Whitetail weekend
$1,450 per hunter
- Friday to Sunday, 2 nights
- 1 buck and 2 does
- Assigned stands, you guide yourself
- We'll show you the stands Friday afternoon
Mason County · Texas Hill Country
Hackberry Bend Whitetails
A low-fence family ranch on the Llano River. Native Hill Country deer, granite and live oak, and a stand your kids can grow up hunting. Same family at the gate for four generations.
- 2,400 acresgranite, live oak, post oak
- Low fencenative, free-ranging deer
- 1.5 milesof Llano River frontage
- 8 huntersmax on the place at once
- Self-guidedor 1:1 guided hunts
- 4th genfamily ranch since 1912
Hunts and packages
Plain prices. Hogs are free.
Every package includes lodging, your assigned stands, field dressing help and the walk-in cooler. Bring your own groceries or add a catered supper.
Doe and spike weekend
$600 per hunter
- 2 nights, does and spike bucks
- Good first hunt for new hunters
- Helps us keep the herd balanced
Spring Rio Grande turkey
$900 per hunter
- 2 gobblers, Hill Country spring season
- Roosts along the river pecans
- Ground blinds and decoys on hand
Guided
Management buck hunt
$2,400 per hunter, 3 days
- One of the family guides you, 1:1
- 1 management buck (see our rules)
- Spot, judge and shoot from the truck to the blind
- Lodging for 3 nights
Under 17
Youth hunt
$650 per youth
- 1 buck and 1 doe
- With a paying adult on any hunt
- Two-seat box blinds close to camp
- Late October and January youth weekends fill first
Off-season
Family river weekend
Call for summer dates
- Cabin, barn and the river, no hunting
- Swimming hole and a gravel bar
- Bass and sunfish, catch and release
- Late May through September
Free
Hog hunting during any hunt. Shoot all you want, day or night from the stand. We'll help you clean them.
$40
Catered supper, per person per night. Brisket, chicken-fried venison or enchiladas, cooked by a neighbor down the road.
Sample pricing for this design concept. Texas hunting license required, not included.
Season calendar
What can you hunt, and when?
Tap a month. You'll see what's open on the ranch that month and the hunt we'd point you to. Dates shift a little every year, so check the TPWD Outdoor Annual.
Swipe the chart sideways to see every month.
Tap a month
Approximate windows for planning, not official season dates. Exotics and hogs have no closed season in Texas.
November
Plan your weekend
Adult hunters
Youth hunters (under 17)
Estimated total
$0
Hogs are free. License, tags and tips not included. Sample pricing.
Request these datesStand map
Eight stands. Every one has a story.
You'll get one or two stands for the weekend and we rotate them so nobody gets burned out. Tap a number to read about it.
Cabin and bunkhouse
An 1880s dogtrot, fixed up right.
Great-great-granddad built the cabin out of post oak logs: two rooms with an open breezeway between, so the south wind blows straight through. We added plumbing, a real kitchen and window units. The bones are original.
Dogtrot cabinSleeps 8 in 3 rooms. Full kitchen, 2 baths, wood stove, porch on both sides.
BunkhouseSleeps 6 in bunks. 1 bath. Good for the boys, or the snorers.
- You cook your own meals. Pots, pans, grill and smoker are here.
- Add the catered supper any night for $40 a person.
- Fire ring by the barn, walk-in cooler, skinning rack with lights.
- Wi-Fi at the cabin. One bar of cell on the granite knob.
How we hunt here
Low fence. Native deer. Let them grow.
Our deer come and go across the neighbors' places, same as they always have. Hill Country bucks are smaller-bodied than South Texas deer, and a good one here is a mature one. So we hunt by age first.
01
Native, free-ranging
No high fence, no pens, no released deer. What you see on the ranch was born in the Hill Country.
02
Age, then score
A shooter buck is 5½ years or older. If you're not sure, don't pull the trigger. A buck shot under the rules costs nothing extra.
03
Does keep it healthy
We take does every season to stay inside what the habitat can carry. That's why every weekend includes two.
What counts as a management buck
A buck 4½ or older that won't get much better. We go over the county's legal-buck rule at check-in. Shoot a buck outside these rules and there's a $750 fee, and he goes on your tag either way.
Family and youth
Bring the kids. That's the point.
Most of us here learned to hunt in the same box blinds you'll sit in. We'd like your kids to have that too.
- Youth hunters under 17 hunt with a paying adult, in the same blind.
- Non-hunting family is welcome in camp at no charge. Supper add-on still applies.
- Rifles stay cased and unloaded at the cabin. Actions open in the truck.
- Kids under 12 wear a life jacket at the river. The water is clear and deceptively quick.
- Texas has hunter education rules by age. Check TPWD for what your youth needs.
What to bring
Licenses and gear
- A Texas hunting license for every hunter, youth included. Buy it online from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Rifle and ammo, sighted in. There's a 100-yard bench by the barn.
- Groceries for the weekend, plus ice chests to haul meat home.
- Orange vest and cap for walking to and from the stand.
- Layers. November mornings can be 30° and afternoons 75°.
- Fishing rod and swimsuits if it's warm.
FAQ
Questions we get.
Do I need a guide?
No. Weekends are self-guided from assigned stands. We'll drive you around Friday afternoon and show you every stand, the wind it wants and where to park. If you want a guide, book the management hunt.
How big are the deer?
They're Hill Country deer on a low-fence place. A mature buck here often dresses out around 100 pounds. Plenty of hunters come back every year for the hunting, not a number.
When does whitetail season open?
General season usually runs from early November to mid-January, with archery in October. TPWD sets the dates every year, so check the Outdoor Annual before you book.
Can my spouse and kids come if they don't hunt?
Yes, at no charge. The cabin sleeps 8 and the bunkhouse sleeps 6. The river is there in the warm months.
What about deposits and cancellations?
We hold your dates with a 50% deposit. Cancel 60 days out and it rolls to next season. Inside 60 days, we keep it unless we can fill your spot.
Do you process meat?
We help you skin and quarter, and the walk-in keeps it cold. There's a processor in Mason who'll have it ready in about a week.
Book a hunt
Ask about your dates.
Tell us who's coming and when. We'll call you back within a day or two, usually in the evening after chores.
(325) 555-0129Call or text. hunt@example.com
About 20 minutes south of Mason on a county road. Roughly 2 hours from Austin or San Antonio, 4 from Dallas–Fort Worth. Gate code and turn-by-turn directions come with your confirmation.