“We Want to be the Best Game Ranch in the U.S.A.”
Hearts Bluff Game Ranch is owned by brothers, Bobby and Billy Lide. They completed the purchase of the hunting ranch’s nearly 5000 acres January 21, 2004. As I write this, they are well into their sixth year of running the ranch. The brothers are partners in nearly everything they do. They helped their father build and manage a successful, family-run manufacturing business here in Texas, and are working together building Hearts Bluff into an outdoor recreational paradise.
“Our long term goal is to be the best Game Ranch in the U.S.A. We advocate and practice living off the land while giving back to the land more than we take from it.”
The Lide brothers have built Hearts Bluff with the help of family members and valued long-term employees. Bobby says, “You do not need to post a bio for Billy and me. The people I mention here are the heart and soul of Hearts Bluff. They love it. They are the ones who make it work and make it a great place. Billy and I and our families get to enjoy Hearts Bluff because of all the hard work done by our devoted and talented staff.”
Jared and Matt are the two main guides. They grew up in this area, very close to the ranch. They know the land, the river, and they know hunting. They are both very knowledgeable of the bottom land and what it takes to get along with it. They understand that you don’t work the bottom land and river, you work with it. These two young men are the best guides in Texas for the kind of hunting we do. East Texas hunting is different than most other hunting locations. You have to have an understanding of the game, how they move and when they move. Hunting a “fair chase” hunting facility like Hearts Bluff you must know how to hunt.
The game we hunt on the ranch is treated much like the river. We work with them. We work to improve breeding, maintain populations, and increase variety of species. Jared and Matt take care of when and where to plant food plots for all wildlife, what type of planting needs to be done to grow big antlers and trophy game.
We have other outstanding individuals that Jared and Matt have trained and are training. Jose will be the next “best” guide in Texas. He has worked with us at the ranch for almost 2 years and has matured fast. He is a superb guide and an important part of the ranch.
Jared and Matt also take care of the cattle operation on the ranch. We run a Cow-Calf operation here and these two men take care of all of it. We are all learning how to manage intensive grazing and we think before long we will increase the number of cattle we can run, maybe even double it. This is a big part of our practice of giving more back to the land.
Ronnie is the man who takes care of all building projects on the ranch. He has been with the ranch for going on five years. There is no building project too small or too large for Ronnie. When he finishes a project it is complete and it is perfect. Ronnie is also our fishing expert and very experienced fishing guide. Ronnie has fished all his life and knows how to put you on the big ones.
Brandie is our office manager at Hearts Bluff. She moved into our office and straightened things out so we can have up to the minute communication with all our guests at the ranch. To be the office manager at a game ranch you must have all kinds of skills. There is computer work, book keeping, scheduling, information, meeting and greeting, customer relations, and the list goes on and on. There is nothing she can’t handle.
endless at
Heart's Bluff Game Ranch.