The Ranch and Us
The Berniard Ranch is owned by Lewis and Dorothy Berniard. Lewis manages the ranch and does most of the guiding. Lewis has hunted and guided for whitetail deer for over
40 years and continues to enjoy the challenge of matching wits with these amazing animals.
The Ranch
The ranch is located about 10 miles east of Junction, Texas in Kimble
County, and borders the Llano River. Junction is on Interstate 10, about 60
miles from Kerrville and Fredericksburg, 120 miles from San Antonio, and 300
miles from Houston and Dallas. 300 of the ranch’s 328 acres are high fenced.
The ranch is comprised of rugged hills and canyons, dense cedar and oak
thickets, and an expansive mesa. This diverse habitat affords good escape
and bedding cover for the wildlife and a rewarding hunting experience.
Wildlife
The
ranch has abundant wildlife, including whitetail deer and a few exotics
(Fallow Deer). The animals on the ranch, including the exotics, were either
there when the high fence was built or born on the ranch afterwards….none
were brought in. Our deer herd currently has about 1.5 bucks/doe. Although
we are high fenced, our deer continue wild and wary. If they smell, hear, or
see you they’re gone.
Management Practices
The ranch is in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Managed Lands
Program (MLD) which offers an extended hunting season and prescribed harvest
quotas. To be in this program the ranch needs to implement specific,
approved habitat and wildlife management practices. Included are extensive
deer surveys to determine herd size and sex ratios. As a result, we spend a
lot of time observing our deer every year which proves very beneficial when
hunting season rolls around! We have a year around protein feeding program
that has been in place since 2001, ensuring optimum nutrition. The protein
is fed from demand feeders so it’s there when the deer need it. The protein
is supplemented with corn during the hunting season. Our deer are in good
shape year around.