Ferguson has leased several ranches directly south of Laredo, Texas, and has access to 35,000 acres there. There are no high fences, and all the game is free-ranging. Ferguson's hunts are for mature 5½-year-old bucks only. He takes a limited number of hunters to keep trophy quality high. Specifically, he has worked out a formula that ensures his hunters will take only one mature premium buck for every 850 acres. I hunted on La Palma Ranch, where his main hunting lodge is, and saw 130- to 140-class bucks and other game every time I went out.
The terrain in Tamaulipas is just like that of South Texas - brushy and thick! Stalking on foot is practically impossible here because it is so dry. You can't move without making noise. Also, in order to see any game or movement, you must get 10 to 12 feet off the ground. I hunted from elevated blinds and from high seats on a safari-type vehicle. We often used the vehicle to get up to a vantage point to glass and wait for a deer to enter a sendero, or cleared area. There was never a boring moment. My guide had seen the buck I took on three other occasions, but none of the hunters he was with had been able to get a shot.
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