No better name could be given to the ranch other than Finch Homestead. The primary wild life residence of the area is the Finch bird with an estimated population of 5 million. The ranch itself is owned by James Earl and Norma Gene Camptor who are well into their 80’s yet are actively involved in running the ranch with a staff of 50 by their side to aid in the everyday chores. It was the Capmtor’s that made the ranch a huge success that it is today with the following commercial operations; Cattle Ranch, Bird watchers Vaction Resort, Dude Ranch, Executive retreat and training center.

All Business functions on the ranch operate on two opposites sides, North and west is the Resort and Bird watching paradise, and to the south east is the ranch, Dude Ranch which doubles as an executive retreat and has a training center on site where more specific class training can be conducted.

The Resort side of the ranch is well maintained and on site vacation condos can be rented for $250 per night. Trails are well kept and lead directly into nesting areas of the millions of Finches that live on ranch property. The resort offers a luxurious spa and fitness center complete with hot pools, swimming pools and child play areas inside the spa.

The Dude Ranch is designed for corporate retreats as well offers the all inclusive work experience for the sum of $500 per week. Everyday the clients are taken on horseback to be trained with cattle, herding, shooting, breeding and general animal husbandry. They learn to rope, start fires, and basic food sources. The clients are given 4 hours of real life work experience with one of the seasoned ranch hands before calling it a day with a hardy country meal waiting for them when they are done. On the final week day guests are to run the ranch as any ranch hand would. They wake at 5:30 in the morning and work a long day until 6:00 in the late afternoon. By the time they are back at the ranch they get ten minutes to wash up and eat by 6:30pm. The following 2 days they are pampered by the full spa service and get to unwind from the hard work of ranch life.

Some guests that have done well have been offered jobs in slow seasons to help out the ranchers and get better established with life on a ranch.

Norma Gene, who is well into her eighties still conducts the tours through the nesting ground of the finches. She has always had a love for the little birds and has a library of photos regarding the little birds. She has documented several thousand colors and patterns from the birds. She has seen changes in them that indicate they are matting with larger more aggressive birds, which are more aggressive in hunting and protecting their territorial trees. She has labeled them “Shrike Finch”. Unfortunately they are elusive and only have photos to prove that they exist. Scientist had studied the birds in the area before however have not been able to capture a specimen living or dead of the Shrike Finch as they cannibalize their dead.

James Earl is the operations guy who sits behind the scene balancing the books and selling the cattle. He has old ranchers blood flowing in him and has a knack for picking the best breeding pairs for the biggest, nastiest bulls and the most poised cows. In a business where size matters James just has it all figured out. Staff handles most of the hands on work and grown children James has final say of how things work. He has his thumb on the pulse of the business in more ways then most could ever know.

It’s a well-known fact that the Camptor’s are really in a position to retire. The real mystery is who is going to run things when the turn the ranch over to another person. Outside investors have been courting them for the last five years in the hopes of getting selected to take over operations, and the children have been settling on parts of the land with their own family in an effort to continue in the family tradition. Old James just can’t leave what he loves and Norma Gene loves her birds. If some one could guarantee them they same involvement that would help make the transitions easier for them. For now the Camptor’s haven’t found any one with the same passion they have to keep things moving along.