In terms of improvements, the boundary fences are in good condition and there is also a nice shop building and small cabin near the gated entry. There are no cross fences on the property, but it appears that the cattle are content to stay south of Buck Creek in this pasture area. There is a 1-acre pond near the entry and another one near the southwest corner of the ranch. In short, it has the necessary improvements for two or three people to stay while hunting, to store ATVs and supplies or to keep in a small herd of cattle. Although the improvements are nice, that’s not what makes this place special.

At the Land Doctors, we have looked at a lot of land over the past decade. Each place is unique, and, in some cases, there is something about a place that really jumps out at us. In the case of Buck Creek Ranch, it’s the wildlife. Although the quality of the wildlife we see is excellent, it’s the visibility of wildlife that is so impressive. It’s the fact that we see lots of wildlife every time we go on this property. If it had just happened once or twice, then we’d think it was a fluke but we actually leased this property for ourselves a few years ago and we can tell you from experience that it is an exceedingly rare trip to this property that you don’t see multiple game species. It is almost expected that we will see a herd of deer, a sounder of hogs and a flock of turkeys as we loop around the west boundary, head up the long lane and turn to go across the creek. It seems like, every, single-time we make that loop we see animals. Once we get to the lake, there are always ducks and geese flying around. In the summer, the wood ducks are constantly zipping through to splash down on the lake. Resident geese honk year round as they paddle around the islands of vegetation. In the winter, tons of mallards dive bomb this perfect watershed full of flooded timber and shallow, vegetated flats. Plus, the water is clear enough, even after a six inch rain, that you can see bass patrolling the weed beds picking off unsuspecting perch and minnows. Huge schools of perch bust of the edge of the lake when you walk by and thousands of minnows make the water shimmer as they dash for deeper cover. Maybe the combination of pecan trees over clover pasture, mature oaks along the 1.7 miles of Buck Creek and a lake that was built almost 100 years ago that make this place so attractive to wildlife. What we do know is that it’s a joy to be on this property and that very time we cross Buck Creek on the ATV bridge, we are full of anticipation.

While we are on the subject of the lake, this is the first one we’ve ever listed that was built long ago by the railroad to serve as a watering location for steam locomotives. The secret to the attractiveness of this lake may be that until a few years ago, there was a breach in the dam that had lowered the water level significantly to the point that it was practically just a large wetland. The current seller repaired the dam and increased the depth of the lake dramatically. Previous growths of cattails, scrub trees, grassy humps and a peninsula of hardwoods that grew in the dry portion of the lakebed are now flooded or submerged in its tea-colored water. This flooded vegetation is now fantastic habitat for both fish and waterfowl, think of it as a miniature Lake Okeechobee. In addition to the lake, there are two ponds, each about 1 acre in size. The seller has stocked all the ponds with fish and the passage of time will only make them even better fisheries than they are today.

This ranch will be great for you, but if you have children and grandchildren you are trying to get hooked on the great outdoors, they will never be the same after seeing this place. Please call Sean Childress at 580 320 5791 to discuss or set up a showing.