5 Star Outfitters

New Pricing...5 Star Outfitters Texas Whitetail Hunts

2011-07-20T13:19:00.003-05:00

Don't forget to check out 5 Star Outfitters specials page.....we have discounted many of our trophy whitetail hunts to help make this fall more affordable for everyone. Talk to you soon!

Exotic Special!

2010-12-22T08:46:00.005-06:00

5 Star Outfitters is offering a 2 night 2 day Texas Trophy Axis hunt. The hunt is fully accommodated and is offered at $2150.....no daily or trophy fees!!
You will have the opportunity to harvest axis measuring 30" to 34"!!.....The hunt will be conducted on one of our ranches south of San Angelo. Non-hunters are welcome for $150 a day per person. Great hunt for a family or Corporation.

Groups of 3 or more will receive an additional $200 discount!
Call or email for additional information regarding this Texas hunt.

Koby Howell
5 Star Outfitters

The Year of the Deer

2010-11-17T19:20:00.003-06:00

You know when you feel like something is going to be great before it ever happens....well that's exactly how I felt in August about this 2010 whitetail season!! My intuition wasn't wrong...this season has been by far one of our best ever.....not just because we've harvested 5 deer over 215 B&C. It's the basic things the camaraderie in camp has been great, animals are healthy, and the weather has some what cooperated. It seems like the big man is definitely looking over our business this year!!!! ....both high and low fence hunts have by far exceeded our expectations.

I hope everyone has a great 2010 whitetail season!!

Koby Howell
5 Star Outfitters

2010-10-10T22:56:00.003-05:00

Man what an awesome start to the 2010 whitetial season!! This past weekend on our East Texas whitetail ranch we smacked a 250 B&C, 240 B&C, 218 B&C, and 170 B&C. Pat Bullard of DIVAS in the outdoors stuck the 218 B&C at 22 yards, and her husband ran some carbon through the 170" main frame 12pt at 20 yards.
This hunt was by far one of the most exciting hunts we have had at 5 Star Outfitters....not only did we hunt huge Texas whitetails in the mornings and afternoons, but we had a bass tournament on a 30 acre lake during the day. Just a really great time.....needless to say Pat and Glen Bullard won the tournament with a twelve fish bag.

The season has started off great and we are looking forward to an incredible whitetail season!!

Koby
5 Star Outfitters

Looks like 2010 is going to be another great season...

2010-08-10T21:39:00.003-05:00

First Game Camera Pics of 2010

2010-08-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

From the looks of the trail camera pictures it looks like 5 Star is in for another great whitetail season! I've only pulled one camera out of seven, and I REALLY like what I see!!!! There's probably seven deer over 150 with the largest when he's finished growing should score in the 180's....did i mention I've only checked one camera!!!!! As you can see from the website some of these deer still have three to four weeks of growing.

Hope to see yall this fall....come see why hunters come from all over the world to hunt Texas!!

Koby

5 Star Outfitters

2010 Spring Turkey

2010-04-15T09:55:00.004-05:00

Gobble Gobble........what an awesome spring turkey season. We started off a little slow in Pearsall but finished extremely strong. We finished off the season with a 195% success rate! But I will say we missed more birds this year than we have in three years......i don't understand how you can miss a turkey at 20 steps but evidently you can. Just ask Russel Weaver from Roads Inc. ......

Good grief can you say Jake's....tons of them!!! We should have a hay day with these thunder chickens next year. These wanna be bad boys would come into the decoys in full strut and gobbling.....they better go under ground before next season, because I know a few die hard 5 Star clients that are already getting ready to jelly their heads, and choke them until blood bubbles pure out of their beaks. (Bob Karel)

I would like to say thank you to all of our clients that hunted with us this spring...I believe we had a 100% rebookings from last year, and it looks to be the same for 2011!

Koby
5 Star Outfitters

Last whitetail hunt of the 2009 season.....what a fantastic year!!!!

2010-02-03T11:54:00.005-06:00

This past weekend’s hunt closes out the 2009 whitetail season for 5 Star. Although we harvest 1 of the three trophy deer, we still managed to have a great time, which is extremely easy to do with Randy, Gary, and Mitchell in camp.Mitchell was the lucky one who harvested the 159 6/8 flyer buck on the second day of the hunt. It’s not that we didn’t see plenty of mature deer; Gary and Randy were looking for deer over 170, and to say we hunted hard for this quality of deer on the 9,000 acre south Texas ranch is an understatement. We rattled in around 45 bucks in two days….and the crazy thing about that is the rut is in full swing mid December. You can’t kill a giant whitetail sitting in the lodge you have to go out and bet the brush and try to make things happen. We had several close call sat the caliber of deer we were hunting but for one reason or another it just didn’t happen for us. The last morning of the hunt it felt like the good lord was shining down on Randy and I. The last hour of his hunt we came very close in smacking two deer over 170, one of which was a main frame 12 point. Thanks again Randy, Gary and Mitchell for a great hunt!!! We’ll see y'all next year!

We're on Facebook!

2009-11-15T19:29:00.003-06:00

Check out 5 Star Outfitters updates on Facebook! You'll be the first to see the latest specials and harvests!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

2009-11-11T21:00:00.002-06:00

First buck of the season....Big Buck Down!!!

Bow Hunters Trophy Whitetail Hunting Dream Special

2009-08-10T22:18:00.003-05:00

We're offering a four night three day fully accommodated bow hunt. The hunt will include lodging, food, drinks (open Bar), 1x1 guide, care of game, digital photos of your trophy, transporting your trophy to a local taxidermist, and local airport transportation. This incredible special is only good for the first three weeks of October!! The normal booking fee of $2,250 will be discounted to $1,750 and the following trophy fees will be discounted to.

180 to 189 $8,250 = $1,750 savings
190 to 199 $12,750 = $4,750 savings
200+ $15,500 = $9,500 savings

I know these prices are crazy but after our recent helicopter survey....we noticed a tremendous jump in our deer due to all the rain fall we have received!

Los Cazadores Whitetail Contest

2009-07-31T13:57:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was the awards ceremony for the Los Cazadores whitetail contest. Whitetail hunters from all over the United States entered there Texas trophy buck in hopes to win a buckle, trophy and/or green jacket in the world’s largest whitetail contest.

5 Star Outfitters brought home the trophy for the best overall whitetail with a incredible score of 252 4/8, this south Texas monster also won 1st place in the best top 50. The second deer we entered scored a remarkable 223 1/8 which was good enough to place him in 7th place in the top fifty deer entered in the contest. The third and final deer 5 star entered scored 170 which was good enough to take a green jacket.

We were honored to be able to compete with some of the most famous whitetail hunting operations in Texas…..Congratulations, to everyone that participated in the 23rd Annual whitetail contest!!! Keep your eyes on us because you will see many more of our trophies in this prestigious contest.

Siberian Ibex

2009-07-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Hey guys I’ve got a Pure Siberian Ibex that will measure 48”-50". If you’re interested or if you know of anyone that might want a trophy of this caliber please let me know! He should be the new #1 in SCI!! Definitely a world class animal!! Don’t let the grass grow under your feet on this one…there’s too many collectors that would love to have this monster. (325)450-0321

San Miguel Outdoors Out of Business??

2009-07-08T09:47:00.007-05:00

Apparently due to the economical downfall San Miguel Outdoors is closing its doors.

We truly hate to see any business close, especially a fellow outfitter. Our thoughts are certainly with the Gardner family and their team.

The following is from huntingreport.com.

San Miguel Outdoors Ceases Operations

"Hunters and operators with hunts booked through San Miguel Outdoors should know that this agency has ceased operations. Furthermore, the company appears to be in arrears on payments to numerous operators for hunts it has booked for clients this season.

In an e-mail I received today from San Miguel's president Mike Gardner, he confirms that the company has stopped operating, although he does not address the status of clients' bookings. His e-mail reads, "San Miguel Outdoors, Inc., has not been able to continue its operations due to current economic conditions and has ceased doing business. We apologize for any inconvenience. All communications should be directed to: SMO INC., PO BOX 341478, Austin, Texas 78734." Today, San Miguel Outdoors' former web site address leads to a site for San Miguel Ranch, a whitetail hunting operation in Uvalde, Texas, that is also operated by Gardner.

Representing dozens of hunting operations around the world, San Miguel's closure is expected to affect a substantial number of clients and outfitters. Already, Texas-based attorney Ryan Hammit contacted me, alleging that San Miguel Outdoors owes his Zimbabwean client more than $150,000 paid to the agency by clients for past and future safaris. I'm hearing other operators have gone unpaid as well. I've also heard from a Hunting Report subscriber who says he is out a total of $15,000 in payments sent to San Miguel Outdoors that were never forwarded to his hunt operators... "

Corporate Bull Elk Hunt

2009-06-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

Corporate Trophy Bull Elk Hunt - August thru October

We invite you to come enjoy an all inclusive hunt with 5 Star. See what it’s like hunting huge 340 to 399 B&C class elk safari style. This hunt includes lodging, food (beer, wine), guides, care of game, digital photos of your trophies, taking your trophy to a local taxidermist, and local airport transportation. The price of this hunt is $5,850. Minimum of three hunters.

2009-05-20T18:25:00.007-05:00

May 16-17 was the last weekend of the Texas spring turkey season. Some folks wondered if the hunting would be as good as the first three weeks of the season. Most hunters fears would be the birds are going to be call shy, the ranch is shot out, or simply the fear of not having a legit opportunity to harvest a bird this late in the season. I was a little skeptical about hunting the last weekend myself, but it wasn’t because of any of the above theories. I knew we had great ranches to hunt and lots and lots of turkeys, I was just concerned the turkeys would have started to migrate out of the areas we hunt. Well let me tell you I was wrong…. and in the course of Dean and Tommy’s 2 ½ day hunt we had the opportunity to harvest over 14 gobblers. Actually Tommy and I called in 9 gobblers in one afternoon!!!!!! I think the key is to have plenty of turkeys, great ranches (ranches that haven’t been over hunted in past years), and the knowledge of what the turkeys do in your hunting area. Thank you Dean and Tommy for a great hunt!

We’re now gearing up for our spring and summer exotic hunts. Attention all you monster axis hunters…We’re offering a recession proof axis hunt. The axis special is a fully accommodated 2 night 2 day hunt. You will have the opportunity to harvest an axis scoring 30” to 36” for $250 a day and a $2,000 trophy fee when you harvest your trophy. If for some reason you don’t harvest your trophy, all you’re out is $500. Stop over paying and come hunt with an outfitter that gets the job done season after season!!! Contact Koby Howell for booking information.

5 Star Outfitters

My First Turkey!!!

2009-05-04T10:15:00.009-05:00

I can’t tell you how excited I was to be waking up knowing I’m going on my first turkey hunt! It was like Christmas morning, my energy was high and my motivation to get a gobbler was even higher! I had asked Koby the night before if there was anything I needed to know before the hunt. His response was “You can shoot, can’t you! You’ll be just fine Robin!” That morning on the way to the ranch we talked about what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. I was so nervous I felt like I should be taking notes just so I could remember! I did not want to screw this up!

We parked the truck and started walking. Greg suggested that we walk under the roost and pretend to be cows! The funny thing is that he's done it, and it worked!! Koby insisted that we walk as far around the roost as possible so we wouldn’t spook the turkeys. At one point while we were walking Koby glassed the roost and said there had to be at least 60 birds there! It excited me…but all I saw was a big dark blob (of coarse I didn’t admit it at the time!) Once we finally found our way to the stand in the dark it was time to get ready!

Koby, Chris, and I were in the blind. Chris was filming the hunt from inside the blind, while Greg was down the road, ready to get the action outside the blind! I was nervous. What if I wasn’t still enough, what if I hit the blind with my gun as I raise it out the window, what if I miss! Since we own a hunting business I had heard ALL the horror stories of things that could go wrong! Not only was I hunting with my perfectionist Outfitter husband, it was all going to be on video! Yikes!
As dawn broke, and my nerves started to settle, we must have heard 30 different gobblers all around. After they flew off the roost it seemed like none of them headed our way. I waited patiently. I knew it wasn’t a guarantee that I would get one that morning. I began seeing hens, probably about 20 in all. They would come and go as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Things slowed down for a bit, I wondered if that was it. Was that all the birds we were going to see? Then, I heard it! It wasn’t a gobble, it was Koby whispering “Here we go baby!” I lifted my binoculars up again and glassed the furthest bushes down the road. There they were! One popular hen with 2 huge gobblers following!

With my shaking arms I tried to get my 20 gauge in place as quietly and as slowly as I could. We had visually marked a cactus about 35 yards out, in hopes that he would come all the way in and that’s where he would be when I shot him. As I patiently watch the two old birds strut up the road I didn’t think they would ever get within my 35 yard mark. But as they approached 50 yard I new it was going to happen! I had my gun out the window, my head down and my finger on the trigger! When they reached my mark Chris cut at the gobbler and as he lifted his head to find the hen I got him! He didn’t make a move once he hit the ground! I was so excited! I took off running down the road like a kid! He was 4 years old with 1 3/8" spurs and most importantly, beautiful tail feathers!

After a quick interview and some pictures I grabbed my big bird and we headed to the truck. It couldn’t have been a more perfect morning!

Robin Howell...professional turkey hunter!

TX Turkeys! by: Robin Howell

2009-04-14T09:42:00.006-05:00

Since Koby's been hunting nonstop for the past few weeks I thought I'd let everyone know how things are going at the ranch!

If you've read the last couple of posts you know that before the season opened the guys staked out the birds and they were coming in hard and heavy! Opening day I think the birds got the email that they were "Wanted: dead or....well...DEAD!" The first couple of sittings the birds were scarce!

Knowing that there were lots of birds on the ranches they regrouped and have had incredible hunts since! We haven't had a hunter leave empty handed! We are actually sitting at about 240% success rate! Not only have the turkey hunts been successful, but we've had a lot of fun with our clients. Most of our clients come back year after year. They're like family!

Our camera guys from Dual Shot Outdoors have gotten some INCREDIBLE footage! I can't wait for y'all to see it!

I am, for the first time in a while, getting to hunt! Woo-Hoo!! We are always packed with hunters from opening day to the last day of every season so hunting for myself isn't ever a priority. This time I'm jumping in there!! By this time next week there will be a gobbler on the ground compliments of Robin Howell! Oh, with the assistance of my latest purchase... Yes, functional, cute, and girlie!!! :)

Ladies if you haven't checked out the women's hunting clothes at She Safari lately there's some good stuff. I like it because it actually fits! it's not the old boxy camo that most of us are used to. Husbands...buy your wives some...it makes a difference!

Check out our latest harvests on the website http://5staroutfitters.com/nimbus.php

Texas Turkey Hunts!!

2009-04-09T09:53:00.009-05:00

The following are 2 "Turkey Tales" from the Hunt Life Pro Team that just left! Sit back and enjoy!

We've had a fantastic season thus far! More updates soon! Thanks for telling your stories guys! It was an awesome hunt! These guys really are "Livin the Hunt Life"! Check them out at http://huntlife.com/

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This was not your typical Texas turkey hunt! Very few sightings, and very few gobbling turkeys the first two days. The score card would read like this: I won on Saturday, but just barely. Turkeys kicked my behind all over Southwest Texas on Sunday. I was able to teach them a lesson Monday.

MARATHON

After hearing no gobbles and seeing no birds in The Valley on the Middleton Ranch on opening morning, I was more than disappointed. I was perplexed. Koby Howell, owner/operator of 5 Star Outfitters out of San Angelo, TX, and I had scouted The Valley on both Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Sign everywhere on Thursday, and good gobbling from multiple birds on Friday morning at fly down time. If ever there was a time and place to feel confident about turkeys, I was surely that about The Valley on opening day. However, dawn broke on Saturday morning to a stunning silence. I knew something was wrong when I could not see any turkeys silhouetted in the big live oaks at the head of The Valley when I approached in the star light. For reasons still unknown, the turkeys had moved away from a traditional roost. Thus began perhaps the longest day of my Texas turkey hunting career. To shorten the story, I stayed in the woods most of the day, only taking a two hour break for lunch. I did not see a turkey until 5:30 pm, a lone hen who came to water and to check out my calling and a nice decoy spread (B-Mobile, She-mobile and a Flambeau hard body hen). She was an attractive lady, and I was glad to have her company, as she stayed with me for over 30 minutes. Alas, she never made a sound, and thus offered no audio support of my own calling (Halloran pot and Mr. Death mouth call). She finally wandered off after 6 pm. I was encouraged by her visit, as it proved that at least one turkey was proximate to The Valley that had produced so well in the previous two seasons (4 gobblers total). Finally, just before 7 pm, I heard a gobble, and it was close. I saw him almost immediately after his gobble, about 100 yards to the south and west. He was lit up and in full display, eyeballing B-mobile from across a little flat that bi-sects The Valley. It took him 5 minutes to close to 32 yards, where I finally won the long endurance contest of opening day with a load of 4s delivered directly to his red wattles. The shot actually knocked him off his feet. A beautiful bird, hard won in the coin of patience and stamina. My friends Tommy Ellis and Major Harding had also scored on similar birds, so despite the difficulties, a productive opener.

TEXAS TWO-STEPPERS

Sunday was one of those days when the turkeys remind you of who really controls the hunt. I saw and heard nothing in the morning, and the evening excursion produced only two sightings: A lone hen going to roost about 400 yards away, and a nice gobbler, also going to roost, at about 300 yards. However, it was still a productive day. Major killed his second bird, and his son, Kyle, killed two nice toms on camera. His videographer was Chris Henry from Dual Shot Outdoors. I have always resisted being filmed while turkey hunting. It changes the dynamic of the hunt, and can shift the focus from dispatching a gobbler to capturing him on camera. However, it is good to know that even an old turkey hunter can learn something new. Chris was an excellent video man, an excellent hunter, and a real nice guy to boot. He convinced me to try a video hunt. Boy, am I glad he did. He and Koby knew about a well established roost on another ranch, and I was going there on Monday morning with Chris. Everyone on this distribution list knows that this is my 32nd spring season. In all that time, I have never had an experience quite like I had this morning. We literally walked right under dozens of turkeys on a roost that had been used for decades by generations of Rio Grande turkeys in Tom Green County. When I say right under, I mean directly below some ancient live oaks, with turkeys roosted no more than 30 feet above our heads! It was black dark, and we had to do it to get to where we wanted to set up, but it was an anxiety laden adventure, I can assure you. I’m not sure I breathed while we were under the roost. Chris and I did our best to get small, and to hunch over, so that we would look more like deer than humans. It worked, we came out from under the roost, got about 100 yards away from it on a dim road, and Chris said, with real feeling, “We made it.” Now I was breathing. We continued on for about 300 yards to a windmill and water tank that the turkeys frequent after leaving the roost. I set up She-mobile and my hard body Flambeau, and Chris prepared a blind to offer concealment for the filming. We were ready and waiting before fly down time, a little chilled by a temperature reading of only 38 degrees. The gobbling started in earnest, and I was reminded of why I love to hunt in Texas. It is impossible to know how many toms were singing from the roost, but it must have been close to twenty. After almost no gobbling the previous two days, this was an exhilaration. Just before fly down time (about 7:15), Chris did some excellent soft calling on a Cane Creek pot, as I waited for more light before cutting loose with Mr. Death. Soon enough, we heard some hens behind us and to our right. I finally ran a series of yelps, and we tensed for the expected action. Chris was set up on a tri-pod and waiting for a turkey to show. At 7:49 am, they did, stepping around a corner at about 40 yards, on a straight line to the dekes. The lead bird was not strutting, but the follower was, and both were lit up, as colorful as any turkeys that have ever walked to the gun for me. When they got into the decoys, they were twenty yards away and were now both in full display. Chris was ready for me to shoot, but I was waiting for a double. In less time than it takes to write this sentence, they half-strutted past the false hens and their heads practically merged into one target at 28 yards. I pulled the trigger and yet another double was added to my life list. Probably the most satisfying turkey hunt in a long line of them in Texas. Now, when I want to remember a hunt, I simply close my eyes and recall with clarity the vision of the bird that resides in my hard drive memory, forever I hope. In the future, though, for at least this one hunt, I can watch it on TV! A truly satisfying result to a tough hunt for Rios.

On to Missouri in two weeks! Can’t wait.

Ten Bears

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Texas turkey season opened this past weekend April 4, 2009. The Hunt Life team of Tommy Ellis, Bob Karel, Kyle Harding and I were back for another hunt with 5 Star Outfitters, Inc. in Christoval Texas. This is our third year hunting with 5 Star and our eighth year hunting with Koby Howell owner of 5 Star. We hunt the Rio subspecies and Texas is a target rich environment! We arrived at the lodge on Friday afternoon and got settled in with our gear. We enjoyed a great tenderloin steak dinner cooked on a mesquite fire and all the fixin's prepared by our favorite cook Gerald Farris from Killeen, Texas. Gerald has cooked for us seven of the past eight years and his cooking is over the top! After a couple of adult beverages and stories of the recent turkey hunts we hit the sack with the anticipation of the upcoming hunt.

We were out of the lodge on Saturday by 5:15 am. Bob and I were hunting on the 5000 acre Middleton ranch about a twenty minute drive away. Bob had arrived on Thursday as did Tommy, choosing the 20 hour drive versus a flight from Jacksonville for a little preseason scouting. Bob and Koby had listened to several Turkeys gobble from their roost in the "valley" area of the ranch on Friday morning and already had a place to hunt picked out. Tommy and Kyle were hunting the Harkey ranch were the lodge is located. Kyle was attempting to take a turkey with his bow while being filmed with cameraman from Dual Shot Outdoors, Chris Henry.
The weather was a warm 60* and the sky was crystal clear and the wind was blowing 15-20 mph when Koby dropped me in my favorite pasture on the ranch about thirty minutes before dawn. I have had great success in this pasture and the anticipation of the roost gobbling was building. Last year I heard no less than ten birds gobbling their brains out from the roost and on the ground to my calling. I was primed and ready and so thankful to be back in Texas for another hunt.

I chose to not use a decoy because of the wind. At dawn the wind did lay down and I was second guessing my decision. I waited and waited and waited for that first gobble to wake up the Texas morning. Not a sound was heard. I called very softly then louder and louder but not a bird seemed to be in the same County with me. I sent Koby a text of disbelief at 8:15 am stating that I had not heard anything. He told me there were several birds gobbling in the area he was scouting and said he was on the way to get me.

Koby picked me up and dropped me off on a road that ran through a cedar flat about a mile from were I was previously hunting. The birds were gobbling in several different directions as I grabbed my gear and shotgun an headed into the flat. I found an area that had a lot of turkey droppings and strut marks on a two rut gas line road and cut my way into the base of a cedar tree about thirty five yards off the road. I set a hen decoy on the ground as if she was ready to breed about twenty yards in front of me. I was set up by 8:45 and started to call. The turkeys were still gobbling and they would answer my calls but would not come. They obviously had female company. I called pretty aggressively until 9:00 and then went to my every fifteen minute routine on the quarter hour. I received a text message from Bob just before 10:00 stating he had no heard anything and he was bummed. As I was going to respond to his message I caught movement to my right. Two longbeards were sneaking into the area silently. They made their way down the road and were looking for the hen that had been calling to them fifteen minutes earlier. The first gobbler stopped and I guessed he was about thirty five yards out and fired my gun. He dropped like a bad habit and the other bird ran down the road but stopped about sixty or seventy yards away. I did not get up right away because I thought this bird may come back to check out his dead compadre. After a couple of minutes I reached for my phone to text Bob back when the bird got to his feet and took off running after his buddy. I dropped the phone and jumped up and ran after him. He stopped at fifty or so yards and I tried to put him away but missed. He ran into the cedars and I chased him for what seemed a couple of minutes until I found him trying to get under a tree and finished him off. He was a three year old bird with one inch spurs and a nine inch beard. The wacky, weird and windy hunt had begun.
Kyle just missed two birds with his bow on camera that morning. He and Chris had some amazing turkey film footage and a very fun hunt. Bob and Tommy harvested good birds Saturday afternoon while Kyle and I did not score.

Sunday morning was 49* and very windy when we left the lodge. Bob hunted a different area and I went back to the same spot I harvested the turkey the previous morning. It was blowing 30 mph and cold when I sat down at 6:30 am! I could not use a decoy in this wind. I did not hear a turkey at all that morning until 8:30 when a bearded hen walked up the road. She was obviously going somewhere and I yelped softly to her after she past by. She was about fifty yards away and turned and walked directly to where she heard the yelp. Right in my lap not three steps away looking for the source of the calls, ME! She yelped and yelped and yelped, which I thought was great as she might call a big boy in. I do not like them to get that close however for fear of getting busted. I heard a gobble in the distance and she immediately picked up her head and headed off in the general direction of the gobble. About fifteen minutes later I called again and I thought a jake gobbled back in front of me. Next thing you know three birds are gobbling in front of me but I cannot see them because of a big cedar blocking my view. They are getting closer and I still can't see them. A big bird runs around the cedar and I wack him and jelly his head at 17 yards. One bird flies off to my left and the other runs straight away from me to my right. I swing the gun and shoot and miss two times as he hauls his but down the road and out of range. The tom was pretty much a twin of the bird I took yesterday.Two birds, six shots, and I am as happy as I ever have been overcoming the most wacky and weird hunting conditions.

Kyle harvested two birds while being filmed that morning. Bob shot two with one shot on Monday morning on film with Chris and Tommy left Sunday at noon to drive back to Jacksonville.

Thanks again to Koby and Robin Howell at 5 Star Outfitters, Inc. for helping us "Livin the Hunt Life" Major

Texas Ranches For Sale!

2009-03-31T08:04:00.004-05:00

Well needless to say the economy is not as good as it was in 2007. I believe along with many economist this will be the year well-off individuals who are liquid will become millionaires with the right investments!

Being in the farm and ranch real estate business i've come across many individuals with ranches that can no longer afford to run the operation they intended. Therefore they’re met with the difficult decision of getting out from under the burden of debt. This allows many liquid individuals to take advantage of land prices that are well below market value! For example a 7,000 acre high fence ranch south of San Antonio just sold for $850 an acre. This ranch, in this particular area, would normally sale for $1,500 an acre or more! The group of men that purchased this property have the opportunity of making between 2 million to 4 million on their investment within 2-3 years! That’s an outstanding return on your investment!!!

Don’t get me wrong not all ranches for sale in Texas are faced with the demands of financial difficulty, but there are several that are. We have a 4,515 acre ranch south of Sonora that we’re asking $975 an acre only because the owner is trying to get out from under this property(The pics are of this ranch!)! The ranch has county road access, working pens, water wells, rock house, barns and many other improvements. Property in this general area normally sells for $1,300+ an acre. Individuals from all over the US are making drastic changes to a more stable investment, like land. I guess they’re tired of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the stock market! With saying all that, put your money somewhere you have control over it. My optimistic mind is always thinking of ways to make the best out of the worst times. If you would like information on investment ranches please let me know. koby@5staroutfitters.com.

Texas Turkey Hunts

2009-02-27T12:51:00.005-06:00

Turkey season is just around the corner, and everyone at 5 Star is preparing for what should be another great gobbler busting month! To intensify the hunting we picked up two new ranches that are family owned and have never been commercially hunted. In fact they have had very little family hunting! We have reached another goal, we’ve gathered more land than what we have clients! Don’t get me wrong, our client number’s are not down in fact we’re up in spring hunters, we just always want to make sure our clients tag out every year no matter the conditions. This results in our clients being very satisfied and staying in a stress free camp!

We’ve added a bonus to our 5 Star 2009 Turkey hunts! We will have Heritage Outdoors in affiliation with Dual Shot Outdoors spending the spring with us gathering valuable footage for upcoming TV shows (Versus & the Pursuit Channel) and DVDs. They’ll be capturing 5 Star Outfitters hunting stories throughout the season and filming our clients in every day hunting situations!

With saying all that lets not forget our spring exotic hunts. Most of our turkey hunts are turkey/exotic combo hunts. Exotics can be hunted year round, so continue to check out our exotic hunt specials, or give us a call!

2008 Texas Whitetail and Exotic Review

2009-02-05T14:21:00.001-06:00

The 2008 fall season was an unforgettable year! Even with the economic doubts, 5 Star Outfitters held strong with a 35% over all growth. The 5 Star Team prides themselves in customer service, dedication, determination, and class…. and it shows! You have a choice in the hunting industry and we want to be at the top of your list. Our goal is not to be the biggest hunting operation in Texas. Our goal is to be a premier hunting destination that consistently produces quality trophy animals, accommodations, and service for our clients. Our 85% repeat clientele is a testimony to our dedication!

Of the 50+ deer we killed this year, 25 of them scored above 150 B&C. Our four largest deer scored well over 200 B&C – with the two largest deer scoring 225 3/8 and 252 4/8 B&C. Here’s the kicker - the 252 4/8 monarch will go down in the record books as the largest deer ever killed in Texas with a bow as well as the largest whitetail recorded in 2008. Feel free to view this incredible deer leading Texas’s largest whitetail contest @ www.loscazadores.com. The 2009 forecast should have us harvesting 30+ deer scoring over 150 with the potential of harvesting 10 deer over 200 B&C!

We also harvested over 35 trophy exotics. Most of the exotics killed were in the gold medal class, and several of these trophies will score high in the record books. One of our largest trophy exotics is now the #1 Scimitar Horned Oryx bull that officially scored 114. We also killed a red stag that scored a whopping 442 which should be the largest stag harvest in 2008 and will be in the top 3 ever killed in Texas.

Please view our monthly specials to take advantage of all our spring and summer hunting deals.

The 5 Star Team would like to give a special THANK YOU to all of our clients – you’re the reason for our success!!

January Trophy Elk Hunt

2009-01-22T15:02:00.011-06:00

This past week Ray-Ray and I guided new 5 Star client Ed P. on a trophy Elk and Oryx hunt. It was very interesting being able to sit and talk to a man that lives in Russia! Ed's a great guy.

We slipped around the 2,000 acre pasture and caught this magnificent bull laying under an oak tree trying to get out of the unseasonably warm January day. Ed made a great shot on the bull laying in his bed.

After all the high fives and celebratory yells, we turned our sights towards a trophy Oryx. The only bad thing was the Oryx were mixed up with a large herd of Zebras, and for all of you that have hunted Zebra you know that they don't stand around long! Needless to say when they ran everything else began to run. After several shot setups the trophy bull Oryx finally gave us a shot. Thanks again Ed for a great hunt! See you again in February!

We're off to Reno, Nevada to check out the worlds largest hunting show, the Safari Club International Convention! We have some of our ranchers, clients and top guides going with us!

Trophy Blackbuck Hunt!

2009-01-17T17:00:00.004-06:00

This past few days Ray Ray and I have been hunting trophy blackbucks with repeat client Matt Tupen. On the first day of Matt's hunt he harvested a 19 1/2" blackbuck that was extremely heavy. The second day Matt and I made an incredible stalk on a 23" blackbuck. We maneuvered our way through several small herds of oryx and axis to get within 200 yards. Tupen set up and smoked him just before they decided to bolt. Thanks again Tupen for another awesome hunt!!! This Monday we're heading out to hunt 350+ class Trophy Elk!

5 Star Outfitters....Big Buck Down!!

2009-01-05T18:25:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the 5 Star Outfitters blog! From here you can keep up with the latest news from our 5 Star camps!