When COVID-19 showed up in earnest last March here in the U.S., who would have envisioned that our world would still be so encumbered by this dreadful virus? About the time that it seemed as though our society was beginning to move in a direction of getting back to our normal daily routines and practices, prevalence rates of COVID-19 spiked in many areas of the country, reminding us that it’s still too early to let our guard down regarding safety measures that address disease transmission. For those business proprietors who are running hunting, fishing and other nature-based operations with lodging, there are several steps you can take to help mitigate concerns associated with COVID-19.
AuthorGreg Simons
Greg Simons 
Greg Simons received a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences in 1987 from Texas A&M University and soon after formed Wildlife Systems, Inc., a company that currently manages hunting operations on over 800,000 acres of private land in Texas and New Mexico. He is also co-owner of Wildlife Consultants, LLC, providing technical assistance to landowners and other entities on habitat management and other wildlife-related needs. Greg is Past President of Texas Wildlife Association, Past Officer of Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, serves on advisory committees for the wildlife programs at Texas A&M University and Tarlton State University, as well as many other committee appointments, and he has given programs around the country on various wildlife and hunting related topics.
The Wild Side of Business: Financial Deal Structures Between Landowners & Hunting Outfitters
There are a few common arrangements that tend to define the basic financial arrangements between landowners and hunting outfitters.
The Wild Side of Business: Business Lessons from COVID-19
For those proprietors who are in the outdoor recreational travel industry, such as hunting and fishing outfitters, and eco-tourism professionals, there are several obvious epiphanies that the COVID-19 experience has granted us. It is up to the business owner to channel these experiences into strategies for catering to clients and creating business safeguards that may perhaps soften the blow in dealing with future challenges.
COVID-19 Challenges & Silver Linings
Domestically, there are no hunting operations in the U.S. that are fully immune to the impacts of C-19 and a hammered economy. One could surmise that things could have been worse if this C-19 crisis would have hit during the Fall hunting seasons, but none the less, there are some hunting operations that had a large volume of business on their calendar for March, April and May. My business, Wildlife Systems, Inc. (WSI), had roughly 100 hunters scheduled on various hunts from March 15–May 1, and I spent the better part of three weeks sorting out contingency plans with those clients.
Client Retention 101
There are many efficiencies to be gained by a business proprietor through the ability to convert existing business into repeat business.
Business Branding 101
“I’m a big believer in the power of branding and what branding means in terms of public perceptions and how that ties into market perceptions.”
Chasing Blues Through the Texas Chaparral
Blue quail do not observe the finer gamebird principles as bobwhites; rather, they are more rogue and prone to run like members of a gang
who are scattering from law dogs.
The Wild Side of Business: Professionalism in the Hunting and Fishing Business
Professionalism is often easy to recognize when you see it but is a bit more difficult to define. When it comes to the land and outdoors space, professionalism is not the job that you do, but how you do the job.
“Mi Casa Es Su Casa”: 5 Keys to Managing Wildlife in Backyard Habitats
When we think of wildlife management in Texas, we tend to think of large areas, such as ranches and state parks, generally involving charismatic game species such as whitetails, wild turkey, bobwhites and mule deer. However, for those folks who live in the concrete jungles of urban Texas, and even for those who have homes in the more open landscapes of rural Texas, managing wildlife on a micro-scale basis in the backyard of a house can yield amazing and rewarding results, with the principal beneficiaries often being non-game wildlife.
The Wild Side of Business: Cross-Pollinating Ranches & Recreation
The ranching community has been forced to adapt to changing market pressures in recent years, often creating a blend between traditional livestock and farming practices and fee-based wildlife programs.
Controlling the Narrative: The Key to Hunting’s Future
The late Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe once famously said that, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
Drought-Proofing Mule Deer Herds In Texas
Is it actually possible to insulate mule deer herds in arid environments, such as the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas, against the extreme pressures that can be delivered by harsh droughts? The answer is yes, to an extent.
The Wild Side of Business: Dealing With Difficult Clients
As part of Greg Simons’ regular quarterly column, he takes a look at strategies, conflict resolution, expectation setting and more when it comes to the difficult guest or client in your hunting party.
Blue Bulls & Black Beards: A Guide to Hunting Nilgai Antelope
Until recently few hunters knew much, if anything, about nilgai. The cat’s been out of the bag for a number of years now, however, and the popularity of hunting these big, exotic antelope has soared.
Maximizing Your Outdoor Adventure Vacations
When it comes to adventure-type vacations, such as hunting, fishing, backcountry hiking and camping, rafting, and other outdoor excursions, the enjoyment and satisfaction levels of the end-result will often boil down to how well prepared the traveler is for the trip, mentally, physically, and gear-wise.
Keys to Success in the Hunting Business
What are the most important aspects for making your hunting business a success? Our wildlife expert Greg Simons shares his advice based on his decades of experience.
The Wild Side of Business: Adding Flavor to the Outdoor Experience
A mile-high look at a few cornerstone considerations for enhancing the outdoor enterprise through the culinary compartment.
The Pleasures & Treasures of Owning Rural Lands in Texas
With some 96 percent of the Texas landscape being held by private ownership, let’s look at some of the pleasures and treasures that are reflective of today’s interest in owning a piece of Texas.
The Wild Side of Business: Top 10 Customer-Service Strategies
There are few industries that offer as much of an opportunity to profoundly impact client satisfaction through basic customer-service strategies as what you find in wildlife-based recreational enterprises. Our regular columnist outlines his ten tips for customer-service success.
Impacts of Brush Management on Land Values
When it comes to brush work, it’s been said that you should know your plants, know their values and know how to manipulate them. So, as a land owner, don’t simply focus on goals that only suit the needs of today but consider how to best preserve or enhance your land values for tomorrow.
