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Originally Posted by FLABOY
Wonderful story. Imagine living on a Texas ranch and working on guns. How good can it get? Maaybe we can get together on one someday.
Thanks much
Pete
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Pete, I do consider myself to be one lucky feller! My cousin and I are really very distant cousins, his great grandmother and my great grandmother were sisters! However we consider each other as brothers. He is the only family member to manage a college degree, from the University of Texas in Electrical Engineering. He worked for a major sub-contracter of NASA on the Moon Landing program back in 60's and early 70's. He is the 3rd generation owner of the ranch and Llano County is very unique! It is a totally different soil type as compared to other areas of Texas as it is located on the Llano Uplift. The uplift has granite as its basic rock type and granitic sands/soils. Post oak, Liveoak and Blackjack Oak, Mesquite, native Pecan and Hickory as the major tree types and the occasional red berry juniper (locally known as Cedar, which it is not). Granite mountains and boulders are everywhere! Llano County is called the "Whitetail Deer Capital of Texas". Lots & lots of small body Whitetails, now we are getting intrusions of feral hogs and Aoudad sheep. It is really beautiful country but it does have its drawbacks....not much agricultural land and lots of grazing land on native grass & shrubs which handle cattle, sheep & goats. The deer population exploded when they finally got the "screw worm fly" under control back in the early 70's. With some management practices put in place about 10-15 years ago the deer are gaining in size, both weight and antlers, but it is a slow steady process. Just thought you might be interested so I hope I didn't bore you.
As you can tell, I really love that country. Got my first deer on the ranch plus the 2 Aoudad rams I have managed to put down. Lots & lots of good memories and hopefully get a bunch more before they plant the headstone and scatter my ashes.
Ol' John
