World-Class Hunting With A World-Class Angler

By Pete Robbins

Many of the top bass pros make no secret of the fact that they like to hunt as much as they like to fish. In fact, many of them seem to prefer their time in the woods with a gun or bow to chasing little green and brown fish.

Veteran pro Mark Davis is among the most avid hunters on tour.

"I often say that I fish all year just to get to hunt for three months," he said.

With the end of the Elite Series season fast approaching, Davis is anxious to get to his South Texas hunting lease and he''s looking for others to join him. His group has already allotted ten memberships and they''re looking for three more hunters to join them.

"The ranch is located about an hour south of San Antonio in the Texas brush country," he said. "I''ve hunted South Texas for a number of years and I first hunted this property last year. We took a number of bucks over the 170 class. There''s just a lot of wildlife down there - quail, Rio Grande turkeys, wild hogs, and two lakes stocked full of Florida strain bass."

The property consists of over 10,000 low-fenced acres and includes a two story lodge house that sleeps about twenty hunters comfortably. The lodge building has a big commercial kitchen, which is a boon for an avid chef like Davis, as well as walk-in coolers and processing facilities.

Memberships are available for either $15,000 or $20,000. With the former, a hunter can stay in the bunkhouse or attach a camper to one of the property''s hook ups. For the additional $5,000, a member gets a private room with private bath.

Because this is managed land, Davis said that hunting with both gun and bow lasts from October through February, with a shorter trophy season within that period. Each member is allowed to harvest one trophy buck.

Why should an avid hunter from out of the area make the commitment to this opportunity?

"In addition to the mild weather, the thing I like about South Texas is that there''s always something to do," Davis said. "There''s deer and turkey hunting. Falcon and Amistad are only a couple of hours away. And San Antonio is a great family destination with attractions like Sea World and the Alamo."

Additionally, you''ll have the chances to rub elbows with Davis, who says he saves his frequent flier miles "all year long so I can make that flight from Little Rock to San Antonio as many times as my schedule allows." There''s a pretty good chance some other pro anglers will be there as well.

For more information about this unique opportunity, email Mark Davis at markdavis1@alltel.net