Ever wonder where your time goes?  Yes, me too.  Just today I was thinking about why I never seem to have any free time these days, so I began taking a closer look at my calendar for March, and then it became a bit more apparent where much of my time was going.  A trip to New Braunfels to give entrepreneurial seminar to Society Holistic Management Conference, trip to Brenham to help out with a LANDS field day, assisting with education of 150 junior high kids on biology, ecology, and behavior of white-tailed deer. From there to San Antonio for a full day of Texas Wildlife Association Executive Committee meeting, preparing three hours the evening before for my Treasurer's Report.  Full day at our Convention & Visitors' Bureau Board Meeting Retreat, as I serve as Chairman of our San Angelo CVB Board.  Day trip to Kerr Wildlife Management Area to provide seminar on marketing at Wild Turkey Symposium.  Travel tomorrow to Austin to visit with Texas State Comptroller, Susan Combs, to discuss TWA stuff.  Those road trips combine for six full days.  Then you throw in approximately ten hours per week I have been spending on miscellaneous office time as a TWA officer, and next thing you know, this all adds up to about 1/3 of my calendar month.  No wonder golf has become a thing of the past for me.

                                                        

Why do some people choose to volunteer their precious time?  After all, we only have so many days on earth, so you would think we would want to snatch up 100% of our time for the exclusive benefit of ourselves and our family, right?  Maybe not.

 

It is my personal sentiment that all human beings have some degree of a benevolent side, with certain individuals expressing this trait more overtly than others.  You have little 'ol ladies at church who quilt and bake for the benefit of others.  You have philanthropists who donate millions of dollars toward good causes.  There are missionaries who travel to third world countries to donate their time at rendering aid for others in need.  The list goes on.

 

Webster defines volunteerism as "the practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without payment for their time or services."  But, why are we compelled to volunteer our time?  What is it that brings us to exercise such thankless acts?  I'm not for sure if I have the answer to this, but I reckon when you peel back the layers and get to the inner core of our being, you find something that is quite different than the greedy nature that sometimes characterizes our society.  Yes, there is occasionally a touch of altruism that may be the motivating, ulterior stimulus on volunteering time, and I reckon this is often okay as well, but I think as we mature, there is a side of us all that innately sees a need to contribute toward good causes. 

 

Society needs volunteerism to function efficiently and productively.  More relevant to this email, conserving wild things in wild places, and preserving our hunting heritage, requires unselfish acts of donating time, finances, and other resources for the benefit of wildlife and hunting.

 

One of the early pioneers in the act of volunteering time toward the benefit of hunting and wildlife was Teddy Roosevelt, who among other things, was instrumental in forming the Boone & Crockett Club, which was perhaps the first conservation group in North America in terms of really  making a difference for this cause.  Fortunately, a legacy has been paved by hundreds of thousands of concerned outdoor enthusiasts who have spent much unselfish time and energy working toward ensuring a perpetuating life for those things that hunters and outdoor people value. 

 

I am fortunate to have been able to work alongside many unselfish folks, especially in my participation with TWA activities.  Dr. Bill Eikenhorst is a person who raises the bar when you discuss volunteerism, and his efforts over the last several years are heroic.  And there are many other TWA folks that fall into this category, including TWA President Tina Buford and other key volunteers including the likes of Charles Davidson, Karla Welch, Dan Flournoy, Steve Lewis, and many, many others.  And for this, TWA is a strong organization, and its future strength will be held together by those individuals who believe in the TWA mission and are consequently compelled to volunteer their precious time and provide financial support.

 

Wild things, wild places, and hunting are feeling all sorts of pressures from things that seem to be inherent to today's society.  Urban disconnect, natural resource illiteracy, continuing loss of wildlife habitat, and radical environmentalists and animal rightists, are just some of the challenges we currently face.  These are very complex matters, and addressing these challenges through the regulatory framework, and through paid professional expertise, is only part of the answer.  Volunteerism is the common denominator that makes this equation more complete in addressing these problems.

 

Fortunately, for concerned hunters and outdoorsmen, we have readily available conduits where the energy of your volunteerism can be channeled into positive and productive products.  These conduits are in the form of conservation groups such as Texas Wildlife Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, NRA, and many others.  I encourage you to consider membership in these great organizations and also encourage you to become active in some of the programs that are available through these groups.

 

The true spirit of volunteerism is probably best summed up in President John F. Kennedy's famous quote that was delivered during his Inaugural Address; ".....ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."  And along the same lines, but a quote that is not well known, is one from Oliver Wendell Homes, in "It is now the moment.... to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return."  And with that, I ask you, what has hunting done for you?  What has access to wild things and wild places meant to you?  If these things are important to you, and if you want your children and their children to enjoy those pleasures, then the next question you may want to ask yourself, is what can you do as a reinvestment to  help ensure that these things are not taken for granted, as I can tell you without reservation, they are not insured.

 

To good times in the outdoors!

 

Cheers,

Greg Simons 

Okay, for any of you Texas deer aficionados, you know the importance of rainfall during the right time of the year and what it means to antler development.  Well, after two years of poor winter and early spring conditions, we finally are catching up on lost time.  Range conditions over much of the state are good right now, and have been for awhile.  We have the makings of having an excellent antler growing year.  Additionally, for any of you who may be contemplating a whitetail hunt for this year, we still have some openings on some prime dates on prime, big deer properties.  Give us a call if you would like to explore some options, and we'll be happy to hook you up on a great whitetail hunt.

 

 

Despite inclement weather on opening day of our south zone turkey hunts in South Texas, we still managed to get off to a great start.  Our H. Yturria and Chaparrosa hunts are both one-bird packages, with an option for a second bird for an additional fee, and our first group of five hunters at H. Yturria took seven birds.  On Chaparrosa, counting a few birds that were lost, our eight hunters took nine birds, and one of these hunters could only hunt one day, and three others could only hunt 1.5 days, so half of this group had a condensed hunt with a horribly bad weather day.  None-the-less, the hunt went well.  The Read Ranch, which is a two-bird package, yielded eight birds for four hunters.

                      

Our north zone begins this coming weekend, and we still have hunts remaining at H. Yturria and Chaparrosa.  We do have openings available for last minute folks who may be looking to enjoy some pleasant Texas spring weather, with the landscape in great shape, and many areas already blooming with wildflowers.  The majority of the birds we will harvest this year will be three and four year old toms, with many sporting long beards and 1 ¼" - 1 ½" spurs.  Great year for big toms.  Call us.

 

For any groups looking for a great, recreational yearly type of lease, we have a place you may want to consider.  The Sanduski Ranch is 3,840 acres located in Nolan County, approximately 15 miles northwest of Maryneal.  This property is made up of rolling cedar covered hills and mesquite bottoms.  White-tailed deer is the primary game animal here, but there is limited turkey and quail numbers, as well as feral hogs.

                                                  

There is a neat hunter's cabin that is also included with the lease that has 2-3 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, and living room, and is located in a beautiful setting, well off the beaten path.

 

Hunters may harvest up to eight bucks, plus a number of does determined by a game survey.  Price is based on $5.75 per acre, and we are looking for one group to lease the entire acreage.   This is a nice, recreational lease that has good access, variety of game, nice facilities, all at a modest price.  Give us a call if you are interested in further details.

Please be reminded of our payment policies.

 

·         50% deposit confirms your reservation.

·         Balance on hunts with fixed price (most hunts) is due 30 days prior to hunt.

·         On hunts where fees are due at time of hunt, which includes trophy fee hunts such as on some of our exotics, these fees must be paid with cash, cashier's check, or credit card.  We ask that clients respect this policy, and please understand that this is often an industry wide standard, and we try to maintain consistency here.  It can be very awkward  for our guides to be given a check, when they have been instructed to enforce this policy. 

·         On all credit card charges, price will be adjusted by 3%.

·         To hold your spot, as a "first right of refusal" in rebooking "same hunt" for next year, we need a $300 Reservation Fee paid within 30 days of your completed hunt.

                        

We apologize if we seem a bit rigid at times with these payment policies, but please consider that we must maintain certain measures to ensure fiscal soundness and efficiency.  Thanks for your understanding.