Big Bucks and More on S. Texas Ranches

In early October, Nick Benavides invited me over to his Los Lazos Ranch near Laredo to photograph some of the big bucks he was seeing.  With only two afternoons and a morning to spare for the trip, I was happy to see the big guys were ready to come in close for each photo session.

Two weeks later, four photographers traveled with me over to Cotulla, Texas where I conducted a three day Instructional Photo Tour the Santa Margarita Ranch (www.santamargaritaranch.com) .  One of the great things about these south Texas ranches is the tremendous wildlife diversity.  So, when we were ready to take a break from big deer, there were birds, reptiles and other critters to photograph at  the photo blinds and along the ranch roads.  The hospitality, food and accommodations were exceptional and the ranch managers were always available to insure that we had a quality visit.

Here are some of the images from these ranches.  Just click on a photo to make it larger and sharper for good viewing.

White-tailed Deer feeding near Cowpen Daisies.
White-tailed Deer feeding near Cowpen Daisies.

The big bucks at Los Lazos Ranch didn’t have swollen necks in early October, but their antlers were impressive.

White-tailed Deer in early south Texas autumn with flowers abloom.
White-tailed Deer in early south Texas autumn with flowers abloom.
Lark Sparrow perched near photo blind at sunrise.
Lark Sparrow perched near photo blind at sunrise.

Lark sparrows and a variety of other birds perched near the deer blind as I waited for the big bucks to appear at Los Lazos Ranch.

Big buck checking the breeze for scent of a doe at Santa Margarita Ranch.
Big buck checking the breeze for scent of a doe at Santa Margarita Ranch.
White-tailed deer, buck at sunrise
White-tailed deer, buck at sunrise

This Santa Margarita Ranch monster was carrying so much headgear that he had to hold his head back to maintain a balance.

Black-buck in south Texas brush
Black-buck in south Texas brush

This mature black-buck antelope  showed up at the photo blind on several occasions.

At a second photo blind we were greeted by many scaled quail and other critters like the colorful crayfish.

Scaled Quail, male
Scaled Quail, male
Defensive crayfish (crawdad)
Defensive crayfish (crawdad)

A huge whitetail buck gave me this parting shot as he crossed a fallen fence at sundown.

White-tailed Deer jumping fence
White-tailed Deer jumping fence

Don’t forget to check out all the south Texas Photo Ranches for a great time and some fantastic photography.

Larry

3 thoughts on “Big Bucks and More on S. Texas Ranches”

    1. Good morning, Felo. It’s always good to hear from you. Thanks for reading the newsletters. I try to write the newsletter for those of you who love nature. My regards to your family.

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