderize the venison steaks until very thin (about ¼”). Combine all ingredients and marinate the steaks for 1-2 hours, making sure the meat is covered completely. Cook over a hot grill, searing each side for only a few minutes on each side. The steaks should still be flexible when done, a little pink is ok. Since venison has no fat, do NOT overcook it – otherwise the venison steaks will be very stiff and dry!

Serves: 3-4

Rating: 9  Source: Bill Wilson

In honor of the currently running Whitetail season, I had to share this video a deer who fought back.

Based on three census drives this year, the Ranch averages one deer for every five acres.

Census showed five does per buck with a 4/10 fawn/doe ratio.

The recommended harvest for this hunting season (per 100 acres) 

2 – Does
1 – Mature buck (older than 4.5 years with horns that exceed width of ears)
Any spike or cull (deformed) buck.

While driving into Phase VII, I saw a flock of Turkeys with many in full strut.