Blixt & Co.

Lars Magnusson was in his element when I visited him at Lazy Triple Creek Ranch, in Idaho, in late 2007. A talented and energetic young man, Magnusson was fully engaged in the job for which he had trained. And what a job that was: As Shooting Director for the Ranch, he had been instrumental in developing grounds that included a sporting clays course, a 5 Stand setup, and full simulations of a grouse butt and a driven flurry. More importantly, he had led a capable team in establishing a full and authentic driven shoot on the Ranch, running more than two dozen days a season with eight Guns and bags of pheasants and partridge averaging more than 400 birds. The shooting day I attended was brought off enthusiastically, stylishly and safely—and with nary a hitch—with Magnusson full-stride in every aspect, from the ceremonious drawing of pegs to over-the-shoulder coaching (he is also a fine shooting instructor) to gathering the Guns for the host’s after-dinner toast.
    The business plan at Lazy Triple Creek was ever changing, and when the business moved away from hosting shoots, Magnusson moved on. He resurfaced shortly with a business incorporating everything he does so well and created a savvy marketing plan for shooters and prospective shoot hosts. Through his Jackson, Wyoming-based Blixt & Co. (named for a great-grandfather from his native Sweden), Magnusson intends to bring every possible service to American landowners who want to develop better wingshooting—including the prospect of full driven shoots—on their properties. Magnusson and his team also are developing a shooting syndicate that will offer a variety of opportunities, including rare chances to shoot on some of the finest estates of England and Europe and eventually the properties of Blixt & Co.’s landowner clientele.
    “We want to help land and ranch owners develop their properties for shooting and also help deliver clients there,” Magnusson said. “We’re going to bridge the gap between the estate owner and the end user.” In that one sentence you can hear his exposure to clients from a decade of teaching at the West London Shooting School, three years as Managing Director of Griffin & Howe’s shooting school and a couple of years in the new American West.
    Especially with the recent migration of a sporty landowner class to the beauty of the West, Magnusson sees a market there for establishing the shooting traditions of the UK and the Continent. He already has consulted with a range of clients from established shooting lodges looking to make improvements to the owner of a 250-acre parcel near Dillon, Montana. For the latter, Magnusson prescribed using the property’s water rights and proximity to a flyway to develop a nice little duck shoot. “Any piece of property can be big enough to develop better shooting opportunities,” he said.
    “Most of these projects will be developed for personal leisure,” Magnusson said, although Blixt & Co.’s consulting plan will point out financial opportunities, including returns on investments in wildlife habitat in any future sales as recreational properties.
    The evidence from Lazy Triple Creek Ranch shows that Blixt & Co. will be able to scale up shooting opportunities to fit just about any property, budget or market. “I’ve got a long-term commitment to this business model,” Magnusson said, “and I want to build a solid five-year plan for any game-shooting or clay-shooting business.”
    On to that shooting syndicate—the “end user.” If the 250 acres near Dillon draw ducks and the amenities allow shooting in style and comfort, Blixt & Co. could host a small shoot there that would make it a unique offering to syndicate members and a financial opportunity for the landowner. Magnusson foresees building a shoot schedule slowly, with a chance in 2009 to shoot at Ashcombe Estate—among the UK’s finest. With a syndicate capacity “around 100 to 150 people,” Magnusson believes he can negotiate everything from Continental rarities to new shoots in the States, with full instruction available “to take away some of the intimidation.”
    Magnusson’s wife, Jennifer, a Jackson native, will work both as marketing director for Blixt & Co. and the leader of a ladies’ shooting group within the broader syndicate. Jen was an enthusiastic helper on Lazy Triple Creek shoot days.
For more information on developing wingshooting properties or joining the new shooting syndicate, contact Blixt & Co., 307-413-5450; www.blixtco.com.   —Ed Carroll