How long has GW Bush owned his ranch?

How much experience does he have with running and working on a ranch? What I’m looking to find out is just how much the whole “ranch thing” is just for show. I seem to recall hearing that he only bought his ranch five years ago.

The reason this all comes up is that a guy I’ve been talking with is suggesting that Bush’s work on his ranch just shows how much he cares about nature and the environment. All the press given to showing him working with the trees on his property somehow proves that he knows what he’s talking about when he proposes thinning out our national forests.

I can’t vouch for Dubya’s inclinations toward Nature & stuff, but according to this Texan

…Right around the time he was gearing up his run for the presidency.

It’s not at all uncommon for people who can manage it to own a ranch here. Some are working ranches and some function more as investments/weekend getaways/retirement homes.

So, while I definitely can’t speak to Dubya’s motivations, buying a ranch is hardly an unusual thing for a Texan to do.

What Ringo said.

These guys are called “Gentleman Ranchers”–wealthy city folk typically from Houston or Dallas (or New York City, for that matter–think Donald Judd) who purchase a ranch because: (1) they can, and (2) it’s a very Texas thing to do (why, if I won the lottery it’s one of the first things I’d do… except that I just moved to a state w/o a lottery), and then hire a ranch manager to take care of it for you. A friend of mine in West Texas does such a job for three different ranches and their usually-absentee Gentleman Ranchers.