Over Labor Day weekend 2016, the Kniestedt Foundation had the absolute pleasure of hosting four active duty members of the military at Gravick Ranch for our 1st Annual Cast & Blast event. These four individuals enjoyed success hunting hogs and doves, as well as catching speckled sea trout, redfish, flounder and pompano in the Lower Laguna Madre portion of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Cast & Blast event kicked off with the four soldiers arriving at Gravick Ranch late Wednesday night. They had the opportunity to meet the cameramen from The Break TV show who would be documenting the weekend for an entire episode in season 4 (set to air on the Pursuit channel in 2017). The next morning everyone got acquainted with the selected rifles for hunting and then it was off to the hog blinds. The opening hunt brought success to two hunters who knocked down a wild boar each and one hunter who had the rare opportunity to take a Mouflon sheep.
On Friday morning the entire crew took off to the coast to board the three boats waiting to take us out on the bay. We fished the entire day, taking a break only to eat lunch on South Padre Island. Each boat netted a large number of fish, but the catch of the day was definitely a great Redfish.
The final day of the event included a morning hog hunt in which a soldier once again knocked down a Gravick wild boar. After lunch we took off for a Rio Grande Valley tradition, opening day of dove season. We had the opportunity to hunt over a sorghum field in McCook, TX. The birds were flying generously and a number of doves were taken by all four soldiers.
Our event concluded with an evening of fellowship in the Gravick Ranch trophy room. Our event sponsors, Bosch Power Tools, C-Z USA, Dan Wesson Firearms, Shimano Reels, Temple Fork Outfitter Rods, and Western Construction donated supplies to be sent home with each event participant.
We would like to thank our generous sponsors for their continued support and please stay tuned for more extraordinary Kniestedt Foundation events coming soon. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Program Director Joe Rhodes at jrhodes@gravickgroup.com or visit us at kniestedt.org.
