Texas Hunting Times

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

Angelina Neches WMA – Dam B WMA Hunting

The Angelina Neches/Dam B Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in Jasper and Tyler counties and provides public hunting through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) draw hunt system for alligator. The WMA is situated in the forks of the Angelina and Neches Rivers and is adjacent the B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir, which is 12,636 acres in size. The topography of Angelina Neches/Dam B is generally flat with many sloughs and ridges that hold both ducks and alligators.

Access to most of the WMA is by boat only. However, airboats are prohibited on the area. Public boat ramps and information stations are located at Bevilport, the Walnut Ridge and Cherokee Units of Martin Dies, Jr. SP, and the Magnolia Ridge Army Corps of Engineers Park. Hunters in search of alligator and waterfowl should plan on using one of these boat ramps. These ramps can also be quite busy depending on the time of the day.

Throughout the year and during TPWD draw hunts, primitive camping is allowed in designated camp sites on the WMA. A camping permit must be obtained from the Corps of Engineers office at the dam site. Camping facilities are also available on the Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. Call 936-569-8547 for more information about public alligator or duck hunting on Angelina Neches/Dam B.

Texas Hunting: Truth Behind a Misguided Myth

State doesn’t misuse funds from license sales to hunters, anglers

By SHANNON TOMPKINS
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle

Aug. 14, 2011, 8:03PM

Texas hunters and anglers begin a pair of annual rituals Monday - purchasing new hunting/fishing licenses and grumbling about how the state “steals” part of that license revenue.

There’s no way around the first part of the ritual; all current Texas hunting licenses and most fishing licenses expire Aug. 31, and new 2011-12 licenses, which become available for purchase Monday, are required on Sept. 1.

But that second ritual is a bit of misguided, or at least misdirected, animosity arising from the license-buying public’s understandable misunderstanding of the Byzantine budget maneuvers the Texas Legislature uses to produce its constitutionally mandated balanced budget.

The common belief is that part of the approximately $90 million Texas hunters and anglers pay annually for the more than 2 million licenses is siphoned out of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department coffers and used to finance unrelated state programs. This is a persistent myth.

Not a cent of fishing or hunting license fees goes into the state’s General Revenue Fund or other accounts used to pay for non-outdoors-related state programs or services. All of it goes directly into the Game, Fish and Water Safety Fund — officially, Fund 9 – which, by law, can be used only to fund TPWD programs.

But that’s not to say Texas’ hunters and anglers, its wildlife and fisheries resources and the agency charged with managing them aren’t shortchanged when it comes to how license revenue is spent – or, more correctly, not spent.

Stagnant money

Every year, tens of millions of dollars in hunting and fishing license fees are left sitting in the state account used to fund Texas wildlife, fisheries and boating programs. Those millions of dollars in Fund 9 account balances – $31 million at the end of this month, jumping to an estimated $48 million this time next year and as much as $64 million by Aug. 31, 2013 – are there because the Legislature holds those millions hostage in the scheme used to produce, on paper at least, the balanced budget that it is required to fashion.

Here’s how it works: Thanks to far-sighted federal lawmakers, state hunting and fishing license money is protected from being spent for anything other than funding wildlife, fisheries and boating programs.

Two federal programs – Sport Fish Restoration and Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, more commonly called, Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux Acts and Pittman-Robertson Act for their congressional sponsors – collect federal excise taxes on equipment used for hunting, shooting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.

Those federal excise taxes are distributed to the states to help fund state-run wildlife and fisheries programs and research projects. Texas gets about $40 million a year from these federal fisheries and wildlife programs.

But Congress was smart when it drafted the excise tax disbursement laws. For a state to qualify to receive the federal funds, it must pass a state law prohibiting using hunting and fishing license revenue for anything other than wildlife and fisheries programs.

If a state legislature dips into hunting and fishing license accounts to pay for, say, roads or hospitals or any other program, the state stands to lose all of its federal excise tax reimbursements.

So, as much as the Texas Legislature might be tempted to stick its hands into a flush Fund 9, particularly in times such as these when the state faces crippling general-revenue shortfalls, the prospect of losing that $40 million in federal money is incentive enough to prevent such plundering.

But the Legislature has found other ways of using that Fund 9 money without actually spending it.

Good on paper

For TPWD to spend money from the Fund 9 pot, that money has to be appropriated by the Legislature through its budget and appropriations acts.

By appropriating only some of the license money, the Legislature can count the “unappropriated balance” in Fund 9 on the positive side of the ledger when calculating the overall state budget.

This tactic is not restricted to hunting and fishing license revenue. It happens with revenue generated from the sale of vehicle license plates (horned toad, bluebonnet, etc.) benefiting state parks, wildlife, hunting and freshwater fishing.

All of these “unappropriated balances” – money Texans spent believing all of the dollars would be used to fund programs they voluntarily support by paying additional fees for the specialized license plates – are rat-holed and left dormant in accounts as a way to offset negative balances in other state programs.

The amount of Fund 9 money left unappropriated is highest in tough economic times such as the state currently faces, and less when the state economy is healthy. And when economic conditions improve, the Legislature allows TPWD to spend some of the balance that has built up over tough years.

Money that Texas hunters and anglers paid for their licenses, along with those federal excise tax reimbursements, wholly fund TPWD’s wildlife, inland fisheries and coastal fisheries divisions. As a result of the Legislature’s increase in the unappropriated balances in Fund 9 and other “dedicated” TPWD funds in budgets for the next two fiscal years, the agency is being forced to cut back on fisheries and wildlife management programs that benefit the state’s natural resources as well as hunters, anglers, boaters, and others who enjoy the state’s outdoors.

And it has had a human cost. Facing severe budget cuts for the coming two years, TPWD laid off 115 employees over the past month. Those layoffs included 9 percent of the staff in the agency’s wildlife division, 8 percent of the inland fisheries division and just under 3 percent of the coastal fisheries division.

No, the Texas Legislature doesn’t pilfer hunters’ and anglers’ license dollars and spend them on other programs. It just doesn’t spend them at all. And that’s almost as bad.