Texas wildlife ranch cancels group hunting after losing more than 2,000 Axis deer in deep freeze
The snowstorm heavily impacted the wildlife at a Texas ranch in Sonora, about 170 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Texas Canyon Ranch lost more than 2,000 of its 4,000 Axis deer population and about 60 percent of its Black Buck antelope population, according to a release from the ranch.
The ranch stated it experienced animal losses and infrastructure damage so severe it has been forced to cancel most scheduled hunting for the rest of the year. Only “premier” hunts will be offered, allowing one or two hunters at a time with a private guide and a limited harvest.
When the Arctic freeze hit, temperatures on the hunting recreational ranch dipped into the low single digits and stayed there for days, the release noted. Despite having no electricity, the staff worked around the clock to keep water pipes from freezing and to feed the livestock and wildlife on the more than 20,000-acre property.
“We are heartbroken by the toll the storm took on our animals,” Bill Hall, business manager for Canyon Ranch, said. “Fortunately, few of our Oryx were lost. Although, we can tell they are impacted by how slow they are to move away when approached. They just don’t have the energy to run. No Red Deer were lost, and, needless to say, as always, the feral hogs are doing just fine.”
Hall hopes the February freeze will not have a lasting impact on the ranch’s ecology. According to the release, a few trees were lost, but the grasslands and most of their plant life are expected to recover well.
The ranch is also a member of the Exotic Wildlife Association.
