Two different hunting experiences are offered, depending on the hunter’s desires – fully guided hunts for any species listed above, with help determining size and guidance on pricing on the Paisano Ranch OR fair chase hunts with direction but not one on one guiding (includes axis deer, blackbuck antelope and fallow deer hunting) on the Ridge View Ranch. In either option, they provide state of the art cleaning facilities with electric hoists, a large walk-in cooler and freezers that allow us to prepare your animal for taxidermy and processing.

4N offers first class accommodations, three mouthwatering meals per day, snacks, water and soft drinks. Basic cost is $275.00 per day to cover lodging, meals and guide fees. Animals are priced separately.  Also, be sure to take advantage of a few of their seasonal specials.

Current Special:

For the month of August, the 4N Ranches are super special.  If you book a 150-164″ whitetail buck or Super Exotic hunt (kudu, gemsbok, elk, red deer), they will take $1,000 off your second animal!!  For more details visit the 4N ‘Find A Hunt’ page.  For booking, contact Kevin Tims @ 325.716.0319

AllAboutExotics is thrilled to be welcoming the 4N Ranches to the Exotic ‘Find A Hunt’ Directory!  We had a chance to tour this ranch a couple months back, and can tell you that the hunting operation is top notch – great habitat, friendly staff, beautiful accommodations and an abundance of trophy game!

The 4N Paisano Ranch is located just minutes from San Angelo in West Central Texas, offering hunting excursions for exotics as well as world class whitetail.  The term Paisano was an early Spanish term of affection for the roadrunners that are native to this region of Texas. It’s translation is “friend” or “compatriot”, which is the foundation of the philosophy of the ranch and hunting operation.  A place for friends and family to enjoy each other’s company while hunting, taking photographs or just hanging out enjoying life on the ranch.

Alvin New and manager Kevin Tims have worked hard to create a place that feels like your own. They offer you as little or as much attention as you desire. You can be left in complete privacy, or pampered with a cook, a guide — or your experience can be completely customized to your satisfaction.

At the 4N Paisano Ranch, their goal is to work hard to provide a great hunt of incredible animals, and to make friends for life.  The ranch offers a wide variety of exotic game to hunt year ’round including axis, blackbuck, elk, fallow, kudu, red lechwe, gemsbok, scimitar-horned oryx, wildebeest and even zebra.  The 4N is currently offering a ‘Spring Special’ on axis, blackbuck, and scimitar-horned oryx hunts.  All hunts are guided one-on-one, Safari-style, spot & stalk or from comfortable blinds.  After bagging your trophy, they offer a state-of-the-art cleaning area and walk in cooler for your convenience.

The 4N offers first class accommodations and chef-prepared gourmet meals, which includes three delicious meals a day, snacks, water and soft drinks. They have a game room equipped with a pool table, poker table and walk-up bar.  The ranch also offers skeet shooting and fishing which is available for your down-time enjoyment.

For more information on a hunting excursion or family retreat at the 4N Paisano Ranch, visit their AAE page or contact Kevin Tims @ (325) 716-3019.

No kill, No pay policy.  They also have several 19-21″+ blackbucks available to hunt as well.  Mention that you found this on AAE and recieve a special discount on the larger blackbuck hunts. This is a limited time offer, so contact them today for your chance at a big, mature blackbuck antelope.  For more information on Porter’s Exotics, check out their website – www.portersexotics.com or visit their AAE page on our site.

Porter’s Exotics is located in Flynn, Texas, Leon County, which is about 37 miles Northeast of College Station.  It plays  home to an abundant herd of trophy class axis, blackbuck, fallow deer, and scimitar-horned oryx.  Numerous hunters have taken top five ranked exotics in the Record of Exotics including a #1 Axis and Blackbuck! Exotic hunts are conducted either out of the numerous blinds scattered throughout the ranch, spot & stalk, or safari style.

To book a hunt, contact CP Wade @ 979-587-1024 or via email form on the Porter’s Exotics AAE page – click here.

Rhino Outdoors is a family owned outfitter & guide service specializing in quality hunting and fishing adventures at affordable prices.

‘We cater to families, small hunting parties and corporate groups. Our Mission is to provide the very best professional service & create a friendly family atmosphere for our customers so that they can enjoy their adventure & benefit from a successful hunt.” — Ryan “Rhino” Haecker

With Rhino Outdoor Adventures you can hunt a variety of native & exotic game species on one of several ranches they offer in Texas. Whitetail, Mule Deer, Rio Grande Turkey, Javelina, Axis, Aoudad, Blackbuck, Elk, Fallow deer, Sika deer and a variety of Rams, along with other exotic game animals. Predators are also offered for hunting, which includes Bobcat, Coyote, Fox, Mountain Lion and hundreds of Wild Hogs!

Most of Rhino hunting adventures are set up as all inclusive packages that include food, lodging, guide services & preparation of game harvested.  They also plan annual hunting adventures to South Africa, Alaska, Canada, Mexico & other destinations across the United States. Rhino Outdoors also offers many Hunting Leases if your looking for a do it yourself type of hunt. Let Rhino guide you on a hunting adventure like no other!!

To book your Rhino hunting adventure contact Ryan “Rhino” Haecker at (830) 660-4933 or learn more at  www.rhinooutdoors.com.

For more exotic outfitters visit the AAE ‘Find A Hunt’ directory.

Rusty Baker's blackbuck

Be prepared for some fireworks when the crew of Rusty Baker Outdoors invades Porter’s Exotics.  Yesterday’s trophy pics from the ranch are the proof!  RBO host, Rusty Baker, was able to connect on a beautiful 21″ blackbuck antelope and Jeff Edwards of College Station was successful harvesting a tremendous sika deer.  (Jeff must have been in a hurry to get back to town because the only pics we got were of his guide and ranch foreman, CP Wade posing w/his deer!)  Look for both of these hunts to be featured on the Rusty Baker Outdoors TV Show next season.

To book a hunt at Porter’s Exotics, visit their AAE page or contact CP Wade @ 979.587.1024

The Rusty Baker Outdoor Show airs on the Sportsman Channel.  For show times, check out RustyBakerOutdoors.com (you might wanna pick up one of their new calendars while you’re there…)

Brushy Creek Outdoors will cater to the most experienced hunter or the “rookie” hunter or child who is looking to create new memories, and hopefully a new lifestyle, while hunting for that elusive trophy animal.  They have them and want to get them in your crosshairs.

Visit Brushy Creek Outdoors’ AAE page in our ‘Find A Hunt’ directory or visit their website (www.brushycreekoutdoors.com) to find other details including their great lodge, hunt prices, and other details about photo tours and varmit hunting.   They are looking forward to planning your next hunting adventure!

For more on Brandon’s hunt, check out his post on TexasBowhunter.com.

Also visit www.portersexotics.com or their AAE Outfitter Page to learn more about this great exotic ranch located near Flynn, Texas.

Last year, the EWA appealed the ruling of Federal Judge Henry Kennedy who overturned a special rule by the U.S. Fish& Wildlife Department that allowed three antelope species to be born, raised and freely traded in the United States withoutthe USFWD permitting process. Without the special rule, conservation efforts will most likely cease and the populations for the three species are expected to dramatically deminish.

“The scimitar-horned oryx is a perfect example of how successful the special rules exemption has been to the species’ survival,” says Charly Seale, executive director of the Exotic Wildlife Association. “While these animals are all but gone intheir native country, there are currently thousands of these amazing animals being cared for and raised on preserves and ranches across the country. Many endangered species are virtually extinct in their native lands, but are now flourishing in the United States because ranchers are able to buy, sell and breed the animals.

“However, new federal regulations which are now pending could threaten the survival of these species,” adds Seale,“and could soon impact the ability to hunt other more common exotic species like blackbuck, axis deer, aoudad and others. Preserving the current legal status of these species is critical to the survival of the species and our industry.”

In July 2009, the judge ruled three species — Scimitar-Horned Oryx, Addax, Dama Gazelle — which are born andraised in the United States, will no longer be exempted from the endangered species list and no longer freely traded without federal permits. The three species are classified as an endangered species, however, special rules enacted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2005 made it possible for owners of captive herds to purchase, sell, move and managethese animals on ranches across the United States. The program has been extremely successful, increasing the animals’ population by the thousands and adding $1.3 billion annually and thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy.

The High Road airs three times a week on The Pursuit Channel (Direct TV 608), Friday at 12 a.m., Sunday at 11 a.m.and Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Warren’s other program, Keith Warren’s Deer & Wildlife Stories also airs three times a week on the Pursuit Channel, showing on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 12 a.m. All times are EST.

The EWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to leading wildlife conservation through commerce. As a part of its public education efforts, the EWA publishes a full-color bimonthly magazine, Exotic Wildlife, which updates EWA members on current legislative news and important issues impacting game management and private property rights. The EWA alsohosts an annual meeting and video animal auction in March and the annual Trophy Game Records of the World Banquet in July.

To learn more about the Exotic Wildlife Association or to donate to the Save Exotic Wildlife Fund, call 830.367.7761, email saveanimals@exoticwildlifeassociation.com or visit www.exoticwildlifeassociation.com.

The drawing for your exotic dream hunt is taking place in only a few months.  There are now less than 100 tickets left (only 500 will be sold)!  Buy a ticket & have a chance at a once-in-a-lifetime Texas hunt; all while supporting a great cause!  We purchased our chance (ticket #253).  Here are some more details on the raffle and info on how you can do the same:

Enter now for your chance to win a Fully Guided Exotic Hunt on the Harkey Ranch Lodge near Christoval, Texas!

Winner receives his/her choice of a Fallow Deer, Blackbuck, or Oryx

1 Hunter & Guest – 3 day/2 night hunt

Package Includes:  Trophy Fee, Meals, Lodging, Guide Fees, and Trophy Preperation**

**Guide service & meals provided by Travis Weir and Texas Specialty Hunts

$100 per ticket   or  6 tickets for $500

Only 400 tickets will be sold – so don’t wait!

This is a fundraiser for “The Spicy Bunch”, a team with the Relay For Life, which will be held 5/21/2010 at the Legrand Sports Complex in San Angelo, Texas.  This is a 12-hour walk with approximately 120 teams of 15 people each, raising funds with a total goal of $250,000.  All proceeds from the auction go to the American Cancer Society.  The drawing will take place on the day of the event.

Contact: Jesse Wier @ 325-277-4719 or Ginger Bruton @ 325-234-1678

Please make checks payable to the American Cancer Society

For more info on the Harkey Ranch Lodge visit www.wildlifesystems.com

When most of my friends are headed to the beaches of Mexico or Florida for their school graduation celebrations, I was fortunate enough to get to spend my time hunting the West Texas Hill Country for blackbuck antelope with a good friend of mine, Shane Hill.

Lee Puckitt, a close family friend of mine and a Texas Tech Alum, was gracious enough to allow my friend Shane and I the opportunity to spend a weekend hunting the crafty critters on his Puckitt Ranch about twenty miles north of San Angelo, Texas.  This would be a hunt like none other that I had ever been on.  No guide, no feeders, and no vehicles.  Shane and I didn’t get to sleep in a comfortable cabin and certainly didn’t have a cook fixing up our meals.  We were to camp along the Concho River in a tent and cook our own meals over an open campfire.

We spent that first night talking about all the things that young men talk about, anticipating the sunrise the next morning and getting our first hunt underway.  We awoke the next morning before the sun rose.  It was as if our excitement wouldn’t allow us to… recognize how bad our heads were hurting or how aching our bodies were from sleeping on the hard ground.  We rushed to get all of our materials together for the day.  Full camouflage, head to toe.  Shane had brought camo paint with him so we splattered our faces with it as to really get the full effect that we were hoping for.  We drove to the high fence gate and parked our truck.  This would be as far as we go with the help of a vehicle.  We opened that gate, making sure to close it behind us, and our hunt was off and running.

Neither Shane nor I knew anything at all about these creatures that we were hunting.  It would have been nice to have a resource such as AAE back then to do a little research.  Much like Rambo or any Chuck Norris character, Shane and I spent the first hour of our hunt stepping as quietly as possible through the brush and only talking to each other using hand signals.  Not that either of us ever understood what the other was trying to say, but nonetheless, it was a fun adventure.  It really didn’t take long before we were on top of the animals.  I guess luck would have it that the wind was always in our faces, and sure enough we had a group of blackbuck crossing in front of us at about 200 yards.  I motioned to Shane to stop and get down, in hopes of not being seen.  After seeing my hand motions, he stood straight up and came pacing towards me.  Figured… that was exactly how our conversations all morning had been.  Fortunately, he got to my post and the antelope hadn’t detected him moving.  At that time, I had no idea what qualified as a “large” blackbuck antelope, so I simply picked one out.  I got a rest in the fork of a tree and as my target antelope stepped into a predetermined shooting lane, I fired.  He dropped on the spot.

After field dressing the animal, we hauled him out of the pasture back to the truck.  It was summer time so we had to get him in the cold as soon as possible.  We decided our best bet was to drive the 15-20 minutes to a taxidermist and get him in a cooler.  We did so and my trophy is hanging on my wall in my office right now.

After dropping my trophy off, we rushed back to the ranch to work on getting a shot for Shane.  We made a poor assumption that getting Shane an animal would be as painless as getting mine.  Our assumptions were very wrong.  Looking back, I was a bit spoiled tagging out on a good blackbuck so early on the hunt. We spent the next six to seven hours spot and stalking throughout this ranch.  We were always in position to see the blackbuck, but could not get into a position for a shot.  As the evening of our first full day of hunting began to wind down, we headed back towards our makeshift camp. Once there, we were able to relax a bit and relive the actions of the day.  We felt confident that Day 2 would bring good fortune to Shane and he too would be able to harvest one of these animals.

We awoke the next morning amidst the realization that we had committed a critical mistake.  We had accidentally left our footwear outside our tent all night.  As a result, the high humidity had blessed us with a thick layer of dew on two sets of hunting boots.  There was no time for remorse, however, as we quickly gathered the rest of our gear got to our pasture to begin the day’s hunt. Stealth on this day was a bit harder to come by with the constant ‘squish, squish’ at every carefully placed step.  But, just as the previous day, we were able to get on animals almost immediately.

We caught up to a group of ten blackbuck and four or five axis deer browsing together.  At this point, we were every bit of 300 yards away and Shane needed another 75 to 100 yards to make a shot he felt comfortable with.  That shot wasn’t to be, as the animals spooked and the chase ensued once again.  That scenario played out several times throughout the course of the day.

It was a little after lunch on our last day of hunting when Shane said he would have to give up the chase and head out soon.  One of his kids, Hannah, had a soccer game that evening that he had promised to attend.  We talked about it for a bit, standing in the hot summer sun.  I apologized that we hadn’t been able to get him an animals as he offered back the line uttered by so many hunters in their hunting careers, “we’ll get ‘em next time!”  I believed him and knew that we, indeed, would.  Calling it a day, we started the trek back to the truck.

Walking casually and without any sense of stealth at all, our rifles held low by our hips, we neared the truck.  We weren’t 50 yards away when brush, only 20 yards to our right, erupted with action. Out jumped three blackbuck antelope!  For those who don’t know, these animals are blazing fast and can leap what appears to be a football field at a time.  Shane and I sprung into action seemingly as fast as the antelope did.  We sprinted to get around a large oak tree that blocked our view of the retreating animals.  As we cleared the tree, the blackbuck were whizzing by in front of us.  Shane quickly shouldered his rifle and fired.  This whole sequence occurred in what seemed like a blink of an eye.  Shane immediately announced confidently that he had hit him.  To be honest, I started laughing.  There was no way he could have possibly made that shot.  We proceeded to walk around 100 yards to where Shane last saw his animal and, sure enough, there he laid, head up and seemingly without a worry in the world.  We got within 25 yards and the buck sprang to his feet, ran about 75 yards and gave Shane a broadside shot that he connected on.  The animal expired immediately.

Upon inspection, we found that Shane’s initial shot had, in fact, hit the buck.  That first shot had slowed him down just enough to give us a second opportunity.  Thank goodness.  Horn wise, Shane’s blackbuck didn’t measure up to mine, but what it lacked was made up for in the hard work and adventure that came along with hunting him.  His antelope proved to be a trophy in its own right, and the hunt for him…one not to soon be forgotten.

This hunt was my very first exotic hunt.  I have been on several since, but much like the first whitetail I ever shot, this blackbuck hunt will always remain a personal favorite.  Countless “thank you’s” to the Puckitt Family and to my hunting partner for a wonderful celebration.

In exchange for this hunt, we had to promise Lee that we would return the favor by doing ranch work for Lee as he needed it.  That is a promise that has yet to come to fruition, but rest assured, Shane and I will be working the first time Lee asks for our help.  It would be a very small cost for a weekend filled with a good friend, good hunting, and wonderful memories.

Take your wife and children out hunting with you.  Harvest or not, there’s no better experience in the world than being in the outdoors with friends and loved ones!

- Reed Gardner