Dallas – At its 12th Annual Dinner and Auction on March 8, Park Cities Quail awarded its 2018 T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award to the consummate quail hunter, Rick Snipes, at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. Snipes was presented a specially designed sculpture of three flushing bobwhite quail created by award-winning sculptor Walter Matia.
The Snipes Ranch, in Aspermont, Texas, has been referred to by many as “the Augusta National of quail hunting,” and those who have received an invitation to hunt there would endorse that designation.
After the award presentation came a live auction offering several hunts, excursions and experiences. An armada of ships, including a 164-foot Westport yacht for six couples in the Bahamas, was auctioned for a record $400,000, and then the fleet’s owner, Carl Allen, donated a second identical trip for another $400,000.
A pheasant hunt at Paul Nelson Farm in South Dakota with legendary newscaster Tom Brokaw sold for $200,000. The winning bidder will be accompanied by Brokaw, Silver Star recipient John Wayne Walding, and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Michael Thornton. All of the proceeds from this special auction item will be donated to organizations specializing in rehabilitating veterans through involving them in hunting and fishing activities.
The Dinner and Auction was attended by nearly 1,100 quail supporters. The event grossed more than $2.2 million, and after all expenses, Park Cities Quail netted $1.7 million, the majority of which is earmarked for the programs and initiatives of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation.
Follow the Park Cities Quail Facebook page to stay informed on updates for next year’s auction as well as other events throughout the year. To view the videos from the 2018 Dinner & Auction and for more information about Park Cities Quail, its efforts, and beneficiaries: www.parkcitiesquail.org.