Helo-Hoggin’ At Executive Outdoor Adventures

Head To Executive Outdoor Adventures in Bowie, TX For The Ultimate Hunting & Flying Shooting Experience

When it came time to film “Lights Out,” Hook & Barrel’s first-ever nighttime-hunting video series, we needed an epic location. Enter Executive Outdoor Adventures. Executive Outdoor Adventures, located in Bowie, Texas, has more than 1.2 million acres available for various adventures. We had everything we needed—and then some. Hook & Barrel took a moment to find out more about how Executive Outdoor Adventures came about from Andy Anderson, the man who founded and passionately runs the operation.

Hook & Barrel: Andy, what inspired you to start Executive Outdoor Adventures?

Andy Anderson: An intense hatred for pigs—that’s how it all started. In the farming and ranching business, when you’re trying to produce forage and things like that to support your cattle operation, and the pigs are destroying 90% of your investment in a matter of a couple of days, you have to find incentives and creative ways to neutralize that. And when they passed the “Pork Chopper” bill* and we were able to start flying and killing pigs out of the helicopter, that’s when I had that a-ha moment that I really had a much bigger problem than I could ever imagine. The cost associated with flying a helicopter inspired me to look for alternative ways to offset those costs and still maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of a helicopter depredation program. So I started selling the seats.

People come out, they have a great experience. It’s exhilarating, it’s fun, and where else in the world can you do this? It makes a little bit of money and takes care of my problem. And through the course of that, people would come out and they’d ask for a place to stay. They’d ask for other things to do, along with the helicopter hog-hunting adventures. And so I just never said no. I kept finding a way to make it happen, and it’s just evolved from a simple depredation program to a full-out, full-on Disneyland assortment of outdoor adventures.

H&B: What would you say sets Executive Outdoor Adventures apart from others in the industry?

AA: I think it’s our attention to detail. We focus on providing an exceptional experience along with the exceptional opportunity to harvest game while being professional in every way. From our chefs to our guides to the equipment that we offer, everything exceeds standards and expectations. We are inclusive of everyone from the novice-never-shot-a-gun, never-hunted-before individual to the most experienced hunter. To us, you’re not just a customer—a lot of our clients are good friends. We invest in the relationship. We want folks to come back time and time again. Bring family, bring friends, and we’ll continue to foster those relationships outside of just the business relationship.

We have an adept ability to pick up on different skill levels, and we’re all humble enough to always take the opportunity to learn from others when we can, and I always capitalize on the opportunity to share my experience. There’s no place for an ego here, and none of my people, including myself, are not willing to listen or to share.

H&B: What factors do you consider when selecting gear and equipment for all the different adventures you offer?

AA: The first thing we look at when we’re looking at gear and equipment is the quality of the way it’s manufactured and its reliability in the field. That is the most important thing above cost. But sometimes you can go buy the most expensive stuff and it only lasts for a couple of days. So we have to figure it out. We are constantly in search of and using gear and equipment that we know can take the abuse of the daily grind of being in the field, people using it or handling it that are inexperienced and still can take that abuse.

Also, the technology involved in some of our thermal scopes and night vision. Luckily, those price points have come down, but the quality hasn’t been sacrificed. It’s kind of like the microwaves. When they first came out, they were very expensive, big and heavy. And now they’re smaller, more compact, and more affordable, but still do the same job as the first ones that came out. So, you’ve got to look at those things as well as the customer service and warranties that go along with the products.

Another big one for me is: Is the company willing to develop a relationship with me and work with me through product development to meet my needs, or am I just another customer? Because if I’m just another customer and they don’t want to talk to me or take the time to see what I’m about and what I’m using their product for, then I’m probably not going to use them.

H&B: Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future of EOA and how do you envision continuing to serve and support outdoor enthusiasts in the years to come?

AA: By being a visionary and being able to see where this industry is headed and mapping that out. Realizing that things are always evolving and changing, where it’s not just about the hunt or the kill, it’s about the experience. It’s about families and our youth getting in the outdoors, sharing those experiences, both successes and failures and learning from them. Having an environment where it’s not just about hunting, but you can come and explore the outdoors or sit on the back porch by the pool or whatever it is that you may want to do in the outdoors to get a disconnect from that urban environment. Our growth is being measured and we’re heading towards more facilities and more acquisitions as far as space goes, as well as expanding the diversity and number of things the land can support.

H&B: Do you think that hunting and sourcing your own food is on the upswing for the coming generations, or do you think it’s on the decline?

I think it’s on an uptick just because people are realizing what is involved in processed foods—the additives, the food dyes, and people are becoming more educated about what they’re putting in their bodies. This drives that holistic and sustainability philosophy, even with a home garden, or getting that protein from chickens or quail and smaller game animals that can be raised in a backyard. And I think more people are becoming aware that food doesn’t come from the grocery store, it’s just a place where you get food. As we educate our youth and as we become more aware of where our food comes from, that desire to seek out where that food is coming from is on the rise.

The second part that’s kind of neat about it is the passion that people are developing for the sustainability aspect of it. There’s always a big push about global warming or running out of this, running out of that. But I see on the other side, because of our animal husbandry practices, our wildlife management practices, we have bigger populations in Texas alone than some parts of where the animals that are here now came from originally. So, I think it’s all on the rise. I think it’s going to continue to grow and expand.

H&B: Do you agree that it’s never too late in life to change the way you’re going about getting your food?

AA: Oh, absolutely. Anyone at any age can start being aware and having the knowledge. I really enjoy when people are honest with me and they say, you know, hey, I’m 50 years old, I’ve never been hunting before, but I saw a TV show or I went to somebody’s house and I had this meal, or whatever it is that inspired them to reach out and make that phone call… I want to take that opportunity to say, hey, come on! I don’t care who you are, where you come from, what you’re doing, or how old you are—let’s go! I’ll introduce you to it and I’ll teach you. I’ll show you how to process your own game in the field; I’ll show you how to do everything. It’s not about just stacking bodies. Okay, you shot a pig. Let me show you how to clean it. Let me show you how to preserve the meat, how to put it up. And we’ll even share recipes, teach you how to cook it, and how to store meat for long-term use. I don’t think it’s ever too late to get involved with your own health and your family’s health and the benefits of hunting and understanding what the circle of life is, and that all food comes from the earth, not from a grocery store.

H&B: What is your favorite animal to hunt right now?

AA: It’s birds. Anything that flies. I enjoy waterfowl hunting. I enjoy upland game bird hunting immensely, simply because I like working behind the dogs and watching the dogs work. And then the surprise of the covey busting out. It’s just exhilarating. It’s fun. It’s interactive. You don’t have to be super quiet. You get to just cut up with your friends or colleagues and walk through the brush and watch the dogs work and pick fun at each other for missing shots or making fantastic shots that you didn’t think were ever possible. For me, it’s more intriguing and challenging than sitting in a stand or spotting. Stalking is still fun. And I still like big game hunting. But for me, right now, I’ve kind of evolved into bird hunting.

For more information, visit executiveoutdooradventures.com.

*“Pork Chopper” Bill: a bill passed by the Texas Senate permitting landowners to sell helicopter seats to hunters, allowing them to assist in eliminating the destructive feral hogs on their property.

Check out Executive Outdoor Adventures in action below!