Quail haven

By Bob Hood

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

ABASOLO, Mexico - As quail hunters approach the lodge at Rancho Caracol, descending a long and winding dirt road in the foothills of the Sierra Madres, the vista can make them forget, at least momentarily, why they were there.
Endorsed by Orvis last year as the top-rated wingshooting operation in the world, Rancho Caracol has become a dream come true for the Brownsville father-and-son team of Barry and Dean Putegnat. The Putegnats, avid quail hunters, bought the 11,000-acre ranch in 1998 and turned it into a first-class operation.

Rancho Caracol is located at the top of Mesa Las Alazanas south of San Fernando and northeast of Ciudad Victoria in the state of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Many outdoors enthusiasts are familiar with the area from their visits to Lake Guerrero, one of Mexico's hottest bass fishing lakes.

Most hunters are picked up by Rancho Caracol employees at the Harlingen airport and driven 3 1/2 hours to the ranch, where 12- and 20-gauge Beretta shotguns are available so hunters don't have to go through the hassle of acquiring permits to carry guns across the border.

The main lodge, designed by son Dean Putegnat, is a work of art, complete with heavily thatched roofs, swimming pool, hot tub, spacious rooms, huge dog kennels and a sporting clays range. The operation provides five-star service, and the wingshooting for quail, whitewing doves and mourning doves is even better.

A 400,000-acre nature preserve that serves as a whitewing dove nesting area borders the ranch to the south. Whitewing dove hunting season here runs from about mid-August through October. The quail season generally runs from Nov. 1 through February, when mourning dove also may be hunted.

Unlike quail populations in the United States that have been on a long-term decline, Mexico's wild bobwhites have flourished in their rich environment of thorny brush-country vegetation and huge sorghum fields.
Hunters at Rancho Caracol often find 30 coveys or more a day.

"Most of the hunts average 15 to 17 or more coveys a day, and that's what we tell our hunters," Dean Putegnat said.

The Putegnats also have exclusive lease access to an additional 500,000 acres of ranch lands. To access the properties, the ranch uses five hunting trucks equipped with high-racked back seats and dog cages. Each hunt usually involves two to four hunters. Hunters can either ride in the truck behind the dogs or walk the fields.

Early one morning recently, I stood on a dirt road with John Gill of Dallas, his longtime friends, Stan and Sean Richmond, and Rancho Caracol hunting guide Jose Silquero. The fog was heavy but soon lifted, revealing three coveys of quail crossing the road only a short distance away.

We circled around to the north end of the pasture so the wind conditions would be favorable for the two pointers. Almost immediately, the dogs pointed a covey of about 15 quail in the low brush. By the time we reached the area where the three coveys had been seen earlier under the lifting fog, two additional coveys were flushed.

The fast action set the stage for one of the most incredible days of quail hunting one could imagine. By noon, the dogs had found at least 19 coveys (we lost count by about the 12th covey). It was almost a repeat of a hunt a day earlier when the action was so fast we found six coveys while hunting one small area for about 45 minutes.

Rancho Caracol translates into Snail Ranch, a name derived from the slow, winding dirt road leading down the steep hills to the main lodge. There is nothing slow, however, about the incredible wingshooting that this quail hunter's mecca provides.

IN THE KNOW

Hunting packages
Rancho Caracol has several hunting packages (all prices are per person):

QUAIL (with mourning dove combo option)
Season: November-February

Four hunts (3 nights/2 days)
3 people per rig $2,395
4 people per rig $2,095

Six hunts (4 nights/3 days)
3 people per rig $3,395
4 people per rig $2,895

Eight hunts (5 nights/4 days)
3 people per rig $4,395
4 people per rig $3,695

Substitute mourning dove hunts during any half day(s) for no additional charge.

WHITEWING DOVE
August-October
Four hunts (3 nights/2 days) $1,895
Six hunts $2,495 (4 nights/3 days of hunting)

MOURNING DOVE/CLAYS COMBO (clays or mourning dove in the morning, mourning dove in the afternoon)
August-February

3 nights/2 days $1,295
4 nights/3 days $1,595

Information: (888) 246-3164 or www.ranchocaracol.com

All packages include ground transportation from Harlingen, use of Beretta shotguns, accommodations with twice-daily maid service, meals, soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor, transportation to the hunting fields, game cleaning and preparation, guides and bird boys for dove hunts and guides, assistants and dogs for quail hunts.

Sunday Outdoors
BOB'S TIP OF THE WEEK
Canteens often acquire a musky smell when left unused. To eliminate the smell, put three teaspoons of baking soda into the canteen with enough water to dissolve the soda. Swish the mixture around, let the canteen sit for an hour, then rinse the canteen.
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Bob Hood, (817) 390-7760 blhood@star-telegram.com