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Making of a Signature Property
A Tecomate Signature Property is a large, favorably located, well-developed, “turnkey” property with quality buildings and infrastructure suitable for the property’s primary use, good wildlife habitat, pleasing aesthetics, adequate water resources, healthy game populations, and an effective management program capable of producing exceptional size and numbers of target species and high recreational value. Highveld Ranch well qualifies!
Starting Point
Prior to TP’s purchase, cedar had been partially removed from about half of Highveld; otherwise, little improvement or management had been done on the ranch in recent years. Much work was needed on infrastructure, habitat, and vertical improvements to realize the ranch’s potential. On at least 2,000 acres, thick cedars choked out oaks and beneficial native species, dictating the need for cedar removal on hundreds of acres. Much of that same 2,000 acres had virtually no access, necessitating miles of new road construction. Even where roads existed, most needed reworking to meet TP standards.
The lodge had been built over 3 different time periods – early 1980s, 1990s, and 2013 – and required a complete rebuild, as did the manager’s house and game processing facilities. Fortunately, we inherited a large recently built metal barn that only needed some final touchup and grounds work to be a great asset. Several other buildings in various stages of disrepair awaited demolition and removal. The entire ranch infrastructure and water system needed to be upgraded and expanded.
An ambitious ranch-wide cleanup was also called for. Miles of fences, some ok but most old and obsolete, crisscrossed the ranch and had to go. Abandoned stock corrals, various structures, old deer blinds and feeders, and decades of accumulated trash and debris had to be removed. The Big Freeze had damaged large sections of the 17-mile perimeter fence and left behind countless broken tree limbs marring the aesthetics along roads and around facilities. TP immediately set about tackling all these issues.
Building A Gem
TP brought in the heavy “guns,” both people and equipment, and over time, Highveld was completely transformed from a ranch with great raw potential to a phenomenal turnkey Tecomate Signature Property. Special care was taken to maintain the historic Hill Country “feel” and “look” throughout.
Lodge & Facilities:
Conveniently located near the center of the ranch, the headquarters complex consists of the main lodge, manager’s house, game processing facilities, and not too far away, a large metal barn/shop and equipment depot. The newly remodeled/rebuilt 6,900 SF lodge, with its rock and stucco exterior, standing seam metal roof, and ranch-themed furnishings and décor, is now a Hill Country Classic and a worthy “Centerpiece” for such a great ranch. But it didn’t start out that way.
When we first acquired Highveld, the lodge needed a major makeover. We started by demolishing the oldest section entirely. In its place, we built a new 2,435 SF section that houses a large commercial kitchen and dining room, a pantry, utility room, storage, half-bath, bedroom suit, and a covered porch with great game viewing. We essentially stripped most of the rest of the lodge to the studs and reworked everything – walls, floors, ceilings, windows, doors, fixtures, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, insulation, etc.
Upon completion, the transformation to a Classic Hill Country lodge was complete, with all the amenities and accommodations needed for family living and entertaining guests – new fully equipped commercial kitchen, huge dining room seating 20-plus, lounge/TV room w/ ceiling-high rock fireplace, 8 bedrooms, including a large luxury master suite and an upstairs “efficiency” apartment, 9.5 baths, roomy office, mud/gear room, large pantry, utility room, spacious storage, and a magnificent 30’x60’ trophy/game room with pecky cypress walls, vaulted ceilings, wet bar, and games aplenty where you can try your hand at poker, pool, or shuffleboard or just settle into the leather sofas and chairs to “shoot the bull” or watch your favorite programs on the big-screen TV.
From foundation to rooftop, the 1,650 SF manager’s house was restored to better than original condition and fitted with all new furnishings. Likewise, we completely rebuilt the game processing facility, complete with walk-in cooler and covered shop/equipment shed. Within easy walking distance of the lodge, we built a deluxe shooting range with an elevated wood shooting platform and benchrest.
We ran power to the metal barn/shop, drilled a new well to supply it with water, installed elevated gas and diesel tanks, and laid a large caliche apron around the barn and nearby equipment storage area to assure clean workspaces and surrounds. The 60’x40’ metal shop/barn has interior space enough for almost any need the ranch may have and the 20’ shed roof wrapping the entire barn provides overhead cover for all sorts of equipment, storage, and activities.
Shaping the Land
As with facilities, tons of fieldwork awaited us. Since good roads are critical to the function and enjoyment of a ranch, creating a suitable road network was one of our first priorities. We set about establishing 3 classes of roads. 1) Primary roads – all-weather, all-vehicle roads providing access to major quadrants of the ranch. Fortunately, we already had a 3-mile paved road from the highway entrance to the lodge. 2) Secondary roads – expansive network of all-weather roads for pickups, SUVs, UTVs, etc., to access all sections of the ranch. 3) Hunting roads – “tributary” roads off primary or secondary roads leading to blinds, feeders, waterpoints, hunting areas, or other less visited destination points or areas. With that goal, we constructed about 9 miles of primary roads topped with caliche, some 30 miles of secondary and hunting roads, and 16 miles of roads around the perimeter.
To remove cedar, we brought in a huge “cedar-eater” mulching machine to tackle the thick country and a skid steer with a mulching head to handle some of the lighter cedar cleanup. After several months, we achieved our goal of clearing cedars from about 500 acres, releasing live and shin oaks and other desirable trees to prosper and grasses and forbs to spring up from the freshly sun-drenched forest floor. Most of the cedar removal was along either side of the newly constructed roads, greatly improving visibility, utilization, and enjoyment of the ranch, especially for hunting and wildlife viewing since the game poured into the new open areas.
While roadwork and cedar-eating were underway, cleanup crews were wide open removing an estimated 20 miles of interior fences, dilapidated structures and corrals, old blinds and feeders, and all manner of abandoned equipment, materials, and debris. Plus, crews were gathering and disposing of broken oak limbs along miles of primary roads. Today, the natural beauty of Highveld is on display on 4,365 acres of near-pristine Texas Hill Country and the game is free to roam throughout without limitation!
Water is precious in the Hill Country. Highveld started off with 5 working wells spread about the ranch, and we added another electric well to serve the barn and new waterpoints. To assure permanent water throughout the ranch, we upgraded the condition of each wellsite (pump, electrical, cisterns, water troughs, waterlines, etc.) to improve dependability and reduce maintenance and added new outlying waterpoints to improve water distribution. At each waterpoint, we installed an automatic float to maintain a constant water level. When completed, we had over 20 permanent waterpoints distributed throughout the ranch, assuring that nearly all animals were never more than a quarter mile from water.
Highveld is first and foremost a hunting ranch, and to hunt it effectively, we sought out high-use game areas to set up hunting sites, over 15 in total. Where necessary to increase visibility and hunting success, we cut senderos (shooting lanes), created openings, and/or thinned cedars. Then we strategically positioned large, roomy blinds, mostly Ranch King, with timed corn feeders nearby, also mostly Ranch King.
