The Vela Ranch is located between San Diego and Freer, 65 miles West of Corpus Christi, Texas. This area is known for its wildlife habitat and trophy whitetail deer.

Dr. Robert Vela, a practicing internal medicine physician in Corpus Christi, and a native of Duval County, purchased the ranch in 1990. Although initially acquired for recreational and limited cattle-breeding purposes, the Vela Ranch was rapidly transformed into a managed whitetail deer operation.

Over the last 12 years, we have enhanced our native deer herd by instituting an intensive management program. These measures have included high-fencing, supplemental/continuous feedings, food-plots, and introducing better genetics. Via the T.T.T. permits (transfer of deer) and the scientific breeder program, the genetic pool has improved drastically, producing beautiful, antlered bucks.

The scientific breeder program has become the heart and soul of the Vela Ranch. We release quality bred deer into the open range, adding diversity to the existing genetic pool.

The Vela Ranch encompasses nearly 1000 acres. The terrain is diverse, but mostly South Texas brush. The San Diego Creek traverses the property, providing fertile soil for a variety of forbs and shrubs with high nutritional value. Furthermore, six waterholes provide an excellent water source for the wildlife. Also, under the guidance of Victor Saenz II, long-time ranch and deer enthusiast, the native habitat is optimized by frequent discing of the senderos, food-plotting, and year-long supplemental protein feeding.

Limited management and trophy hunts are available this year. In addition, a limited number of one, two, and three year old bucks, does, fawns, and mature open and bred does are available for sale.

Southern Cross Ranch is offering guided whitetail deer hunts , just an hour North of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex!

Southern Cross Ranch, just Northwest of Gainesville, Texas, is over 4500 acres of Oak canyons, bluffs, and upland prairies bordering on the Historic Red River. The Deer on this ranch have been lightly hunted by family and friends for the past 10 years. The Harvest of Trophy bucks has not been allowed. Management hunts have produced the good Whitetail Bucks that are pictured mounted on the walls on this site. It has been intensively managed with the help of Texas Parks and Wildlife to possess some great Deer , Turkey and Quail.  

This ranch is a participant in the level III managed lands permit, which gives us a longer season, and the ability to be more flexible in the amount of animals harvested. 

 This Ranch, all low fenced, was blest by nature with the topography and geography to be a natural habitat and haven for wildlife, especially Whitetail Deer and turkey. With the West Border of six miles of State Highway , The East of 8 miles of Red River , and the North and South neighbors comprising another 10,000 acres of intensively managed low fence ranches, game  thrives on this place! This ranch is a working cattle and cutting horse ranch, with superb internal roads and fencing, as well as intensive food plot development, mineral supplements, corn feeders and scattered 50-100 acre pocket wheat pastures.