Our Story

“Our Story,” is non typical…. like some of our deer.

I did not grow up hunting. At a very early age, my father instilled in us boys the value of grit, determination and hard work. So as a boy, much of my time with my father in the outdoors was spent mowing lawns. Not until much later in life, due to some unfortunate circumstances, was this crazy Stone Ranch idea born.

Stone Ranch is a boutique ranch, on Houston County Lake, much smaller than the well-known ranches encompassing tens of thousands of acres across Texas. We are home to Buc Buc and Leki, two bottle-fed Bongos that think they are human and have no idea they are a critically endangered species. We have monster Whitetail, Axis, Black Buck Antelope, Fallow, and Romeo and Juliet. The ranch was born from a desire to give back to the parents who gave so much to me and my brother, and these are the animals my father wanted to see.

So my parents are the best, let’s start with that. They are very hard working and loving. And my brother and I will do anything to make them happy. When my father contracted West Nile Virus from a mosquito years ago, it led the whole family on an unexpected journey. My seemingly invincible father contracted West Nile, then encephalitis, then meningitis, then a stroke, all sub-native reactions to the initial West Nile Virus.

Then the next wave comes. My father is in a wheelchair, poor health, and my mother becomes an amazing caretaker. HOWEVER, one unforgettable night at their home, bad guys break in to the wrong house and made a failed attempt to rob and kill my folks. My mother, thank God, ended the attempt by chasing them down the hall with a gun after they had already beat and cracked my father’s head open and left him on the floor.

Shocking, I know. But fortunately the story does not end there. We planned to move my folks out of the city to a new happy place in Houston County; a place they would really enjoy. We asked questions about how they would define their happy place. They said animals! They loved the idea of watching deer, axis, black buck antelope, fallow and bison.. so I bought the prettiest piece of dirt I could find near them, built a fence around it, populated it with all of those exotic animals, and that’s how Stone Ranch was born!

Along the way we learned to be good stewards of the land and its inhabitants, and the ranch has matured a bit. We now manage and hunt the property to keep the herds healthy and the numbers stable. And now we’ve added other fun activities: fishing, shooting (rifles, shotguns and pistols), ranch/photo tours and our favorite, just hanging with Buc Buc. It all started with the aim to put a smile on our parents’ faces, to offset the negative effects of a stupid mosquito and a terrible encounter with the bad guys.

Change the course, make a difference, turn bad experiences into long term happiness.  Now we share this happiness with others. Please join us.

Welcome to Stone Ranch!

For those seeking a hands-on experience, the joy of petting and offering an animal cracker treat to Buc Buc and Leki provide an opportunity to connect with the ranch’s favorite Bongos. They are also great models and love the camera so on your Buc Buc and Leki adventure you’ll get a picture with them to take home and cherish the memory.