Fred and his wife Kristy take pride in the waterfowl their property attracts and enjoy sharing it with others.
I meant to call Mr. Fred Sauby on Friday, but a storm knocked down trees on my fences. Spending the weekend with a chainsaw, I had neglected to call him. I texted Fred on Monday to apologize, and he replied cordially, "Call when you can."
Fred answered on the second ring, “Hello! Sounds like you got a mess on your hands over there? Did you get the trees off your fences?” I smiled, Mr. Sauby wasn't upset about my delay; he genuinely cared about my operation. Fred, a humble rancher from Carrington, N.D., seemed to embody the salt of the earth.
I asked Fred about LandTrust, and our conversation quickly felt like catching up with an old friend. “It's all on the computer. I don't do computers, so I was a little skeptical, but it seems easy. My wife Kristy handles all the requests and contacts the guests; she really enjoys that! When she confirms everything, I jot it down in my little book.” I imagined Fred recording hunter dates next to shipping dates in the fall.
“Years ago I used to rent out hunts, but my family and I hunt too, so it was a pain blocking off time. LandTrust makes it easy to block off dates I don't want to book.”
People have always been coming up from out of state to hunt, so the business was there. I thought, why shouldn't I make a little money on my land? Heck, you can't do anything without paying; it costs money to go to the movies.
I have always used the old ranch house as my little getaway. It’s also used as overflow when the family comes in. It's a nice little house with five beds, a kitchen, and a bath. It makes it a perfect house for the hunters to stay in. I enjoy going over there and meeting the hunters, reliving the old days.
I mentioned to Fred that I enjoy duck hunting myself, and he lit up, “Heck, if you like duck hunting, you oughta' come out. It gets real good just before freeze-up, usually around Thanksgiving. Our place is special because we have one of the deepest reservoirs around and are usually the last to freeze up.”
Fred went on, “My wife Kristy and I got this setup. It's great for the next generation, and I explained to them the extra income sure is nice to pay the taxes with. I think this is the future of how ranchers are going to share their land with the public. These are good people that come out. Most of the hunters are very respectful ‘good old boys’.”
When asked, Fred didn't hesitate that others needed to know, “Those Land Trust folks are straight shooters, no tricks, no games. If we need something we call and get a real person on the phone.”
Fred and I discussed markets and weather. I set my pen down and listened as he shared wisdom. I realized this was the essence of LandTrust—not just hunting, but the experiences and people like Fred Sauby sharing their wisdom and lifestyle.