My Conservation Story: Jared Souza of Turkey Track Outfitters

By Jared Souza, owner of 2% Certified Turkey Track Outfitters.

I grew up ranching, 3rd generation. While our family never owned much dirt, they carved out livings stewarding hundreds of thousands of acres of ranch land from Wyoming to Nevada managing cattle ranches.

Jared Souza, engaging his ranching roots.

My dad was a cowboy, hunter, trapper, and probably one of the best wildlife managers around without even knowing it. He always put everything around him first. If hay needed to be cut and he had seen a fawn in the field, he would wait a few days. Even coyotes were spared during the spring of the year.

Everything had its place and needed a balance.

He will argue with me when I call him an environmentalist, but the truth is he was, just not the ‘extreme’ kind.

He called it ‘cowboying,’ but it was just a deep love and appreciation for the land, wildlife, and open spaces. The solitude and freedom of a good horse between your legs, wide open range, with nothing but cattle and sagebrush as far as the eye can see.

The romance came from the surroundings, not the job.

Needless to say, these same roots were planted deep into my soul. This appreciation for solitude, a good horse, and big pastures was all I ever cared about. Then the need for a good living and solid career created a crossroads and foundation for what was about to come next.

While I don’t ranch on a daily basis anymore I make every penny of my income from either brokering deals or guiding elk hunts. My appreciation for the land and the outdoors wakes me up every day and I continue to drive my career forward by putting the land first.

This brings a deeper understanding of the importance of working landscapes that not only support huge amounts of wildlife, maintain the connectivity of wildlife corridors, but also maintain culture, tradition, and stewardship.

Through my work, I have learned that nobody cares more for the land than someone who sweated and bled on the dirt we are trying to protect.

Jared Souza, working the wildfire line.

Some call these folks are ranchers and farmers. Here in Wyoming, we call them ‘Cowboys’ and the world needs more of them.

Teaching the next generation about conservation and hunting is a natural fit for Jared Souza , owner of Turkey Track Outfitters

You will never see me market a subdivision, nor a house in town. I focus on larger pieces where I strive to find stewards that have an appreciation for the landscape in its natural form. Hopefully, in the brief time these soon-to-be stewards, ranch owners, and land managers spend with me, observing my convictions, they gain some new information and maybe a deeper appreciation for their surroundings.

As an outdoorsman, agriculturist, steward, and ranch broker, my duty is owed to the land. My promise to my kid's kids is that they will someday feel the strong pull of a rainbow trout or their hearts will thunder as they are approached by a bugling bull. My promise to them is as sure-footed as the best mule headed into the backcountry.

I vowed to make sure not only every wildlife corridor was being looked after, but also for every working landscape within my great state to have someone they could rely on.

That is why I am a 2% Business Member, a board member of Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust, and a lifetime member of a number of other hunting, fishing, and conservations groups across the US.

I look forward to doing positive things for ranches, public land, and all types of conservation efforts.

We are all in this together, and if each one of us gives a little more time, a little more money, and a little more effort, big things will happen and the land karma will catch up to us, so go be a ‘Conservation Cowboy.’