Heavens Gate Ranch

The Heavens Gate Ranch is located 30± minutes west of Kerrville. Kerrville has a well-equipped airport with a 6,004± runway and is an easy drive to and from the ranch.

Over the years, the owner has implemented a land management program to make the ranch a quality showplace. Programs used include: prescribed burning, rotational grazing, and removing most cedar without using bulldozers but keeping cedar in ideally located areas for wildlife cover. Fields of thick, native grasses and abundant vegetation for wildlife have been enhanced and meticulously managed for several decades. The ranch is intermixed with various oak trees, including post, red, Spanish, blackjack, lacey, shin, and heritage live oaks. Walnut, pecan, and hackberry trees are also present. Because trees are valuable to the habitat and the views, the owner sited 13± miles of chip-sealed roads to avoid cutting down trees. The paved roads provide easy access to most of the ranch. Well-maintained conventional ranch roads keep the remainder of the ranch easily accessible. Trees lining the paved roads have been trimmed, keeping the view open to the abundant wildlife. CAVEA's unique feature of the ranch is a cavern with beautiful limestone formations and several "rooms" suitable for exploration. A walkway winds through the caverns, guiding visitors along formations varying in shape and size. Multiple chambers show impressive stalagmites rising from the cave floor, stretching to reach stalactites suspended from the rock ceiling, forming soda straws and limestone chandeliers.

HEADQUARTERS

The headquarters compound, located on the ranch's eastern edge, is a short drive from the main entrance and is situated on 9.5± acres enclosed within a game-proof fence. It includes the main house and attached garage with two guest apartments. The 5,460± sf main house, called "The Big House" for the size of its welcome, is the compound's centerpiece. The current owners have applied their vision and creative style to elevate the original 1940s ranch house into an inviting home that brings the outdoors inside with warm wood, solid stone, and plenty of light. The master suite of this four-bedroom, four-bathroom house is a perfect example of the seamless transition between outside and in. It features a walk-out deck so residents can enjoy private views for miles. The house is set up for entertaining, evident in the living room with its massive fireplace and wet bar, a dining room, a game room with a fireplace, and a trophy room with two fireplaces. Exposed wooden beams, tightly formed rock walls, and exposed ductwork combine for a prime Hill Country rustic elegance look and a feel that beckons people to gather. More than 1,300± sf of covered porches provide the perfect perch for enjoying early morning coffee, a late afternoon cocktail, or from the swing overlooking the landscaped grounds. The 2,700± sf attached garage includes two one-bedroom /  one-bathroom 20'x8'± apartments, one with a kitchenette. Their location makes them ideal accommodations for additional guests.

SCHOOLHOUSE / POOL

The resorted 1910s one-room schoolhouse is an approximately 392± sf building that has been restored to include one bathroom and one bedroom. Close by, a rock pila has been converted into a swimming pool equipped with a shaded deck. Together, they are a destination for guests in Texas summers.

The Heavens Gate Ranch has been aggressively managed to provide exceptional habitat for wildlife. While driving the ranch, you will find an abundance of white-tailed deer, wild turkey, dove, axis deer, fallow deer, blackbuck antelope, red deer, barasinga, and feral hogs. Native whitetails are managed under a Levell III Managed Lands Deer Permit, allowing deer hunting from October to February. Supplemental protein feeding is also a regular practice. While the ranch is currently used as a private hunting retreat for family, friends, and select non-profits, it is well suited as a commercial hunting operation.

Groundwater is plentiful and easily accessed by one of Heavens Gate Ranch's 11 wells which are outfitted with a mix of solar, windmill, and electric submersion pumps. Water is also piped to troughs and storage tanks throughout the property. In addition, there are numerous stock tanks; the largest of which covers 4-5± acres at full capacity. The South Fork and the Guadalupe Rivers transect the northern and eastern quadrants of the ranch but only hold water during wet seasons.