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.