Francitas Ranch

The Francitas Ranch is prime recreational property offering excellent hunting, a turn-key lodge and hunting setup, and super convenient access from Houston. This high-fenced property features an improved deer herd, stocked fishing pond, virgin hardwood timber, plus numerous hunting and fishing opportunities off-site. Nearby Lake Texana and the coastal bays are short drives from the gate. The Francitas Ranch is located approximately 15 miles south of Ganado/US 59. Approximate driving distances are 100 miles from Houston and 150 miles from Austin or San Antonio. This ranch is conveniently located to coastal fishing opportunities, with Palacios and Carancahua Bay both about a 30-minute drive away, Port OConnor a 60-mile drive, and Rockport at 85-miles. Lake Texana is minutes away. Topography, Rangeland & Habitat The ranch consists primarily of hardwood forest, with plenty of gorgeous live oaks and pecans among the many diverse hardwoods on the ranch. There are plenty of roads, trails, and right-of-ways that provide good access and hunting blind locations throughout the ranch. Looney Creek crosses through the ranch in two long stretches, with over 1.5 miles of both sides of the creek on the property. This is a wet-weather, grassy banked creek, providing additional locations for hunting blinds and food plots and long stretches of edge habitat. It is easily crossable via low water crossings in the north portion of the ranch, and two steel bridges in the central portion of the ranch. Typical of this part of the Gulf Coastal Prairies, the ranch is generally flat, with elevations ranging from 30-40-feet, excluding the creek bed. Per FEMA maps, the ranch is not impacted by either 100 or 500-year floodplains. Soils are approximately 70% medium type Edna and Dacosta soils, and about 30% heavier, black LaWest clay soils. Wildlife Owned by the same family since the early 1960s, in 2007, the current owners high-fenced the ranch and began to improve and intensively manage the white-tailed deer herd. Over a 10-year period, genetically superior South Texas and other trophy bucks and bred does were brought in and released on the ranch, resulting in the impressive bucks harvested over the years. The ranch is managed under the Managed Lands Deer Program (Conservation Option fka Level III). Hogs, varmints, waterfowl, and doves round out the native game, and as a bonus, there are a handful of Blackbuck on the ranch. Improvements The 3,890 SF ranch house is very comfortable, in good condition, set up to sleep large numbers of guests, and has plenty of open space for dining and socializing. A large open concept kitchen, dining area, and living area open up into a fantastic game room with wet bar, where you can play pool, shuffleboard, and ping pong, or sit back on the wrap-around couch and catch a ballgame on TV. There are 6 bedrooms and 4 full baths off of these two gathering areas, plus a mudroom, covered parking on a concrete slab for 4 full-sized vehicles, and two sets of washers and dryers. Additionally, there is plenty of covered outside relaxing and dining area, with over 1,600 SF of wrap-around porch with a covered outdoor kitchen and dining area. Additional camp infrastructure includes a covered cleaning shed with walk-in cooler, and a 990 SF three-sided storage barn for small equipment or additional covered parking. There is an 8-acre soft-release pen on the ranch. Water In addition to Looney Creek, there are two main ponds on the property. Close to the lodge is a stocked and well-water fed fishing lake of just over an acre in size. In the central portion of the ranch is a set of twin tanks, also well-water fed. These are shallower and more oriented to wildlife and waterfowl. The fishing lake and improvements are supplied by the well at the lodge. The central tanks are supplied by the lodge well, and a solar-powered well located at the ponds. Minerals Surface only. There is no production nor active leases on the ranch at the time of this writing. Area History The Francitas Ranch is located between the two turn-of-the-century railroad towns of Francitas and La Ward. Francitas, which translates from Spanish to mean Little France was settled in the late 1890s by a small colony of French settlers. Not long after, La Ward, named after Jackson County cattleman Lafayette Ward, was formed. (Sources: The Handbook of Texas and Historic Texas) All blinds, feeders and home furnishings will convey. The seller will retain taxidermy and personal effects.