Well the rest of the "Ram Posse" haven't made it in yet from what I can see. They may think the Forum is still down. Well 8 total went to Thompson Temple, seven hunted. Congradulations to Saginawhunter, he was the only one to take a Ram. I almost hate statring this thread, but here goes. It wasn't for me. I was just disappointed in the whole deal. "Canned Hunts" have come up before and continue to do so on this and other Forums, and this IMO was such a hunt. I know some of you guys have been there, and love it. I just didn't see the challenge of the so called "hunt". Small place and accomadations which I should have taken my tent, and been better off. There were at least 3 groups of hunters, possibly 4 groups. I was a bit gun shy when I heard the cracks of firepower going off, as I ducked for lower ground. To even say this place is a challenge with a rifle. I think one would be far fetched from the truth. The only possible way this hunt is/would be a challenge, would be with a bow. I saw 2 Texas Dall come in within 10 yards, with big red tags of course. I decided to pass. With that I thought, is this even a challenge with a bow??? They stood eating alfa for about 20 minutes, before they decided to leave. Some of the other hunters, killed the Rams, went and cut the heads off, and left the carcass there. That didn't sit well with me either. I know it's not a "game animal", but respect for what one has shot would be to bring it in and give the meat away. This is most definately a Horns Only type hunt. All the guys who took Rams, had them measured and left them to be mounted. Myself and another Forum member joked at how they could get a leash, within the 3 acre trophy pen, and have some one do it in. Sorry folks this just wasn't my cup of tea. Thompson has alot of repeat customers, I can say I won't be one. Only one Forum member went out on sunday morning, the rest paid our balances and slept in, or left. If you guys on here like this place more power to ya. It is totally different, and does nothing for my hunting senses or ethics at that. This is MY OPION and MY OPION ONLY. Some of our guys liked it and said they would be back. The very very best thing about this trip was great friends, EXCELLENT FOOD. CCH and Miss Lora cooked meals to die for. Those steaks Randall seasoned were as close to perfection as I have ever had. Lord they were good. The scenery was nice and of course the BSing was as always superb. Let the bashing began, cause I know it's going to be a thread from he!! when some of the Forum members get in on this.

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy Thompson's.
I think I mentioned that the cabin wasn't a five star resort, but it would keep you warm/cool and dry.
Did you hunt the back of the ranch or did you stay close to the front and not venture up and over the hill? I think I talked about all the things, that you say you didn't like, in the other thread.

No bashing from me Roy, my sentiments exactly. To say i was disappointed with the actual hunt would be an understatement. What i really enjoyed was the story's and the get together, that made the trip more than worth it. I think one of the things that bothered me most was Thompson's practice of hauling all the carcass's down to the creek bottom, some serious environmental issues come into play. I don't think his neighbors down stream would appreciate it, if they knew.

I agree with you 7mag. I have hunted both with a rifle and a bow on high fence game ranch operations and would not go back with a rifle. Some of them are "wilder" than others and I have been on both. There are plenty of places in the Hill Country with low fence and exotics and those are fun hunts cause you never know what you will see. There are hunters out there that have limited amounts of time, most hunters I would assume, and hunts in this fashion make the most sense.

Yeah he took us on the "Nose Bleed" high elavation section. I didn't have anything, at all come in. There is no reason to be sorry. You obivously like it, and I won't take that away from you. It just wasn't for me. Different strokes for different folks as they say. Just too many guys out at one time too, for such a small place. It was still worth the 100 bucks just to get out and be with Forum friends and have a good time. Other then that, not for me. Like I will continue to say, if you have done it and enjoy it, good for you. That is what this great Country is about, if it's legal then by all means have at it.

Well, by the time I got thru with my original reply, the form was no longer valid, so I lost it all.

Thompson Temple is a legend in the Exotic hunting industry in Texas. He is a really nice gentleman, and Lora and I both felt honored that he shared supper with us and the THF group Sat. night.

Is this a hunt for everyone, No. Would Lora and I recommend this hunt to people, Yes. Just in my opinion, this hunt, and the majority of high fence and outfitted/guided hunts, regardless of the fence height, should be more properly called Collecting Trips.

I know that some or maybe even a lot of folks will not agree with me on this, and I don't care. I feel that anytime a person can go on a "HUNT", and have a 95%+ probability to kill the exact size and species of animal they want, that is a collecting trip.

Is this a trip I would go back on, possibly, but not probably. Did I think this was a good hunt, for me, it actually was, due to the fact that the game was not acting as predicted, and was acting the way normal game would.

Do Lora and I think some improvements could be made, yes. The accomodations do need upgrading, and personnally I feel that the number of hunters on the place at one time should be lowered.

Lora and I had a blast meeting Mike, Tandy, and Keith, getting to see Roy and Dave again, and sharing the trip down and back with Ken. I have got to where I have more fun on a hunt doing the cooking and BS'ing around the supper table. I don't mind killing stuff, I just don't have to kill something to have a good time.

Pick your fish in the aquarium and scoop it out with a net! I had a buddy go to that place and purchased two sheep. One sheep they saw was actually bedded in the blind that they were going to sit in. I asked him why he shot something that didn't run away as he walked up to it. He just shrugged and didn't say much.
Wonder why ranchers don't sell hunts on a cow?? Now that would be some good eating.

OK CHC, don't make us have to hold ya down and give ya a pinkbelly. Tell us how you did those steaks? I heard you telling somebody else, but i guess the milk in the little velvet bag causes memory loss, guess i should have checked the expiration date. Thanks for the cooking and the stories, enjoyed being around you and your wife.

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Wonder why ranchers don't sell hunts on a cow?? Now that would be some good eating.

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Give me 2,000 a head and you can shoot, I mean hunt cows on my place. For 5000 i may start some trophy bull shoots, i mean hunts.

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One sheep they saw was actually bedded in the blind that they were going to sit in.

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There were sheep dropping in the bottom of the blind i was in Saturday morning. When i went to get in my blind there was at least a dozen ram's bedded down within 25 yards of my blind. They didn't move until a couple of other hunters walked within 5 yards of them headed to their blind.

i kept my mouth shut and let ya'll decide for yourselfs. buddy of mine hunted with him and HATED IT. told me if he wanted to shoot someones pet he would shoot his neighbors goats. don't let this experiance sour you on all high fence hunts.

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don't let this experiance sour you on all high fence hunts.

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The hi-fence didn't bother me one bit. It's the shooting of farm animals and the way they disposed of the carcass's that really got my goat. Throwing all those carcass's in a stream bed that regularly flows water, is almost criminal in my opinion. The weekend before ours they took 38 rams. If you average that all year round, you've created an environmental nightmare down stream. That's not counting deer and hog's. The last night we were there, he tried to get everybody in the truck to shoot and old ram that had his testicles dragging the ground from some sort of infection. That ram was so sick he couldn't hardly walk.

ROY YOU SHOULD HAVE COME WITH LOUIE TIGER AND I...EVENT THOUGH I WORE MY SWIM SUIT IN THE OLD MAN THE DEER WHERE MOVING PRETTY GOOD...I KILLED 2 HOGS...WE SHOT AT 30 MORE...OPENING MOURNING SAW 7 DOES 2 NUBBIN BUCKS AND A 9 PT..GOOD DEER....SAT AFTERNOON SAW 9 DOES ...SMALL SPIKE AND A 5 PT...SHOT A DOE..15 YDS...AFTER THAT WE WENT AND HAD A GREAT CHICKEN FRIED BACKSTRAP(FRESH)..ABOUT 9 PM SET MY HOG LIGHT UP AND BAITED..HONESTLY GUYS I WISH I HAD NIGHT VISION CAMERA...THESE TWO BIG BOARS CAME OUT AND I MEAN BIG...THEY WERE SWIMMING BACK AND FORTH FROM EITHER SIDE OF THE TANK...VERY COOL..I LET THE .243 GO BUT LIGHT DIED AND I JUST DONT KNOW IF THE SHOT WAS ONE...TO MANY ICE TEAS LOUIE T AND MYSELF SLEPT IN SUN MOURNING AND DID SOME WORK..WE HUNTED SUN EVENING AND SAW 11 DOES..4 PT...SPIKE AND MAYBE A LITTLE 8...WELL I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH MY FIRST SHOT..LITTLE HIGH..SHE RAN 75 YDS...SECONF DOE..PERFECT HEASRT SHOT..AFTER THE BARREL ROLE IT WAS 20 YDS...VERY GOOD HUNT CONSIDERING THE HEAT..JUST TO DAMN HOT..ESP. AFTER YOU CLIMB 30 FT IN THE GRAND OL MAN...

people like tompson temple are what give hi-fence places a bad name. personally, if the animal wasn't born on a ranch, i won't shoot it. the lone exception was the axis deer i took, he was from another ranch that was over populated, tranquilized, and moved to ours. but he still lived on our place two or three years before i took him. in another two or 3 years we will have a native population save for a few old toads. i have never met a person who has one nice thing to say about tompson temple's operation. look at his website, guy even looks like a goober. and it upsets me that he pushes the "christian thing" to try and get business

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he pushes the "christian thing" to try and get business

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A bible in every blind.

I don't want to get in a pissing contest here, so this will be my last post on this thread.

It's good that ya'll had fun around the campfire ... it's unfortunate that ya'll didn't enjoy the hunt (or whatever you choose to call it). Honestly, though, you all knew it was a ram hunt when you signed up. Thompson is the "genius" that decided to market all the colors of barnyard sheep as "exotics". He's running a business, plain and simple. He doesn't advertise this as a greuling, 14 day, bighorn sheep hunt ... they are, afterall, semi-undomesticated barnyard sheep! Some people like it, some people don't and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Not defending Thompson, or his practices, but of all the times that I've been there, I've never seen water in that creek below the gut/carcass pile. Yes, it's pretty foul, but beyond the smell, I doubt it harms anyone.

If ya'll didn't like this one, I'll recommend a ranch (that's exactly the opposite) outside Bracettville that you're darn near guaranteed to NOT see a single exotic the whole weekend! And it costs a lot more, too! That should make everyone happy, right?

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Not defending Thompson, or his practices, but of all the times that I've been there, I've never seen water in that creek below the gut/carcass pile. Yes, it's pretty foul, but beyond the smell, I doubt it harms anyone.

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Had you walked down the creek you'd have noticed 2 small springs coming out of the side of the hill. 1 comes out right across from the first cabin. There was old bones laying in the creek, all the way down to the road. The wind didn't do that, that's heavy run off did that. Before you get too deep into this discussion with me you might want to check into the state of Texas's environmental requirements, concerning the disposal of live stock on your property. It prohibits the disposal of carcass's in know water sheds. I've got to haul mine over to the Caliche pit. What i saw was a serious violation.

I certainly never claimed to be a watershed expert or even have a general knowledge of the laws.
I've never seen the springs, but then again, I've never looked for stuff like that.

Sorry again that ya'll didn't like it.

No problem, my apologies, please don't think i was ragging on you. I'm a rancher also, and some times other ranchers do things that just gets on my nerves.

I understand completely ... no appology needed.

Sorry to here about yalls canned hunt. I know the food & BS was good at least. Glad SH got what he was looking for.

I don't think we have touched on what kind of shot Sag put on that Goat, er Ram. Man that thing was in the deepest canyon running full throttle, and blam!!!!!!! Sag hits him right in the vitals, ok depends on where you think vitals are at on a Goat. The Goat is so tuff he runs again!!!! Blam!!!!!!!! The thunder of that 45/70 made my ears bleed. All I can say is, if Sag where in Nam he would be a Sniper I will let him tell his side when he makes an appearance

My trip to Thompson Temple 10-years ago was comparable. Our guide pulled up to 25 unsuspecting sheep and said pick your color. Needless to say six 18-year old kids did exactly that, we harvested and went home. We did field dress and carry our animals to town to donate them. Not my cup of tea, but an experience to say the least.

Ok I finally made it home. Everything Roy said was pretty much the way it went for us. The only difference for me being I elected to take a shot. I made the worst shot I have ever made from a steady rest. I put it about 8" back of where it belonged. The next shot I did put it where I should have put the first one without a rest to shoot off of. That is of little comfort for me though. Was it a hunt for me? No, I believe it was murder. Would I recommend Thompsons to amyone else? Yes, as long as they understood what to expect. I am thinking of taking my son back out there I believe for a young or inexperienced shooter it would be a good confidence builder. I did keep all of my goat and we brought it and 4 more back. Randall and Lora finished them up last night and put them in the freezer. Cant wait to have some cooked. Now for the good part. The company and bs was excellent!!!!!! Worth way more than the price of admission. Mike, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. Randall and Lora out did themselves on the cooking as usual. Roy and Monkey Boy were themselves as always enough said there.

This was the first thing we all saw when pulling into Monkey Boys house


The next thing was this

Here are a few more

Monkey Boy getting his dinner (I think he liked it)



Lora aka Campcook



Last but not least CHC



Mike, you lucked out I didnt get a single picture with you in it.