Now it’s on to the big game season where we’ll be hosting much smaller groups for whitetail, russian boar, blackbuck antelope, and axis deer hunts. Some of you dove hunters have already booked with us for next yeart but no matter, we sure appreciate your support and we hope to see all of you in 2009!

–Paul

Although the cooler weather has chased some of the local birds south, they’ve been replaced by the bigger northern birds. I have to say that hunting when it’s 85 degrees is a bit more enjoyable than when it’s in the upper 90’s like it is in early September. As far as I can see on the 7 day forecast it looks like great weather next weekend too so I don’t expect any change in the birds but we’ll be scouting them all the same.

We still have some openings next weekend so give us a call if you’re looking for a great winged shooting esperience.. Adios for now.

Paul B.

Cell — 325-668-5030

We have had an inch of rain Monday and Tuesday but we hope that dries up before the weekend. Regardless of the rain, we’re looking for some good hunting this weekend too. Allowing our fields to rest this week should make for plenty of birds this weekend.

We still have plenty of openings on the 4th weekend of September 26th - 28th so don’t hesitate to call us and book a date while the birds are great!

–Paul

325-668-5030

We still have openings on the 2nd and 4th weekends of September as well as the 1st and 2nd weekends of October. So if you are looking for great Dove Hunting with excellent accommodations, The 4B Ranch is the place! Give us a call at 325-668-5030 to book your reservation.

–PaulB

The state of the fields on the ranch are near perfect… The wheat has matured and the sunflowers are coming on strong. There’s a big difference between hunting over wheat fields that have been harvested and wheat fields that have not. Having the grain still on the stalk makes all the difference!

This is our Middle Field near one of our deep tanks.
Our Middle Field has sunflowers only. When the sunflowers don’t have to compete with the wheat, the sunflowers are thicker and taller.

Our South Field with uncut wheat and native sunflowers.
The sunflowers are still maturing and by the time the season starts will be much thicker than depicted here… It has been our experience over the last five years that the best condition is wheat and sunflowers (grain and seed) and our South Field has both!

This is our West Field. In this field we sow the wheat late (December) and allow the sunflowers to take it over in the spring. We also have volunteer dove grass mixed in with it… This field is right next to the pastures where the dove roost where catching then coming and going to their roosts has always been good.

Our East Field also has uncut wheat and sunflowers. The wheat was sown earlier (last October) and will be thicker than the sunflowers though the sunflowers are not mature at this stage and still have a ways to go. Our east field is a little different than the other fields in that it is a bit more rocky giving the birds a good place to get the gravel they need to help grind the grain and seed in their craws before going to water.

All of our fields are close to water….. There are two large tanks in the middle of all the fields and three more less than 200 yards from the west side of the fields.

Going where the birds are….

4B Outfitters also leases fields in Runnels and Taylor counties. We scout those fields as well as our own fields to determine where the thickest concentration of birds are prior to each hunt and that’s where we hunt. The patterns of the Mourning Dove are such that they move around so having fields in different areas is key to having a successful weekend of dove hunting….

Of course the food and accommodations are also a big part of the weekend and in keeping with our reputation, we will be serving our hunters high quality food, the air-conditioning will be on full blast in the hunting lodge, the big screen Satellite TV will have college football on, and the open air Pavilion will be open to all hunters. We’ll have mid-day sporting clays each weekend for those that want to practice their shooting or just have a little fun busting some clays.

For questions or reservations, call 325-668-5030 days or evenings……. I hope we all have a GREAT dove season. It’s sure shaping up to be a good one!

The following is a chronicle of the hunts by ranch owner and guide, Paul B.

FRIDAY EVENING HUNT:
In the blinds at 4:00PM. Weather is warm, especially for December…. We get into the blinds and hunt ’til dark. We see a few animals but no shooters. Animals we do see seem skittish. Hunt was a total bust….That’s OK, we have a great meal planned for our guests and there’s plenty of time for more hunts.

SATURDAY MORNING:

In the blinds at 6:00 AM. Another hunting bust…. Saw some nice shooters but no shots. Skittish barely begins to describe the way they were acting. Out of the blinds at 9:00. I notice the weather is starting to turn cool and the wind is now out of the north. We’ll have a big breakfast and maybe try a spot and stalk after lunch.

SATURDAY MID-DAY:

Mild north breeze. Stephen and Matthew took hunter Joe Trumpio who was shooting a big bore pistol (S&W .460 XVR) out in the hunting rig on a spot & stalk. A large mature boar was spotted on the east end on the ranch. Credit goes to hunter Joe Trumpio for making a well placed shot on the boar from 40 yards. This kill was also a ranch first in that it was shot with a revolver type pistol.

This boar was 282 lbs with a 3 1/2″ cutter. (his other cutter was broke off all the way into the gum) This boar was scored and will place in the top 20 in the weight class of the WWT Trophy Wild Boar Record Book.

Joe Trumpio and his 282 lb. Russian Boar

SATURDAY EVENING:

In the blinds at 4:00PM. The weather is DEFINITELY turning. It wasn’t freezing cold yet but it was getting there and the wind speed had picked up. We see even more animals but still don’t get a shot at any big ones. Out of the blinds at dark. I think there was some disappointment at this point since there was only one hunt left before they had to head back to Cali. We had a great meal of mesquite grilled German sausage and Ribeye steak with baked potatoes, corn casserole, salad, and jalapeno cheesecake. With only one more hunt left before we’d have to take the hunters to catch their flight back to Cali, I think everyone was a little concerned. But I know it’s about to get real cold. I also know the Russians love the cold. They do move in the cold.

SUNDAY MORNING: (last hunt)

In the blinds at 6:00AM, light at 7:10AM. Weather is cold. I was guiding John Morrissey who was shooting a Blaser .270 with a Zeiss scope. Looking out the windows of the blind toward the north wasn’t easy. That north wind was cutting like a knife. Conditions for us were almost miserable with having to look into the north wind. It doesn’t often get like this in Southern California. Did I mention that the Russians like it cold? In fact, it can’t get cold enough for them…. The big boars are on the move. And they ain’t skittish, they’re looking for food.

— 7:15 AM —

A big mature boar wonders into wheat patch and then to the feed spot and starts feeding. Hunter Jon Morrissey puts the crosshairs on the boar and lets the lead fly! The big boar goes down and Mr. Morrissey finished the boar off in the field.

This boar was 280 lbs with a 2 3/4″ cutter on one side and a 1.0” cutter on the other. (Mature boars in the wild more often than not have tusks that are broke off from fighting) This boar was scored and will also place in the top 20 in the weight class of the WWT Trophy Wild Boar Record Book.

John Morrissey and his 280 lb. Russian Boar

— 7:25 AM —

Hunter Ed Sullivan is in-blind with Matthew. I can imagine that after hearing the shots and then hearing on the radio that John took a big boar, Ed is dreading the flight back to California since both hunters Trumpio and Morrissey will most likely be giving him untold amounts of grief about not getting a boar. Have I mentioned that the big boars love the cold weather and that the cold puts them on the move? Only 10 minutes had transpired since Mr. Morrissey’s shot rang out when a big mature boar saunters up on the feeder that hunter Sullivan and Matthew were hunting over…….. Hunter Sullivan puts the crosshairs of the scope of his .300 Winchester Short Magnum on the boar and lead flies! The boar goes down but gets back up and moves west. With the boar now at about 130 yards away, another shot (or two but who’s counting) is put into about the boar to finish the job

This boar was 270 lbs but with both tusks, each at 2 3/4″, he should score BIG. After scoring, this boar has unofficially placed FIRST in the High Fence Tusk Class of the WWT Trophy Wild Boar Record Book. CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH ED SULLIVAN AND THE 4B RANCH!

Ed Sullivan and his WORLD RECORD Russian Boar

=========== IN THE END============
In the end all three hunters were happy, and truthfully I think they would have been happy even had all three not scored but no doubt they were even happier with all three of them harvesting really nice animals. These guys were serious hunters. I have to give them a lot of credit for hanging in there and being patient even when it started to look like it was going to be pretty tough hunting. But…. when given the opportunity, all three performed well. None of the animals were gut shot and all three of the animals were down within only a few yards of where they were initially shot. (we didn’t end up having to track their animals all over the ranch) No doubt they were here to have a good time but first and foremost, they were here for some serious hunting. They were also very courteous to staff and were the perfect guests.

Congratulations to Joe Trumpio, John Morrissey, and Ed Sullivan……

Tres Amigos de California!

———- SHAMELESS 4B RANCH PLUG———-
There are only a few ranches in the United States where hunters can harvest a trophy quality pure Russian (European) Boar. The 4B Ranch specializes in these animals and I’m very proud that there are several of our animals in the record book. I’m also very proud that we were able to get three trophy quality animals in one weekend. This is NOT an easy task. (ask any of the Three Amigos) Although the 4B Ranch is high fenced, the animals are free to range the entire ranch. These are NOT canned hunts. The big mature boars have plenty of places to keep low and they are not without guile. They will make you hunt using different methods or you’ll pay the price in terms of success rate.

The new Main Lodge was specifically designed with hunting guests in mind. Located adjacent to and connected with our Pavilion, the Main Lodge will provide a great place for our hunters to socialize before and after hunts and comfortable sleeping quarters when it’s time to crash.

The web site has been updated with pictures of the new Main Lodge on our LODGING page. 4B Ranch Lodging

Built for comfort, the Main Lodge will be equipped with central air and heat, comfortable sleeping quarters, a spacious great room for dining and fellowship, a large commercial kitchen, and ample bathroom facilities for men and women. Adjoining our 30 x 40 open Pavilion, the new lodge shares the same great view of the hills of the Callahan Divide here in West Central Texas. Hunters will be able to dine out on the open Pavilion or inside.

We’ve listened to our hunters over the past four years and have made sure to incorporate their suggestions into the design of the Main Lodge. A 42” flat screen television will adorn the wall of the great room. With satellite service and a DVD player, hunters will be able to catch their favorite sporting event or play movies during down times. The large commercial grade kitchen will insure that the same quality of food our hunters have grown accustomed to will be available in larger quantities. Wireless internet service will be available throughout the entire Main Lodge. A dedicated CAT 5 port at a work station will also be available in the great room for those requiring a dedicated connection.

Here are some pictures of the construction as of mid-June. We’ll update the pictures as the construction progresses….

—- Pictures updated as of last week of July ——

PaulB
4B Ranch
Ovalo, Texas

Click On Pictures to Enlarge

As the ranch owner and the host of this hunt, I can say that there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a bunch of hunters at the cleaning station cleaning birds and regaling each other with stories of how good the hunting was where they were.

I’m convinced that the key to really good dove hunting in West Texas centers around cultivation and water. The 4B is blessed with great water and typical West Texas cultivation. The wheat couldn’t be harvested due to draught and of course sunflowers are native and grow in the spring no matter what. We shredded the wheat and sunflowers 3 weeks before the seasoned opened. Many tons of grain and seed were put on the ground when we shredded. It wasn’t long before the birds started showing up. Even during mid-season I could drive through the fields in the mule and scare up hundreds of birds. Pretty amazing. Now that we are doing the farming ourselves, I expect next year to be as good as this year.

As hunting goes, good dove hunting ranks at the very top of my list for fun times. Our outfitter brought many hunters from all over the United States and while driving around and visiting with them, many stated that it was the best they’d ever seen.

By my best reckoning, more than 2,000 birds were taken off the 4B during the season and that pales in comparison to how many birds we actually had. We barely put a dent in it!

In my opinion, dove hunting in West Texas is one of the best hunting experiences a person can have. The weather is warm but not brutally hot and the action is intense because everybody gets to shoot. I certainly hope that the 2007 Dove Season will be as good as this one.