The Rancho Crew
Built between Houston and Acuña by people who know the field and respect the work.
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How It All Started
Rancho started with Grant Gilbert.
A lifetime hunter and Houston businessman, Grant had spent years hunting Rancho Seco in Mexico and knew exactly what frustrated him about most hunting products. Too many things looked good online, but did not work the way they should once they were in the field.
So he decided to build something better.
Not another catalog brand. Not another logo on the same products everyone else was selling. Something with more thought behind it, more character, and a standard shaped by real hunting experience.
But turning that idea into a brand took more than a good concept.
In Acuña, Luis Ángel “Charro” Urraza Dugay helped open the right doors. A lifelong resident who grew up hunting Rancho Seco himself, Charro knew the city, the people, and the relationships that could help Rancho get started. He helped Grant find the warehouse, make the introductions, and connect with the craftsmen, laborers, and factories needed to bring the work to life.
Then came Jimmy “Cowboy” Walker.
Cowboy brought the hands-on side. A lifetime hunter with a background in cabinet work, oilfield work, guiding, and real-world problem solving, he helped take The Charro blind from idea to prototype. Fiberglass body. Gelcoat finish. Drawings.
Adjustments. Details most people would overlook, but hunters notice fast.
That is how Rancho started taking shape.
Grant’s vision. Charro’s Acuña connections. Cowboy’s hands-on work.
Built between Houston and Acuña by people who know the hunt, know the country, and care enough to get the details right.
THE BUILDER
Grant Gilbert
Owner, founder, and the vision behind Rancho.
Grant Gilbert has spent his life building things: companies, crews, projects, hunting operations, relationships, and now Rancho Hunting Products.
A Houston businessman and lifetime hunter, Grant comes from civil construction, where details are not decoration. They are the difference between something that holds up and something that fails.
That mindset shaped Rancho.
Grant grew up hunting in Old Mexico and still spends much of his life in the field, from Rancho Seco in Mexico to big game trips in Africa. Through Sendero Mexico, his hunting operation based around Rancho Seco, he brings clients, friends, and fellow hunters into the same country that shaped his standards for comfort, details, and practical use.
For Grant, Rancho is personal. It comes from decades of seeing what works, what breaks, what gets in the way, and what hunters actually need once they are in the field.
He did not want another hunting brand full of borrowed language and catalog products. He wanted products with weight behind them. Products with character. Products made with purpose, pride, and backbone.
It should not just look good. It should work.
THE ACUÑA CONNECTION
Luis Ángel “Charro” Urraza Dugay
The bridge to Acuña.
Before Rancho had a warehouse, a product line, or a blind with a name, there was a relationship.
Grant was already hunting Rancho Seco when he met Luis Ángel Urraza Dugay, better known as Charro. But Charro’s connection to that country ran even deeper.
He grew up hunting the same ranch. Same land. Same roads. Same kind of hard country that teaches a hunter what matters and what does not.
That shared ground helped shape Rancho.
A lifelong Acuña resident, Charro owns FAMA restaurant, previously served as president of the Acuña Chamber of Commerce, and now serves as the city’s Director of Economic Development. He knows the city from the inside: the people, the craftsmen, the factories, the laborers, and the relationships that make things happen.
When Rancho needed a foothold in Acuña, Charro helped open the right doors. He helped Grant find the warehouse, made the introductions, and connected Rancho with the local people who could help turn the idea into real products.
Not through guesswork.
Through trust built over a lifetime in Acuña.
The first Rancho deer blind would eventually carry his name: The Charro.
A nod to the man, the ranch, the city, and the relationships that helped get Rancho off the ground.
THE HANDS BEHIND THE BLIND
Jimmy "Cowboy" Walker
The one who made the blind real.
Jimmy “Cowboy” Walker learned early how to make things fit.
Growing up in Mississippi, he worked in his family’s cabinet business, where the work was measured in clean cuts, tight corners, and whether the finished piece actually held up.
That kind of background follows a person.
Cowboy went from cabinet work to oilfield rigs, then to guiding in Rockport, Texas, where he met Grant. From there, he became part of Grant’s hunting operations at Rancho Seco in Mexico, spending time in the same hard country that would eventually shape Rancho’s first blind.
So when The Charro needed to move from idea to prototype, Cowboy had the right mix.
He knew the field. He knew how things were built. He knew what hunters notice once they are sitting inside a blind for hours.
From the beginning, Cowboy has been hands-on with The Charro, working through the fiberglass body, the gelcoat finish, the drawings, and the details that make the blind stronger, quieter, cleaner, and more comfortable than the thin, hollow boxes most hunters are used to sitting in.
That kind of work does not come from a spec sheet.
It comes from trial, error, field sense, and hands that know how to solve a problem.
If Rancho was going to build it, Cowboy was going to make sure it was built right.
And when Rancho released its first hat, it carried his name too: The Jimmy “Cowboy” Walker Rope Cap.
Texas ideas. Mexican hands.
Rancho products are shaped in Texas and built in Acuña, Mexico, by skilled hands with a respect for craftsmanship, character, and doing things right.
Hecho en México
Crafted in Acuña. Built for the field.
Rancho products are made by skilled hands in Acuña, Mexico, and shaped by real field experience. From leatherwork and blades to blinds and gear, every piece reflects craftsmanship, character, and a standard that mass production cannot match.
The Lineup
Blinds
Quiet entry, clear sightlines, long sits, and real comfort in the field, with details that prove themselves when it counts.
Feeders
Hard use, dependable performance, and real ranch function, with the kind of straightforward design that holds up over time.
Leather Goods
Strong materials, honest craftsmanship, and everyday function, with pieces that carry well, wear in, and last.
Knives
Real use, honest work, and hard miles outside, with character in the finish, purpose in hand, and a feel that holds up.
