Voices of the
BIG BEND
Jim Glendinning continues the tradition of his popular radio interviews from “Voices of the Big Bend,” an original production of KRTS,
Marfa Public Radio. The program continues to be broadcast occasionally throughout the region at 93.5 FM.
Story and photographs by Jim Glendinning
ROWDY MCBRIDE
I am sitting in the living room of
Rowdy McBride’s house overlooking
Alpine, with mounted game heads
from Central Asia on the walls, as he
amiably explains the intricacies and
changing times of game hunting,
which sounds like big business. I am
listening to a well-connected person.
No game hunting/conservation name
is better known in Texas, and as wide-
ly known elsewhere, than the name
McBride. His father, Roy, was spoken
of as “knowing more about mountain
lions than anyone else” and subse-
quently gained an international repu-
tation for his work on the Florida pan-
ther program.
Rowdy was born in Alpine on
November 1, 1963, the third son of
Roy and Jere McBride. His eldest
brother Rocky has, like their father,
made a career in the conservation side
of the mountain lion field, having cap-
tured, among other species, jaguars in
Belize and snow leopards in
Kazakhstan. His other brother,
Randy, unconnected to the wildlife
field, lives in Houston.
After graduating in 1982 from
Alpine High School, Rowdy studied
biology at Texas Tech in Lubbock for
three years before moving back to
Alpine (1985-1987) to complete a
degree at Sul Ross (Major: Wildlife
Management; Minor: Biology).
Meanwhile, at age 22, he had his first
experience in the field, a job trapping
and putting radio collars on mountain
lions in West Texas. In the 90s his
growing reputation led local ranchers
to hire him to capture mountain lions
on their land.
Today Rowdy McBride, trading as
McBride Hunting Services, has a
12
ROWDY MCBRIDE
Hunting Outfitter
sound commercial business, primarily
locally based but also extending over-
seas. He contracts with local landown-
ers to allow clients to hunt exotic
bighorn sheep on their ranches.
Nintey-eight percent of Texas is pri-
vately owned, and over the years
income from hunting has proved vital
to many ranches. Through interna-
tional contacts gained over the years,
he also arranges hunting for clients in
places like Kazakhstan or Russian
Siberia.
His clients are typically self-made
city dwellers who crave the thrill of the
chase in the wild outdoors and the
acquisition of trophies; 75 percent are
U.S. citizens and 15 percent are
women. They pay good fees for
McBride Hunting Services to line up
free range game sheep (principally
aoudads). Local fees range from
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2013
CAPTAIN JIM PORTER
Texas Game Warden
$2,000 for javelina, to $11,000 for
mountain lion and aoudad, to $26,000
for red Armenian sheep.
Rowdy McBride reflects on the
hunting nature of his business, an
activity where he is plainly happy and
does well. First, he is outdoors.
Secondly, he is making people feel
good. Thirdly, he believes there is an
all-important balance between conser-
vation and hunting. His training as a
biologist and job as a hunter permits
him to see that both sides are necessary
to maintain that balance. He hunts
personally, and says a kill is not neces-
sary for satisfaction; simply following
man’s basic predilection as a hunter is
the reward. His son, Ryelan (aged 10)
will follow his footsteps, he forecasts.
He also has a daughter Mason (5), with
his wife Mistie, who is a physiothera-
pist in Alpine.
JUSTIN HOFFMAN
Hunter
CAPTAIN JIM PORTER
The activities of over one million
hunters in Texas are supervised and
policed by 532 Game Wardens of the
Texas
Parks
and
Wildlife
Department. Game wardens are also
fully commissioned Peace Officers,
whose responsibilities extend to
enforcing all federal and state laws.
Captain Jim Porter, working out of
the DPS building, is supervisor of the
tri-county region plus Pecos County,
which has a total of nine game war-
dens.
Before starting on duty all TPWD
Game Wardens take a seven-month
course at the Game Warden
Academy in Hamilton County, near
Waco, which Porter describes as
“being put through the wringer.”