Texas Hunting Times

Culling Bucks for Whitetail Deer Management

The white-tailed deer hunting season may be months away, but that does not stop hunters and landowners from pondering deer management issues. One of the most talked about management practices involves the culling or selective removal of bucks from the herd. There are two reasons to cull bucks. Most hunters cull because they believe that removing inferior bucks allows the more desirable, larger-antlered bucks to breed.

This should allow the better bucks to pass on their genes, and the overall genetic composition of the herd to improve. This makes sense to most hunters, but the facts are not clear. In fact, there has been much discussion, even outright arguments, around the removal of alleged cull bucks, particularly spike bucks. Some well-known whitetail deer researchers even suggest that genetic improvement through culling will not happen in most free-ranging situations.

But genetic improvement aside, the other reason to cull is to simply harvest bucks to manage for the carrying capacity of a property. To some extent, the planned harvest of any buck is considered culling, but the term cull buck still usually refers to bucks with less than desired antler characteristics. If hunters look at culling as a way to keep the deer herd in check with food resources, then from that perspective culling really is a good management practice. But the argument over culling continues…

Source: “What has fueled the debate to some extent is that the research hasn’t always found the same thing. In fact, it has actually caused the rise of two different schools of thought on culling. The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute has been involved with two extensive culling research projects. One completed just a few years back was an eight-year study done on the King Ranch. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) designed the project, which was overseen by Mickey Hellickson, then chief wildlife biologist for King Ranch. The study area was low-fence, and researchers had to take into account young buck dispersal and the movement of bucks in and out of their normal home range during the rut.

One of the criticisms of the study was that culling wasn’t intensive enough to make a change. Dr. Randy DeYoung, of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Institute, disagrees. He says that while certain parameters could not be controlled under low fence, the culling was extensive and intensive. He attributes the lack of progress to the fact that with culling alone, genetic change is extremely hard to accomplish.

Nonetheless, the results of the King Ranch study led to another intensive culling study. This one, which is now five years in the making and has another five to go, is being conducted on the Comanche Ranch near Carrizo Springs. This study was designed by ranch owner Dan Friedkin and ranch biologist Donnie Draeger. There are three study areas, two high-fenced and one fenced on three sides. Together the study area encompasses more than 25,000 acres.

TPWD biologists designed the most intensive of the two culling treatments; the third area is a control with no culling. On the King Ranch study the culling was done the old-fashioned way, by gun. However, on the Comanche study, culling is done via helicopter capture. All bucks captured are measured for a host of different parameters. Those that don’t meet the culling criteria, which by most standards would be considered extremely strict, are euthanized; those that do are tagged and released.”

By any account, it would seem that culling via helicopter would have to be intense enough to see noticeable change, right? Well, despite their efforts, after five years researchers have yet to show any real genetic improvement in whitetail bucks in the treatment areas. They plan on continuing the project into the future, but regardless of what they find, many hunters and managers may find that five years of intensive culling is proof enough that culling bucks as a deer management technique does not work. Deer season is still several months away, so just a little something to think about as you’re filling feeders this summer.

Duck Hunting in Katy – Get Your Stamp

It takes a lot of work in some cases, but it’s usually well worth it. It’s one of the activities I look forward to every fall—duck hunting! With the duck season still some time off, I can’t help buck think about duck hunting in Katy, Texas, with the news that has just been released. It appears the 78th Federal Duck Stamp goes on sale June 24 with an official ceremony held at 9 a.m. at Bass Pro’s Outdoor World located in the Katy Mills Shopping Center in Katy.

The artists of this year’s duck stamps will be on hand to sign copies of their work. In addition, it is reported that Texas Parks and Wildlife Director Carter Smith will also attend the event. Speakers at the event include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials and the Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp artists. Of course, affiliated vendors will have items for sale before and after the ceremony.

Although it is usually referred to as a “duck stamp” the stamp began functioning as a federal migratory bird hunting and conservation product originally used to denote those with a federal license to hunt migratory waterfowl. Those that go ducking know that it’s needed, whether you are duck hunting in Katy, Port O’Conner or Port Arthur, you could face a hefty federal fine.

Today 98 cents out of every dollar raised by the stamps go toes the purchase or lease of wetlands around the country. This locks up valuable habitat and allows biologist to implement wetland habitat management for improved duck production. But wetlands are not just for ducks and geese. It is estimated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that one third of the nation’s threatened species live in these places. Since 1934 over $500 million has gone to over 5 million acres of wetland habitat. Something to think about as you buy your stamp and head out duck hunting!

Texas Dove Hunting: Report Dove Bands

Banding is an major part of the management of all migratory game birds in North America. To a waterfowl hunter, a duck or goose band is a treasured acquisition. In fact, these aluminum rings become testaments of the hunter’s skill, luck or at least a log of hours spent in the field. But dove hunters need to keep and eye out for these leg bands, too. Heading into the summer, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be trapping and attaching tiny metal leg bands on several thousand mourning dove as part of a larger national effort coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In addition to mourners, white-winged doves will also be banded across the state. TPWD estimates that approximately 3,000 whitewings will be banded in 2011. Banding will begin on June 1 and end on August 15. It takes a lot of effort to capture and band doves, but the real data comes when hunters report dove bands recovered from harvested birds. As whitewings continue to expand across the state, keeping tabs on these dove populations is becoming increasingly important.

Dove band recoveries are revealing extensive travel records and offer interesting insight into the ecology of this prominent migrant. Most banded mourning doves in Texas do not survive to see a second year and extremely few live past three years of age. However, the oldest mourning dove ever recovered in Texas was 9 years old.

White-winged doves banded in Texas have been recovered in four states including Texas, four countries, and one in international waters on an oil platform. The oldest white-winged dove ever recorded in Texas was 17 years old. The farthest recovered white-winged dove banded in Texas originated in Hidalgo County and was recovered in Nicaragua, 1,242 miles from the original band site.

For Texas, the implications of dove management are significant considering the Lone Star State boasts fall dove populations in excess of 40 million birds and its 300,000 dove hunters harvest about 6 million birds annually or roughly 30 percent of all doves taken in the United States. Dove hunting also has a major economic impact, contributing more than $300 million to the state economy. But, despite having more dove hunters than any other state and harvesting more birds than any other state, Texas has the lowest dove band recovery rate in the nation.

“I think most dove hunters aren’t aware of the banding effort,” said Corey Mason, TPWD’s dove program leader. “Unlike with ducks, hunters aren’t looking for bands and because dove bands are only about the size of a bead they don’t stand out.”

Data obtained from dove banding efforts are used to estimate survival and harvest rates and population abundance. These estimates are then used in population and harvest models to determine dove hunting regulations. If you are lucky enough to harvest a banded dove this hunting season, report the dove band and help biologist do their best to manage our natural resources.

TTP Permits Routed Only Through TPWD

White-tailed deer and the laws that regulate them are a big deal in Texas. Several of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) programs encompass deer management options for rural and suburban landowners. The Trap, Transport and Process (TTP) Permit is designed to help the latter with urban and suburban deer control efforts. A new bill, SB 498, is intended to clean up and simplify the current legislation for the Trap, Transport and Process permit by removing county judge and/or county commissioners from having to sign off on the project before the permit is issued by TPWD.

The idea behind this change in TTP permit regulation is that this keeps the authority to issue the permit within only TPWD without seeking outside approval, which typically slows down the process.The TTP permit allows landowners with surplus whitetail deer, including both whitetail and mule deer, the opportunity to capture and remove deer from their lands. The program also makes sure that all venison is donated to a charitable organization.

The bill concerning deer management in Texas recently passed through both the Texas House and Senate earlier this week and and is on its way to Governor Rick Perry’s desk for the final step in the legislation process. If it receives his signature, SB 498 outlining the TTP permit will be become state law. This will not have any impact on Texas hunting in the areas impact because this permit is almost exclusively used by suburban areas where hunting is prohibited.

Whitetail May Suffer, Deer Hunting in Texas Good?

There is nothing that hunters look forward to more than the opening day of the white-tailed deer hunting season in Texas. It’s a day that many hunters start looking forward to as soon as the previous season ends. We are lucky enough to live in a state that literally has a Texas-sized deer population, estimated at between 3.7 million and 4.2 million animals by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department White-tailed Deer Program leader, biologist Alan Cain.

Cain recently stated that the huge deer population is sure to have an impact on the habitat conditions this fall. The drought has already put pressure on deer habitat, but with many areas of the state near, at or over the deer carrying capacity of the vegetation, deer numbers will only add to the problem they and other wildlife species are facing.

“If the dry conditions continue through the rest of the summer we will see poor fawn recruitment this fall, whitetail will probably readily come to deer feeders as a result of less than desirable range conditions and hunters should have pretty good harvest rates,” he said. The deer hunting should be good this year, but poor fawn production could hurt hunters down the road. “Landowners and managers need to encourage hunters to meet their harvest goals for the ranch, regardless of drought or wet conditions.”

Cain pointed to a key theory to deer management, one directly relates to overall deer population numbers. The management of deer is based off of controlling age, genetics and food availability. Habitat should provide most of the food that deer eat, and deer must be kept at appropriate numbers for the vegetation. Landowners should never count on food plots or protein pellets, but only used as supplements. Proper deer density is a concept that has especially has come into focus this year.

“Keep your deer density at a level that you would during tough times and even during wet years,” he said. “Therefore, no matter what the conditions are, plenty of native vegetation will remain to support the whitetail population. It goes without saying that with too many deer on the range, especially during poor habitat conditions, animal performance suffers and buck antler quality decreases as well as reproductive success. If the dry conditions continue this year, I would encourage hunters to try to fill their tags and for those hunting on managed properties try to meet their harvest recommendations this deer hunting season.”

Texas Ranch Recognized for Wildlife Management

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) reported that Arthur “Buddy” Temple and his wife Ellen have been presented the 2011 Leopold Conservation Award for Texas for their transformation of an over-grazed, over-hunted South Texas ranch into a haven for wildlife and valuable research venue. Recognition is conferred each year by Sand County Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of its Lone Star Land Steward Awards program for wildlife management.

The Leopold Conservation Award honors the legacy of Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), considered the father of wildlife ecology. His collection of essays, “A Sand County Almanac,” remains one of the world’s best-selling natural history books. Leopold’s godson, Reed Coleman, formed Sand County Foundation in 1965 to protect the Leopold farm from encroaching lot development along the Wisconsin River.

The Temple family and their ranch operators, the Sanders, took a worn out South Texas ranch and turned it into a model operation. Their work in reviving this ranch and restoring its historic ranch house and other sites is truly worthy of being honored with an award named for Aldo Leopold. In nominating the Temple Ranch for the award, TPWD wildlife biologist Daniel Kunz of Alice pointed to these wildlife management accomplishments:

Quail management: Through efforts such as brush management, prescribed fire (patch burning), targeted grazing, native plant restoration, invasive plant control, water distribution, spreader dams, strategic harvest and participation in CKWRI Quail Associates, the owner-operators have increased usable space, overall bird numbers, and created a better distribution of quail throughout the ranch. Overall quail management efforts have focused on the fundamental need of bobowhite quail, providing good habitat.

Deer management: Increased body weights and better age structure in deer found on the ranch are attributed to the owner-operator’s commitment to intensive harvest management, water distribution, prescribed burning, brush management, supplemental feeding and use of level 3 managed land deer permits (MLD Permits). Deer management techniques have focused on manipulating age, genetics and nutrition.

Turkey management: Participation in the South Texas Rio Grande Turkey Project, along with riparian area protection and restoration, prescribed fire, and artificial roosts are all efforts undertaken to improve habitat, population, and understanding of habitat use of turkeys in south Texas. Turkey habitat management efforts have been part of an overall program for enhancing upland game bird habitat.

Outreach and education: Temple Ranch owner-operators have participated in the South Texas Wintering Bird Program, the Freer ISD field day, Buckskin Brigades, Texas A&M Kingsville range management classes, and Wounded Warrior hunts. The owner-operators have also created native plant demonstration areas for historical preservation and education.

Historical preservation: Working with archeologists, the owner-operators have restored ranch structures dating from the 1840s-1860s; got an historical marker placed on the ranch and have been working with the Texas Historical Commission to get the ranch added to the National Register of Historical Places.

Sponsors for the 16th annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards include Gulf States Toyota, Sand County Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners in Fish and Wildlife Program; Texas Wildlife Association; H. Yturria Land and Cattle Co.; Lower Colorado River Authority; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; Texas Agricultural Land Trust; Llano Springs Ranch, Ltd.; Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Gardner Appraisal Group, the Ly.

Impacts of Wildfire, Prescribed Fire

Fire can be great for managing wildlife habitat. Wildfires start through natural processes and benefit native plants and animals in many ways. The impacts of wildfire on wildlife habitat are a positive, but in modern times wildfire is viewed as a negative. This is because property damage is involved and human lives can be put at risk. Wildlife biologist and habitat specialist realize that prescribed burning benefits both wildlife and people and it, unlike a wildfire, can be set and managed under a predefined set of environmental conditions.

The scarring left by wildfires that consumed more than a million and a half acres in Texas so far this year will continue to fade, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists. The well-charred habitat will eventually be replaced by a landscape in much healthier condition for wildlife. Despite the hardship endured by those closest to the recent wildfires, time will eventually illustrate the positive ecological role that fire plays.

Habitat recovery depends on a lot of things, but the most important element is rain–something Texas has been running short on this year. Good rainfall can get things green in a hurry and have habitat off and running, but a lack of rain can delay plant and animal recovery for seasons and even years. Glen Gillman, one of TPWD’s Wildland Fire Program Leaders, stated:

“Following sufficient rainfall, recovery of burned vegetation will be fairly rapid. Wildlife species such as white-tailed deer will move back into burned areas. This may take longer in areas where brush species were hit hardest.”

Initial field assessments by TPWD biologists indicate minimal losses to wildlife populations from recent wildfires, although some mortality is to be expected during large scale fires, and plant communities are expected to recover over time. Individual ranches may see fewer animals until overall habitat conditions improve. Chip Ruthven, TPWD wildlife management area project leader in the Panhandle, said:

“Once rains come, forbs and grasses will respond quickly on most wildfire sites. Typically with spring fires warm-season grasses will respond better than forbs. Regrowth normally has a higher nutritive content and woody resprouts are more available for species such as white-tailed deer.”

Big game animals, such as white-tailed deer and pronghorn antelope, are capable of evading fire, burrowing animals can seek refuge underground and birds fly out of harm’s way.Even on ranches having high fences, deer usually can find an escape route. In fact, during a major fire that burned 95 percent of the high-fenced Chaparral Wildlife Management Area (WMA) southwest of San Antonio in 2008, relatively few deer were killed. Fast forward three years later and now deer densities on the WMA are a record highs!

The impacts of wildlfire on ground nesting bird species, like bobwhite quail and turkey, are tougher to project because nesting cover will take longer to recover. But, they do come back. Game bird species evolved with fire and are usually observed actively feeding in recently burned areas. Seeds become easier to find, but quail and turkey will not be nesting anytime soon.

The majority of Rio Grande turkeys probably did not even attempt to nest during the latest drought conditions, so the fire likely did not have a major impact on this year’s production. The greatest impacts of wildfires will be to reptiles and insect populations, both of which are capable of making rapid recoveries. You see, fires are a normal and natural process. Wildlife, and the habitats they depend on, have evolved with fire and, in the long-term, the effect of fires are quite positive. Just give it a little time–and some rain!

Mountain Lion Shot in El Paso City

Mountain lions are solitary animals. Because they are rarely observed by people—even in their natural habitat—it was a huge surprise when a mountain lion showed up in downtown El Paso. The lion that authorities first had tried to tranquilize led law enforcement officers, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) game warden captain and city animal control officers on a wild chase through the center of the city. When it was all over, the mountain lion was shot and killed in El Paso. It seems wild animals can show up anywhere and anything can happen.

The mountain lion was a male weighing 102 pounds. The lion was first seen on railroad tracks near downtown around 8:30 a.m. by Union Pacific employees. They contacted El Paso’s animal control unit, which began looking for the cat. A short time later, a passerby saw the animal enter the parking garage of a state office building at 401 E. Franklin, where TPWD game wardens have their offices along with several other government agencies.

Once the animal had been cornered in the garage, a Texas Department of Health veterinarian shot it with a tranquilizer dart. However, before the drug could take full effect, it jumped from the second floor of the garage back onto the street, heading north out of downtown with multiple agencies right on it’s tail.

Passing through a school yard, the mountain lion ran about a half-mile north to H&H Car Wash at 701 E. Yandell Dr., where Newman and other officers evacuated several customers and lowered the business’s vehicle security gate to trap the mountain lion inside. The animal eventually went down, but it did not lose consciousness so the veterinarian shot it with a second tranquilizer dart. Despite that injection, the mountain lion took off and hit the fence, finding a space it was able to crawl through.

It appeared that the lion was about to escape again, so two officers shot and killed the animal shortly before 10:30 a.m. The mountain lion will go to El Paso animal control facilities, and there will eventually be a necropsy analysis done.

There are occasional reports of mountain lions within the city limits, which is only about a mile from the Rio Grande River and in near proximity to the Franklin Mountains. Three or four years ago a TPWD game warden shot and killed a mountain lion in one of El Paso’s west side neighborhood that backed up to the mountain range. This seems like a lot of lion activity in recent years, so I can only suspect that the area has a healthy mountain lion population.

Venison Meatball Recipe

This venison recipe works great for making venison meatballs in bulk for a big event, or to freeze in batches and use later. The meatballs can stand alone, be used in spaghetti or used for a tasty Italian sandwich.

Ingredients

5 lbs. ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned fine, dry bread crumbs
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic

Directions

Use a very large pot or electric roaster heated to 425 degrees F. Combine all ingredients. Next, form into 1-inch meatballs. Place meatballs in pan. Cover and bake 30 to 45 minutes or until done. Stir occasionally to brown on all sides. This recipe makes approximately 75 venison meatballs.

Food Plot for Whitetail Deer in Oklahoma

Spring is just about over and summer is just around the corner, so most hunters already have their spring food plots in the ground and growing. Of course, this year has been a year of extremes for deer managers. Some parts of the white-tailed deer’s range are under severe drought while others are under 15 feet of water. Food plots have a hard go at it under either of these extremes, so hopefully your property is somewhere in the middle. Here is a question I received recently:

“Would you recommend planting Lespedeza striata in wildlife openings for deer as a forage and attractant? I am in a mountainous part of southeast Oklahoma and the soils are acidic. It is not practical for me to lime it all. I’m told this Lespedeza will grow well under these conditions, but would you consider this a high quality food plot for deer?” Continue reading Food Plot for Whitetail Deer in Oklahoma