Next trip to SSR scheduled for
Single Stack Ranch Google Calendar this will have all trip times and events posted on it. Several very important trips coming up!
POSTED 02/01/2013
Well it has been some time since my last update and a great deal of things have changed. Some things went for the good some things for the bad or not at least as planned. All in all it has been a great hunting season and plenty of animals have been seen and taken from the ranch.
The water well has come along very nice. Bravo Well now will pump for 2 hours at 7 gallons a minute before running dry. Plus it only takes around 2 days to recover. The 2000 gallon cistern is full and is very easy to keep full. The original plan to pour a concrete slab around the wells never worked out. Seems getting a contractor out here in west Texas is like pulling teeth from rabid raccoons. Oh, sure you can call contractors, but all of them will just string you along and never return your calls. Typical of humans I guess, instead of just saying they are not interested they take the low road and waste others time.
So instead of concrete a wooden foundation made of pressure treated wood has been built. My figuring is that it will last my lifetime anyway and the next person that owns this property will just have to deal with it. The foundation is 16X16 feet and a metal building like the storage shed will be put on it. Some photos of the foundation can be seen by clicking HERE.
The RV trailer project has been completed though. It now sits in its new home next to the cabin. The transport of the RV went without a hitch. We left the RV Park where it was located and traveled the 180 miles to the ranch with ease. The scary thing was that the truck only was able to manage 5 MPG to move that 8800 lb. fiberglass beast down the road. It has been hooked up to the water cistern and has full water capabilities with hot and cold running water. The RV has been leveled and placed on cinder blocks and the tires removed. The 12 volt power has been connected to the camps main battery bank and now draws all its DC power from it. Sewer lines have also been attached and have made the bathroom fully serviceable. The next steps for the RV will be to put a metal building over and around it, then a new wood deck in front. The TO DO lists seem to never get smaller just continues to grow on a daily basis. Some photos of the RV can be seen by clicking HERE.
The Muzzle Flash blind has seen some upgrades that include, full insulation of the walls and ceilings. Also a new solar powered hog light that emits an intense red light that illuminates the entire hunting area at night, a very kind gift from some special friends of the Single Stack Ranch. Tony W. and his brother James came together and purchased this equipment and gave it to us to hunt with, during their last trip to the ranch. Thanks again guys your gift will be remembered for many years to come. I am looking forward to your next trip to the ranch in March. Click HERE for some photos.
Larry F. also had a chance to come out to the ranch to this year. It has been over a year since his last visit. Which is way too long? We had a great time hunting and just killing a few brain cells. Larry F. also came to the ranch with some really cool exploding targets. There was more than one neighbor that heard this activity for sure. We used them on Quigley Road at various ranges, some a little too close for comfort. It just goes to say 10 minutes after this stuff was put up for sale, humans were figuring out the wrong way to use it for sure. A video has been posted to UTube. Click HERE to see it.
Now to the nuts and bolts of the ranch, the 2012-2013 Hunting Season at the SSR. In a few words stupendous, awesome, busy and great. Some great video footage was taken of some great animals. It seems that the Axis deer population is growing every year. The White Tail deer are also doing great. My personal hunting on the ranch this year was marked by some great animals. The first morning hunt of the season found me in the Double Tap blind and less than ten seconds into the new season there was a 9 point buck lying on the ground. Two weeks later while sitting on Quigley Road with Heidi as my spotter. Another buck was seen at 550 yards. Heidi decided that it was out of range for her, but I took a shot with my .300 win mag. The shot was only 3 inches low from where I was aiming. It dropped to the ground where it was standing. This started a quest for many guests to do better and it was. Mike B. during the season took several from Quigley. This included a doe from 400 yards, two ewes from 440 yards, and the furthest recorded shot of a doe at 630 yards. Quigley Road was not the only place that saw action. The Muzzle Flash had its fair share also. A good size Axis buck was taken by yours truly there. Several axis does and several white tail does also were taken by various folks during their stay at the SSR. Heidi also was able to take a nice Axis doe from the Double Tap blind. The wild turkeys are out of control at the ranch. Groups of over a 100 birds have been seen many times. So spring turkey season starting in March should be outstanding. A short video of the season’s activity can be seen by clicking HERE. Or the AFTER THE SHOT webpage.
I am back in San Antonio for a few weeks right now, but plan on leaving again for the SSR around the 11th of February. When I get back the works starts again. Many new chores await me, from putting up the new metal building for the pump house to land clearing. The work never ends and I hope it never does. God bless everyone and Heidi and I look forward to seeing our friends at the ranch again soon. Take care and if you are interested in joining us at the SSR please take a look at the Google Calendar and see when I will be out there.
POSTED 06/26/2012
The next trip to the ranch will be a busy one. A rental bobcat skid-steer tractor will be rented. The mission is to clean up all the left over drilling debris, rocks and ruts left by the well drilling process. Time willing any rocks in the ground around the campsite will also be removed. The new site for the RV trailer will also be cleared for its move out to the ranch in late August. (check calendar for exact date)
The foundation form and possibly the concrete will be poured for the new pump house around Bravo Well. Pouring a 8X8 foot slab.
Will also be pumping the Bravo Well as often as recovery rates allow. As of now Bravo will pump for 1 hour 7 minutes at 7 gallons per minute. Then it runs dry and has to recover for 3 days. So we are getting 460 gallons of clean crystal clear water every 3 days. Which for a West Texas desert is not bad. So far the 2000 gallon concrete cistern has about 1000 gallons of water in it. My goal this trip is to fill the cistern up and from then on just have to top it off when needed.
The Trigger Time Feeder/water trough is hooked back up to the cistern. From the amount of water disappearing and tracks around it the animals seem to like the water to. The old water trough in the campsite which has been shut down due to no water. Will also be hooked back up on this trip.
Now the first part of the trip up. Heidi and I will actually be celebrating our 6 wedding anniversary. Who would have believed it. Nobody 6 years ago would have bet a penny on this one to last. Or at the very least bloodshed, murder and mayhem anyway. But, after the recent well drilling episodes in our life we both feel that. If we can make it through that, we can endure anything.
At this time my son Jonathan and his fiancée Jordon will be coming out. Always nice to have a strong young back around when shovels and tractors are the order of the day. I also think Mike will be attending our sweat fest.
The weather is expected to DRY AND HOT. Forecasts are predicting 100+ days and sultry nights. So you can bet the generators will be burning plenty of fossil fuels for sure. So come out and sweat if you like.
POSTED 06/02/2012
It has been some time since the last posting. I have been at the ranch for roughly 6 months. First to enjoy the hunting season then to endure the trials and tribulations of having a water well drilled on the ranch. The well saga is a long one and deserves it's own pages to be told. So in the next week or so it will be posted. Brought on by the fact that the neighbor adjoining the SSR. Who actually owns the existing well and which we own half the water it produces. Decided that he would hire attorneys and so forth and try and figure out a way to get out of his civil contract with us. His solution was to dig a new hole divert the water from the old rock cistern and put it in the new one. Basically drying the old rock cistern and forcing us to take some form of action. Using the word neighbor for this piece of human DNA does not fit him. Neighbors do not act as such to each other, especially in the country.
There is lots to do now at the ranch since the install of the wells. The first one at 800ft in depth, is called ALFA and the second at 1000ft is called BRAVO. Long story why there is TWO freaking holes. Anyway tons of dirt, ruts, drill cuttings and holes to fill and repair. Plus the building of a new pump house to put BRAVO well in. Getting a water well in West Texas is a interesting and expensive proposition.
Last winter during February on another note did bring forth one pleasant surprise. A couple inches of snow which was made even nicer. Since Heidi was able to be there and we got to share it with each other.
The actual campsite and cabin have also seen some major changes. The inside of the cabin has been finished. The cabin now sports new walls, trim, paint, ceiling fan, TV, cabinets and wiring. On the outside of the cabin a new 16X16 deck has been built. Which makes sitting outside at night watching the stars nicer.
The decision has also been made to permanently move the large RV trailer to the ranch. Where is will become a guest quarters and general us facility. This will be taking place late in August. You can look at the Google Calendar for specific event times.
Cabin & Camp Upgrades Added 06/02/12
WATER WELL SAGA Added 06/04/12
Winter Weather 2012 Added 06/02/12