News from Wildlife Systems, Inc.

Wildlife Systems, Inc. Newsletter

(325)655-0877

January 2010

                Put a fork in it. The year of 2009 is behind us, and I must say, I am looking more forward to those times ahead of us, than reflecting back over the last 12 months. As we all know, the past year has been a period that has tested our entire nation. The state of our economic affairs in the U. S. and elsewhere has created a ripple effect that reaches both ends of the pond. Few folks and few industries are immune to the consequences felt by the tightened noose that has strangled the life from our societal enthusiasm of spending monies on anything outside of pure necessities.
                I have been a business owner since graduating from college in 1987, serving as the owner/operator of WSI since that time, and looking back, the formative years of fledging the start up of WSI was full of inherent challenges associated with most any new business venture. During this time, some years have been better than others and prior to 2009, I had grown accustomed to using the year of 2001 as a benchmark in terms of measuring difficulty for WSI, and indeed 2001 was painful in a multitude of ways. But, purely from a business challenge standpoint, 2009 is in a league of its own in my books.
                We came out of 2008 anticipating what we felt might be a soft year for us, but we were still upbeat about our prospective rebookings and where encouraged by the level of inquiries we were receiving through December of 2008, and up until mid January of 2009. Consequently, we made some minor adjustments on our commitment levels with landowners, but did not streamline to any great extent. And then the stock market began its huge slide in January, and then the price of crude and natural gas plummeted, as did the activity in the oil patch, and by March it was very apparent that things were altogether different than they were just a few months earlier.
                In the end, we survived 2009, and some of our hunting opportunities sold well, while others did not. We fulfilled our obligations to our landowners and we are still standing.
                In addition to last year being a soft business year, major droughts from September of 2008 through the summer of 2009, created a year of poor antler development as a whole. We were actually quite optimistic about our prospects for good antlers here in the San Angelo area, as we received good rains from April on, but as it turned out, it was simply too dry for too long coming into April to do us much good. Yes, we did take plenty of nice bucks, and our mule deer harvest was surprisingly good, but as a whole, we will chalk 2009 up as one that is not high on our list of award winning years.
                As we speak, WSI is currently restructuring part of our business activities. Financially, we are sound. And we want to keep it that way. You will likely notice over the next few years that the diversity of our hunting programs will be more evident than ever. We will not be as lopsided toward our white-tailed deer hunting component as we have been in the past. We built this business around whitetails, but we will now sail the ship based on diversified stability. Perhaps at some point in the future we will once again ramp back up with a high degree of focus on whitetails, but for now we will rely on other aspects of our business that have more relative uniqueness and are more viable.
                Difficult times often translate into difficult decisions which must be made. Successful business owners and managers must sometimes make hard decisions, and this process is often not an easy one, and at times it can create an emotional toll on those involved. But smart decisions are necessary and this often brings change. Some people don't like change, but change often presents opportunities in ways unanticipated, which occasionally results in a win-win for everyone.
                You have perhaps heard me refer to the virtues that are often developed by those who choose to hunt. Virtues such as: patience; persistence; perseverance; appreciation for success and appreciation for defeat; a heightened sense of awareness of your environment, and how to react to that environment. These virtues we develop through the hunting experience make us better and more capable human beings. Whether we realize it consciously or not, these hunting developed virtues provide us with tools of life that allow us to cope with the challenges and pressures of life. And for that I am thankful to have been raised as a hunter, and I have and will continue to utilize these tools to make the best decisions possible in times of challenge like we have faced in recent months. I encourage any of you who may be faced with your own challenges or disparity to react in a proactive fashion. Sometimes sitting back and watching what you feel is inevitable is not the best thing to do for you or those around you. Perhaps we should heed Teddy Roosevelt's advice in times like this; "In a moment of opportunity, the best thing to do is the right thing to do. The worst thing to do is nothing."
                Here's to a great 2010. Stay in touch and let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Gracias,

Greg Simons

Nilgai Antelope Hunts
nilgai1

                We are entering the time of the year that we conduct the majority of our nilgai antelope hunts and it's not too late to schedule your hunt for sometime between now and the end of April.
                 These big strong beasts from India, offer an extremely challenging and exciting hunting experience. Often referred to as blue bulls because of their bluish hue that mature bulls take on, nilgai are wary animals that often spook at the drop of a hat. They are incredibly hard to bring down and the ranch has a policy that the caliber must be a minimum of a .300 mag, and well constructed bullets are also recommended, such as partition or A-frame type bullets.
          These 2.5 day, 3 night packages take place out nilgai2

of two H. Yturria camps, with the primary camp being described as one of an African safari facade which is cut out of the native South Texas brush in a wild setting and features six individual chalets, bunkhouse with kitchen and large dining/lounging area, and comfortable screened in porch to enjoy your lunch. A large fire pit is where your culinary meats will be flame broiled and where you can enjoy your evening drink under the bright Texas stars.
A modest price of $2,595 includes your guide (1×1 for smaller groups and 1.5×1 on larger groups), meals, and we skin, cape, and quarter your bulls. Nilgai meat is excellent game fare and you can have the bull fully processed at your expense at a local commercial processor.
We hunt four divisions of the Yturria Ranch in total and other animals available as an add on or as a separate hunt all together are scimitar horned oryx, gemsbok, Beisa oryx, lechwe, white bearded gnu (wildebeest), zebra, springbok, hogs and javelina. We also conduct whitetail deer and turkey hunts here as well. Most nilgai hunts take place in January-April, but let us know if you would like to look at alternative time periods like late September and October.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Please be aware that our payment and cancellation policies are rigid, especially regarding cancellations. Bottom line is once your booking is confirmed through a deposit, if you do happen to cancel for any reason, monies will only be refunded if we replace your spot at full price, less a 10% administrative and cancellation fee.
To protect your financial investment, you may want to consider purchasing travel or trip cancellation insurance. One such company that offers coverage is Sportsman's Travel Insurance through Travel Guard, which can be accessed by going to our website and clicking on their link at the bottom of our home page. Advantages are offered by purchasing insurance within two weeks after deposit is paid, so you may want to plan ahead. Additionally, there are other ancillary benefits associated with this coverage such as medivac, lost luggage, and more, so check it out.

Spring Turkey Hunts

As many of you know, we have access to a tremendous land base that we hunt turkeys on during the spring season. By going to our website at www.wildlifesystems.com, and then clicking on our turkey hunting page, you can get a fairly complete run down on our spring hunts. In total, we will be hunting gobblers on over 125,000 acres of turkey country this upcoming season.
Here are a few interesting points to ponder about some of our turkey hunts.

Great Corporate Options - One of the things that we can offer that is attractive from a corporate entertainment standpoint is that we offer excellent options on facilities and camps. Our H. Yturria camps are uniquely designed similar to many African safari camps. Hunts at the huge Chaparrosa Ranch take place from a spacious 10 bedroom lodge with swimming pool and all the bells and whistles. Our popular S Ranch camp is a 4 bedroom, 4 bath facility located 25 minutes from our San Angelo airport. The above represent but a sampling of options.
Combination Hunts - For those interested in variety, we have opportunities for combo type packages to conveniently hunt multiple species from one camp. Some of these other possible combo species include various exotics including our popular nilgai, hogs, and javelinas. Inquire about details.
Lots of Birds - This is one of the most obvious strengths of our spring turkey hunts.....lots of birds. And with the vast acreage we hunt, we can moderate our hunting pressure to ensure a high level of success for all of our guests.
Nice Weather - Texas in the spring. This can be a grand time of the year to be afield in Texas. Nice weather, wild flowers, and the sounds of songbirds and gobbling turkeys. A great time to be here.
Price - As opposed to most big game hunts, our packages are very reasonable priced, with 2.5 and 3 day all inclusive packages running from $1,150 - $1,395.

Our south zone season begins March 20 and north zone begins April 3. We wrap up all of our hunts by around the 25th of April, though our season in the north zone does extend to May 9. You still have time, so give us a call to schedule your Rio Grande gobbler hunt.

Lots of Winter Moisture

The La Nina weather pattern has blessed us with the best winter moisture that some of the state has seen in several years. To date, much of South Texas has received up to 7" since the first of December. Folks, that is 1/3 of the average annual precip for that region and ensures us of having the best early spring we have had in many years. Though other areas have not received quite as much as South Texas, our area around San Angelo is well above normal rainfall for November, December, and thus far in January, and that is stacked on top of a very wet period that ran from the latter part of last April, through the end of the year.

Our La Nina forecast is for above average rainfall to carry on into the spring and early summer. Last time we had a period similar to this was in 2007, when we had a tremendous antler growing year, and in many areas, we are in better shape than we were in January of 2007. So, you should see why we are upbeat and delighted with the prospects that this winter moisture is providing.

Speck Lohn Ranch Lease Available

We have a unique opportunity available for the right group. The Speck Lohn Ranch, located approximately 25 miles northwest of Brady, is available for a season lease arrangement to a group of management minded hunters looking for an outstanding deer and turkey lease. Many of you are already familiar with this property, but here is a quick rundown on the place.

· 3,500 acres, high fenced.

· Two cabins, totaling 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, fully furnished kitchen, and covered outside dining area.

· Processing area with walk-in cooler, freezers, inside work space, etc.

· Ten free choice feeders, 12 corn feeders, and 12 blinds.

· 350 acres of food plots planted by landowners.

· High density of deer and turkeys.

· Under state sanctioned Managed Lands Deer Permit, which provides extended season.

· Deer hunting will be allowed October 15-January 15. Harvest allotment will include 8 trophies, 8 big 8 pointers, and up to 10 cull bucks, and 25 does.

· Harvest allotment will include up to 12 gobblers, with a two week hunting period in April.

· Price of lease is $43,000.

· Hunters are expected to pay for high protein feeding program ($18,000 - $25,000 annually).

This is a great opportunity for a corporate group, or for a serious group of management minded hunters who are interested in their own exclusive high fenced lease. Call Greg Simons at (325)655-0877.

That's it for now. We are busy scheduling an assortment of hunts for this year, so don't be left behind. If there is anything that may be of interest to you then let us know. We appreciate your business and hope to hear from you.

Thanks,

Your friends at WSI

Wildlife Systems, Inc.

PO Box 5121

San Angelo, TX 76902

(325)655-0877