Texas Hunting Times

Deer Hunting Food Plots in Texas: Lab Lab for Whitetail

Question: “We have been deer hunting for a couple of years now and I finally got a game camera this last season. So this year was the first that I had pictures of deer during the summer, and there were some nice bucks showing up on camera. Now I am fearful that I will lose them during the deer hunting season unless I supplement them with some type of food or mineral. What would you recommend? I have three places each with two to five acres of open grass. Would it be better to establish deer food plots or put up protein feeders?”

Response: There are many options when it comes to supplemental feeding for whitetail deer. The important thing to keep in mind is that there are many variables that come into play when deciding what feed source to use as a supplement. Do you have cattle or hogs? Do you have a tractor and implements to get the land ready? Do you own the property or lease the land? How many deer do you have on the place or that will utilize these plots? What is your average rainfall?

Lab lab Food Plots for Deer Hunting and Management

If you can not perform or cover most of what is in the questions above then I would use protein feeders to hold your deer rather than lab lab or any other type of food plot. When you calculate all of the expenses, it is usually less expensive for most people to spend the money on protein feed.

To plant food plots properly you will need rather expensive equipment, and then you are hoping once you make an investment and plant the seed that it will actually rain and grow. At least if you buy protein pellets you know what you have. Food plots are more of a gamble.

If you have the right soil and equipment and can get the food plots to grow well, then it’s cheaper than any pelleted protein. Lab lab is an excellent food plot selection, but if it rains and grows really well, then chances are you will have enough native forage that you will not need a food plot for the whitetail deer on your property.

If you are looking to just hold animals during the deer hunting season, then my suggestion for you would be to run a protein feeder or two and also have a couple of timed corn feeders going. A lab lab food plot can do the trick, but you will need the equipment and rain.

Deer Hunting Lease in Lampasas County

Question: “I am live in Austin, Texas, and used to be on a deer lease in Mason County. That was about 10 years ago. Now that my kids are getting older, I would like to get them outdoors and show them some of the things you can find stomping around on the ground. I have an opportunity to get on a Lampasas County deer lease, but was wondering if there are some good bucks in that area?”

Answer: I think it’s a great idea to get your kids outside and teach them about plants and animals and pass on the deer hunting heritage. Lampasas County is located on the northeast edge of the Texas Hill Country. The habitat found in that county can vary quite a bit. The best hunting can be found along the Colorado River, Lampasas River, and the major creeks found there, but good bucks exist all throughout that country. Continue reading Deer Hunting Lease in Lampasas County

Habitat Management for Whitetail Deer, Hunting Ranch

Question: “We have a 600 ranch that we use for recreation and whitetail deer hunting during the fall. We recently had an accidental fire break out that burned approximately 80 to 90 on our ranch. We want to re-vegetate this area and would like to use deer-friendly species to prevent any possible erosion. I would like some thoughts on the options for reseeding our Blanco County ranch. Thank you.”

Response: I know first hand that the habitat out in Central Texas is very dry. Much of Texas is in exceptional drought so both the habitat and whitetail deer are just trying to hang on. Soil moisture is low across much of the state, but I bet there is a good chance many of the grass plants consumed by the fire are still alive and will re-sprout, but it also depends on how hot the soil temperatures got. It will also depend on when the next rain comes.

Deer Hunting: Habitat Management for Improved Whitetail Deer

With the end of summer almost in sight, reseeding right now will be a tough proposition unless you have the ability to irrigate your plantings. If it does not rain then nothing will grow regardless of the species planted. I always recommend reseeding with native grass and forb mixes to improve habitat, but that is traditionally done during the spring, April and May. Native forbs and grasses are best for whitetail deer and other native wildlife species, but it literally takes a couple of years to get a satisfactory stand.

I understand that soil erosion may be an issue when it eventually rains, but working the ground to prepare it for planting will only increase the chances of erosion once your part of the world gets a sizeable rainfall event. With fall just around the corner, I would recommend a heavy over-seeding (broadcasting) of ryegrass (or even oats) at the first chance of rain, but not prior to that because birds will eat the seeds. One established, the ryegrass will stabilize the soil and also serve as a winter food plot for deer.

Ryegrass will persist into spring, at which time you would want to spray with herbicide. Then use a native seed drill to plant a native grass and forb mix directly into the soil. Many of the browse species in the burned area should be fine, except for any blueberry cedar that was completely consumed by the fire. For anyone that wants to know how to control cedar, prescribed fire is a great choice. It’s a great tool, not nearly as scary as many believe, and can really clean up a lot of acreage in short order.

The property will benefit from the brush management aspect of the fire since cedar is a persistent pest in Blanco County. Best of luck with your habitat management and upcoming deer hunting season! I think it will bounce back, but especially with your help.

Wildlife Habitat Management: Range Management for Animals

Providing quality habitat is the basis for wildlife management. Without a good place to live wildlife will not thrive and will in some cases struggle to survive. The Texas Section Society for Range Management (TSSRM) will be hosting their annual meeting in San Angelo, Texas on October 12-14, 2011 at the McNeese Convention Center. TSSRM is a society of landowners and professionals concerned with range, wildlife management. and water conservation in Texas. The theme for this year’s meeting is, “Rangeland Stewardship: A History of Heritage, A Future of Change.”

The annual event will start on Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. with a session for ranchers, land managers, and young range professionals. The Wednesday afternoon program will focus on using technology to promote rangeland products including: livestock, recreational opportunities and rangeland tours. This session will be followed by a job fair for those wanting to enter the range and wildlife management field. The habitat management focused conference will conclude with a reception featuring live music and auction.

The Thursday morning program will consist of presentations by ranchers and scientists discussing ways to adapt to the ever-changing field of ranching and range management. This session will be followed by an awards luncheon catered by Kenny Blanek. Following the annual awards luncheon, the afternoon activities will include an option of two events. Take a tour of historic downtown San Angelo and Fort Concho or join us for a friendly round of fire at the San Angelo Clay Bird Association. The day will conclude with the annual awards dinner followed by a dance, with entertainment provided by Johnny Dickinson and Big Country.

Friday morning participants will head to local working ranches to experience a variety of hands-on activities and current agricultural issues. Topics of interest on the tour will include habitat recovery after recent wildfires, along with the recent increase in wind energy and oil exploration. In addition, there will be demonstrations by Priefert Ranch Equipment and Stay-Tuff fence.

The meeting will focus heavily on range management for livestock, but also include habitat management for white-tailed deer, quail and other wildlife species. Those interested in attending the meeting can contact Corey Owens at (325) 942-2029, x 285. Visit the TSSRM Website to register online. For hotel accommodations, please contact Springhill Suites (325)949-6900; Holiday Inn Express (325) 223-2200, or Comfort Suites (325) 944-8600.

Big Bend Ranch State Park Hunting

Big Bend Ranch State Park is 301,648 acres in size and is situated west of Big Bend National Park in Presidio and Brewster County. Big Bend Ranch is a Texas-sized state park covering over 400 square miles! This property holds numerous numerous wildlife game species, particularly mule deer and javelina. Each year Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers special draw hunting for these species.

For the most part, Big Bend Ranch is desert grassland or succulent-desert grassland with rocky slopes. Most of time the vegetation on the land is brown, but the area quickly greens up after a rain. Hunters should expect to see a lot of country. Bring a good pair of binoculars and be prepared to see and shoot game animals further than when hunting elsewhere in the state. The property also has a Texas Bighorn Sheep population and although these animals are strictly off limits they are amazing to see.

Hunters selected through TPWD’s draw hunt program should meet at Sauceda Ranger Station by 10:00 a.m. on the first morning of their hunt. All hunters desiring to stay on the Park during the hunt period will be required to stay at Sauceda headquarters. The hunting permit will serve to waive the park entrance fee. All other standard park fees apply during the hunt. Optional transportation and hunting guide service is available at additional cost.

Call the Big Bend Ranch State Park headquarters for further information javelina and mule deer hunting or accommodations at 432-358-4444. By percentage, Texas does not have a huge amount of public hunting land, but this property does provide quality mule deer hunting for hunters willing to cover some country over rough terrain. Bring some water, a good attitude and it will be a trip that you will never forget.

Texas Pronghorn Hunting a Go, Lower Permit Numbers

It’s been a dry year across the Lone Star State and pronghorn antelope numbers are down, but there will some amount of pronghorn hunting in Texas come October 1-9. Pronghorn numbers have most definitely declined in 2011 due to drought-related low reproduction and additional parasite issues, so Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists are suggesting that they will probably issue fewer pronghorn permits than in recent years. And that makes sense.

Aerial “goat” surveys ought to be completed in late August, but preliminary observations suggest that pronghorn populations of these prairie pronghorn antelope have definitely slipped. These estimates follow a project last winter that moved 200 pronghorn from the Panhandle to the Trans-Pecos region around Marfa. Many of those animals died, but an estimated 30 to 40 percent, or about 60 to 80 antelope, were still on the range in early July.

TPWD issued 447 pronghorn hunting permits last year and around 600 the year before that, said Shawn Gray, the agency’s pronghorn program leader. “I’m willing to bet it will be less than that this year,” Gray said. “We’re going to have some pronghorn hunting, but primarily in Hudspeth and Culberson counties. Maybe there will be a few around Alpine, but I’m not so sure we’ll have any around Marfa. It’s a possibility, but it’s not looking good right now.”

Gray added that the Panhandle has good pronghorn populations, but “some of the fawn crops are pretty dismal.” It’s easy to blame habitat-killing drought, but challenges don’t stop there. The pronghorn’s range in Texas stretches across the Trans-Pecos, High Plains, Rolling Plains, and Edwards Plateau — a landscape that is characteristically dry. Predators and disease add to the already-harsh environment.

As many as 17,000 West Texas antelope were counted in the mid-to-late 1980s, but by 2000 there were only 5,200 of them. The translocation project last winter had a two-pronged goal to bolster the Trans-Pecos herd while helping researchers figure out what caused population declines. The Panhandle pronghorn were trapped by helicopter, and then transported in truck-drawn trailers 500 miles south to their new homes in Presidio County. But there was a tense moment on the trip.

One of the vehicles broke down between Seminole and Andrews, and it was about 80 degrees, dangerously hot for the already-stressed pronghorn, Gray said. But, he added, firefighters from Seminole came and hosed the trailer down, cooling it. That saved some of the animals, although about a half dozen died. Texas’ pronghorn populations face internal parasites as well as a landscape hammered hard by drought, but something tells me these speed goats are going to make it. These ungulates have been on the landscape forever, let’s just hope Texas pronghorn hunting can stay there too.

Deer Smoke Screen for Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: “I spend countless hours in the field deer hunting each year. I keep an eye out for anything that can help me get an edge over wary whitetail deer. Scent control is the single biggest problem most hunters have, and many products have come out in recent years to address scent control. Recently, Deer Smoke Screen has come about. Is it another one of those gimmicks that claims not to be a gimmick that will be in the long run? Do you think this product will separate itself from the pack or just separate me from my money?”

Answer: I have always believed natural smoke scent and ash to be a great cover scent, but I have never used Deer Smoke Screen. To me it makes sense, but whether or not this product really works has yet to be determined. Yes, there are hundreds of gimmick deer hunting items available to attract the hunter to spend his or her money. In theory, hunting with the wind in your face is the best method of scent control, but we all know how inconsistent the wind can be. Here is what Deer Smoke Screen had to say about their product: Continue reading Deer Smoke Screen for Whitetail Deer Hunting

Venison Casserole: Cream Cheese and Noodle Bake

This is a great venison casserole recipe that will have the whole family offering the chef a round of applause. This recipe using cream cheese to make a rich, delicious venison casserole that is always a crowd pleaser. Serve this casserole with a tossed salad and some crusty garlic bread for rave reviews!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground venison
1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
3/4 cream cheese (or sour cream)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground venison in a large skillet on medium-high heat, then add tomato sauce, salt and ground black pepper to your liking. Stir mixture, then allow to simmer on low heat.

Cook egg noodles until al dente, drain and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese (or sour cream) and cottage cheese. Again, add ground black pepper to taste. Add this mixture and chopped green onions to the egg noodles and stir.

To assemble the venison casserole, add about one half of the noodles to a 9 x 13 or similarly-sized baking dish. Top with half the venison meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated sharp cheddar. Repeat, laying noodles, meat, and cheese again. Bake the casserole for 22 minutes or until all cheese is melted.

Deer Hunting: Shooting Deer with Ear Tags

Question: “First of all, to all the high fence owners or deer breeders, I know they mark their whitetail deer with ear tags. So lets say that a deer escaped the high fence or breeder pen and comes to a hunter’s feeder, a hunter looking through the scope notices that the animal has some kind of tag, can you legally shoot the deer if it comes on your property? Is shooting deer with ear tags in Texas legal?”

Answer: First, let me say that it is illegal to catch a wild deer in Texas to put a tag in its ear, or do anything else to it for that matter. So all legally ear tagged deer will belong to someone. The State approves and permits deer breeders and they will be the ones tagging deer. Whitetail deer breeders are required to tag every deer in their pens with a tag and unique number and tattoo that same number in the deer’s ear. Continue reading Deer Hunting: Shooting Deer with Ear Tags

East Texas Deer Lease in Nacogdoches County

August is a signal to hunters that the white-tailed deer hunting season is rapidly approaching. In fact, with August over halfway over, cool fronts are less than a month away! Most hunters already have their deer stands and feeders in place, but not all of them. For those of you out there without a deer lease, you may want to check out this hunting lease information:

“I have two opening on a small managed deer hunting lease in northeast Nacogdoches County, Texas, with frontage on the Angelina River. The property borders thousands of private hunting leases in all directions and has been under same deer management for over 30 years. A decent buck is guaranteed or deer hunt for half price next season. The property has whitetail deer, hog, squirrel, rabbits, ducks and other game available. It would be an excellent chance for a bow hunter because no one on lease at present time hunts during bow season. Continue reading East Texas Deer Lease in Nacogdoches County