Saying Goodbye

We are packing to leave. :( Breakfast is at 8 then we will be hitting the highway. :( The kids have had soooo much fun.

Goodbye Indian Head Ranch!!!

Shotgun Shooting

We got to shoot shotguns this morning. The boys did very well. We even had a little competition. The boys wanted me to get in also. Mr. Riley Patterson knocked me out of the competition 2 out of 3 rounds. Tristan won the 3rd round. Not bad for never shooting a shotgun before. Way to go boys!!!!

Swimming in the Devils River

The water was just what was needed after a hot morning of the GPS challenge. This part of the Devils River was spring fed, so the cool water was very refreshing for the boys.

Another Cave

This cave was really cool. It had several nooks & crannies throughout the cave. The boys were very imaginative with the history of the cave.

We made it!!!

We made it through the night. It was far from the most comfortable living conditions, but the boys were boys in the great outdoors.

The boys first had to gather fire wood.

We made Hobo meals. Axis meat, potatos, carrots, mushrooms & onions sauteed in butter cooked in foil. Wasn't too bad.
The entire group. The boys have made some great friends from all over Texas, Michigan, & Louisiana.

Camp Out!!!

Tonight is the night for our camp out under the Texas Stars!! We are scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. this afternoon so I'd better get packed. I think as worn out as the kids are they will all sleep like babies tonight. (At least I will, I hope :))

Visit from the Game Warden

After lunch, one of the 8 Val Verde County Game Wardens stopped by to visit with us. She covered what was in her job description, the importance of her duties, & then opened it up for a question & answer session. All the kids had great questions for her.

GPS Challenge!!!

The kids were given a lesson on the uses of a Global Posistioning System this morning. They were then told to go COMPLETELY fill their Camal Backs & load in the vehicles.

The kids were then blind folded & driven to a way point on the ranch. Once the way point was set, they were then taken to different parts of the ranch in groups of 4 & told to find their way back to the set way point. This proved to be a difficult challenge. Not all groups found their way back to the way point. Those that didn't at least had enough survival skills to find their way back to the main road to be found.

They all had great stories to tell upon their arrival back to camp!!!

Sunset

The sunsets are beautiful here.

Wednesday Night

Sorry that it has been so long since the last post. They have been keeping us super busy.

Today the kids finished up their Bow Hunters Education Course & completed their tests. They all passed with flying colors. With all the classroom stuff out of the way, there is a bunch of fun to be had.

After the test was completed we headed out into the ranch to do some hands on stuff. The kids learned how to put up a tree stand & how to properly use the fall-arrest system to prevent falls from tree stands. Next, we did some skills testing in the field to test some of the safety knowledge that they were taught. For example, we would be walking through the brush and come across this . . . . . . . Do you shoot this animal???

The correct answer is no.

1. This animal is not in season.


2. If you look closely in the background, you see bright orange. There is someone or something beyond your target. You DO NOT shoot at this animal.

These were some basic things learned in the Hunters Safety Education Course put into real life situations. The course consisted of about 8-9 similar scenarios.

We were also put into a wounded animal tracking scenario. They had us trail blood to find a "situational wounded animal". The kids had to track the blood, follow hoof prints, broken branches, and other environmental clues to find this animal.

Archery

After they got the hang of the Muzzel Loaders, they moved on to archery. For some of the kids, this was another first.
After they got the hang of the archery, they were given a challenge. They had 3 arrows & had to shoot a coke can from 10 yards. 3 of our 5 were successful.

Another First

The kids learned to load & shoot Muzzel Loaders this morning. They were all excited about it, but nervous at the same time. They all did well.They even let me shoot!!

The Pictographs

This is where we're going

AND THIS IS HOW WE WILL GET THERE!!!!

Ranger Jack

Jack, a Park Ranger from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Service, came this morning to talk to us about some of the history & archaelogical sites on the ranch.

Views of the Devil River

These pics are all of the Devil's River. BEAUTIFUL!!!

How the ranch got its name

This is a bluff on the Devil's River side of the ranch. This is why the ranch is called Indian Head Ranch. If you use your imagination you can see his hair line, eye sockets, nose, lips & chin. SOOOOO NEAT!!!

Tristan's first kill

Tristan's hunt began at 6:15 this morning. I think that he was actually waiting on the guide at about 5:30. This was his first hunt & he was super excited. We spotted a black & a white corsican ram walking along the fence line. Tristan & Darren, guide, got out & stalked the pair of rams through the brush. They were actually able to get about 30 yards from them. Tristan fired once broadside & made a great shot. The sheep didn't go down & was looking at them head on. He fired another shot & the ram dropped.

Harvested Rams

Top pic (from L to R): JC from Rockwall, TX, Josh Muehlstein, David, from Venezuela, & Jordan from ??.

Bottom Pic (from L to R): Bottom Row, JC, Erik Hager, David, Joshua Munoz from Louisiana, Josh Muehlstein.

First Blood

Top: David, from Venezuela, gets wears his first blood. He wasn't too happy about it.

Bottom: Josh Muehstein, even though this wasn't his first blood, I talked his guide, Amy, into doing it anyway. He was a good sport. :)

We were greeted with smiling faces when we entered the lodge for the first time. There are 5 instructors as well as the ranch owner to teach us.

The boys are in the BUFFALO house. It is a split style cabin with 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms.