Bar J Ranch

05/22/2026

We have been blessed with some of the best rain that we have had in over a year. While others may have gotten more, the impact that 3.15 inches or so over the ranch has made quite a bit of difference. For example: The creek flowing here is the Blanco Creek, which serves as the county line between Bee and Goliad Counties. This is one of the areas where The Ranch straddles both counties. Last week, this area was nearly dry, with only about a foot of stagnant water. Now, it is up 15-20 feet, nearly cresting the bank. Also, one of our crossings has worked as it was designed to, channelling water from one side of the road to the other.

While we can always use more rain, we are grateful to the Lord Almighty for the gift he has given us to help us make it through the summer months.

05/07/2026

Back in the winter, we did quite a bit of pasture burning, some of which was a test to see what might happen after we roller chop a big portion of a pasture. Here are some photos from earlier this year.

04/20/2026

We are proud to one of the sponsors for this years South Texas Youth Ranch Rodeo taking place throughout South Texas. You can visit their website here for more news, details of events, and information: https://southtexasyouthranchrodeoassociation.com/events/

We’re proud to recognize Bar J Ranch out of Berclair, Texas as one of our Bronze Sponsors for the South Texas Youth Ranch Rodeo Association 🤝

Bar J Ranch represents what South Texas is all about—heritage, resilience, and a deep-rooted way of life. Through seasons of change and loss, they’ve continued to carry on the legacy of their ranch, honoring the past while pushing forward with purpose.

From ranching and wildlife management to supporting their community in meaningful ways, they’re the kind of people who don’t just talk about it—they live it.

As our first rodeo, we’re just getting started giving these kids real opportunities—and it takes folks like Bar J Ranch to help make that happen.

We’re grateful to have them standing with us.

Go support the ones who support our kids and our way of life. 👊

04/11/2026

One of our goals here at the ranch is to create a more sustainable native grass environment, along with a careful selection of improved and non-indigenous grasses. But before we can do the planting, we have to clear out the invasive white brush, huisatche, and other non-desirable brushes. To that end, we recently purchased a used roller-chopper, and here is the first “test run” we made with it yesterday.

03/19/2026

Back in November, we were asked to donate a hunt for a charity tied to the Diocese of West Texas. We offered a few packages, and the man who purchased the hunt wanted a “Lad & Dad” option.

When the came in January, a cold front blew in, making condition more difficult. On the first evening we saw only a buck running about 200 yards away, and a small group of javalinas. The next morning and afternoon, we saw nothing: not every birds.

Finally, in the evening on the last evening, with about 10 minutes of daylight left, out walked this buck, which was one we want to get rid of. The young man thought he had missed, but Mr. Buck ran about 20 yards, and we found him without a problem.

This is, for us, a good cull buck that came into the ranch late in the season, and didn’t quite meet the quality we are looking for. But for a quick weekend hunt, and perhaps the best buck our hunter has yet taken, this was the perfect deer for him.

03/08/2026

One year ago today, we buried Mrs. Blackburn at a small cemetery on the ranch. The burial even had a full band, as that was some of her favorite music.

There was been a reoccurring question through the year, and surrounded her appearance on a PBS show in the early 2000s. “Do You Speak American?” was a series of programs on how English has developed across the United States. Recently, we found the episode on YouTube and provided this link. While the whole episode and series is interesting, the portion featuring the ranch, my mother, some cowboys and vaqueros, and cowboy poet Charles Ellis begins around minute 21:35.

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03/08/2026

One of our efforts at community service is allowing officers from the Texas Department of Corrections test and train their “K-9” units here. These are photographs from a field trial in April 2025, where officers from around Texas met Mr. Blackburn and gave him tokens of appreciation for his generosity over several years.

03/08/2026

Good evening friends and followers,

There is much to share about the hunting operation on Bar J Ranch, and what more to expect from this page. Some of that will be coming in a few days.

In the meantime, know that we have been in a state of flux the last several years, with the illness of Mrs. Blackburn, La Patriña, and her subsequent death in February 2025.

Her son, John L. Blackburn, is now working day to day with each of the ranching enterprises, and we hope to welcome visitors back very soon.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy some new photographs from our hunts and game cameras as we move to a ranching/farming/and hunting page showing off deer, cattle, etc and other interests of South Texas, plus mule deer and Elk from a small place we have in Nee Mexico.

Be ready for a new and improved page soon.

03/30/2023

I think there is a glimmer of truth and hope in this. I disagree with the sentiment of violence, but sometimes strength that is projected helps when combating an aggressor.

09/28/2020

When you’re out feeding cattle, and you see a lone doe...