Deer Management Compared to Sports Management 

Is it possible there is a connection between managing a Kentucky deer hunting operation and managing a professional sports team?  Let’s break down the stakeholders in a typical Kentucky deer hunt:

Kentucky Outfitter:

Owner – The guy who writes all the checks and pays the mortgage, deer seed, equipment, etc.

 General Manager – The guy who makes most of the decisions for a high success rate.  Food plot determinations from year to year as well as the person who makes suggestions to the owner on how to attract new customers.  These two people can be the same person.

 The Coach and assistant coaches  - These people are experienced hunters and guides.  They put people in the best possible places for victory.

 The players – The hunters are of course the players.

 Fans – Well what type of deer hunter shoots a trophy and doesn’t take a photo?  Who does he plan on showing the photo of his Kentucky Whitetail trophy deer too?  These could be considered “fans” of the activity.

 There doesn’t seem to be a big difference in the general model of Kentucky deer hunting management vs. a professional sports team.  There are a lot of pieces involved when performing tasks where the end results is uncertain.  Kentucky deer hunting is most definitely a task that the outcome is not an absolute science.  You play the odds and do “best practices”, but in the end, everyone would like that 10% category of luck to be on their side.  Kentucky gun hunts are a little more predictable.  At my Kentucky deer hunting ranch, it’s more of an effort to convince people not to shoot the small 8 pointers!  They can always shoot a buck, but we want it to be considered a Kentucky whitetail trophy anywhere.

 So can we conclude that a self-proclaimed professional with Kentucky deer hunts for sale has to coordinate his efforts similar to that of a professional sports team?