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Editorial
What Legendary Memories, and Friends, Are Made Of
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"You take the shot. I already have a 30" mule deer," Norma Laros insisted to herhusband, Dick. "No, Norma, I want you to take the shot," Dick answered back. A rendition of that conversation took place over the next 15 minutes as we were closing the distance. Once we finally got over to the base of the Lonesome Butte, getting ready to make our ascent and try and relocate the buck, I finally intervened and said, "Okay, we are going to settle this diplomatically by drawing straws!" And, upon drawing the long straw, Dick looked skyward and said, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you," with a quirky grin on his face. We then spent 20 minutes climbing to the top of the mesa, spent another 30 minutes trying to locate the buck, inadvertently jumped the buck, sprinted across the mesa top for a few hundred yards, and Dick made a wonderful, long range shot as the buck was entering some heavy juniper. And
that's the condensed version of the hunt!
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Taken in southeastern Colorado in 1992 by Dick Laros, Old Elmo was proudly displayed in Pennsylvania for over 25 years. Upon Dick's passing last year, Greg ended up with this beautiful buck which is now on display at our WSI office in San Angelo, Texas.
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The journey on this great deer actually began a few months earlier when I spotted the deer on the side of Lonesome Butte while I was doing some work on this ranch in southeastern Colorado. I spent 4 days unsuccessfully trying to locate the deer with our first group of hunters. Then, on the second day of the second hunt, just prior to sunrise, I spotted the magnificent buck silhouetted against the orange sky some 1.5 miles away on top of the butte. The deer was sparring with a younger buck and the 30x spotting scope confirmed that it was Old Elmo, a nickname I had given the deer after I saw him two months earlier.
Over the next two days, while trying to locate a nice deer for Norma (she took a great deer on the last afternoon), we wrote some lyrics to a song that Dick later had recorded to music, titled "Old Elmo, King of Lonesome Butte." Dick had the buck mounted life-size, and for the next 25 years we often reflected on Old Elmo until Dick's passing early last year. I'm honored that I ended up with this beautiful piece of taxidermy and, just last week, I made a long drive to Pennsylvania and trekked Old Elmo back to Texas in a U-Haul trailer. Norma generously gave me her life-size Doll sheep mount to bring back, as well, and I'll cherish both animals forever, as these mementos will regularly remind me of an extraordinary friendship that was forged with two very special people.
And that, my friends, is one of the special elements of what hunting is all about. Building relationships with people, building relationships with our outdoor world, and creating memories that last a lifetime; hunting provides an amazing platform to do just that. During a time when people are in a mad dash to get from here to there, and during an era when hunters tend to place too much emphasis on a tape measure and not enough value on the deeper pleasures of the hunting experience, we would all be well-served to occasionally pause, and perhaps reflect on life's values, including those associated with hunting. As they say, "
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," and here's to wishing that your future hunting experiences are filled by many breath-taking moments.
Summer-time is here and with that comes the doldrums of passing time until the fall cool fronts begin showing themselves. We still have some good
options available to consider for fall hunts, so please let us know if there is anything we can perhaps provide to help put another carrot on the stick for your planning. And, here's to celebrating all the Old Elmo moments of our lives.
Cheers,
Greg Simons
Proprietor- Wildlife Systems, Inc.
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For someone looking for a unique hunting experience in a spectacular part
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Jerry O'Daniel - 2016
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f 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.
We conduct the majority of these hunts on multiple large properties near Alpine and Marathon, TX. One ranch encompasses almost 200,000 acres. 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.
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.
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Symbolic of the American West, pronghorns are most notorious for being the fastest land mammal in North America. These beautiful big-game animals are also unique in that they are the only horned animals that have a forked horn and are also the only horned animals that shed the outer sheath of their horn. For hunters, pronghorns provide a neat adornment to their trophy room, while also offering excellent table-fare. And, they are what some describe as the dove hunting of big-game, with hunters generally finding these hunts to be relaxed, non-pressurized, being able to locate animals throughout the day, and not having to deal with harsh weather or demanding terrain. Pronghorn hunts are simply one of the better bargains for the dollar of all North American big-game species.
Unexpectedly, we have a few openings on our West Texas pronghorn hunts for this upcoming season. Hunt will take place in early October near Alpine when the weather is typically very nice, and the amenities on this hunt offer comfortable lodging, great food, and accommodating guides. This is a 2.5 day, 3 night program and you can possibly add a free-ranging aoudad ram onto the hunt, if time and aoudad quota permits. This hunt is well-suited for a couple of friends, husband/wife, youth hunt, or even for entertaining clients. Please give us a call if you'd like to discuss details.
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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 hand
ler, 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.
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. This is a very limited and unique opportunity!
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