Andy Simmons only lived 42 years, but his name will live on for decades. His decision to leave his family farm to the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation is one of the largest gifts the nonprofit has received, and it has already made a difference in the lives of countless burgeoning outdoorsmen and women.
Simmons was an outdoorsman his whole life. Growing up in Pine Bluff in the 1980s, getting outside to hunt and fish was about the only way to have fun, according to his lifelong friend Brett Crow.
“When his dad wasn’t taking us, my dad was,” he says. “That’s all we did; there was nothing else to do but get in trouble. We stayed out in the woods and on the lakes.”
Simmons’ father, John, was an avid hunter, obtaining numerous wild turkey grand slams and later becoming a sponsor of the National Wild Turkey Foundation. His maternal grandfather was Knox Nelson, who served in the Arkansas legislature for more than 30 years, in which time the Arkansas State Parks and the Game and Fish Commission expanded greatly.
When he was a teenager, Simmons’ family acquired his grandfather’s cattle farm in Pine Bluff, which was later turned into a crop farm. That’s where Simmons started dedicating time to land management and wetlands conservation, Crow says.
“He was always trying to figure out what he could do with his land to make it better for wildlife, and spent a lot of his money doing that,” Crow says.
Simmons wasn’t able to spend as much time on the farm during his final years of life, when he was fighting cancer. Crow says he had no idea Simmons had made plans to name the AGFF in his estate.
“After he was diagnosed with cancer, the only place he wanted to be was down there doing something on that farm, trying to make it better. I think it gave him a sense of peace at that point,” he says. “He did all that work and then gave it to the Foundation, and that blew us all away. He kept it to himself. He was a great dude, really.”
Simmons died in May 2021. He left explicit instructions that the land bequeathed to the AGFF be used to introduce Arkansans to the outdoors. Foundation President Deke Whitbeck is proud to say that they’re doing exactly that.
Simmons Outdoor Skills Farm
“Andy’s wish was that the property be used for bringing newcomers to hunting, fishing and the outdoors in general,” Whitbeck says. “The fact that he entrusted that with us is very special, and it’s been important to me that his wishes are upheld and the property utilized in the way he envisioned. I think we’re doing a great job.”
The Simmons Outdoor Skills Farm opened in October 2023. Mentored duck hunts have been hosted on the property in every subsequent season, welcoming a new generation into the sport of waterfowling.
“It’s a great space, especially for a successful first hunt. You can’t predict the weather or what will happen every weekend, but a lot of our hunters have successful first hunts,” says Mary Beth Hatch, chief of education at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
The mentored hunts have been part of AGFC’s repertoire of programs for years, and participants include youth hunters, veterans and women who have never had the opportunity to hunt. The AGFC provides newcomers with all the gear they need for a successful hunt, from guns and ammo to waders and duck calls.
“As most people know, hunting isn’t the cheapest sport to get into and that prevents a lot of people from starting or trying or thinking they can,” Hatch says. “This is a great way to see what you like and what you feel confident doing. It gives you a better understanding of public spaces where you can do this type of recreation.”
Mentors, mainly comprising AGFC and AGFF staff and volunteers, teach participants how to safely handle their weapons and successfully bag a kill. They also cover habitat management and conservation, particularly the work AGFC does to preserve Arkansas’ natural resources.
“The whole point is that you want to have a positive experience. We want them to feel comfortable and confident enough to do it on their own on one of our Wildlife Management Areas with a friend or family member,” Hatch says.
What makes Simmons Farm particularly special are the facilities the AGFC constructed to accommodate guests. They built a hunting lodge and stocked the property with outdoors equipment, from ATVs to grilling stations. Hatch says a neighboring property will allow fishing access as well.
“We outfitted the lodge with all the necessities to come and stay. For some groups, we’ll offer a culinary experience as well, so if they’re successful and want to prepare some duck and goose they can; some enjoy the culinary side just as much as hunting,” Hatch says.
Whitbeck says the on-site lodge helps every new hunter get the full experience.
“The lodge, the fire pit, getting your waders ready for the next morning’s hunt — all of that is encompassed in these trips,” he says. “I took a group of girls who had never been duck hunting before and we had a really authentic experience, from grilling steaks and looking up at the stars to getting ready for the hunt, hanging our boots up, getting our guns ready, laying out a game plan, showing them a map.
“All the things you’d do on a duck hunt, we’re going to be able to do in a controlled environment where we can teach those things.”
Passing It On
In addition to gifting his land, Simmons also left money to the AGFF, which has been used to support youth shooting sports, including an endowment now worth over $5 million to the MidwayUSA Foundation.
Simmons’ gift shows how someone can create a lasting conservation legacy. The wildlife habitat on Simmons Farm will be protected forever for public use thanks to the terms he outlined in his bequest to the AGFF.
“It’s never to be sold, the hunting rights are never to be leased. It’s only, in perpetuity, to be used for the restricted purpose of AGFC offering hunting opportunities to newcomers. We have a long-term agreement with the agency that use of that property must be tied to those restrictions,” Whitbeck says.
Crow says Simmons would be proud of how his land is being used.
“If he hadn’t gotten sick, I think he’d still be doing the same things today — figuring out better ways to manage his ground for all the wildlife,” he says. “We hunted public all our lives until we had other places like this farm come up. It got to the point where it was frustrating to even go hunting, seeing how people were doing it; it wasn’t how we were taught. The later in life he got, he wanted that to be different. He wanted a better way to educate about how to do it.
“I think it’s pretty unique the way the farm is operating. Even if you don’t like it, at least you got to go and do it all the right way and learn what duck hunting is all about,” Crow adds.
The AGFF is unique as a nonprofit supporting a state government agency. Since the AGFC doesn’t receive general funding from the state, every dollar or acre donated to the AGFF goes a long way in helping the agency meet its mission of conserving and enhancing fish, wildlife and their habitats.
“The foundation, as a nonprofit, is very much worthy of being considered during estate planning and planned giving, because we’re stewards and we work so closely with the Commission, which has such dedicated and skilled employees and staff,” Whitbeck says. “Andy’s gift put the Foundation in a position to support the agency and helped shine a light on what our Foundation is and how we can confidently serve the donor and align with their passion.”
