Hunting Heritage

A Salute to TYHP Huntmasters

Article by CHRIS MITCHELL

The 2020-2021 hunting season was a challenging one with lots of changes and uncertainty. Despite the difficulties, TYHP volunteers did what they always do—they took more youth hunting than any other such program in the country.

At press time, the statistics for the 2020-2021 season are as follows: • TYHP completed 164 Hunts • 805 youth attended these hunts • 1644 total participants

Seventy-six Huntmasters ran those 164 hunts. Even among the mathematically challenged, you can surmise that some Huntmasters are running multiple hunts. Running one hunt is a big commitment. On average, a volunteer donates 40 hours of their time over a Friday to Sunday hunt. The three-day hunt model is the most often-used hunt model. A Lead

Shirley and Harry Odell run many hunts and promote TYHP. Don Coxsey, Front Right, Leads More Turkey Hunts than any Huntmaster

Walter Dixon has come on strong, leading half of this season’s TYHP duck hunts. Doug DuBois has led more Super Hunts than any other Huntmaster. Roy Hudson leads hunts on the Parrie Haynes Ranch, one TYHP’s first ranches.

Huntmaster or cook donates about 65 hours of their time on a three-day hunt. The difference is in planning and preparation time, shopping, visiting the ranch, calling parents and landowners and all the other behind the scenes activities cooks and Lead Huntmasters perform.

Twenty-two Huntmasters ran two to three hunts. That is almost a month of weekends given to the hunting heritage cause. There was a group of Lead Huntmasters and their cadre of cooks and guides who really distinguished themselves. Their stories are below.

Rick Laden ran 13 hunts on 10 different ranches. That kind of commitment is hard to believe and not much else needs to be said other than those impressive numbers. However, the parents on those hunts regularly write some of the best reviews of TYHP hunts you will find. Rick, we know those 68 youths and their parents had a great time, THANKS to you and your team!

Shirley Odell ran eight hunts on eight different ranches. Shirley and her husband Harry are no strangers to putting in extra effort. Shirley and Harry also serve as volunteer Area Coordinators for Area 7. Shirley puts in many extra hours recruiting new youth and has brought in new volunteers and ranches.

Don Coxsey ran seven hunts on five different ranches. Don is best known among the TYHP staff for his commitment of ensuring that all his hunts have new hunters. Every now and then, a hunter will get to go on a second Don Coxsey hunt but usually because there was not a harvest the first time.

Walter Dixon ran six hunts on five ranches and is a relatively new Huntmaster compared to his closest fellow multiple hunt runners. Walter ran half of the duck hunts this season in TYHP.

Roy Hudson ran five hunts on the Parrie Haynes Ranch. Three of those hunts had 10 hunters. If you have ever run a hunt you know, a hunt with more than eight hunters has a complexity all its own. Forty-six hunters benefitted from Roy and his team’s efforts.

Arthur Mancinas, Maria Mier, Rodney Koenig and Martin Zaragoza all ran four hunts last season. Arthur is a longtime Lead Huntmaster and supports TYHP with fund raising. Rodney Koenig is also one of our eight volunteer Area Coordinators, always ready to step in. Martin Zaragoza is one of the famed South Texas cooks. When not running hunts, he makes delicious, memorable meals.

In a category, all by themselves are those that run hunts of 15 or more hunters. We call these “Super Hunts.” Doug DuBois is a veteran Super Hunt Lead Huntmaster. Doug ran three hunts this year, but also led the 18th annual Cave Creek Wildlife Management Association’s hunt. This hunt honors TWA’s own Dr. Wallace Klussmann and hosted 49 youths on 16 different ranches.

Many of the Huntmasters who assist are Austin Woods and Waters Club members. William Krebs, his family and the Harper community have run the Jacob Krebs Memorial hunt now for eight seasons. Twenty-five Hunters get to hunt on nine different ranches. When they are not hunting, they are treated to some of the best education any hunt offers. The hunt honors Jacob Krebs, a TYHP hunter and volunteer. Jacob lost his life training to become a sailor in 2012.

We have highlighted Lead Huntmasters, but an army of guides and cooks are the work force in the background of every hunt. We could mention about 1,000 names. Among the people, we have mentioned they also fill these roles on other hunts in addition to the impressive commitment already listed. Thank you to you all!

Whether you lead or volunteered on one hunt or 13, we want you to know we appreciate it; the youth of Texas certainly do appreciate it; and, your tremendous efforts make TYHP the largest mentored hunting program in the country. Take a bow!