About Company
Hall’s Bayou Ranch, Inc. was founded on April 7, 1943 when three
friends and business associates, R. T. “Bob” Briscoe, Virgil
McGinnes, and Phil Davant, purchased the property.
Although all
three have long since passed away, the ownership of the Ranch
remains in the hands of members of their families. Our current
President, Bobbie Briscoe Moore, is the daughter of Bob Briscoe, the
original Managing Partner.
Originally, the primary focus of the Ranch was rice farming, using water from the then recently completed Briscoe Irrigation Canal. However, since rice fields must lie fallow two out of every three years, cattle ranching played a significant role in the operation.
Over the decades, the Ranch has had to evolve to survive the changing economic conditions. In the 40's and 50's, rice was “King” along the Texas Gulf Coast, and the area was basically an agricultural region, with as many farming families as not. At that time, we had as many as twenty independent tenants operating on the Ranch, as well as our corporate activities. Since then, we have seen the virtual extinction of the family farm, and the region has become almost exclusively suburban. While the changes have not always been easy, we have, obviously, survived. Some of the strategies employed over the years have included changing our crops, modifying scale of operations, promoting oil and gas production, and other alternative land uses.
Hunting has occurred on the Ranch since its inception. Over the years, its role has changed. In some periods, we allowed informal day hunting, where hunters paid a fee as they entered the gate. At others, there have been several different forms of clubs, with varying degrees of formal structure. In the mid-90’s, management realized that hunting represented a largely under-rated source of income, and began to take steps to maximize its potential.
Today, hunting represents a significant income source for the Ranch. Our development policy dictates that we reinvest significant amounts of capital each year for improvements to enhance the ecosystem and our other facilities. These improvements should, in turn, increase our revenues.
In gathering information for preparing this site, I was talking to
one of the guides. He said to me, “This is the only company I know
that will promise you something and then give you more. They promise
a new 30-acre pond, and a month later you have that and three new
flooded fields.”