8,988 Acres in Freer, TX

The Covenant Ranch is located in the heart of Texas famed south Texas brush country in northeast Webb County, only a few miles from the home of the famed Muy Grande deer contest in Freer, Texas. The whitetail deer have been actively and intensely managed for over twenty years and currently under TPWDs Managed Land Deer Program. The intense deer management of genetic breeding utilizing their 5 DMP pens, selective harvest, maintaining adequate age structure and doe per buck ratios, coupled with excellent high protein brush has created some of the best trophy hunting in the state. As a supplement to the excellent browse available, whole cottonseed is distributed throughout the ranch. Proper habitat management has also provided outstanding populations of bobwhite quail, scaled quail, mourning dove, javelina, hogs, coyotes, bobcats, and many resident and migrating non-game species. The lakes on the property attract migrating waterfowl, providing occasional waterfowl hunting as well. Besides the excellent hunting available, several of the smaller tanks provide fishing opportunities.

Terrain:

Being in the heart of south Texas, The Covenant Ranch boasts some of the greatest diversity of high protein brush available providing all the essential browse to grow large trophy whitetail deer. Examples of this brush diversity include mesquite, black brush, guajillo, guayacan, granjeno, twisted acacia, brazil, persimmon, kidneywood, coma, four-winged saltbush, cenizo, white brush, prickly pear and many more. Topography of the ranch is deemed flat to undulating offering excellent views throughout the ranch. Diverse soils range from clay to sandy clay to fine sandy loam which also increases diversity of brush, forbs, and grasses. While Buffel grass dominates some of the improved areas, native grasses and forbs thrive throughout.

Brush management on the ranch has been an integral aspect of improving the wildlife habitat on the ranch. Selective clearing, food plots, and brush sculpting in strips and mosaic patterns provide greater edge effect, allowing for increased forb and grass production which has enriched the deer herd and all the native wildlife on the ranch. These brush strips and clearings provide prime quail habitat and optimal quail hunting locations. There are countless miles of wide roads, senderos, and clearings. Prescribed burning and shredding help maintain these areas. Additionally, there are 10+ fallow food plots and/or fenced fields that can be revitalized and planted as food plots for livestock or wildlife.

Brush is extremely valuable to wildlife in south Texas, and the Covenant Ranch possesses the majority of woody plant species found in the region.

- Rick Taylor, author: Common Woody Plants & Cacti of South Texas

Improvements:

The main lodge is 6,400 sf and has 10 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms, a large dining hall, a game room, and a commercial style kitchen, all designed with entertainment in mind. The main lodge overlooks Biel Lake and creates a picturesque setting for guests of the ranch.

The Covenant has 10,000 square feet of ranch headquarters, that includes a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment, a ranch-operations office, a well-designed, game cleaning room complete with a walk-in cooler and freezer, and plenty of large equipment storage with five overhead doors. There is also a helicopter bay and an equipment maintenance shop on site. The Covenant also has an 1,800-sf house near the ranchs headquarters that would make for a great guest or foremans house.

Other improvements on the ranch include two additional storage barns, a horse barn, and covered dog kennels. The helicopter pad and an older 4,000 ft paved runway provide easy access to the ranch. The ranch is entirely high-fenced and there is a 1,500-acre pasture near the front that is separately high-fenced, that was used for bow hunting only. There are five DMP pens scattered throughout the ranch, for the purpose of natural deer breeding. The ranch is being sold as is.

Water:

There is one water well located in the front of the ranch that is approximately 740 ft deep that produces approximately 10 gallons per minute. Aside from the 300-acre Biel Lake, which is the largest water feature on the property, there is a second lake that is approximately 50 acres in size. In addition to the lakes, there are 26 ponds on the ranch that are filled by rainwater or drainage. Black Creek, along with numerous other wet-weather creek drainages, traverse the ranch.

The water is treated by a state-of-the-art Culligan water treatment system and then stored in a 50,000-gallon tank. One of the large equipment barns is set up for rainwater harvesting. It has storage and a distribution system.

In addition, there are 19 water troughs located in the main pasture areas.