Red stag, exotics in the perfect setting

Do you dream of hunting a big red stag? At the Reserve Ranch, you can achieve your dreams right here in Texas.

According to owner John Ed Stepan, mature red stags are a key focus at the ranch, where you’ll see stags ranging from 300 to 500-plus inches!

“I started breeding them with New Zealand genetics, and we have some outstanding trophies to offer,” Stepan said. “A large, multi-tined stag is a sight to behold.”

Through a strategic relationship and years of breeding from some of the top bloodlines in the world, Reserve Ranch offers world-class red deer hunting at the expansive ranch north of La Pryor. It’s about an hour and a half from the San Antonio International Airport.

Stepan, a lifelong hunter who also operates Ranch Investments, began guiding exotic game hunts in the early 1980s in the Texas Hill Country, and purchased his first hunting ranch in 1993, and built it from the ground up. In 2000, he purchased 3,300 acres in South Texas, and added another 3,800 acres two years later, all of which he managed for big game.

Fatherhood eventually took priority in Stepan’s life, leading him to sell the ranches to focus on his growing children.

However, a decade later when his children were off to college, the Reserve Ranch property became available. Stepan and his avid hunting wife, Debra, purchased the ranch with the goal of turning it into the premier hunting ranch in Texas.

The Reserve Ranch encompasses 5 square miles of some of the best habitat in South Texas and is bordered by 2 1/2 miles of one of the best stretches on the Nueces River.

In addition to white-tailed deer, more than 20 species of exotics are managed on the ranch, and dove and upland bird hunting is available, too.

“Our dedication is to the preservation of big game animals through the funds generated by hunting,” Stepan said. “This is a proven method of game management utilized by governments and private nature reserves around the world.”

THE HACIENDA

The Stepans had a vision to create a destination in South Texas that embraces both the roots of the Spanish culture along with the dreams exemplified by so many Texans. Styled after the Historic Mission at Goliad, the Hacienda, with its inviting colonnade, courtyards and fountains, takes you to another place in time — Texas in the 1800s. Massive, ancient pecan trees draw you toward the lawn, flanked by the swimming pool and veranda before entering one of the 10 private guest rooms. Also off the colonnade sits an expansive trophy room displaying more than 250 species from around the globe, a card room and 25-seat theater. The dining hall seats 30, and sports a grand, vaulted ceiling and bar, welcoming guests to a gourmet meal coupled with a “Texas flair” after a day in the field, followed by a relaxing evening by the fire pit to share tales of the hunts.

“We are up and running,” Stepan said. “We took about 40 clients from September through March.”

RESERVE RANCH

☎ (512) 756-6445

✉ INFO@RESERVERANCH.COM RESERVERANCH.COM