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Dream Realized: Deer big part of Blackjack Ranch |
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By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition |
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September 26, 2002 -- Ever since she was a little girl in Italy, Marida Favia del Core Borromeo, owner of the Blackjack Ranch in Giddings, dreamed of a ranch in Texas. She wasn't really sure just where in the United States Texas was, but she knew it was "down toward the bottom," and "it was big!" For a special high school composition, she wrote of her dream to someday have a big ranch in Texas, complete with the animals of her choice. "I can't say where I got the idea ... maybe John Wayne movies," she laughed. After a first visit to Texas in 1989, Borromeo moved to Texas and started her college education, and graduated with highest honors from Southwestern University in Georgetown in l995. She dream became a realization in 1996 when she started her ranch. The animals followed in 1997. Borommeo chose the Red Deer, but had White-Tail, also, until 1999. Since then she has concentrated on the Red Deer and has added crossbred cattle. According to Borommeo, she can raise three deer on the same acreage as one cow, and she says she "farms the deer" by moving them from pasture to pasture, using four-wheelers for herding and regular cattle chutes for loading. She said Red Deer are very intelligent and learn very quickly what she and her ranch employees want from them. The animals are very easy to handle, and even an "inexperienced" deer farmer shouldn't have any trouble. "My deer were actually born in Texas ... but some of the genetics are English, Scottish and Canadian," she said. Red Deer were first in Europe, and have been traced back to the Neolithic period when people fed them ivy during the hard winters to tame them. England and Wales were reported to have 2,000 "deer parks" in the Middle Ages, and were used to "enhance the beauty of private parks as well as for hunting and venison." "I started with 100 girls (hinds) and three boys (stags) and some yearlings," said Borommeo. The pregnancy rate for the Red Deer is very high, and the first year or so, Borommeo's herd almost tripled. She said that of more than 800 births, she has only had to call the vet in twice. The population growth created the need for more fences. She has since reduced the herd and concentrates on "maximum quality" rather than quantity. The rutting (breeding) season runs from September to November, and the gestation period of Red Deer is about 234 days. This puts the babies born around May. Borommeo said there are two theories on weaning the fawns, especially in New Zealand, where they are raised, too. One theory is to wean the fawns at five months, before the next rutting season, and the other option is to allow the fawns to nurse until the winter, after the hind (female) is already pregnant, again. She chooses to give the mothers a rest, between nursings, and said that while a cow and calf miss each other, after the weaning, the "mama deer just walks away," even if the fawns may cry for her for a while. "Another big difference (between cows and deer) is that the colder the weather, the happier they (deer) are," she laughed, after telling of an ice storm where the deer were rolling around in the ice, while she was worried that they were too cold! The Red Deer love water, and on Blackjack Ranch, there is either a pond/lake or a sprinkler system installed for them to use. "We're trying to have a lake or small pond in every pasture. Now, whoever has a lake has a lake, and who doesn't has showers, so they can get wet and dig a mud hole," she added. Borromeo loves the animals, but said she does not allow herself to get attached to them, since she knows they will be sold. She doesn't like to make sales of animals under 6- to 8-months-old, and really likes to keep the stags until they have antlers so the buyers will see what they're getting. "Whatever I have, I sell," she said. Except for Maximillian (Max). At the age of 12, he rules Blackjack Ranch, and the stag acts like he really understands his importance. Borromeo said when she calls him for photos, he will actually pose! He has sired many babies along the years, but Borromeo said after about the age of 9, the stag production usually falls off until the average life span of 20 years. "My plan is to first get very superior animals, not only antlers, but, personality and character, and so far, I've made it," she added. During the summer the animals feed on fresh peas, soybeans, and deer pellets, and in the winter, they enjoy the oat pastures. Genetics, environment and the correct feed contribute to the superiority of the animals, according to Borromeo. "What I love of the ranch life is the very simple, true life. We face life and death every day, and we might not like it. Most of the time you don't ... when you try to help and you can't. It's a very helpless feeling, but it's also a wonderful feeling when it makes a difference. "I don't know how to explain it ... it's like the feeling of life coming from the ground through my feet and coming on up," she said smiling. |
