Guest comments from mule deer and merriam turkey hunters on our Nebraska working ranch and guest ranch offering merriam turkey and deer hunting, horseback riding on the scenic pine ridge of northwest Nebraska

Tommy Nails, Turkey

Hi Donna. I would just like to thank you, Dale, Jeff, and Kim again for such a great time on your ranch. Us guys have been on several hunts before and never have been treated with such hospitality. You and your family are definately top notch. The ranch was beautiful and the hunting though hard was still good. Don't hesitate to put me down for a reference for future hunters. I would be glad to spread the word of your ranch. Let me know if I can help in any way in the future.

Jack Christenson, Patrick Kaboskey, and Bryan Rodman, Wisconsin,mule deer

Even though we barely touched the surface, what we did walk and hunt was both challenging and enjoyable. The quietness in between the trains was wonderful. We blessed to see deer, coyote, a bald eagle, and of course the cows and cats added to everything too. Thanks much. God bless you all!

Larry Kowalczyk, Minnesota, mule deer

I wanted to let you know that we enjoyed our stay and hunt with you very much. The Ponderosa Ranch is one of a kind as is very beautiful. Even the trains add to the uniqueness of your Nebraska Ranch. We were very satisfied with our accommodations, food and most of all the property to hunt. (Chris really liked the short pork ribs). We did not harvest the largest deer and would hunt your property a little different next time. Your terrain is difficult to walk and stalk hunt and is better suited to find a good location and just wait them out, but that is part of the learning process on a first hunt. In fact, we saw a couple of very nice whitetails and nice 25-26 mule deer the last day of the hunt right from our cabin after we had filled out. Thank you again for the great food and hospitality!

Bob Johnson, Mule Deer

Dale & Donna, How are things? I wanted to personally write and tell you what a great time I had. I don't know about turkey season next year but I may be interested in a chance at one of these critters during archery season when the weather is a little nicer. Do you do archery hunts?

Darin Hoffmire, Illinois, deer

Just a note to thank you for taking such good care of us during our stay on your ranch. It was great to connect with nature as we did. I look forward to downloading all of my pictures and showing them off. I'll have many fond memories of our hunting the Pine Ridge on the Ponderosa! I hope it works out to come again in the future.

Jeff Miller, Illinois, deer

We are so grateful for your generosity and hospitality. We enjoyed staying in the house with you and visiting, eating, and sharing. I deeply needed my time with God this weekend; the Ponderosa provided an awesome sanctuary to listen and worship him. My time here will never be forgotten and many great stories will be shared with my family!! Donna your food was terrific!! Dale thanks for giving us a great place to see deer and the trains!!

Mark McGraw, D.Harrison, Bobby Johnson, Chris DeGruy, Mississippi, Louisiana & Texas

We had an amazing, remarkable time on your place. The hospitality with you folks and family was well enjoyed. There was nothing about our stay that was not enjoyable. Hope to call you and talk about turkey season.

Ron Mielke and Don Moeller, Michigan, turkey

"...We would like to thank you for a great hunt. Second we would like to book the same deal we had this year"

Garth Spencley and Ron Furgeson, Jr & Sr. Michigan, Mule Deer "Saw a real nice buck down just before entrance to Ranch. He was chasing a doe...Hay Dale-Donna-Kim-Jeff-Katie-Trevor- We had a great time. Your place here is great...You all are good people. Thank you vary much for everything."

Victor Romero, California, Mule Deer
"We were a party of three on a deer hunting trip. We stalked, still hunted, hiked, did it all, this ranch was perfect! Results were 3 mule deer; 4 x 4, 4 x 4, and 5 x 4! The deer were big! Best hunt experience I've had in many years. There are bigger deer here yet to be taken. ..."

Chris Burch, Hawkinsville, GA, Merriam Turkey "Thanks for the wonderful food, friendship, & hospitality...Tips for 2006 Hunters: 1. The birds stay in cover and walk the bottoms not the big open areas. 2. For us the terrain & elevation were issues. When you walk zigzag up hills, or walk the cow trails, it makes the ridges a lot easier. 3. A lot of turkeys in the "dugout" area. The birds were kind of henned up near the "creek" feeder. 4. Decoys may get birds spooky. 5. It gets daylight early here. The birds started gobbling at 5am and pretty much all day until dark (8pm). 6. Hunt all day not just in the morning & afternoon. It works.

David Blue, Minnesota, Merriam Turkey "Great Time. Seen a lot of turkeys and other wildlife..."

Greg Hlavka, Minnesota, Merriam Turkey "Thank you for a wonderful time....Thank you for taking us in like part of your family and making us feel so welcome."

Bryom Day, Shreveport, LA, Merriam Turkey "Great time! Lots of turkeys (and other game, too). Got my first Merriam's turkey the first morning, and my second, the second morning. The Steineke's and Lund's were great hosts. They treated us like family and fed us like kings. ...Beautiful ranch and a great time"

Bert Ebbers, Cheboygan, MI, Deer ... You all were very gracious hosts, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I have killed enough smaller bucks in my life to no longer feel any compulsion to return home from a trip out west with a dead deer, regardless of size, age or antlers. When a person chooses to hunt mature deer, like I have, success never will be 100%. I saw at least 3 mule deer that meet my qualifications, in and around your property. To catch up with one of those three deer during the rut, in four days time, would have been difficult, even without howling winds, rain and snow. I am not the least bit disappointed. Had I not seen any mature deer on the trip, I would have been a little disappointed, but would have enjoyed the scenery and company none-the-less. I think coming out a bit earlier, during the pre-rut, and trying a bowhunt, would be even more fun. You are fortunate to own such a wonderful ranch, and be able to run/rotate a relatively small number of cattle on it, thereby preserving the character and diversity of the native grassland, which to my eye appears to be in excellent shape.

Jim Fehr, Minnesota, Merriam Turkey "...All the toms were henned up, but I finally connected on my Merriam's turkey. Found there were plenty of birds to stay busy. Great family to stay with as the food and conversation was wonderful."

Randy Strawser,Eric Meddings, Daniel Rumer and Brian Strawser, West Virginia, Merriam turkey. ... "Donna and Dale are great people. They did a lot for us. Thank you for everything. The whole family made us feel like we were home even though we were 1500 miles away. Great food (especially the pork chops). We all got real nice birds. All had 9 inch beards and all had decent spurs. We heard a lot of birds. Birds only responded to friction calls. There is a lot of country to cover. And that is an understatement." Randy