STEWARDING THE FUTURE OF HUNTING

has taken him from his birthplace in Jamaica, to Brooklyn and then Philadelphia, and finally to Texas, a place he now calls home. He grew up in a totally urban environment, surrounded by concrete and asphalt. He joined the Army when he was 19, which opened up a whole new world for him.

“It was similar to a college experience in that I was exposed to people and cultures I had never known before,” he said. “I did my basic training in Fort Benning, near Columbus, Georgia. That was a real culture shock.”

He was stationed at Fort Hood in central Texas.

“The military introduced me to spending time outdoors,” said Graham. “I met a couple of people and it started off simple. We would go out fishing or camping at state parks. I took up clay shooting with friends, and that opened up my eyes to a lot more stuff.”

After serving four years in the army, Graham decided to stay put in Texas.

BY LYDIA SALDAÑA | PHOTOS BY JONATHAN VAIL

“I fell in love with Texas,” he said. “I had never been fishing or camping until I got here, and I think that’s why I have such an affinity for this state. For people who don’t understand what it’s like to get up to see the sun rise and enjoy the beauty of nature, it’s hard to explain it till you’ve experienced it.”

Graham built a career in the vehicle service industry, and recently made the move to UPS, where his twin brother works. Most of his spare time is spent outdoors, fishing, kayaking and camping. He even purchased some land near Brownwood, where he and his wife like to take their dogs. He went dove hunting a few times with friends but had never experienced big game hunting until he got involved with Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s (TPWF) Stewards of the Wild program. Stewards of the Wild

Alphonso Graham (right) takes aim as mentor Tanner Kneese looks on.

Left: Tanner Kneese coaches Alphonso Graham. Above: Alphonso Graham breaks down his harvest.

is TPWF’s young professionals organization, with chapters all over the state.

“A friend of mine told me that the Stewards were organizing mentored hunts and that they wanted to reach out to minority communities and involve them in these experiences,” said Graham. “It sounded almost too good to be true.”

Graham did some research and learned about a mentored hunt that would be held at Powderhorn Ranch on the Texas coast. He met Matt Hughes, who leads the Stewards program, and signed up to be a member of the Austin chapter so he could participate.

“These mentored hunts are designed to introduce folks who have little or no experience hunting to the full experience,” said Hughes. “We almost literally take them by hand through the whole process. We want to involve everyone and have worked hard to reach out to communities that might not otherwise have access to these opportunities.”

Graham is comfortable with firearms, but not every new hunter is. Over the course of the weekend, novice hunters get experience shooting and learn about every aspect of hunting, from how to take an ethical shot to field-dressing, butchering and packing a harvested animal into an ice chest. They also learn about the role hunting plays in conservation from experts including state game wardens, wildlife biologists and university research scientists. The heart of the program is the mentor/ mentee relationship. Each novice hunter is paired with an experienced hunting partner.

Tanner Kneese joined the Austin chapter of Stewards of the Wild a few years ago. Like Alphonso, he experienced his own kind of culture shock when he moved away from home.

“I grew up in Kerrville and my family are typical Hill Country folks,” said Kneese. “We killed deer, we made sausage and jerky, and we hunted pretty much every weekend during deer season. When I came to college in Austin, I realized that not everybody has that experience.”

Kneese was thrilled to find an organization where he could socialize with like-minded people.

“There’s not much of a hunting community in Austin, and it was great to get involved with Stewards of the Wild,” he said. “The folks I met through Stewards aren’t just hunting-minded or fishing-minded. They›re just outdoors-minded people, and they care about conservation. When Matt told me about the mentored hunts, I thought it was a great idea. I’m at that age now where I want to give back, and when Matt asked if I would help, I was all in.”

Kneese has served as a mentor on several hunts, and he joined Graham and other novice hunters for a weekend at Powderhorn Ranch in December 2020. Powderhorn Ranch was acquired in 2014 by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, and the majority of the ranch has since been turned over to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for a state wildlife management area. The remainder of the ranch, where the hunt took place, is owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and will be donated to TPWD for a future state park.

The ranch is home to a variety of native species, and there are also some exotic species that were stocked by previous ranch owners. The quarry for Graham’s hunt was white-tailed deer or sambar, which is an exotic deer native to India and Southeast Asia. The hunters were also encouraged to take any feral hogs

Matt Hughes congratulations Alphonso Graham on a successful hunt.

they could. Like many Texas ranches, Powderhorn Ranch has its share of feral hogs, which are a nuisance animal extremely destructive to wildlife habitat.

Graham and Kneese spotted a sambar bull on their first foray into the field. Though Graham is quite comfortable with firearms and has an extensive personal collection, he had never used his 6.5 Creedmoor rifle in a hunting situation.

“I discussed the rifle with Tanner because I wanted to be sure that it had sufficient firepower for a clean kill of a large animal,” said Graham. “We were about 70 yards away, but I felt pretty sure of the shot, so I took it.”

The animal went down immediately. The excitement of the moment had Graham sprinting toward the sambar, and Kneese reminded him to be cautious until they knew for sure it was dead. The two men then loaded the animal onto a vehicle and transported it back to camp. There, Kneese coached Graham through the process of skinning, field dressing and butchering the animal. For Kneese, it was a deeply satisfying experience.

“The whole experience is second nature to me, and something I’ve taken for granted,” said Kneese. “Walking Alphonso through that and putting all the pieces together to give him the confidence to do it on his own means everything to me.”

The future of hunting in Texas is dependent on the next generation of hunters who will advocate for what they love. Making sure future hunters represent the demographics of America is a challenge that must be faced today.

“I firmly believe that the best way for us to get others, especially unrepresented groups, involved in conservation and hunting is for them to see people like themselves in the outdoors,” said Hughes. “That’s why we are doing this.”

Graham shared his experience with friends and family, which resulted in others joining in on mentored hunts that took place at Powderhorn in January 2021.

“My brother went on a mentored hunt organized to benefit veterans of the armed services, and so did two other friends,” said Graham. “Three people I know shot their first deer through the Stewards of the Wild program this year. It’s motivated me to get even more involved. I hope to one day be certified as a huntmaster so I can pay it forward as a mentor in the years to come.”

Besides big game hunts, TPWF’s Stewards of the Wild hosts a variety of mentored bird hunting experiences and mentored fishing opportunities, too. The program is made possible through sponsors, including the Houston Safari Club Foundation, the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Private landowners across the state have also supported the program by hosting mentored hunts on their properties.

“We couldn’t do this without the support of these organizations and private landowners who are passionate about preserving America’s hunting heritage,” said Hughes. “We hope to nurture the next generation of conservationists, one hunter at a time.”

As far as Alphonso Graham is concerned, mission accomplished.

“I think I can speak for a lot of people who grew up in cities and say that we never thought about conservation at all,” said Graham. “Most people don’t have any idea how conservation and hunting go hand in hand. Now I have a good understanding.”

More information about Stewards of the Wild can be found online at tpwf.org/sotw/ ★

Above: An oak-lined road back to camp at Powderhorn Ranch. Below: Alphonso Graham had a successful hunt.