Powderhorn Ranch teaches youth about coast
Grayson George taunted his dad as the two waited in a deer blind. They go back and forth on much, but their favorite topic of conversation is who is the better shot.
"I never miss," the 11-year-old said as he shot his dad a playful smile.
But that mischievous smirk disappeared at the sight of antlers.The boy hunched over his .308 rifle in a deer blind. His green eyes, matching his camouflage, focused on the buck that filled the sights on his scope.
Condensation puffed around his mouth as the boy steadied his breathing in the 45-degree temperature. His finger froze on the cold, metal trigger. And he waited for the perfect moment.
He had that moment the day before when a 400-pound female sambar deer appeared about 45 yards from his blind. Grayson took his shot, ensuring that his family would have venison for the rest of the winter. The George family does not believe in wasting excess. Any additional meat would be donated to Hunters for the Hungry, a Texas nonprofit dedicated to environmental stewardship and fighting hunger.
But a combination of rain, cold and a startled deer delayed any additional donation. The buck spooked, and Grayson headed back to the hunting headquarters.
"You've got to know when to be done," Grayson said. "Then you look forward to another day."
Grayson was one of 14 youth to take part in the first public hunting opportunity at Powderhorn Ranch north of Rockport. The hunt was a result of a partnership with the Texas Youth Hunting Program and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. The opportunity not only presented a learning experience for the participants but also was the public's first introduction to Powderhorn Ranch.
The ranch's 17,351 acres will be Texas' next state park. The property was perfect for the program that emphasizes hunter safety and an appreciation for the terrain and history of the land.
"It teaches us the importance of keeping Texas wild and big and open. This is one of the few preserved places that can still show you how beautiful and diverse this part of the state really is," said TPYH Field Operations Coordinator Bryan Jones. "This property is a prime example of historical Texas coastland."
The property morphs from coastal prairie to estuarine marshlands dotted with ponds as you trek from the mainland toward the coastline. The diverse topography draws in a wide collection of wildlife including deer, javelina, hogs, pelicans, cranes and other coastal birds and marine life. And as the wildlife feed and live on the property it improves the landscape. And as the landscape improves rainwater that falls on the grasslands will carry nutrients from the land as the water trickles to the coast. Those nutrients then preserve the health of the coast.
"Everything has purpose and value, but it also has timing and balance," said Gene McCarty, the property's caretaker and retired deputy executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "I like to call it a mosaic. It's a patchwork of habitats that all work together."
Powderhorn Ranch was acquired in 2014 and with the infrastructure and environmental renovation, the property is being opened to the public in a limited fashion. The plan is to open as a state park sometime after it changes into the care of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 2018.
McCarty scanned the golden grasslands boarded by the Powderhorn lake and live oak mots.
"If they only know this world from looking at their iPhones, all this is in jeopardy," McCarty said as he shook his head side to side. "These places are so beautiful, so unique, so important to the bigger picture. It's important we do what we can to protect the pieces that are left and to be able to use those pieces for the education and enjoyment of its citizens."
An earlier edition did not specify the species of the 400-pound deer.