a recent interview

with brent oxley

(owner of Ox ranch)

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• What is your favorite spot on the ranch and why? 

 

The ranch is far too beautiful and diverse to have just one favorite, but I'll narrow it down to two of my favorites.

 

 I love swimming in what we call "the tubs."  The tubs are a natural swimming hole in which multiple springs join to form beautiful waterfalls. 

 

One of my other favorites locations is what we call the Governor's Summit. The Governor's summit allows you to see the ranch in every direction for miles.  The Governor's summit is a few months away from being enhanced with what we're calling the Governor's Mansion. This unique mansion is built from a log cabin that belonged to a doctor's practice & home from the 1800's. This luxurious mansion will be available for rent to all Ox Ranch hunting and safari guests. 

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• How did you go from being a tech entrepreneur in the city to jumping so far into the ranch life?

 

I dreamed of owning a ranch my entire life, and after selling a company I founded called Hostgator, I was ready for my next adventure.

 

Being a tech entrepreneur allows me to work anywhere in the world as long as there's good internet. I originally purchased the ranch, thinking it would be a fun weekend getaway to hunt and shoot guns. I quickly became addicted to the lifestyle of offroading, hunting, caving, and all the adventure the ranch has to offer; I immediately decided to make it my full-time residence.

 

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• What do you think is the biggest misconception about the ranch?

 

I'd say it's the same misconception most hunting ranches have. The majority of the anti-hunting camp refuses to acknowledge that hunting is a significant part of conservation.  They believe we're profiting millions and fail to recognize that hunting and conservation coexist and that hunting ranches have brought multiple species back from the brink of extinction. 

 

Ox Ranch is the #1 hunting ranch in America, and still, we lose millions of dollars a year once we pay the feed, vet, and staffing bills.  I knew from the beginning that it would be an uphill battle to get us to break even and that it may not even be possible. It's my love of nature and conservation that brought Ox Ranch to what it is today, not the money! 

 

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• What was vision when deciding on so many species and improvements?

 

I'm not sure if there was ever a grand vision when I began.  It was more of "wow I can have giraffes free ranging the ranch?" "I can own ww II Tanks and drive and shoot them? (www.drivetanks.com was born), build lakes, etc, etc. "  I've had a lot of fun building my version of an adult disney world and decided to share it with the world to enjoy.

 

I'm fortunate to have an amazing staff including our CEO Jason that handles most of the day-to-day decisions. This allows me to focus on my tech startups, including www.realty.com, create.com, and a few others in the process of being built.

 

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• What are your thoughts on conserving land and protecting animals?

 

Conservation is all about sustainability. Many people say what should and shouldn't be done, but very few people put their money where their mouth is and expect the government and taxpayers to do it all.

 

There's never going to be a perfect solution, but thanks to Texas ranches many species that were headed towards extinction are now thriving, including the dama gazelle and scimitar-horned oryx.

 

Ox Ranch is currently part of the efforts to re-populate white rhino. We'll have our first pair delivered this weekend, and with time, we hope to grow our herd to 100+ and be able to send some back to Africa.

 

 

• What do you want your legacy to be in regards to the Ox Ranch?

 

I want Ox Ranch to be available to the public for eternity and continue to expand it's conservation efforts. There are very few ranches that survive multiple generations, so there's a lot of thought and planning being put into the future to make Ox Ranch sustainable so that it may survive future generations.

 

We've quickly become the #1 Hunting ranch, and we're soon going to change what people think of when they hear the words "safari in Texas or an American Safari". We'll be the only safari in America that is an exclusive multi-day experience with glamping tents, private guides, private jeeps, gourmet cuisine, and consists of thousands of animals from over 90 species free-ranging on 18,000 acres. It's never been done before in America, and probably for a good reason, at 18,000 acres, we'll be larger than the next ten most popular safari/wildlife parks in America!

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• What was revenue of company you sold before buying the ranch? 

 

Hostgator was doing over $100mm in revenue and had over 1,000 employees at time of it's sale. We grew as fast as we could hire, and had I not sold I'm confident it would have grown into a multi billion-dollar business. I believe selling was the smart decision at the time, but I do have some regrets of doing so, which is why I'm two months away from launching my new hosting company www.create.com. 

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• What is your overall view of Texas ranch life now?

 

I love it and couldn't be more blessed! My wife Vanessa and I have a 9-month-old little boy and another one due in March. There's a whole new adventure of Texas ranch life in my future, and I can't wait to experience it!