Flat Top Ranch

History

The Flat Top Ranch has changed appearance many times over. Prior to the ranch’s establishment in 1879, the vast grasslands or prairie had become small farms and pastures for settlers and their livestock. The barbed wire fences confined and later condemned the grazing ability of the pronghorn antelope. The elk was pressured off the prairie and into the mountains, and the white tailed deer population diminished drastically to the point where the sighting of a deer was rare. The grassland was over grazed and soon weeds, and even worse brush, covered the landscape.

In 1938 Charles Pettit purchased the ranch and began enlarging the boundaries, but more importantly, he began a restoration program to restore the grasslands to their native condition. He was a pioneer in grassland conservation and his techniques have been admired and duplicated by many. Even though Mr. Pettit’s intentions were to create improved habitat for his livestock, the wildlife flourished as well. Improved soil provided more forage, and water wells and dams built for erosion control created an abundant supply of water.

Restocking of the ranch with indigenous wildlife was another of Mr. Pettit’s remarkable acts. The lakes were stocked with black bass, catfish, and perch. The pronghorn antelope was re-introduced, and white-tailed deer from south Texas were brought in during the mid-1940s. The white-tailed deer have flourished and carry on the genetics coveted by admirers of the species.

Today’s owner of Flat Top Ranch has maintained the original vision of range improvement set out by the founder, Mr. Pettit, and has carried it further by limiting the impact of cattle grazing on the grassland by remaining under stocked with livestock. The ranch is a venture in soil and water conservation through continuous rangeland restoration and erosion control from reservoirs. A game fence was constructed around the perimeter in 1991 enabling a management program for the wildlife. Both the Rocky Mountain elk and American bison were re-introduced to their native lands. Because the bison were belligerent to cattle fencing and threatening to the occasional pedestrian, the herd was later sold. However, the elk have flourished. The balance of domestic and wild animals is an ongoing management challenge.

Trophy White-Tailed Bucks

Our Hunting Style:
We do not hunt deer from vehicles. Our typical and preferred way to hunt is from deer blinds that accommodate two persons. The blinds are set in areas where deer are known to frequent. All blinds have some type of feed available whether it is a planted food plot or a timed corn feeder.

We set the hunters in their blinds before daylight and return at the time designated by the hunters. Hunters may walk and stalk in their hunting area. With only 25 blinds on 17,400 acres, there is plenty of ground to walk. In the afternoons, hunters are again placed in blinds and picked up after dark.

Our lodge is leased to groups only, and only the group leasing the lodge will be trophy hunting on the ranch. One of the most enjoyable aspects of a hunt is sitting in front of an evening fire with friends and reliving the day’s events.

Hunting Season:
Our hunting season normally begins October 1 and ends the last Sunday in January, but the actual deer hunting dates are regulated by the Texas Parks &Wildlife.

Brief Whitetail History:
Flat Top Ranch has been actively managing White-tailed deer since the construction of it’s game fence in 1991. The principal method of management has been to let the animal’s age naturally, while controlling their population relative to the forage available. Supplemental feeding is provided by planting various crops, and during drought periods with high protein feed. While the family, and friends of the family, are primarily responsible for harvesting doe and cull bucks from the ranch, a limited number of trophy quality bucks are available for harvest. Recently, the ranch has begun selling management buck hunts.

Rattling for Bucks During the Rut:
The rut in our area begins mid-October and ends mid-November. Rattling a set of antlers to simulate two bucks fighting is one of the most exciting ways to hunt deer; however, because the speed of the bucks coming in and the short few seconds to evaluate the animal’s quality, harvesting a trophy size buck can be challenging. Rattling is done with a guide because it is a two or more person event, and also the continual moving to new areas requires knowledge of the ranch.

Guides:
Our preference is to put hunters in deer blinds without guides. Our reasoning for unguided hunts is twofold. One, there is less movement and noise with only one person in the blind. Two, the hunter is alone and must be the hunter, not merely the shooter. His own instincts and knowledge of hunting are the difference in bring home a trophy or not. For truly novice hunters, a guide will be arranged. Whether you are with or without a guide, the driver or guide will field dress and transport your game to the ranch cooler. We will skin and quarter trophy animals at no charge. If the hunter prefers to have his meat commercially processed, we will deliver the meat to a local processor, but the hunter is responsible for all processing charges. If the hunter elects to donate his meat, we will find appreciable recipients free of charge. We recommend a local taxidermist from Granbury for any shoulder mounts.

Management of Deer:
Each year deer surveys are run in late August and early September to determine the deer density, sex ratios and fawn crop. We attempt to keep the sex ratios at 1.5 doe to buck. This assures the natural balance is in place and only the dominant bucks do the breeding, just as nature intended. A harvest guideline is established from the survey and through the use of Texas Parks and Wildlife special permits, in conjunction with hunting licenses, we are able to manage the deer herd. The fawn crops are normally high, which requires an extensive harvest of the entire herd. Fortunately for us, our family and friends, with great effort, are capable of harvesting the required number of doe and cull bucks. We do however sell management buck hunts. We have found there is a market for the large 8-point bucks and we are now serving this market.

Trophy Hunts:
We have limited the trophy hunts to less than 15 per year. We watch for large bucks and attempt to pattern their habits so we can put hunters in the best spot, but because of the size of the property it would be difficult to guarantee anyone a sure thing. We like to think of our ranch as a deer sanctuary, whereby the animals have many places to retreat to if they feel threatened by humans. There have been many instances that a hunter has harvested a 10-point or better buck never seen before by the ranch personnel. Our trophy bucks have averaged in the 140 – 150 SCI range.

Our Guarantee:
We are sure of our quantity and quality, but to assure the deer hunter of our sincerity, rather than paying up front the full harvest fee, a minimum of $500.00 per day will be deposited and charged for the days in the field, and if the opportunity does not arise for the deer hunter to harvest the contracted animal, the harvest fee will be waived. If the deer hunter is not happy, we are not happy.

Trophy Rocky Mountain Bull Elk

Flat Top Ranch reintroduced Rocky Mountain elk to the ranch in 1991. This effort has been extremely successful. Allowing elk to come off the mountain, where it was forced to retreat by man, has allowed the animals to come home to their natural habitat. Elk flourish on the grasslands! You must see it to believe it. The successful reintroduction of elk to the ranch allows Flat Top to offer trophy bull elk hunts.

Introduction of the Elk:
In 1991 two separate purchases were made to seed the Flat Top re-introduction of the Rocky Mountain Elk. An equal number of cows came from Chama Land and Cattle Co., and Taylor Mountain ranches in New Mexico. We purchased improved genetic elk in 2006 to increase antler quality. The herd is maintained at 300 animals. The elk can be prolific enough now to alter the ranch stocking of cattle.

Our Elk Hunting Style:
We hunt elk from vehicles and by stalking. A majority of the time, the big bulls can be spotted from vehicles; however, the hunter may be required to stalk the animal on foot. Our terrain is rolling hills with some rock and brush, but nothing terribly difficult.

Guides:
All elk hunts are guided. We will field dress and transport the game to our cooler. We will skin and quarter trophy bulls at no charge. If the hunter elects to have his game commercially processed, we will deliver the animal to a local processor and the hunter will be responsible for all fees. If the hunter elects to donate his meat, we will find a home for it free of charge.

Trophy Hunts:
We sell a limited number of trophy hunts each year. The number is dictated by management prior to the season. The average trophy bull scored 320 SCI, with the largest taken scoring over 350 SCI. Because our herd is maturing, there will be a greater number of mature bulls to hunt.

Fishing at Flat Top

Fishing at Flat Top Ranch is available year round. Black bass and catfish are found in over 20 lakes and ponds encompassing approximately 700 surface acres of water at conservation level. Many quality bass have been taken from Flat Top waters.

The best way we know to manage the bass population is to remove a designated size from the water. Our slot limit varies a little according to each lake, but typically, the slot for removal is fish measuring between 13 to 16 inches long (1 to 2 lbs.). This allows the small bass to grow to eating size and the trophy bass to grow to mounting size.

Prices

White-tailed Deer:
– 8-pt Management Buck: $2,500
– Trophy Buck – 135 Inches & Under: $4,000
– Each SCI Inch Above 135: $100

Rocky Mountain Elk​:
Cull Bull: $2,000
Management Bull: $3,000
Trophy Bull
– Up to 349 SCI Inches: $5,000
– 350 – 374 Inches: $6,500
– 375 Inches & Greater: $8,500
Cow Elk (cash and carry day hunt): $1,200

Other Species​:
– Blackbuck Antelope: $2,400
– Rio Grande Turkey: $1,000
– Blesbok: $3,500
– Fishing Per Day Per Fisherman: $200

NOTE:
1. All prices are subject to change without notice.
2. Hunts are limited and subject to availability.
3. Non-refundable user fee of $500.00 per day if animal is not harvested during hunt.
4. White-tailed scoring is done according to SCI nontypical method 17-NT Entry Form.
5. Elk scoring is done according to SCI nontypical method 19-NT Entry Form.

Directions

From Dallas: U. S. Highway 67 to Glen Rose. Highway 144 South from Glen Rose to Walnut Springs. Take first right turn inside Walnut Springs, W Greenland/Flat Top Rd (CR 2650). Go 1.5 miles to right fork in road (CR 2650), take right fork. Go 2.3 miles to Flat Top Ranch rock entry on left with electric gate. Follow road 1.0 mile to Pettit House on right. Rough Creek Lodge is 4.0 miles north on CR 2650, which becomes CR 2013 in Somervell County.