News from Wildlife Systems, Inc.

Wildlife Systems, Inc

As many of you know, we receive a steady flow of clients moving Greg Simons

through our camps at various times of the year and I am pleased to say that, as a whole, the vast majority of these folks enter the hunt with a smile on their face, an upbeat attitude, and looking forward to having a fun relaxing experience.

Like so many things in life, attending your hunting trip with the proper frame of mind is the first step to ensuring a pleasant time, not only for you, but for the other hunters in camp, as well as the guides and cook who are working the hunt.

A sour disposition is generally recognizable from the get go. Your demeanor has a radiating affect on those around you, and this is but one reason why some of the most likeable and appreciated individuals in our society are folks who generally project a pleasant and positive aura. People appreciate kindness and understanding, and I assure you, the camp staff working our hunts, certainly appreciate this type of interactive environment.

Most hunts will have some form of a hick-up, set back, challenge, or something that may not be ideal in terms of your expectations or standards. And most assuredly, those who look for imperfections will find them. But, those who have a positive frame of mind, willing to roll with the flow, focusing on the pleasantries of the total experience, will consistently be rewarded in many ways.

With this said, here are my top five tips for achieving a satisfying hunting trip through proper mental conditioning and emotional control.

1. Realize that travel, especially airline travel, can be fraught with setbacks and travel issues, such as flight delays and cancellations, lost luggage, and unaccommodating individuals behind the counter. This is fertile ground to allow these issues to disrupt your mindset before the hunt even begins. Try to take these problems in stride, dealing with it as best you can, focusing on good times ahead.

2. Appreciate the guides and cooks for who they are. Understanding that being placed with the least experienced guide does not necessarily equal a deficiency. And, understand that there are easier ways to make a dollar than working in a hunting camp, and the staff in place is generally there because they want to be, and they look forward to their time with you. Each guide is unique, cut out of a different mold than the next, so provide them with the respect they deserve, and this will make for a more comfortable relationship.

3. Hunting is not a competition, so don't allow it to be. Just because you do not shoot the biggest animal in camp, does not mean that you were slighted, and it does not mean that you or your guide had an under-achieving outcome.

4. The essence of hunting is largely made up of the unknown, with each day afield yielding a different experience. There will be some days, or even some hunts, where things do not line up, and you may not see the abundance of game that you expected, or may not take as big of a trophy as you had hoped. But frankly, isn't that part of the mystery and magic of hunting?

5. And lastly, as they say, the worst day in the field is better than the best day in the office. So, consume all the nice things that hunting and spending time in the outdoors has to offer. We should never take for granted the splendor of God's great creations in our natural resource world, nor should we underestimate the privileges and opportunities that hunting affords us.

So, there you have it, and I'll close by sharing a quote from well known journalist, Hugh Downs. "A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."

Cheers,
Greg Simons

Rebooking Policy

For those hunters who want to rebook "their" spot for the following year, a $300 refundable reservation fee is due within 30 days of completion of the hunt. Once we have the hunt details finalized for the next season, the remainder of the first 50% is due to confirm booking, and if for any reason the hunter chooses not to book, then the $300 reservation fee is refunded. If you know that you would like to rebook, please let us know ASAP so we can plan accordingly.

Aoudad Sheep Hunts

True to sheep form, aoudads tend to frequent rugged, remote trail aoudad

terrain. Their eye sight is eagle-like, they are as wary as any game animal in North America, and they are extremely hardy, and hard to anchor, even with a well placed bullet. Simply put, this is a hunt that should be in any serious big game hunter's travel plans.

We conduct the majority of these hunts on two large properties near Alpine and Marathon, TX. One ranch encompasses almost 200,000 acres, and the other even larger than that. This is big, raw, unspoiled country, very well suited to a sheep's liking.
Our package includes 3.5 days, and 4 nights, with guide, lodging, meals, and game care included as part of the package. Facilities are modest, but plenty adequate.

Our 2 x 1 guided hunts are priced at $3995, and our 1 x 1 hunts are $4495. Nonresident licenses are $48 and are guaranteed, with no drawing or lottery. Over the last 3 years, we have had a great run on big sheep, with well over 50% of our harvest including rams over 30". Success rates on having shots at mature rams approach 90%. But, make no mistake; this is not a fish shoot. This is most well suited for a hunter looking for a sporty, challenging experience in big wild terrain, chasing extremely wary animals. Big time hunting, at a very reasonable price.

WSI Video's, Real Hunts with Real Hunters

A new video will be added to the WSI Real Hunts with Real Hunters video page of our website by the end of this week. This is a great hunt with WSI clients Jack Sheffey and Don Isgar. Soon to follow will be south and central Texas whitetails and west Texas mule deer.

Nilgai Antelope Hunts

Now is the time to schedule your nilgai hunt for 2011. These big Roger Smith 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 of two H. Yturria Ranch camps, with the primary camp being described as one of an African safari façade 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 $2595 includes your guide (1x1 for smaller groups and 1.5 x 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.

Spring Turkey Hunts

As many of you know, we have access to a tremendous land base Kubiak 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 prices, with 2.5 and 3 day all inclusive packages running from $1150 - $1495. Unassisted hunts, for those of you who prefer to hunt alone, are available for $795, which does not include lodging or meals.

Our south zone season begins March 19 and north zone begins April 2. 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.

Dec. 22, 2010