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The heart of our talk isn’t just about outdoors adventure; it’s the business and conservation model behind Wildlife Partners. As our guest, Brian Gilroy, CEO & Co-Founder explains, his company breeds and brokers exotic wildlife at scale while consulting for roughly a thousand Texas landowners. It also opens the gates for people nationwide to participate without owning land, blending a passion for animals with smart tax strategy and measurable conservation outcomes.
The key unlock is legal classification. In Texas, non‑native species such as kudu, bongo, giraffe, Cape buffalo, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles are designated as livestock. The IRS treats them like cattle. Recent tax legislation, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and a subsequent “Big Beautiful” bill, allows 100% first‑year deduction on qualifying livestock purchases. Wildlife Partners channels this into a turnkey structure: investors form an LLC that buys breeding stock. The company places animals on its 12,000 acres—think a ranch VRBO for exotics—provides husbandry, tracks reproduction, and sells offspring after a year, creating long‑term capital gains instead of ordinary income. Investors receive distributions while the firm handles animal care, recordkeeping, and marketing through services like capture, transport, and auction.
Conservation value flows from economics. When animals are valuable, people protect habitat, invest in fencing and forage, and breed responsibly. Brian highlights the Dama gazelle to show scale. Fewer than 50 remain in the wild, yet Texas private ownership now safeguards approximately 2,000 out of an estimated 2,500 worldwide. His company alone holds about 10% of the global population. That success traces back to clear incentives: offspring can be sold within a year, generating reliable cash flow without trophy timelines. While hunting plays a role, many buyers are driven by pride of ownership, wildlife enjoyment, and the satisfaction of seeing rare species thrive. The model aligns legacy conservation with profit and tax efficiency, sustaining herds that would otherwise fade.
Community amplifies the mission. Wildlife Partners has grown alongside the Houston Safari Club Foundation, where they exhibit and sponsor. Brian values the convention’s intimacy: fewer crowds, richer conversations, and space for novices to ask candid questions without judgment. For first‑timers, the advice is simple: be honest about what you don’t know, talk to outfitters from Alaska to Africa, and let seasoned pros guide your first step. That openness makes it easier to evaluate offers, understand safety, and compare hunts or ranch goals without pressure. Families are welcome, and kids can immerse in art, gear, and conservation stories that make the outdoors feel accessible.
Education now extends to finance professionals. Brian and his brother became certified to deliver continuing education for CPAs, turning eight-hour workshops and one-hour webinars into practical roadmaps for livestock depreciation, Section 179, and bonus depreciation strategies. Many landowners have strong tax preparers but lack proactive planning; the sessions fill that gap. For details on events, services, and the revamped online marketplace, listeners can visit WildlifePartners.com and ExoticAuction.com

Whether you own a ranch or rent space through an LLC, the goal is the same: healthy animals, healthy returns, and a durable conservation engine. When economics reward stewardship, rare species get a future—and investors get a clear pathway to support that future with confidence.

Join us at the Houston Safari Club Foundation Convention January 23-25, 2026, at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
Visit WeHuntWeGivе.org for tickets and information