ENews from WSI, inc. - November 23, 2016

WSI ENews...Serving Hunters' and Landowners' Needs Since 1987

WSI ENews

Editorial

Celebration of Harvest!


	*"Greg posing with West Texas pronghorn taken this season"*

I hope that this WSI ENews finds each of you in able health, good spirit, and hopefully looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday this week. For me, I'll be home with the wife and our kids, who have come in from out of town, along with my brother and my mother-in-law. I'm grateful for such loving family members and I'm looking forward to spending time with them, enjoying some great food, watching some football, and relaxing.

The original "Thanksgiving", as we Americans tend to understand, was held in 1621. Approximately a year after the arrival of the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock, both Pilgrims and native Indians came together in a celebration of a bountiful harvest. In a time and place where food could not be taken for granted, people across ethnic boundaries set aside their innate differences and rejoiced the blessings of their harvest...maybe we should do a better job of being more reflective in learning from such historical virtues that embrace humanity.

Today, the meaning of Thanksgiving perhaps varies from one house-hold to the next. For some, this annual celebration is an opportunity to honor The Lord, while others tend to look at this Holiday as a familial celebration where the older generation instills the importance of our heritage to the newer generation. For some, it's simply an opportunity to relax and eat well, and for sports fans, Thanksgiving Thursday provides a great platform for watching some football games.


*"Pronghorn loin dinner from Greg's 2016 harvest"*

As hunters, Thanksgiving should especially come natural. Hunters take to the woods for purposes that may vary from one hunter to the next, but hunting is rooted in a culture that was precipitated by the need to provide food for the family, for the village, or perhaps simply for one's self. Though hunting for food is not the necessity that it once was in our country, I'm intrigued by the somewhat "renewed" interest in hunting as an alternative to try and obtain "locally" produced organic foods. For some, this "foodie" motivation is perhaps even more personal and spiritual than those hunters who have lost sight of the values associated with wild venison or wild fowl for the table. Rather than digress too far down this trail, let me say that I'm looking forward to integrating something from this year's hunter harvest into our meal plan tomorrow; it'll be fun and it'll be GOOD.

Regarding our hunting activities, here at WSI, we've been navigating through our fall schedule at a brisk pace, enjoying some successful hunts. Overall, the season has gone well. Further, please know we still have some hunts available for your consideration that can be scheduled to take place over the next few months. We have some whitetail spots still available and would consider discounting a whitetail hunt for a group of 4-6 hunters. We also have a new world class quail hunting opportunity available for one group. And then there are our popular nilgai antelope and aoudad sheep hunts that will fire back up during the first quarter of next year. Please let us know if we can assist with any of your hunting interests.

Here's to wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving week.

Cheers,

Greg Simons

Proprietor at Wildlife Systems, Inc.

Fabulous South Texas

Wild Quail Hunt

This is a rare opportunity for us to schedule one group of 5-6 hunters on one of the finest quail areas in South Texas. Very nice facilities, great quail rigs, excellent dogs and handler, and outstanding bird hunting makes this one of the best opportunities for your group to experience wild bobwhite quail hunting during a time when bird numbers are way up; a 30-40 covey day on this property would not be unheard of! For several years, this large ranch has been intensively managing for quail. The results are impressive. This will be scheduled as a 2-full-day, 3-night program and will include meals, lodging, quail rig, dogs and handler, and claybird shooting. This hunt is perfect for a corporate outing or for a group of buddies who are wanting to enjoy a world class quail hunt. Price is $2750 per hunter. We are only scheduling one group!

Nilgai Antelope Hunts

John Kreiwaldt, 2016

Texas is home to more free range nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930's, these sporty game animals quickly took hold and are currently free ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas. Our Nilgai antelope hunting takes place on the historic H. Yturria Ranches near Raymondville in lower South Texas, and at the El Sauz Division of the East Ranch at Port Mansfield, Texas. Nilgai antelope hunting offers a challenging and fun experience, and this is certainly a hunt destination you will want to add to your schedule.

Paul Johnson, 2016

Our nilgai antelope hunts a re set up as 2.5 day packages including 3 nights lodging. Some hunters are guided 1x1 and some clients are 2x1. Three meals daily are served. Your nilgai bull will be skinned and caped as part of the package and you may choose to pay to have the meat commercially processed at a nearby facility. Incidentally, nilgai antelope meat is some of the best wild game meat you will ever have, which makes nilgai hunting even more attractive.

Free-Range Aoudad

Sheep Hunts

For someone looking for a unique hunting experience in a spectacular part of the world, you may consider this hunt. Free-range aoudad sheep hunts are one of the most under-rated hunts in North America, providing what is arguably the best value for the dollar in the sheep hunting world.

David Danforth, 2016

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. Nonresident licenses are $48 and are guaranteed, with no drawing or lottery.

Jerry O'Daniel, 2016

Over the last 5 years, we have had a great run on big sheep, with approximately 80% of our harvest including rams over 30". The majority of the aoudads we take are in the 30"-31 1/2" range, with most of the rams being 8-10 years old. Success rates on having shots at mature rams approach 90%. But, make no mistake about it, this is not a fish shoot. This is 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.