T WA M E M B E R P R O F I L E
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Robert Dullnig Grounded in the Land
Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photo courtesy of ROBERT DULLNIG
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and grounds Robert Dullnig's life—past, present and future. “Working with the land gives you a constant reminder that Mother Nature is in charge,” said Robert, who owns and operates Dullnig Ranch Sales in San Antonio and ranches near Uvalde. “Land, because of the hard work required to take care of it, keeps you humble and grounded.” PAST Robert was reared in San Antonio, but spent every holiday, most weekends and the majority of his summers on the family's ranch. “My earliest memory of the outdoors—and I must have been four or five—is my dad feeding a herd of javelinas out of a tin bucket,” Robert said. His father Bobby Dullnig taught him to hunt whitetails and was with him when Robert shot his first buck. His mother Jeannie helped Robert take his first turkey. “I had a wonderful life in San Antonio with all the benefits of the city, but I was all about Uvalde and the ranch,” he said. As a child, a visit to the ranch headquarters was a high point of any trip. In the late 1970s to early 80s, the headquarters was a constant beehive of activity. A great uncle was a Santa Gertrudis breeder, so there were always some cattle in the pens along with
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a remuda of 20 to 30 horses. Three families of ranch hands worked the property day in and day out. Their houses were at the headquarters along with all the barns, pens and equipment. “Something was always going on down there,” Robert said. In the midst of the action, a very young Robert found a role model outside his immediate family. “Marcelino, a ranch worker, was a hero of mine,” he said. “He would work and work and work—and get more done in a day than anybody I've ever seen. I truly admired and respected this.” In addition to knowing the people of the land, Robert's upbringing gave him a front row seat for the transition of Texas ranching. He witnessed the industry broadening its livestockonly perspective to include wildlife. Over time, the value of hunting leases in his neck of the woods rose from $1/acre to $20/acre. As the economics of hunting shifted, so did ranchers' perspective on brush management. To a grazier, brush is an income stealing nemesis to be fought to the death. To a wildlife manager, brush is a high-end lodge and all-you-can-eat buffet for desirable critters that needs to be selectively maintained. “When I was a kid what I experienced was how ranching was done in Texas,” Robert said. “I'm grateful for what hunting has done, though, because the additional income it generates has allowed ranches across the state to survive.” The cowboys moved off the ranch in the mid-1980s. The family, who were outdoor enthusiasts, transitioned to a wildlife operation with a focus on whitetail deer, turkey and quail. The three homes that once housed ranch hands now serve as hunting lodges. PRESENT (RANCHING AND WILDLIFE) When Bobby began managing the low-fenced ranch for native whitetail deer in 1975, the buck: doe ratio was 1 buck:10 does. By the time he passed the reins to Robert in 2000, the ratio was 1:2.5. Today it is 1:1.6 and remains consistent. It is just one hallmark of progress. “My big love is whitetails,” Robert said. “From the beginning our goal has been bettering our overall deer herd in a native, low-fenced environment.” Bobby did most of the “heavy lifting” to get the population numbers in line. Building on this foundation, Robert has focused on knowing the herd and identifying which bucks to harvest and which to leave.
