Hunt on the O'Connor Ranch

[Gary Roberson]

Just returned from a hunt with Joe Braman on the O'Connor Ranch near Refugio, TX. Joe could not have been a better host and sure has some great hunting and great dogs to chase the spotted kittys.
We hunted Monday evening and treed a cat, Tues. morning and treed a cat and Tues. evening and caught a big tom on the ground after a great 40 minute race. Joe was kind enough to allow me to turn my two blue gyps into the races as I am simply out of cats in my country. The gyps loved it but said "dang that brush was thick!"
Adios,
Gary

[Gary Roberson]

Joe caught three more cats since I left. I sure wish I had the country and populations he has...I would never get anything else done.
Adios,
Gary

[Rod Vinson]

Gary did you put them hunts on film....if so when they airing?

[Gary Roberson]

We did video the hunts and the footage looks good. Joe gave us a great interview and we had lots of action. It will be aired next year. I will keep you posted.
Adios,
Gary

[Buddyw]

I got to visit and get a quick hunt in with Joe while I was down there. He's not much on the computer but sent this photo last night that I thought was pretty cool and appropriate to share here.

I think I was most impressed with his handle on his dogs. before we even dropped the dogs I knew he put some time in with them.

Hope to get down and hunt with him again as well as meet some of the other S Texas Guys that I didn't get to meet on my last trip.

[Gary Roberson]

Joe has Memo Jaramillo Jr. handling the dogs now. He is doing an excellent job and is a pleasure to hunt with. As a rule, Joe does not allow anyone to put dogs in his pack but was nice enough to allow me to dump my blue gyps in once the dogs started. I am out of cats around Menard and have to resort to hunting coons only around here. I sure did not want one the girls to strike a coon and cause problems. He was a little concerned that the blues could not stay with the running dogs but I assured him that they could keep up. I was proud that they did not make a liar out of me.
Adios,
Gary

[tomtom]

I remember going to school here in Smithville with scratches all over my face and arms. Eyelids all scratched up. My teachers would ask what had happened and I would try to explain that the dogs happened to catch one in the briars. The school nurse was a niece to Doug Swearingen and completely understood. Same couldnt be said for some of the city transplants. I often read posts about northern dogs doing it down here and that is the one thing that jumps out at me. The brambles and the briars.

[memo jaramillo]

Hi Gary., This bitch named Yury, work with me for three years, capturing Mexico liones and bobcat.
My son and Joe are working hard to have a dog team that can catch liones and bobcat in hot, dry south Texas and northern Mexico
We also have a jaguar capture in January, for scientific purposes

Greetings to all houndsmen ....
from Mexico

[Gary Roberson]

I enjoyed hunting with your son. He is a very nice young man who loves the hounds and hunting. I am sure I will be spending many more days in the field with him.
Adios,
Gary

[Tracknthetrail]

Gary, Small world that it is, I met an old houndsman who has a ranch down in Cotulla/ Fowlerton area, we were talking the other day and he was telling me about Joe and gave me his number to give him a call and try to make a hunt with him over there. The mans name is Dale, and he swears up and down he has big cats on his place down there, so later this month I am going to take a few hounds down there and see what we can turn up. Should be fun!
Kevin

[Gary Roberson]

There are a few long tails in that country, so he was not telling you a big story. I am very familiar with the country around Fowlerton as Phil Lyne and I used to call a lot of coyotes there. Called up a lot of bobcats there as well. Brush can be extremely thick and prickly pear a problem.
Adios,
Gary

[memo jaramillo]

I hunt with Joe and junior last week and we have many races in one day
grabbed four bobcat
I do not know who has the best dogs for bobcat, but I am sure that anyone they catch more cats
Joe is a man who does not speak much of their dogs, but works hard.
has several dogs that are excellent, red neck, YURY, BENITO, BELA,
ROOSTER, are dogs that is a spectacle to see them work.
I had my dogs mexico hunting with his dogs, and the fifth day could not work more needed rest, but JOE dogs hunted for many more days.
if you want to look this give Joe a call to the hunt 7 days a week and long hours.

[Tracknthetrail]

Hey Gary,
Did you see the pictures of the Lion Joe and Jr. caught last week down around Laredo? Looked like a nice cat. I went down and hunted the powder dust around Fowlerton last week, we got a spat of rain and slow moved a track down by the Nueces and found about a three day old javalina kill then into a fresh skunk kill, pretty much shut down after that, then that nasty wind blew for two days. You were right about the thick brush, glade my lead hound had his tail cut as a pup in Az. We caught a pile of coons, old man was not too thrilled about that, but hey, they were there for the runnin the way he wanted to dump around water holes and road past feed stations. We did catch one nice tom bobcat, bunch of bobs in that area based on tracks in the powder dust on the oil field road cutting his ranch in half.

Kevin