By Melanie Gentry
Jim Breck Bean’s connection to the land and its natural inhabitants are deep and true; as evidenced by his phenomenal success as an outfitter and hunting guide in far west Texas.
A young man in his 20’s, Bean’s drive and determination have allowed him to realize goals that men twice his age are still striving for.
A Fort Hancock native, Bean launched his High West Outfitters business while still in high school, with a basic goal of earning a little pocket money. As a perk he got to spend more time outdoors and hunting.
Bean got his feet wet guiding auodad hunts on the Stubbs Ranch near Alpine. Those hunts proved extremely successful and his business grew by word of mouth.
The following year an opportunity to pick up six mule deer tags came about on his granddad’s place and he jumped on it. “I was still in high school and didn’t know a lot about it, but I had hunted my whole life so I thought yeah, I can do this,” he said. “I bought those six tags; sure enough they sold and the rest is history.”
By 2016, he had acquired exclusive rights on just over 500,000 acres of prime hunting ground and today he has acquired access to approximately 1,100,000 acres with a substantial portion under exclusive contract.
Yes, you read that right – 1.1 million acres! Bean has reached agreements with more than 20 private ranches across seven Texas counties.
“It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time, people really don’t realize how much it takes to manage and coordinate the hunting on 1.1 million acres in remote locations and diverse terrain. You eat, sleep and breathe hunting, so it better be something you’re passionate about,” Bean said.
Before we dive further into his successful business model, let’s take a look back at his formative years.
Bean is the product of a home school education. He attributes his early and continued success to his home schooling experiences, which stand in contrast to decades of pervasive stereotypes that have painted homeschoolers as awkward and anti-social.
“Home schooling was the right fit for me. I didn’t have to spend all day in a classroom. That didn’t mean my parents weren’t strict or that I received anything less than a solid education,” he said. “I had to complete my school work while juggling my livestock projects, roping practice and daily chores. I quickly learned the importance of scheduling and time management which I rely heavily on today.”
When his nose wasn’t in the books, Bean worked on the family ranch, honed his roping skills and spent hours raising and showing champion livestock. Winning the major livestock shows is a dream of many 4H and FFA students across the nation and Bean was no different. He was determined to make those dreams a reality.
In 2010, he won Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat at San Antonio. He followed up in 2011 with Grand Champion Market Lamb at Fort Worth, and Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb at Houston. In 2012, he racked up several additional majors including Grand Champion Market Lamb at San Antonio and Houston and Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat at San Angelo.
Bean credits his parents for instilling in him a solid work ethic, “My parents have supported me in everything I’ve set out to do, they taught me the importance of setting goals and putting in the work to achieve them. Hard work and determination breeds success and my parents are a living, breathing example of that. They expected me to carry my weight, I sure didn’t get to sit in the house and play video games.”
After high school and a hugely successful stockshow career, Bean set his sights on another dream. He began competing in professional rodeos with a goal of qualifying for the NFR, but by that time High West Outfitters was growing at a rapid pace.
“Roping is my other passion, I wanted to qualify for the NFR and I set out to do it, but I had to make some hard choices. I would be on the road and would have to draw out of a rodeo and head back to take care of business. Something had to give,” he said.
Back to the present – how does a young man turn a passion for hunting and a desire for a little play money into a business with access to 1.1 million private acres?
Having grown up in a ranching family, Bean understands the industry from the perspective of both the landowner and the hunter. “My ranching background enabled me to approach landowners and work with them to establish a solid wildlife management plan. We evaluate everything from access and road conditions to herd populations, genetics and sustainability.”
“My parents and grandparents taught me to leave things better than I found them. Taking that approach creates a win-win situation for the landowners and the hunters. In a lot of respects HWO acts as a facilitator in the process,” he said.
Bean’s viewpoint is refreshing In a consumption driven world. Today, everything under the sun is consumed in the moment with little regard for adverse impacts – the hunting industry included. In many instances landowners have been approached by outfitters with clientele who are looking for convenience and immediate gratification. Some will get a trophy in their sights, bag it, tag it and walk away without a second thought of the economic or environmental footprint they have left behind.
Some outfitters will contract prime hunting ground and literally wipe out a herd by going after nothing but trophies. Bean’s approach is to work with each landowner to develop a strategic plan. He and his team of six guides scout and harvest for maturity over quality. “Harvesting for maturity is critical. We leave a lot of young trophies standing to maintain the genetic quality and longevity of the herds,” Bean said.
Bill and Jill Miller are among the landowners who have entrusted HWO with their hunting operations in the Sierra Viejas Mountains of west Texas. For them it is all about integrity, ”we know Jim Breck and his guides will be there to do the job to the best of their abilities,” Jill said. “They put the hunter and his or her wishes first and strive to get them what they want, but also take care of the landowner.”
“It has become a year-round operation, HWO works closely with landowners to ensure we aren’t leaving a heavy footprint,” Bean said.
“I spend 80 plus hours a year in a helicopter focused on predator control, and conducting personal and state mandated surveys. We take what we learn and develop harvest plans and supplemental feeding strategies.”
As the business began to expand, Bean found himself drowning in a sea of paperwork and was pulled in all directions. His aunt, Jamie Bean Cowan, came to the rescue. Cowan has been engaged in logistics for years and offered to help her nephew navigate the choppy waters.
“I was in serious need of help with the bookkeeping, scheduling hunts and the paperwork was piling up,” Bean said. “My aunt has dealt with all of that in her business and she offered to help me get it under control. It has been a blessing having her on board.”
“I’ve been in logistics for the last 17 years or so,” Cowan said. “When he launched the business and things started to take off, it was so rewarding to watch Jim Breck and this crew of young men he assembled, tackle it all like pros twice their age.”
Bean found himself managing every single detail from meeting with landowners and gaining their trust and confidence, going out and assessing the herds, scouting terrain, picking hunters up at the airport, transporting them and equipment to the ranches, stocking up on groceries and essentials, remembering to check if someone had food allergies, all the minutiae that can have huge and lasting impacts not only on the success of a single hunt, but the business as a whole. It was really starting to weigh him down when he sought his aunt’s advice and counsel.
Cowan said she could tell his exuberance began to fade a bit, “he hit a point where he was mired down in the logistics. A lot of people don’t realize what it takes to put together an operation of this magnitude,” she said. “It’s not just driving out to a ranch, and getting one in the sights and taking care of business.”
“We had a lot of discussions and were able to work out a game plan,” she said. “The timing was remarkable; it happened at a point where I could come in and help relieve some of the burden.”
Cowan said she is in constant awe of her nephew, “it is such a pleasure to work alongside this young man that I have loved his whole life. I am inspired by how he sets his sights on a goal and pours his heart and soul into accomplishing it. I kid you not, he has been that way since he was a little boy – his drive and determination are hard to describe – so inspiring.”
On many of the hunts, Bean and crew are helping folks check off a bucket list animal. The experience HWO provides will be etched in memories, campfire lore and maybe even a few tall tales among friends. “I think one of the things I admire most about Jim Breck is his ability to make everyone he meets feel as though they have been lifelong friends. He is genuine – it is truly a trait that can’t be learned,” Cowan said.
Bean describes the the aoudad hunts as generally one and done style hunts, but he has been able to build a solid list of repeat clientele on Desert Mule Deer, Big Horn Sheep, Texas Elk, Pronghorn and a few other exotics on some ranches in south Texas. He and Cowan work with approximately 250 customers a year to schedule and manage the logistics of each hunt.
Most people engaged in service oriented businesses have little time to pursue their own passion, but Bean has managed to get in some quality hunts recently.
Over the summer he and fiancée Jackie Ganter, along with friends and long-time clients, Dane and Jennifer Driver, traveled to Africa for a bucket list adventure of their own. Bean happened on an opportunity to bid on a hunting package with African Maximum Safaris during an auction at a hunting expo in Minnesota last year.
“It was definitely the trip of a lifetime,” he said. “We experienced some amazing scenery and had the opportunity to harvest some great animals. I came away with a dream Cape buffalo and have discovered a new found obsession with Kudu hunting.”
In early November he went on a guided mule deer hunt with Crystal River Outfitters in the Colorado rockies. The Colorado trip was an opportunity to recharge and prepare for the busy Texas season. “These days it is a rare opportunity, so I do my best to make the most of it and it is really beneficial to experience it from the client perspective,” he said. “Colorado was beautiful and cold, but Crystal River got me on a really nice 200+.”
Bean is always thinking ahead and looking for ways to make his operation more efficient. Given the remoteness of his hunts, he designed and had a trailer custom built to house and transport equipment and gear. “We move from ranch to ranch and early on we would end up leaving things we needed behind. I sat down and mapped out ways we could keep it all together; the wagon was the end result.”
Bean’s custom trailer is more or less a hunting lodge on wheels. It is a hybrid design featuring a flat bed to haul HWO utility vehicles and provide space to pitch a tent if lodging isn’t readily accessible. He has outfitted it with extra fuel, tools, air tanks and hoses. The enclosed area houses, a grill, refrigerator and a chest freezer. There is ample storage space for staples, cast iron cookware and more.
“At this point, if it isn’t in the wagon then we didn’t need it,” Bean said.
All HWO hunts are low fence, traditional mountain style hunts. Bean believes in fair sport so all hunting is spot and stalk. HWO does not offer any hunting from a blind, or set-up over a feeder.
“Really for us and our clients it is about the whole experience. The majority of our hunting is done in mountainous terrain between 5,000 and 7,000 ft. elevation,” he said. “Occasionally we have clients who may not be physically able for that style of hunt so we have some acreage that we can book them on that offers easier access.”
Mule Deer are among the most popular and sought after hunts across the country, they rank among the top five desired by hunting enthusiasts in North America. Bean says they are in demand because of the limited availability of tags. Most states draw and landowner/auction tags are hard to come by. Texas gives HWO an advantage because it is all private landowner tags, with an over the counter license.
On mule deer hunts alone HWO has multiple private ranches to accommodate hunters.
“Some ranches offer a better than average chance at a large trophy, with a lower shot opportunity. We run a high success rate on harvesting all mature 6+ year old bucks ranging from 170 to 210,” Bean said.
“All of our ranches are on MLDP (Managed Land Deer Permits) which allows a longer season. Mule Deer season opens the first Saturday of November and runs all the way through the end of January. That gives hunters three months for multiple and different phases. It also allows us to keep strict management on our herds, and maintain a high quality genetic pool.”
Free range Aoudad hunts remain one of HWO’s more popular hunts. “The low fence properties we hunt are all located in the High Desert of west Texas,” he said. “We have acreage from Van Horn to Marathon with hunts available on more than 500,000 acres of sheep paradise. Over the last few seasons we have pulled off a remarkable 100% shot opportunity on rams averaging 30 plus.”
Hunting Desert Bighorn Sheep has become one of the most prestigious hunts in the world, and is something Bean and the HWO guides take very seriously.
“The Bighorns are special to us, we take great pride in each client’s trophy and treat each one as if it was our own,” he said. “Texas boasts strong populations in multiple, different and rugged mountain ranges. The efforts of Texas Parks and Wildlife to restore Desert Bighorn populations has been a real blessing. The total population is upwards of 1,500 animals, and the trophy quality is as good as anywhere in the world.”
Bean becomes fairly animated when he describes the Bighorn hunts, “the fact that sheep hunting is so physically demanding, and requires guides and hunters to be in top mental and physical shape is what makes each trophy all the more special. The hunts are typically in July and September based on the rut of the animals, which means we are not only challenged by the terrain, but the scorching high desert heat.”
That’s where a highly skilled and experienced team becomes critical. Bean currently employs six highly qualified guides. When compared to the acreage under contract some might think he is short handed, but he has complete confidence in his team.
“The business is seasonal for guides, so keeping the team small makes it more profitable for these guys and they haven’t let me down. They are conscientious and well experienced in the field. They give nothing short of their best. That passion and commitment have allowed HWO to build a solid client base. I’m grateful to have them on board.”
“HWO has the knowledge and capabilities to outfit the toughest and most challenging trophy hunts in North America.” said Dane Driver, one of HWO’s first clients. “The expertise and understanding of the country and animals they hunt coupled with the high level of attention paid to their hunters, truly sets HWO apart from other outfitters.”
The HWO experience is all-inclusive, so the team not only puts hunters on their desired game, they are also responsible for feeding and entertaining. Janna Stubbs and the Millers often serve as camp cooks to take up some of the slack for Bean and crew.
Stubbs and her husband Andy have long known of his business aspirations which developed out of his love for hunting. They have supported his efforts from the start and have watched him develop into a strong, independent adult.
“He’s more like a little brother to me – although I’m old enough to be his mom,” she said. ”He continues to grow and be successful, which actually doesn’t surprise me one bit. To say he is a bit amazing – is entirely an understatement.”
“His parents, grandparents and great grandmother, Mimi, have all been extremely successful in their independent endeavors – that vision and discipline has been handed down from generation to generation. He knows what a man’s word means and holds to it!”
While family, Stubbs said she and husband, Andy, grew much closer to Jim Breck when he started visiting them at the ranch around the age of 12. “We would sit and chat, as the years went by, about him wanting to outfit/guide. Andy was on board from the beginning,” she said.
Fast forward about 5 years, Bean developed contacts from their conversations and started forming a business plan.
“Andy and I are proud to think we had some sort of influence on Jim Breck and his success, contact wise since he wasn’t from the tri-county area. Of course, he has made it himself, hunt by hunt, landowner by landowner, year by year and we couldn’t be more proud!”
Stubbs is undoubtedly happy to help him realize his goals in whatever capacity necessary – even as camp cook.
“He clearly loves what he does, so cliche – I know, but he is proof that if ‘you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,’ – now that’s not to say when he and the guides and hunters come in all stinky and foul that they haven’t been working,” she jests. “Obviously his growth is unparalleled to any other I’ve seen at such a young age.”
Stubbs adds that, from the start, Bean has gone above and beyond to establish a solid reputation and he continues to build on it, “this is extremely important since the outfitting world is quite small and the land is quite vast,” she said.”It’s like they say in All the Pretty Horses, ‘your reputation is all you have sometimes’…especially in far west Texas!”
Jim Breck Bean is a talented young entrepreneur who has built a first class operation in a short span of time. In visiting with the people who know him best, the common threads of his success are integrity, authenticity, and passion.
Early on, Bean was quick to point out that the foundation HWO is built on consists of a solid support system of family and friends. He is a product of rural raising with an emphasis on strong family values and work ethic. He is cut from the cloth of strong and determined people who have adapted and thrived in the Texas high desert. His rapid ascension within the hunting and outfitting world is a testimony to the relentless power of youth, passion and ingenuity.
