Always Believe What Your Guide Tells You!!!!!!

What an awesome duck hunting trip a couple of weeks ago at the beautiful TXLG2 Ranch!  Duck season was fabulous this year due to all the rain and cold weather up North.  It was second to the last weekend of the season when my favorite guide, who happens to be my son, sold me on hunting in very cold and windy conditions.  Winds out of the north at 20 to 35 mph, bringing the chill factor closed to 20 degrees.  I think the attach video and photos will tell you what the results were!

Why Go to Caribbean When You Have This

Mark G and his most precious bride ran down to the river and found the most captivating sand and water display, never witnessed by anyone before.  I guess that's what happens when you get one and half times the normal annual rainfall in 3 months!

Turkey Time

I always enjoy Spring Gobbler Season, calling birds in and taking close range shots is always exhilarating for my guest, especially those who have never hunted a turkey before.  This video was taken during deer season when I was archery hunting for whitetail.  I decided to put down my bow and video for grandkids and people interested in maybe hunting one of these beautiful birds in the near future.

Our turkey population has been great for several years and this season was no exception. Having the Brazos River as our northern and eastern boundary lines, this ranch has everything to hunt; dove, quail, turkey, pigs, ducks, Sandhills, deer, coyotes and bobcats. 

We are very blessed to own such a property. 

When Deer Hunting turns to Crane Hunting!

It was getting towards the end of Deer Season in 2015 and I hadn't shot a deer.  So I set up in our lower wheat field with a pop up blind hoping to put a little venison on the table.  Never did I expect to have the night I had.  First one small group of Sandhills came into the field, then another and then larger groups decided to join them.  Before it was over there were between 900 to 1,000 birds squawking and carrying on around me.  I had a Sandhill permit but of course I didn't have a shotgun, only my deer rifle.  It was fun watching but the deer decided to go elsewhere.  Of course the next night I prepared to hunt cranes in the same spot, and yes you guessed it, not one crane!

Note just in, other grandchildren felt "slighted" and wanted to be added to the Texas LG2 blog.  They are so darn cute and of course love being at the ranch with their Gram and Papa.  Waiting to hear back from my other two grandchildren who I don't have a photo of out at the ranch. 

Starting off the Right Way in 2016 -2017 Deer Season

What a great start to the Rifle Season for the SIL.  Had a few nervous moments when his bride told him I hope you didn't shoot Dad's Big 10 he told nobody to shoot!!!!  Deer was very impressive for NTX coming in over 200lbs live weight.  Conditions are great this year and the winter wheat is looking fabulous.  This deer has not been spotted before and came in with a doe from the river bottom.  I think my Grandson was the most excited and is definitely already looking forward to hunting his first deer. 

Would you allow these people at your home?????

Successful hunt with friends from "over the pond" at the ranch.  Notice several types of artillery were field tested.  

The Dove Spread the Love

        As we cruised around the LG2 ranch property Sunday night before the opener one thing was apparent...the dove were here. Droves of morning dove and white wings continually darted in front and behind our vehicle as we headed down the west road pointing and shouting at the groups of winged game we came together to hunt this past Labor Day weekend. Our adrenaline pumping from the anticipation of the morning hunt, we gathered in the newly organized barn to count decoys, put together mojos, and strategize.
        At 7am, the hunters made the short drive to the wheat field and big tank right behind the ranch house. Doug, Dina, Trey and Sadie set up on the wheat field with mojos out front while Mark, Teresa, and I took the west bank of the tank. I had just had my first sip of coffee when Trey called out to Doug "Dad, on your left". Boom! The first shot of the 2014 hunting season had been fired. GG, Chelsie, and Maddox watched the action from the deck as shots and voices rang out all morning. Birds constantly swarmed our mojo decoys in singles, pairs, and huge groups of more than fifteen on the wheat field and on the tank until we finally pulled up the decoys at 9am because we had run out of shells. There were so many birds we could pick and choose our targets, and I even put down the gun to get some video. See the videos below to see Mark sum up the morning hunt and Trey smack a dove.

       All in all, a great day of family, fun, and plenty of shooting. Grandfather was definitely there in spirit, and I am sure he was smiling as he watched us enjoy the sport he instilled in all of us. We honored him with every shot, even the ones that did not connect. The Labor Day morning hunt was truly a reminder of how blessed we really are to have the LG2 ranch where we can enjoy one another, and hopefully a sign of things to come for the 2014-2015 hunting season.

See you at the ranch soon,

Sam G

Big Buck Report: New Year's Eve Fireworks

It gets pretty lonely in a deer stand. Unless you’re with a hunting buddy, you’re left with fuzzy recaps of the day's activity when you get back to camp. You're left to describe everything you saw to the other hunters and huntresses, which let's face it, can house some embellishment — especially if you come back empty-handed. Now thanks to video, you can get a better since of what it's like to deer hunt at the Texas LG2 Ranch.

During the New Year's Eve 2013 evening hunt, I was positioned in Mark's stand on the east side of the property. It wouldn't be long before my guests arrived. I'll let the video set the scene from here. 

*Warning: If you don’t like hunting shows where animals are harvested on camera, this video might not be for you.

The Dawn of a New Ranch Blog Era

As many of you know, we recently said goodbye to the ranch patriarch, Billie G. Though his jovial presence will be dearly missed, his passing helped us better appreciate the many blessings in our lives. The love of our Lord. The bond of family. The fellowship of friends. And a place where we can all hang our hats and laugh at the memories we've made together. This site is merely a placeholder for those moments in Texas LG2 Ranch history.

Since creating this blog back in 2008, there have been plenty of memories added but few design updates. If this was to house our precious moments, the blog needed to get with the times and have a more modern feel. No more stale brown background. I give you the new look of the Texas LG2 Ranch blog. Trumpets blaring. Teresa supplied the background photo — a beautiful landscape portrait of the wheat fields. You'll find more of her excellent photography as well as other ranch photos here. It's a small step toward rekindling the early blog magic. In the future, look for more content, more photos and more video, including footage taken during the hunt. Happy blogging, everyone!

We Lost a Great Husband, Dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather

On December 5, 2013 our #1 hunter and tractor driver transitioned from earth to his heavenly kingdom after a lengthy illness.  Billie G. will be greatly missed by his family and friends.   We will especially miss his time sitting on the back deck of the ranch house holding court about his life experiences and how important it was to "work the earth".  Now he is in a place where he will never run out of diesel or pecan orchards to mow.  We miss him greatly and will cherish our memories forever.  Texas LG2 will never be the same.

September Teal Season Provides Refuge for Blood-thirsty Dove Hunters

NEWSFLASH: The dove aren't flying this season. I should know. There's about 50 fattened beauties perched on top of my child's playset. While the HOA frowns upon firing shotguns in residential backyards — Damn, libs! I thought this was 'Merica! — I'm forced to find other birds to hunt this season. After an unsuccessful dove hunt out at the LG2 Ranch on Sept. 22, I'd all but lost hope in the next morning's hunt. So I did what every unsuccessful hunter does: I slept in. In the morning, the view from the porch confirmed my decision. Nothing was flying. Instead of wallowing in the covers, I decided to get up and go for a morning 4-wheeler ride with Noah. While heading out to the pastures, I decided to take a peek at Proffitt Lake to see if there was any activity. Just as the 4-wheeler came flying over the top of the dam, I spotted some movement near the shoreline and jammed on the brakes. "Teal!" I whisper to my son, pointing at the north edge of the lake. We reversed it out of there and headed back to the ranch. I grabbed my 20 gauge, loaded a few steel shells and left the little one with his grandparents. "Are you going to shoot them, dad?" Noah asks. "Don't shoot the ducks." My heart sinks. I look over to gram for a little help, maybe a "let's go inside, Noah" but she was as floored as I was. This would be our first life lesson: "Oh Noah, I have to shoot the ducks. They'll get away." Leaving him and myself confused by the explanation, I slowly backed toward the 4-wheeler and gunned it before his head stopped swimming with fatherly wisdom.

This time, coming up over the ridge again was disappointing. The teal had moved on. It was pointless. I sat there at the edge of the lake, totally exposed in my white shirt and black nylon shorts. Staring across the lake, I spot some movement across the southern shore. Bingo! Three teal! I walked around hoping they hadn't spotted me, all the while knowing they had. I rounded off my approach and surprised them from behind. Boom! Boom! Teal down. Who needs dove hunting when you have September teal season? I drove the two waterfowl back to camp and proudly displayed the birds for my son. Noah was so happy with the result, he hugged the bird and wouldn't let go. He held it up and showed all of the other ranchers. It was my first September Teal Season kill, and the first in a soon-to-be-long stream of father and son hunting discussions.

NEW SEASON AHEAD

It has been a couple of years since we updated our blog so hopefully this year it will be different.  Food plots were established two weeks ago by Teresa, Phillip and Mark.  With great rain over the past 10 days the plots should be coming up.  The outlook is good for whitetail hunting with a couple of large 6+ year old bucks showing up on cameras.  Duck season is looking good but we need water in the front lake to flood the back timber.  Dove season has been a bust up to now, so hopefully with the latest cold fronts the "big birds" are now in the area. 

The Big Quack Attack: A Special Edition of the Big Buck Report

To ring in the New Year, the BBR Crew opted for duck hunting on Proffitt Lake since a full moon had the deer making late-night maneuvers. Teresa, Bill, Mark, Sam and Phillip were rewarded for their early wake-up with five puddlers that dropped down to join the party. Sam, the resident duck expert, noted that we harvested the first two Spoonbills at the ranch as well as a drake Pintail that Mark wants to add to the trophy collection.

While positioned in the flight path of a few sandhill crane, Mark was able to drop a big bonus bird into the pond. That capped off an exciting morning on the lake. For a full recap that’s packed with cranes singing, ducks swirling and a near on-camera takedown, check out the third episode of the Big Buck Report below. To check out all the LG2 videos, visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/texaslg2ranch.

Rainin' Crane

On Sunday morning, 12-20-2009, Sam G and buddy Andrew A harvested a couple of sandhill cranes. More would have been harvested had Sam G not made the rookie mistake of not loading his gun. He did not fire one shot at the first group that passed just 30 yards overhead.

Weather: Cold. Duck Season: Hot.

Guide Sam G and partner Chris D put the smack down on the ducks on Friday morning, 12-18-2009. Ducks poured into their hunting hole all morning, and both partner and guide shot limits. Among the ducks seen were teal, mallards, wood ducks, and pintails. The pintail drake that was harvested was another first for LG2 ranch. Already more ducks have been taken than last year. So far, 8 wood ducks, 8 mallards, and one pintail totalling 17 ducks have been shot in just 3 hunts. This is 5 more than last year, and its just halfway through the season! The fact that there was a good hatch this year, there has been plenty of water, and it has been the coldest winter since the ranch was purchased all play a key role in why the season has been so good. More cold weather is expected, and over 14 inches of snow was recently reported at Texas LG2 ranch. Guide Sam G will be taking Mark G and other interested hunters to Lake Proffitt on the weekend following New Year's day. The guide is optimistic about the upcoming hunt.

World Premiere of the 'Big Buck Report at Texas LG2 Ranch' -- Episodes 1 & 2

In order to add a little more video to the Texas LG2 Ranch website, hunters Phillip and Mark got a little creative during a Sunday morning hunt. The two filmed the first two episodes of the ongoing series "Big Buck Report at Texas LG2 Ranch." In the pilot, "The Buck Report," Mark gives viewers a recap of the hunting season so far. It was a little windy, so you'll have to turn the volume up. In Episode 2, "The Badger Hole," Mark guides the viewers on a scenic trek to the West Stand for some spotting. On the way, the two hunters run into a badger hole. Will the badger attack?!? Find out by clicking on the embedded video.

Also, to check out the new Texas LG2 Ranch YouTube channel, head over to www.youtube.com/texaslg2ranch. And just in case you missed it, Doug's Big Deer video has eclipsed the 1,000 views mark!

Episode 1 -- "The Buck Report" with Mark G and hunter/journalist Phillip, live from 100 paces north of the pecan orchard!



Episode 2 -- "The Badger Hole" with Mark G and hunter/journalist Phillip, live from 40 paces east of the West Stand!

Duck Season Starts Off with a Bang Bang Bang!

Thanksgiving morning brought the first waterfowl hunt of the 2009-2010 season. Sam G guided for good friend Chris D and the action did not stop until the two finally had to call it a morning.

After some scouting the day before, hunter and guide decided to hunt a wooded slough that was holding some ducks located on the southern end of Lake Proffit. The two were in their spot at 6:30 a.m. the next morning, just 10 minutes away from LST.

After doing a little calling, two green wing teal dropped into the wooded hole, not 15 feet from the two hunters. The hunters were not prepared for the "early birds", but did manage to get a shot off as the ducks flew away. Sam G said "I hope that was not the only two ducks we are going to see." Twenty minutes later he would get his answer.

Around 7 a.m., wings could be heard cutting through the crisp morning air. A group of 4 ducks came over the top and circled around to land. Then, another group of 3 ducks came over the top and circled to come in and land as well. The two hunters unloaded on both groups, with Sam G scoring a kill and wounding another duck. The wounded duck would later be finished off by Chris D. "Its a wood duck! And it's a drake," Sam G said. as he picked up his first duck of the season. It would also be the first wood duck killed at the LG2 ranch and a beautiful trophy. While the two hunters were reloading, a group of 3 mallards flew over the top, but neither hunter could manage a shot. However, they would not have to wait long before another group of wood ducks came in to land. Sam G scored another kill from the group.

Around 8 a.m., the action had slowed a little bit. Sam G began calling and a single duck flew over. It circled back around and Chris D took two shots, but the duck managed to escape. Sam G began calling again and a pair of wood duck hens came to drop into the hole. Two shots equaled two birds, a good ending to the morning.

All in all, it was a great morning hunt. Great weather, good company, and plenty of ducks. Hunter and guide ended their morning with a total of 5 wood ducks. More should have been harvested but there was some "rusty" shooting, and the two had to call it a morning early because Chris D needed to head back to Fort Worth.

The two cold fronts this week should deposit more ducks in the LG2 area. Duck season starts back up when the split is over on December 12, 2009.

Party at the Protein Feeder '09

Looks like Doug's camera caught a deer sausage fest taking place at the hottest big buck night club in town, the Proffitt Feed. Luckily for us, these bucks aren't camera-shy. By the bouncer's count, we had seven at the feeder at one time. Sure, they're all friends now, but throw a fine-lookin' doe in that mix and the antlers start flying!

Doug Snags First Trophy of the Season Before Trophy Snags First Doug

In the summer months, rattlesnakes often reverse the natural pecking order, forcing the hunters to become the hunted. One wrong step in the tall stuff, and its two sharp fangs to the shin. On August 20, Doug L. almost found out the hard way.

At about 10 p.m., Doug was heading back to the trailer from the barn. Just as he's about to hit the steps to the patio, he hears a rattle. Curled just one yard away from the deck was a 3 1/2-foot-long rattlesnake. As Doug explains, "I was one stride away from getting tagged when I heard him rattle." As the snake put it, "I was one stride away from getting dinner when I accidently rattled with excitement."

Doug got away before having to make his second trip to the Graham emergency room. Instead, he got himself the first trophy of the season. Doug's words of wisdom from the traumatic experience: "Makes you think twice about wearing flip flops out there."