Picture this: You just won the Super Bowl. It’s been televised to a national audience, so you know there are millions watching from home along with the thousands in the stands, and the sound of screaming fans is deafening. The falling confetti is so thick, you can’t see the other side of the arena. The field is a living carpet of celebration, and the reporters are swarming, each looking to capture the moment, looking to prod a statement out of you that can sum up the occasion.
“How’d you pull it off? Was there a point where you started to worry? What message did you give your teammates at halftime?”
The same old questions get the same old answers. Then you throw them a curveball.
“What are you going to do next?” they ask.
With the TV camera zoomed in tight, and a microphone stretched out toward your face, you exclaim, “I’m going to Skyfall Reserve!”
Skyfall Reserve is my Disney World with guns, a true amusement park for guys like us, and I’m grabbing a handful of my best buddies and heading there every chance I get to unwind, relax and enjoy some of the best hunting, shooting and camaraderie that I’ve ever found to exist on a single piece of property. It’s got it all: ducks, deer, doves and hogs, shooting ranges, top-tier accommodations, amazing food (let’s not forget the well-stocked bar) and a guy with the gumption to build it all, Steve Rokks. Located in Trinidad, Texas, about 1.5 hours southeast of Dallas, this near 500-acre sportsman’s paradise is unlike any I’ve ever been to. More than just a hunting lodge, more than just a shooting range, it’s as though Steve had the ability to read the collective minds of guys like us and used that insight to build an outdoorsman’s destination getaway to satisfy our near every shooting and hunting desire. It’s a bit unfair, really, because now all I want to do with my vacation time and hard-earned money is go back to hunt and play at Skyfall Reserve. I could go on and on, but trust me when I say, this place, as well as Steve, rocks.
The Ducks
We woke early, like all duck hunters do, and once geared up, split into groups and made our way to the side-by-sides that would eventually whisk us to one of many duck-enticing honey holes. With the property containing nearly 1.5 miles of Trinity River shoreline, as well as a 20-acre lake and multiple smaller creeks, Steve has been able to create a waterfowl wonderland at Skyfall, complete with flooded timber, swampy thickets and a manageable water system. The lake, my group’s destination that first morning, is surrounded by flooded, brushy thickets and hardwoods, where before the first rays of morning light touched the treetops, we were able to hear the whistling wings and sweet sirens of wood ducks as they circled overhead and splashed into the darkness before us. Tossing a few wood duck decoys before the sun finally rose, we made quick work of the first-light flight and were rewarded with a few fine specimens. But the fun didn’t stop there. Pushing onward through the flooded oak thickets toward the open waters of the lake, teal flew fast overhead, banking and flaring, looking for a hole in the thick, swampy marsh to land and feed. Though we were still headed to our big-water destination, it was too good to pass up, and so we each tucked under the nearest tree that afforded some open sky above and with heads on swivels, raised our guns to splash greenwings and bluewings as fast as we could. Guide Terry could only laugh as he pointed out downed ducks and prodded us to continue our forward march to the open water’s edge. Though I could’ve spent the whole morning hiding in that flooded thicket, we gathered what teal we didn’t miss and pushed on.
Finally reaching the designated hot spot at the big water’s edge, Terry tossed a small handful of mallard, teal and gadwall decoys into the drink as we took up firing positions amongst the surrounding trees. Already happy with the morning bag, we watched the skies as more teal and mallards sounded off somewhere in the distance, eventually circling overhead. The teal were great fun, as they always are, coming in groups at Mach 1, a blur of wings and whistles that you couldn’t help but shoot behind. Even so, we managed to take a few, and their sporadic flight was quickly replaced with pairs of gadwall and mallards as the morning went on. We kept shooting, and the birds kept dropping. Every time we thought the flight was over, we’d give it a few minutes and another pair would appear. It was glorious, and that lake kept us happily engaged until a late breakfast called us home. Though I’ve hunted in places with a higher concentration of birds, our mixed bag morning was some of the steadiest shooting and most enjoyable duck hunting I’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of.
The group hunting the flooded timber a few hundred yards away fared near as well, an experience we’d get the opportunity to enjoy a few days later.
Acting like you always hope they do, the wood ducks and mallards of the flooded timber didn’t disappoint. They gave us hell as they navigated like Top Gun pilots through the trees, bombing our ears with quacks and our positions with quick head turns as they hightailed it out of danger or splashed into the water out front. Though the shooting wasn’t as steady as it was at the lake, we were able to manage enough hits to make it worth the effort, and trudged out of that timber with heads high and smiles wide. We were even rewarded with a few bonus birds from those hiding amongst pockets of cattails as we slogged slowly through the marsh on the way back to the side-by side.
While the Trinity River brings ducks to the area, it was Steve Rokks that brought ducks to Skyfall. Creating this waterfowl wonderland was no simple task. It was evident that Steve exhausted great effort, time, money and machines to build levees, control the water, plant the food and turn this property into a place the ducks wanted to be. But, of course, that’s just one element of Skyfall’s attractions.'
The Deer and Hogs
On our way out to the stand on the back side of the property, I could think of only one thing: How in the world can so much hunting, such a variety of opportunity, be packed onto 500 acres of land? I still don’t know the answer—it seems impossible—but I know that it was all part of Steve’s master plan.
I hunted deer at two different locations on this trip, and though I left both spots empty-handed, if I’d been a bit quicker on the trigger, I would’ve gone home with a decent rack along with my bevy of ducks.
Perched high in an oak with a feeder positioned about 70 yards to my left in classic Texas style, guide Tucker and I spotted movement through the trees out front, about 300 yards out if my memory holds true. We watched from the two-man ladder stand as the sight of legs flashing through the timber became an evident buck, but unable to judge his size or know if he would come our way, we simply had to wait him out. Time ticked away, as did my patience, but the buck stayed in view, and though he moved at a snail’s pace he eventually made a last-minute turn that put him on a trail leading directly to our ambush point. Despite a favorable trajectory, he’d need to beat out the setting sun for us to have an opportunity. At about 200 yards, we were afforded a better view and were able to determine that his rack was just a bit smaller than what we were after. Accepting the loss, Tucker and I aimed our eyes in other directions with last-minute hopes of seeing a shooter. It wasn’t too long before sundown when the young 8-pointer finally gave us a good look from about 80 yards out at the edge of the wood line. In hindsight, I wish I had had my gun raised.
The buck was obviously injured—badly. Perhaps from a fight, perhaps from a fence, more likely from coyotes. Regardless of the reason, he was limping hard. Upon closer inspection we could see he his rear left leg raised high and dangling. Near amputated just below the knee, a festering stump held the remnants of the rest of his leg by a thread of skin. While the sight offered an explanation into his slow pace, it also put him into the category of “mercy shooter,” but of course, he was now within easy sight of our position, and the injured buck was weary of going any further. Frozen in the stand with little cover to hide our movement, we again played the waiting game, and we had no choice but to let him hobble his way slowly to the base of the feeder, his leg swinging painfully with every step. Preparing myself for the moment, I knew that if it was going to happen, I’d have to act fast to raise my rifle, take aim and shoot before he’d catch our movement. As it happened, I never really stood a chance. The wind swirled, like it always does, and he lifted his head to look directly at our position before snorting and taking off as though he’d learned to run on three legs long ago.
As disappointing as it was, I’d witnessed an amazing act of will and seen firsthand the resiliency of whitetail deer. Still, I wish we’d have been able to put him out of his misery. There’s little chance a deer like that survives the coyotes and hogs of Texas for long.
I didn’t get an opportunity at any hogs during the nights we tried, but another hunter did connect. Toting thermals in the dark, the plan was to wait until game cameras provided us knowledge of an active bait site and then make our approach—again, in classic Texas style. The population was ample, and sign was everywhere, but hogs are smart critters, and with wind swirling and lots of ground to cover, I just never made it happen. Hearing the muted report of a suppressed shot in the distance was enough to keep me happy.
The Ranges
To fully understand the effort that went into the shooting ranges at Skyfall Reserve, you’ve got to understand Steve and his “guides”—close friends he’s made over the years that also happen to be retired Navy SEALs. Combat-seasoned operators—every one of them—with stories the likes of which would leave most of us with wet drawers in a fetal position, they had a major role in the design and implementation of this area of Skyfall’s operation.
Sure, there’s a shotgun clays range that is tons of fun (a raised shoot house with multiple throwers), and long-range opportunities to hone your rifle shooting, but beyond that, Skyfall offers advanced pistol, carbine and rifle tactical shooting instruction that rival any I’ve had the opportunity to experience, and in many ways, surpasses them. Located on the front end of the property, the firearm training facilities are truly something to behold. Fully equipped, and by that I mean with “hardware” gear and instructors, the combination of which would make any trespasser or intruder with bad intentions a very unlucky individual indeed, you need not bring your own firearms with you to Skyfall. … I’ll just leave it at that. Suffice to say, the training I received in just my short time there turned me into a better shooter almost immediately, particularly in the area of tactical handgunning.
With skilled instructors like Terry and Tucker leading the way, I was able to overcome my issues with handgun mounted red-dot sights in a matter of minutes. Like most of us, I grew up shooting irons on my handguns, and I’ve never been able to get used to red-dots, always having trouble acquiring the dot in the sight window. A few key points from Terry (who admitted to having the same issues when his unit transitioned to that setup years ago) and that problem was solved. That, along with Tucker first fixing grip issues that I didn’t even know I had, and I was punching the bullseyes out of paper and clearing steel plates faster than I’ve ever done in the past. As much as I left impressed with my own shooting, I was even more impressed with the facilities and instructors that Steve had brought together at Skyfall. These guys are the best in the world, hands down the deadliest men I’ve ever met, and they treated me like a friend from the very start.
The Experience
There’s really no way to adequately describe the experience of Skyfall Reserve. It’s one of those places you just must see to believe, but I can promise you this: you won’t leave disappointed—Steve has made sure of that. He’s constructed a beautiful lodge, hired amazing, high-end and incredibly creative chefs, stocked the place with all the guns and gear you need (including waders, blind bags, jackets, etc.), built a wildlife wonderland and world-class ranges, and brought in the help of some of the best guides and most experienced (we’re talking real-world experience) instructors I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. He’s spared no expense, put his heart and soul into this place, and it’s evident from the very first steps taken on the property.
Akin to a choose-your-own-adventure experience, Steve lets his guests run the show, and he’s happy to cater to the activities of your choosing and make a change at a moment’s notice. If you want to duck hunt, just say the word and he’ll set things in motion. Looking to spend your time at the range learning from the best in the world? Steve and his team are happy to oblige. If you’d prefer to sit in a blind or stand and hunt deer all day and hogs all night, it’s as easy as asking. Heck, he’s even got a large and fully equipped jiu-jitsu studio on site. Do yourself a favor and check out Skyfall’s offseason operation Camp Vertex (camp-vertex.com) that’s hosted some of the best in the world, and a few Navy SEALs that’d be happy to roll with you—just be ready to say uncle.
Of course, if you’ve had a long day and a longer night at the bar and want nothing more than to sleep in and enjoy a breakfast that’ll put your most memorable to shame, that’s fine, too, but I don’t recommend it—there’s simply too much fun to be had. skyfallreserve.com
Good Time Guns and Ammo
I did some of my best duck shooting while at Skyfall last January, and a lot of that credit belongs to the shotgun I was shouldering, Benelli’s 20-gauge SBE3. There’s no way to state this any clearer: I love this gun. And why wouldn’t I? It’s a Benelli, first of all, meaning it fits and functions at the top of the waterfowl game. It’s an inertia-driven semi-auto shotgun, so it’ll run cleaner and longer, even with light loads, critical in a duck gun when dirt, water and debris are just part of the fun. And as far as recoil is considered, Benelli has masterfully crafted its Comfort Tech 3 system, composed of a shock-absorbing buttpad and a series of recoil-absorbing chevrons that allow the stock to flex and take the punch out of every shot. Top it off with a soft-touch cheek pad that rounds out a recoil reduction package and, simply stated, the SBE3 is a pleasure to shoot.
As for the 20-gauge chambering, I know there are some folks that are 12-gauge purists, part of the bigger is better crowd, and I don’t fault them for it (I used to be one of them). But times they are a changing, and having given the 20-gauge the old college try over the past five years or so, I can tell you that I feel confident in my new preference for the smaller shell for all my wingshooting needs. It kicks less, the guns are a bit smaller, more manageable (the SBE3 20 weights under 6 pounds), and because lead-free waterfowl ammo today is the best it’s ever been, with a 20-gauge in my hands, I seem to kill ducks with more regularity than I ever have with a 12-gauge. benelliusa.com
Lead-free waterfowl loads, like I said, have certainly come a long way, and the Hevi-Metal Xtreme loads from Hevi-Shot that I used on this trip proved once again to be clean killers. Packing a blended payload, these shells combine high-density tungsten shot with steel shot to create a cloud of deadly-on-ducks performance that won’t break the bank. The 20-gauge, 3-inch loads in my bag consisted of 30 percent No. 4 tungsten shot and 70 percent No. 1 steel, a 1 1/16-ounce shot charge in all, packed in front of a Federal-designed FliteControl Flex wad to ensure a uniform and ultra-dense shot column. Sure, there are less expensive all-steel loads out there, but when we already put so much time, effort and money into waterfowling, why cheap out on the one thing that truly connects us to the birds we chase? hevishot.com
