Exotic Species on The Ranch

No matter what you are Hunting - You can expect to see any number of these exotic species during your stay.

BLACKBUCK ANTELOPE

From India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Blackbuck can run up to 50 mph. Even the fastest animal in the world, the cheetah, can’t catch blackbucks unless they get to them within the first few hundred yards. Males have long spiral horns, but the females don’t grow horns.

AXIS DEER

Also known as chital deer and spotted deer, Axis deer are native to India and Sri Lanka. Introduced to Texas around 1932, they are thriving. Unlike many other deer species, they mate year-round and bucks form part of the herd of does and youngsters. The average size and weight for males is 3’ tall from the shoulder and 187 pounds. They can live anywhere from 20 to 30 years. They have three tines on each lyre-shaped antler which can grow up to a trophy size of 30” to 36”. One of their most distinguishing features is a dark spotted stripe that runs from their nape to their tail.

FALLOW DEER

From southern Europe and the Middle East. The spotted ones look like the Axis deer, but the antlers have more of a big shovel shape and they don’t have the dark line on their back. They are very hardy species and extremely adaptable to varying climates. Adult males grow to be 35-38 inches tall from the shoulder, weigh between 174 to 225 pounds, and have a lifespan of 12-20 years.

There are four basic colors that can help fallow hunting enthusiasts identify them. They can be tan or rust colored with white spots, creamy white, very dark brown, or grayish brown.

Their prized antlers are palmated, or flat like those of a moose, with several large tines that grow anywhere from 15” in length to a trophy size of 28” in length. These animals are very cautious and will flee immediately once they sense they are being followed.

SCIMITAR HORNED ORYX

GEMSBOK

The cow’s horns are actually longer and more slender than that of the male, but it’s a bit difficult to tell them apart. Both have horns that extend backwards and outwards and diverge widely, but the female’s are at more of an angle than those of the male. Both are light brownish-grey, black and white face and a long black tail. All the legs have white socks with a black patch on the front ones.

Males can grow to 55” at the shoulder and weigh from 400-550 pounds. They’re big fellows. Females weigh in around 400-460 pound. They can run up to 35 mph and go days without water. Gemsbok are one of natures unique animals.

ADDAX

The coat of the Addax is off-white in winter and white to sandy in summer. The face sports red nostrils and a white “X” above the nose with a throat beard made up of long hairs. The underbelly, limbs, rump and lips are white and the Addax sports a small dense neck mane. They grow 3.6 to 4.3 feet in length, 3.1 to 4 feet at the shoulder and have a tail length of 10 to 14 inches. With a lifespan of up to 19 years, Addaxes weigh 132 to 275 pounds.

Known also as “screw horn antelope” because of their long, thin spiraled horns, both sexes grow horns with those of the male being more favored. With normally two twists per horn, they can grow to a trophy length of 40 inches or longer. On average, the horns of females grow from 1.8 feet to 2.6 feet and the males from 2 to 3.6 feet.

ELAND

The Common eland, along with the Giant eland, is one of the biggest antelopes in existence. Despite this, it has enough endurance to trot for an indefinite period and is able to jump from a standstill over an 8-foot fence. Males and females both have horns that form a tight spiral, though females’ horns are generally longer and thinner. Usually a fawn or tawny color, elands become gray or bluish-gray when they get older, and the oldest animals are almost black. Males have a tuft of black hair growing out of their prominent dewlap, the fold of loose skin hanging from their neck. Adult males also possess a mat of hair on their forehead that becomes longer and denser as they get older.

An adult male is around 1.6 meters (5’) tall at the shoulder (females are generally about 8” shorter) and can weigh up to 942 kg (2,077 lb).

BLESBOK

Native to southern Africa – Blesbok means blazed antelope in Afrikaans.

Their mass can be as much as 85 kg. A characteristic of the blesbok is the prominent white blaze on the face and a horizontal brown strip which divides this blaze above the eyes. Body color is brown with a lighter-colored saddle on the back, and the rump an even lighter shade. The legs are brown with a white patch behind the top part of the front legs. Lower legs whitish. Both sexes carry horns, ringed almost to the tip. Female horns are slightly more slender. The neck and the top of the back of the blesbok is brown. Lower down on the flanks and buttocks, the coloring becomes darker. The belly, the inside of the buttocks and the area up to the base of the tail is white.

Blesbok can be easily differentiated from other antelopes because they have a distinct white face and forehead. The blesbok differs from the bontebok by having less white on the coat and the blaze on the face, which is usually divided, the coat is also a lighter yellow than that of the bontebok. The length of their horns averages at around 38 cm. Male adult blesbok average around 70 kg; females average lower, at around 61 kg.

SABLE

These majestic animals can be found in east and southern Africa. The Sable is a barrel-chested rotund antelope with a long face, short neck, and dark mane. They have impressive ringed horns rising vertically to curve backward. When arching their necks and standing with their heads high and tails outstretched, these antelope look like horses. In this position, they appear larger than they actually are. The males keep this position even when galloping, the arched neck being important to manifest dominance. Sables change color as they grow older. Calves are born with a reddish-brown color and virtually no markings. White markings appear as they grow older and their coat becomes darker, and the older the animal is, the more striking is the contrast.

WHITETAIL DEER

From America – Texas has the most whitetail deer of any place in the world.

Whitetail deer is the single most popular animal to hunt in the United States. With a population of 20-25 million, whitetail deer hunting is plentiful. Our bucks normally weigh between 130 to 230 pounds. Bucks that are 3-1/2 years or older normally have 4 to 6 points on each side. Whitetail deer are easily identified by the white around their eyes and nose, their white stomachs, and of course, the underside of their tails when signaling danger.

Did you know they can turn their heads 310 degrees? However, the whitetail deer lack depth perception. Their sense of hearing and smell are acute, the latter being why you should always try to hunt with the breeze in your face.

An adult male is around 1.6 meters (5’) tall at the shoulder (females are generally about 8” shorter) and can weigh up to 942 kg (2,077 lb).

RED DEER (STAG)

From Europe and the Middle East, a male red deer is called a Stag. The Red deer is the fourth-largest extant deer species, behind the moose, elk, and sambar deer. It is a ruminant, eating its food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, like camels, goats, and cattle. European Red deer have a relatively long tail compared to their Asian and North American relatives. The males of many subspecies also grow a short neck mane during the autumn. Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each year, usually at the end of winter. Antlers typically measure 71 cm (28 in) in total length and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb). While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone.

European Red deer tend to be reddish-brown in their summer coats, and some individuals may have a few spots on the backs of their summer coats. During the autumn, all Red deer subspecies grow thicker coats of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Autumn is also when some of the stags grow their neck manes. The autumn/winter coats of most subspecies are the most distinct. The Caspian red deer’s winter coat is greyer and has a larger and more distinguished light rump-patch compared to the Western European red deer, which has more of a greyish-brown coat with a darker yellowish rump patch in the winter. By the time summer begins, the heavy winter coat has been shed; the animals are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. Red deer have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with grey or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and more reddish and darker coat coloration in the summer.

WATERBUCK

The waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. Its shaggy coat is reddish-brown to grey and becomes progressively darker with age. Males are darker than females. There is a cream-colored patch (called “bib”) on the throat. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward, and are 55-99 cm (22-39 in) long.

WILDEBEAST

When the Dutch settles in South Africa, they named this animal “wildebeest,” meaning “wild beast,” due to its untamed appearance and vigorous nature. Each year 1.5 million wildebeest travel together over a long distance in Tanzania and Kenya in Africa to follow the rainy season – it’s called the Great Migration.

Wildebeests measure between 5 and 8 feet in length and have a tail length of 14 to 22 inches. They are a large antelope measuring between 45 and 55 inches at the shoulder and weighing between 300 and 600 pounds. Both males and females possess lengthy horns that spring outward from the base of their head and for curved semicircles, pointing slightly backward. The body of a wildebeest appears disproportionate, with a hefty front, slim hindquarters, and spindly legs.

NILGAI

From India and Asia – Nilgai are also called bluebuck, and they are the largest Asian antelope.

The nilgai’s short coat is yellow-brown in females, and gradually turns blue-gray in males as they mature. It also has a mane on the nape and back, a “hair pennant” in the middle of the underside of the neck, white markings on cheek and edges of the lips, and a white throat patch. The nilgai has slender legs and a stocky body, which slopes downwards towards the rear. The head is long and slender.

KUDU

From eastern and southern Africa – Male Kudu grow long spiral horns that can grow as long as six feet. The females don’t grown horns, and are smaller.

Kudu have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish-grey to reddish-brown. They possess between 4 and 12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head is usually darker in color than the rest of the body and exhibits a small white v-shaped mark that runs between the eyes. Bulls tend to be much larger than the cows, and vocalize much more; they also have beards running along their throats, and large horns with two and a half twists.