callaghanranchltd.com
For those of you avid hunters who do not know about the Callaghan Ranch, it is a historic ranch abundant with wildlife. Here is a quick overview of how this ranch came to be. The Callaghan Ranch was established in the late 1800’s. Since 1858 the Callaghan Ranch, laying across the Old San Antonio Road between Laredo and San Antonio, covered an area of 250,000 acres, with headquarters near Encinal, Texas. From 1923 to 1947 Joe B. Finley was general manager of the ranch. The following year, the Callaghan Ranch was partially sold, and downsized. Acreage at that time was reduced to 131,000 acres owned and 46,000 was then leased. Shortly afterwards, Joe B. Finely began purchasing the Callaghan from Frost Bank. After the purchasing of the Callaghan Ranch, and the passing of Joe B. Finely Senior, Joe B. Finely Jr. took over as general manager and part owner between him and his siblings. After the passing of Jr. in 2011, the ranch is currently operated by Mrs. Finely, Joe. B. Finely’s wife, and her 5 daughters.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apc01
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apc01
Currently the ranch is still at large covering 90,000 acres of one contiguous tract. Although cattle are still a big part of the ranch, wildlife is the main emphasis. Hunting consists of the main outdoor recreation. The Callaghan Ranch has produced outstanding trophy white-tail bucks. For the past three years, I have had the opportunity to see this first hand. Since 2009, I began working for the ranch during deer hunting season (Oct.-Jan.). Working at what is called “The Check Station,” every deer which is harvested comes to me to be recorded into the ranch data books. Data such as weight, age, and antler score are recorded to measure progress throughout the year. This information then can be analyzed to help manage the population structure within the Callaghan Ranch. This has helped produce huge south Texas white-tails. Due to the ranche's location, in Webb County, it lies within the golden triangle for deer hunting. The golden triangle is the three county areas in Texas where the highest scoring bucks are harvested annually. Every year the Callaghan has produced bucks scoring in the 180 B&C to 190 B&C classes with the average harvested buck increasing annually. The continuous harvest of large deer is partly due to the diverse bush community on the ranch, and the critical management tactics performed by the ranch. Since 2009, I have had the opportunity to score countless bucks scoring 150-160 Boone and Crockett, and many scoring in the 170 class B&C. Specific top scoring deer of the year which I scored was a buck in 2009 at 192 3/8 B&C, in 2010 a buck scoring 186 5/8 B&C, and last year (2011) a buck scoring 187 1/8 B&C.
The opportunities to enjoy the outdoors on this ranch can be endless. If you are interested in finding a trophy deer, or just spending quality time with your family hunting, contact them callaghanranchltd.com
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