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March 3, 2011
T. Boone Pickens Is NHFDay Honorary Chairman
Since 1972 National Hunting and Fishing Day has had many honorary chairpersons, including professional baseball players, NASCAR drivers, musicians, presidents (George H. W. Bush), actors and comedians, but never a businessman—until now.
T. Boone Pickens, the well-known philanthropist, successful businessman and sportsman, has added a new role to his illustrious career—honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day 2011. The annual celebration is set for Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, NHF Day is now managed by Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Mo.
Pickens is a top authority on world energy issues, president and CEO of the investment firm BP Capital Management and founder of Mesa Petroleum. He is the author of “The First Billion is the Hardest” and “Boone Pickens: The Luckiest Guy in the Word.” His gifts to charitable causes exceed $700 million.
The Dallas resident spent his early years hunting and fishing with his father on farms near his hometown Holdenville, Okla. Pickens learned early on that conservation is an understood necessity that provides better hunting and fishing for the future. “My father and I didn’t talk about conservation,” said Pickens. “It was just considered routine that you harvest only the legal limits, and only take what you plan to use. There were plenty of times I can remember going on hunting trips with friends where we only ate what we could trap, catch or shoot. There were some pretty hungry nights, but I learned what it meant to enjoy the outdoors.”
Today, Pickens applies what he learned at an early age to his 70,000-acre ranch, managing what used to be a declining quail population. Pickens’ ranch can now be considered one of the best quail hunting properties in the nation due to his continuous efforts to manage overgrazing of cattle and habitat for quail.
“Hunting and fishing have been such a great part of my life,” said Pickens. “It truly is a privilege to be selected. I hope through National Hunting and Fishing Day future outdoorsman can learn to appreciate everything that I was able to enjoy growing up as a kid. I hope to continue hunting and fishing for many years to come.”
Read the full press release and visit www.nhfday.org. Also, read about the history of NHF Day in NSSF’s 50th anniversary history publication available online at www.nssf.org/50.
Categories: Conservation, Hunting, Industry News, Shooting, Top Stories
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