Hello from Arizona

[billrquimby]

Hello everyone.

I am a semi-retired outdoor writer, columnist, editor and publisher who at age 73 divides his time between a home in Tucson and a summer cabin in Arizona's high country.

We see elk almost daily around our cabin. In fact, five bulls in velvet were feeding in a meadow behind us when I awoke and looked out our kitchen window this morning.

My degree from the University of Arizona's college of business and public administration qualified me for work in the advertising and public relations field, but after ten years in that field I decided it was not for me. I had written a few fishing and hunting articles for magazines but found the pay was not worth the effort.

When the Tucson Daily Citizen's outdoor editor left for another job in 1967, I was asked to replace him on a freelance basis. This led to a full-time job where I wrote twice-weekly columns and worked on the copy desk of the Gannett newspaper. The pay was adequate, but far less than I had been making, so I took on various freelance advertising projects to make up the difference. I retired from the newspaper in 1994.

My advertising freelancing ended in 1983 when I obtained a contract to edit and publish the books, magazines, newspapers and other printed material of Safari Club International from its offices in Tucson and Johannesburg. I did this until I retired in 1999.

Since then, I have written 12 books, most of them about the best-known international hunters of the 20th century. The three exceptions were "The History of Safari Club International," "Memories From Greer" (the village where we spend our summers), and "Sixty Years A Hunter" (my own memoirs).

Although I have hunted in twelve countries on six continents, my first love is Africa.

Bill Quimby

 

[jaustin]

Hello Bill, welcome to the site, glad to have you here. Is there a trout stream close by? It sounds like a lovely place to be as long as there are elk.

 

[billrquimby]

Hello Bill, welcome to the site, glad to have you here. Is there a trout stream close by? It sounds like a lovely place to be as long as there are elk.

The Little Colorado River runs through our village and is about 400 yards from the cabin. It is stocked with native Arizona Apache trout weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

We have nearly thirty small manmade lakes and several other small rivers -- all with a variety of trout and grayling -- within a thirty-minute drive if you count those on the nearby White Mountain Apache Reservation.

The elevation at the cabin is 8,900 feet, and elk, deer, bear, and turkeys are plentiful. Our problem is in drawing the permits to hunt them. It's a great place to be from about April 15 to November 15 ... the rest of the year we flee to the desert to escape the snow (up to 9 feet per year) and cold weather.

Bill Quimby

 

[safari hunter]

Wecome to AH Bill... Quite a life you have had! Not much of a reader myself though share your passion of the outdoors and hunting.

 

[billrquimby]

I still love the outdoors and hunting, but my health and my age prohibit me from doing all the things I'd still like to do. Don't wait until it is too late to do the things you've dreamed about.

Bill Quimby

 

[Skyline]

Welcome to AH Bill. Your last statement is one that I also use a lot. Too many say they will wait until things are better financially, until they retire, until the truck is paid off, the kids are all out of the house, the cottage is paid for........you know what I am talking about.

And for many that day never comes because life has a habit of throwing curves, be they health issues, family/business problems or political problems in the countries you hope to hunt.

Things are never perfect and if you do not commit to do something it will never happen.

Looking forward to your participation on AH Bill.

Cheers!

 

[Shallom]

Great to have you with us Bill and looking forward to some wisdom from many years of outdoor experience and writing for the field. Sounds like an awesome set-up you have built yourself... we can only dream and work towards achieving the same contentment. Looking forward to reading a few bits & pieces from your many escapades. Karibu!

 

[TOM]

Welcome Bill! I am still trying to track down a copy of your "History of Safari Club" but haven't had much luck.

 

[billrquimby]

Thanks, all. I appreciate the warm welcomes. After just three days of visiting this site I feel at home.

Tom, SCI still sells the book, I think. Call 520/620-1220 and ask for "publications." Used copies also come up from time to time on alibris and abebooks.

Bill Quimby

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH Bill. I am glad that you feel at home here, we're happy to have a member with such great experience hunting in Africa and look forward to reading your posts.

I still love the outdoors and hunting, but my health and my age prohibit me from doing all the things I'd still like to do. Don't wait until it is too late to do the things you've dreamed about.

That is truly great advice. Thank you!