More Local Deer

Brazos County 2007

Milam County 2008

Huge Burleson County Buck

This 5.5 year old buck was killed on a free range ranch in Burleson County last week. He has 19 scorable points that gross B&C 181 2/8 and nets B&C 176 3/8 non-typical. The smallest mass measurement was 4 2/8 for a total of 39 1/8 inches of mass.

"Cat Squirrels"

Recently, I sat face to face with a “cat squirrel” as it debated its next move. I sat motionless, wondering what I would do if this bushy-tailed creature, complete with sharp, tiny claws decided to lunge into my lap. During the last several weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to spend hours perched in a water oak tree waiting for deer to travel down their trail which meanders through the woods just yards from the banks of the Navasota River. While deer sightings have been few and far between, the gray squirrels, or “cat squirrels” are abundant in the river bottom this year and have provided hours of entertainment as they scamper from limb to limb and tree to tree chattering and barking as they feverishly search for, eat, gather, and bury acorns.

Gray squirrels are scientifically classified in the Order Rodentia along with porcupines, rats, mice, beavers, and other gnawing mammals. Their scientific name is Sciurus carolinensis although they are more commonly known as “cat squirrels” because of their agile movements and nervousness which resembles that of a cat. The gray squirrel is a medium-sized squirrel with dark yellowish rusty upper parts, especially on the head and back. The legs, arms, sides of neck, and sides of rump have gray-tipped or white-tipped hairs, giving these parts a gray appearance. Hairs of the tail are dull yellow at the base, then blackish, and tipped with white. The belly is white and ears have a conspicuous white spot at base in the winter. The gray squirrel averages 18 inches in total length with a tail averaging about 8 inches. Adults weigh between 11 and 21 ounces. Cat squirrels are highly gregarious and noisy. When the woods are otherwise quiet and still, these squirrels can be heard “cutting” acorns and constantly “barking”. The voice is described as being a c-h-u-c-k c-h-u-c-k c-h-u-c-k repeated rapidly and followed by a buzz and finished with a grunt. When one squirrel is alarmed, it will sound a warning “bark” as if to instruct the others to remain quiet until the danger has passed.

In Texas, gray squirrels’ native range is confined to the eastern 1/3 of the state. Within this range, they are confined to the river and creek bottoms. They make their homes in large, forested areas of mature hardwoods where the canopy is dense enough to permit them to leap from tree to tree through the crowns, without descending to the ground. Optimum habitat includes a mixture of mature hardwoods including oak, sweetgum, pecan, hickory, beech, and elm with an understory of mulberry, hornbeam, yaupon, huckleberry, and holly. As with most wildlife species, habitats with greater variety of trees, shrubs, and vines are home to a greater number of squirrels.

Although young gray squirrels may be found anytime of year, there are 2 main breeding periods – winter and summer. With a gestation period of 42-44 days, most young are born in February-March and August-September. Litter sizes vary from 1-4 young per litter. Young are born naked, blind, and deaf, without any teeth. They are completely dependent on their mother until they gradually grow teeth and hair and their eyes and ears are opened. At 14 weeks of age, they become independent of the mother. Gray squirrels prefer to raise their young in tree cavities 20-30 feet above the ground. During the summer or where tree cavities are limited, adults may bring forth young in leaf nests carefully constructed of twigs and leaves and lined with shredded bark, plant fibers, and grasses. There are usually 2 openings to these nests. Nests are used throughout the year as resting places and for refuge. They are strongly built to withstand wind and rain.

Gray squirrels spend tireless hours obtaining food both for now and later. Their primary food source is hard mast such as acorns, pecans, and hickory nuts so they must bury these items when available in the fall and uncover them throughout the year. Other food items included in their diet include: fruits of yaupon, hawthorn, blackberry, mulberry, and grape; maple and elm buds; moth and butterfly larvae; fungi; and grass seeds. To maintain proper body condition a gray squirrel must consumer 0.2lb of food per day. According to one calculation, it would take 7 water oaks and 15 red oaks to produce enough acorns to feed 2 squirrels for a year. This calculation does not take into account the competition these squirrels have with deer, fox squirrels, raccoons, opossum, woodpeckers, flickers, bluejays, flying squirrels, crows, rats, mice, and feral hogs for these same acorns. As a result, it is vitally important to the existence of gray squirrel populations that forests be managed to maintain an abundance of mature, mast producing oaks and pecans.

Land fragmentation, timber harvest, and competition with increasing populations of white-tailed deer and feral hogs in the river and creek bottoms of east Texas pose a real threat to gray squirrels. Many whom have childhood memories of hunting gray squirrels in the woods behind their parent’s or grandparent’s homes have given up the sport in pursuit of more productive endeavors because of reduced squirrel populations in recent years. Mature hardwoods have been cleared or thinned to make room for home sites, subdivisions, roads, or for profit from timber harvest. However, where dense stands of mature oaks and pecans remain in and along the river bottoms, gray squirrels thrive - especially after a good mast producing fall like we experienced in 2007. When clearing timber on your property, remember the cat squirrels and other creatures that rely on the acorns for food and the natural cavities for den sites. When sitting in the woods, hunting deer, hogs, or ducks, take a minute to recognize the barks of cat squirrels and their constant feeding activity accentuated by nervous movements and agile leaps from treetop to treetop.

Another Notable Harvest

This buck was killed in Madison county this past week. It is hard to tell from the picture, but this 10 point grosses 169 1/8 B&C and nets 165 even. This 4 1/2 year old has an inside spread of 18 7/8, 4 tines over 9 ½ inches, and 15 ½ inches of brow tines. These are local genes on a low fence ranch.

HWMA 10 Point

Here's a game camera picture of what appears to be a good little 3 1/2 year old 10 point captured on game camera by someone in the Harvey WMA.

Great Local Bucks!

Low fence...Brazos County...gross B&C 146 1/8...net B&C 140 3/8

Low fence...Brazos County...not yet scored

Low fence...Madison County...gross B&C 151..net B&C 147 5/8

Great Local Deer!

Below are game camera pictures taken on a low fence, free range ranch in our area. He appears to be a typical 12 point with 3 additional "kickers" for a total of 15 points. His estimated Boone & Crockett score is in the low 170’s. He appears to be 4.5 years old. Therefore, this landowner is choosing not to harvest him this year in an effort to allow this buck to mature another 1 to 2 years. This is just one example of what can happen when bucks are allowed to reach maturity in our area.

If you have pictures that you would like posted on this blog, please send them to harveywma@gmail.com. Unless you want to be recognized, specifics about the location of deer pictured will be kept anonymous.

Aging Bucks on the Hoof

Deer hunting season has already begun for those of us who have the patience to sit in the tree with a bow and arrow and willingness to tolerate the mosquitoes and warm October afternoons. As you know, the keys to having large-antlered bucks on your property are providing nutrition, maintaining genetics, and allowing the bucks to reach maturity. The genetics to grow large antlers are already present in white-tailed deer populations of Brazos, Grimes, and Madison Counties. Much of the river bottom habitat provides an abundance of native plants providing quality nutrition. In most cases, the factor limiting antler quality in our area is age. Most of the bucks we see while sitting in deer stands or on our back porches are less then 3 1/2 years old. They have not yet reached maturity and, consequently have not grown their biggest set of antlers.

While aging deer "on the hoof" is more of an art than a science, the educated hunter and wildlife observer can learn to adequately determine if a buck has reached maturity and/or should be harvested. The physical characteristics which help define the different age classes can vary with geographic location, health of the animal, time of year, observer bias, and individual animal variations. By studying bucks carefully before harvest and comparing age estimates based on tooth-wear and replacement with "on the hoof" estimates, one can hone their aging skills on a particular ranch or geographic area. The following are some general characteristics which should be used to distinguish between young, middle-aged, and old deer:

• Young deer have: (1) long legs, (2) long, thin necks, (3) high flanks, (4) rumps higher than their shoulders, and (5) an overall slim, dainty appearance

• Middle-aged deer have: (1) thick, muscular necks, (2) heavily muscled round hind quarters, (3) bellies that are full, but not sagging, (4) legs that appear proportional to their torsos, (5) flat backs that do not sway



• Old deer have: (1) swayed backs, (2) "pot-bellies" which lack musculature, (3) heavy necks and shoulders, and (4) legs that appear short and stubby

Classifying bucks as 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 3 1/2, 4 1/2, etc. is not a precise science. However, there are some researchers and authors who have published some useful guidelines and training tools. Click here for an article from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine archives that paraphrases text and introduces a book written by Dave Richards and Al Brothers which I introduced on this blog months ago. This book contains very good pictures of deer from south Texas which follows the same deer throughout their life and antler progression. Mississippi State University Extension Service also has a publication titled A Hunters Guide to Aging and Judging Live White-tailed Deer in the Southeast which includes a some good pictures and descriptions. Click the title or find the link on the right of this blog to view this publication.

When you go hunting, take a good pair of binoculars, be aware of the ways that lighting conditions, the deer's distance from you, the angle you are viewing the deer from, and the amount of adrenaline flowing through your blood can affect the way you perceive that buck. Take time to study the characteristics of his body before looking at his antlers. Remember, once you pull the trigger, the decision is final and his antlers will never grow to be any larger.

Introduce Someone To Hunting This Fall!

A picture of a 12 year old boy, with his hair still ruffled from the night before, squatting proudly behind his first gobbler is displayed in the corner of my bedroom. That boy was me, and the person who took that picture was a family friend; he cared enough about me and about passing on the hunting heritage that he dressed me in camouflage and took me afield. Growing up in the suburbs of Dallas with non-hunting parents, I may have never experienced the thrill of the hunt and beauty of the woods if it weren’t for the efforts of this generous friend.

The benefits of introducing someone to hunting are many. The greatest, to me, is the enjoyment of watching and listening as the birds, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and hogs come alive in response to the sunrise or nestle down for the night as the sun sets. The thrill and excitement as the targeted game presents itself and the shooting skills of the hunter are tested remain unrivalled. Life lessons such as patience, self control, and obedience to rules are easily taught and learned through hunting. Assuming a kill, one learns how to extract roasts, steaks, and sausage from the legs, ribs, or backs of wild animals. Lessons in land management and the importance of population control are learned first hand. Additionally, someone who has experienced ethical hunting will likely go from feelings of indifference (which can easily be swayed to opposition) to feelings of support for the activity. Even if they do not become an avid hunter, creating a supporter of hunting is vitally important to the future of hunting in our state and nation. As a hunter, the enjoyment of sharing in the excitement of someone’s first harvest is second only to your own.

I recently had the opportunity to introduce someone to hunting. This time it was a college buddy of mine who grew up in a non-hunting family in Houston. I took him to the shooting range where I taught him about proper gun handling and safety, followed by a little target practice. The next day, I had the thrill of taking him on his first feral hog hunt. At 31 years old, he was still so excited that he barely slept the night before; I, too, was almost giddy as I remembered back to my first hunts. If you are a hunter, please take a youth or adult who has never hunted before into the woods with you this fall. If you would like to take someone hunting, but don’t know any non-hunters, call me and I will line you up with an eager Texas A&M student . If you own land but aren’t a hunter, ask a trusted hunter to invite a new recruit to hunt on your property. If you have never been hunting and would like to experience it first hand, ask a fellow Harvey WMA member to take you. I promise you won’t regret it!

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

I’ve kept the hummingbird feeder hanging outside my kitchen window full of fresh, sugar water since noticing the first hummingbird zooming around my flower garden in March. Since then, there have been at least a few visiting “hummers” each week. They are always a welcomed sight while preparing breakfast in the morning or washing dishes after dinner in the evening as I’m fascinated by their incredibly fast wing beats and helicopter-like ability to hover in place and fly backward. In the last couple of weeks, the 2 or 3 regulars at our feeder have turned into flocks of ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) resembling swarms of mosquitoes. To my amazement, these birds are consuming more than 4 cups of sugar water every day!

From March to May, ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate from Mexico and Central America to and through Texas. They store up fat reserves and increase their body weight by as much as 50% before migrating across the Gulf of Mexico in as few as 18 hours. They can show up in our yards, literally, overnight. Some will follow the bloom of spring flowers and insect hatches northward to their breeding grounds in the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada. They leave their northern breeding grounds as early as July and as late as December in Texas. Males lead both the northern and southern migration.

Similar to most bird species, the females bear the responsibility of building nests, laying eggs, and caring for the young. They build a walnut-sized nest of spider silk, lichens, and plant down. These well-built nests can even be reused the following year. This nest holds two pea-sized eggs which the female will incubate for 12-16 days. Young are fed regurgitated nectar, spiders, and insects for about 10 days. Multiple broods may be raised each year, and hummingbirds can live as long as 12 years.

Adult male ruby-throats have an emerald green back, iridescent ruby red throat that may appear black under some lighting conditions, and a forked tail without white tips. Adult females are larger than males with an emerald green back, white breast and throat, and a rounded tail with white tips. Young of both sexes look like the adult female. These amazing birds weigh only 1/8th to 1/7th of an ounce. They can fly backwards, sideways, up, down, and even upside down for short distances. Their normal heart rate of 650 beats per minute (bpm) increases to 1,250bpm during flight. While hovering, their wings beat up to 80 times per second. The energy needed to maintain this high level of activity is provided by nectar, small insects, and spiders which they feed on 50-60 times per day. Nectar is lapped (not sucked) from plants and artificial feeders using their tubular tongue which extends well past the tip of their bill.

These fascinating little birds can provide excellent wildlife viewing as males try to defend the feeder from intruding hummers, multiple birds at a time will hover around the feeder, waiting for an opportunity to swoop in for a drink of the sugar water, they chirp and chatter as if scolding each other for taking too long, and chasing each other around the yard like young children playing tag. Even more intriguing to me than watching their behavior around the feeder, is watching them feed on their natural food sources of althea, honeysuckle, salvia, zinnia, and lantana. Recently, I even had one make several charges out of the elm tree I was dove hunting under as if to run me away from its territory.

What will the Harvey WMA accomplish next?

The Harvey WMA has gone from a loose association of Texas Parks and Wildlife cooperators with a few signs on gates scattered throughout eastern Brazos County to a nonprofit corporation of landowners effectively managing bottomland hardwood and post oak savannah habitats and associated wildlife populations through landowner cooperation and education. In the last 12 months Harvey WMA has:

• Established a set of bylaws
• Acquired nonprofit corporation status from the Secretary of State's office
• Established a permanent mailing address
• Opened a bank account which now has a balance of more than $1,000
• Hosted a prescribed burn workshop where attendees learned about the benefits and techniques of prescribed burning
• Grown to more than 40 paid members representing more than 16,000 acres of land
• Created poster-size maps of all properties represented by HWMA members available for viewing at all HWMA functions
• Held a membership meeting where nearly 30 members enjoyed fajitas, beverages, a presentation on local habitat conditions, and instruction on how to age deer using the jawbone method

None of this would have been possible without the leadership of Dennis Rother, Leon Williamson, and Judy Riley. These individuals have invested many hours of their time and their own resources over the past 12 months because they felt strongly about taking care of our natural resources and the positive effects of working together as a group to accomplish this. These individuals have laid the foundation for Harvey WMA to accomplish even more for conservation and its members in the coming year.

It's now time for a new board of directors (officers). It's time for other members to step up and contribute to the Harvey WMA. If you believe that we can more effectively manage the lands of eastern Brazos County by working together, you enjoy sociallizing with your neighbors and other like-minded landowners, and you want to learn more about how to improve the quality of your property for wildlife, I'm convinced you're more than qualified to be the President, Secretary, or Treasurer of the Harvey WMA. As a member of the board of directors, you'll help plan at least 2 general meetings and 1 field day/workshop/activity, keep the membership roster updated, deposit checks and keep financial records updated, correspond with members through this blog, and use your enthusiasm and individual talents to help the Harvey WMA accomplish its mission. If you are willing to assist with these tasks by serving on the board of directors from August '08 through August '09, please let me or the current Board of Directors know before the August 28th meeting. If you are considering it, but would like more information about serving on the board of directors, please write harveywma@gmail.com . Dennis, Leon, and Judy will be relieved of their duties August 28th and the Harvey WMA cannot continue without your help!

Hunt Texas Online Connection - July Link of the Month

It is still too hot to spend hours in a deer stand and the ducks are still months away from embarking on their migration south, but it isn't too early to start thinking about where you will chase your favorite game this fall. Texas Parks and Wildlife has launched a new online service this year to put hunters looking for a place to hunt in contact with landowners offering hunting lands for lease. Landowners and land managers can list hunting leases for free, including last minute open spots, while ensuring anonymity until a match is made. Hunters can find private hunting leases for free, as well as search for specific hunting opportunities by lease type, county, game species and other information. Click on the title of this post to view the the Hunt Texas Online Connection website and begin searching for a place to hunt this year or find hunters interested in leasing your property.

Post Oak Savannah or Post Oak Thicket?

Recently, I visited a nearby ranch that is actively clearing yaupon, elm, and other woody plants from the understory of the post oak woodlands. This landowner understands (at least to a certain extent) the importance of creating an open understory to enhance wildlife habitat. While visiting properties in the Harvey WMA and throughout the Brazos Valley, I’ve realized that there is some confusion about the abundance of woody shrubs and vines that dominate much of the landscape. Some of the comments I hear are, “The thick woods provide cover for the deer, right?”, “Do deer eat yaupon?”, “I don’t want to kill any trees, but I can’t get to most of my property because of all the yaupon.”

Brazos County lies completely within the Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a savannah as “a temperate grassland with scattered trees (as oaks)”. According to Wikipedia, the term savannah originally came from a Native American word describing "land which is without trees but with much grass either tall or short" and by the late 1800s it was used to mean "land with both grass and trees". It now refers to land with grass and either scattered trees or an open canopy of trees. Savannahs are often a transition between forests and prairies. They support a tremendous number of plant and animal species.

Much of the lands we own and manage in Brazos County today are in a condition much different from the savannahs of 100 years ago. Grasslands dotted with post oaks have been replaced by large blocks of bermuda pastures and dense woodlands. Historically, regularly occurring grass fires and periodic grazing created environmental conditions favorable for the growth of annual forbs and perennial grasses of the savannah ecosystem. When these conditions were altered by fire suppression, introduction of exotic grasses, and year-round grazing by domestic livestock, the process of succession took affect.

Succession is the process in which the same area is successively occupied by different communities over time. Through the process of succession, bare ground [created by strip-mining, land leveling, or river deposited sand bar] will, over the course of tens, hundreds, or thousands of years develop into a stable climax community of perennial [woody] plants and trees. In the absence of fire and periodic grazing, the grassland savannahs of Brazos County and surrounding areas have developed into shrub-woodlands. As a result, bobwhite quail, eastern wild turkey, Houston toad, and other desirable wildlife species have disappeared. A recent study described a post oak savannah site which in the early 1800s documented more than 28 bird species and 300 plant species. In year 2000, after undergoing the same land use changes occurring in the Brazos County area, that same piece of property recorded only 4 bird species and less than 25 plant species.

There is good news! In his 1933 textbook titled Game Management, Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management, stated that “…game can be restored by the creative use of the same tools which have heretofore destroyed it - ax, plow, cow, fire, and gun." In other words, activities such as mowing and cutting (ax), disking (plow), grazing (cow), prescribed burning (fire), and/or hunting (gun) can be used to return the yaupon infested woodlots and weed-controlled hay pastures to grasslands with an open canopy of trees.

Although deer and birds will eat leaves, twigs, and berries of yaupon, dense woodlots provide travel corridors for deer movements in a highly fragmented landscape, and some bird and mammal species prefer dense woodlands to an open canopy, overall plant and animal diversity increases with the removal of yaupon, elm, and eastern redcedar from the understory of your wooded properties. Thinning or removing these woody plants will allow more sunlight to reach the ground, promote grass and weed production, and allow for forest regeneration. Additional benefits include decreased erosion and increased ground water re-charge. Remember, except for the creek and river bottoms, your property used to be a savannah which supported hundreds of plant and animal species which are absent from the yaupon crowded woodlots of today.

Stay tuned for recommended methods of removing nuisance understory brush and increasing diversity on your property.

Wildlife Photos from Coyote Stars Ranch

Special thanks to Leon Williamson for submitting some great wildlife pictures from his Coyote Stars Ranch. If you would like to share photos from your Harvey WMA property, please send them to harveywma@gmail.com

Wetland Construction and Management (Part 2)

Wetland management techniques focus on manipulating water levels to have desired effects on wetland plant communities. Wetlands are dynamic systems. Therefore, wetland management must also be dynamic and often requires professionals to identify the individual and changing management needs of a wetland. Management is a continuous, variable, and dynamic process. However, the basic techniques of wetland management are relatively straight forward. The goal of wetlands designed the way I’ve described in this post is to grow annual plants which will produce large amounts of seeds that provide a valuable food source to many wildlife species, especially dabbling ducks such as mallards, wigeon, gadwall, and teal. Annual plants respond favorably to wetlands which gradually dry out during the spring and summer months and to soils that are periodically disturbed. Therefore, water level manipulation and disking are the 2 most common and useful wetland management tools.

In our part of the state, the most beneficial time to begin releasing water from a wetland is late winter to early spring when soil temperatures reach about 60 degrees F. Valuable plants such as pink smartweed respond favorably to this early drawdown. However, if drawdown is delayed until mid-spring to early summer, desirable plants such as barnyard grass will grow rapidly. Regardless of the timing of drawdown, drawdown should be made slowly, often taking up to 1-2 months to completely drain.

Once the wetland is dry, mowing and burning can control undesirable plants such as cocklebur, sumpweed, or sesbania and encourage more beneficial food plants. Mowing and burning can also reduce heavy stands of rushes, sedges, and other species that can take over an area and crowd out other plants. Once monocultures and undesirable plants become established, mowing and burning will become only temporary fixes and require follow up treatments at least once a year. Disking can also be used to reduce perennial species and increase seed producing annuals. Disking is usually only recommended every 3-4 years.

With proper water level manipulation and soil disturbance, an abundance of native plants and seeds can be produced to attract migratory waterfowl. This method is recommended over planting crops such as corn, milo, soybeans, and rice. However, if a crop is desired, choose Japanese millet. The first step in growing Japanese millet is to obtain a soil analysis for the area to be planted. Contact NRCS or the Texas AgriLife Extension county offices for assistance submitting and interpreting results. Disk and harrow to prepare a good seedbed. Blend the seed with the fertilizer and broadcast over the field at a rate of 20lbs/ac. Because Japanese millet can produce mature seed in 60 days, it is recommended to plant from July 1 to August 15 so that the seeds are mature as late as possible prior to the first frost. An alternative seeding method for Japanese millet is to delay drawdown until mid- or late summer and then quickly reduce the water level to expose wet mudflats. Then broadcast the seed and fertilizer at the same rate as above. If you plan to hunt near of over this wetland, be sure to check with a local game warden to be sure you are not illegally baiting ducks through this practice.

At some point, your wetland will be invaded by nuisance plants and animals that should be reduced or eliminated. Cocklebur, sumpweed, and sesbania respond favorably to rapid drawdown in the summer. While a slow drawdown in the late winter and early spring can help to minimize these nuisance plants, mowing or herbicide treatment may be necessary to reduce or eliminate them. Once detected, these plants should be treated quickly to avoid seed production which will increase problems in subsequent years. Because willow or cattail cannot withstand competition, these pest plants are best avoided by producing desirable plants on bare moist soil in late spring or early summer. Since there is often an abundance of bare moist in the first year of a new wetland unit, it may be necessary to plant Japanese millet or other beneficial plant to keep willow and cattail from establishing.

Beavers can be expected to occupy your wetland project. Beavers often plug water control structure and/or burrow into levees. To keep beavers from plugging your structure, place a pen constructed of cattle panel or similar material around the control structure. Although beavers may still stack material along the fence, it is much easier to remove debris along a fence than it is in a control structure. Nutria are fast reproducing herbivores that can become quickly overpopulated and destroy vegetation within a wetland. They will also clog control structures and burrow into levees. Every attempt should be made to remove nutria from your wetland unit. Feral hogs will also do extensive damage to levees and wetland areas. Hogs should be trapped and shot whenever possible to protect the investment you’ve made in your wetland project.

Remember, wetlands are more than just a place to duck hunt. The collective efforts of creating, restoring, and enhancing wetlands on your properties will have a tremendous impact on water quality and quantity and wildlife habitats.

Wetland Construction and Management (Part 1)

Those of you who have spent a little time in the field with me know that wetlands and waterfowl are my favorite habitats and wildlife species to talk about. That’s why I was excited to see the comments about wetlands made by Richard and Dan Dawson on the Harvey WMA blog last week. Since other Harvey members could probably benefit from information on wetland construction and management, I’ve dedicated to post discussing the basics. All of the following information can be found in a Texas AgriLife Extension publication titled “Techniques for Wetland Construction and Management”. As always, if you would like additional information or a copy of the publication, please contact me.

Many people see wetlands as “wastelands” or as areas suitable only for snakes, alligators, and mosquitoes. Wetlands, however, provide many important ecological functions as well as recreational and aesthetic functions to those who learn to recognize them. Wetlands help regulate the climate, provide flood and erosion control, store and recycle nutrients, protect water quality, provide wildlife habitat, and provide recreational hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities. Many of these functions are enhanced on wetlands that are closely tied to a river system and waterfowl travel corridor like those of the Harvey WMA. Many of you have the opportunity to create, restore, or enhance wetlands on your property, and I hope the remainder of this post will provide you with the basic tools needed to begin.

The first step to a wetland development project is to assess the soil characteristics, seasonal availability of water, abundance of wetland adapted plants in the soil, and existing plant communities. Impermeable soils, adequate surface water during the fall and winter, and a community of annual seed producing plants indicate an area suitable for wetland development. After a suitable site has been identified, contact a private land surveyor or engineering personal with NRCS to supply an elevation survey accurate to one-foot contours. This level of accuracy is necessary for best placement of levees and control structures. Waterfowl and other wetland wildlife are attracted to plants that grow in shallow (<3ft).

Before beginning levee construction, contact a qualified contractor or NRCS personnel to provide soil sampling and engineering design to ensure that levees (1) will not leak, (2) will impound the desired amount of water, and (3) will withstand extreme flood events. Levees should not be more than 4-5 feet tall. The distance from the water level to the top of the levee should be between 18 and 30 inches. Levee side slopes should be no steeper than 3:1, but may be as gradual at 10:1. Levee elevations should be uniform throughout to prevent erosion at lower areas where floodwaters would overtop the levee. The levee should, however, be at its highest point near the control structure and discharge pipe to prevent washouts at this important location. A large and well-designed spillway should be set about 1-6 inches above the normal water level so that flood waters will immediately pass through the wetland and avoid placing unwanted stress on the levee system. Levee material should be borrowed from inside the constructed wetland area. This will create a narrow barrow ditch which may occasionally be more than 3 feet deep along the inside of the levee. If a levee will completely surround the wetland, remember to leave an area without a borrow ditch to allow access by hunters and/or equipment. After levee construction, immediately re-vegetate exposed soil on levees and borrow areas. Common or coastal Bermuda grass offers the best option for sod-forming grasses to hold soil and reduce erosion on these areas. Roots from woody plants and trees can penetrate the levee embankment and cause a washout. Shredding or herbicide treatments should be used to remove trees from levees.

Water control structures provide the ability to control water levels in the wetland. The most common types of structures are flashboard risers, screw gates, flap gates, and drop pipes. The flashboard riser is the most versatile and desirable. A flashboard riser functions by using a series of wooden, aluminum, or PVC “boards” fitted in slots to form one side of the riser box. Boards are added or removed to regulate water levels in the impoundment. The riser box is coupled to a culvert pipe that passes through the levee to discharge water. Install flashboard riser(s) near the lowest point(s) of the wetland to provide for maximum drainage capability. When placing risers in the levee, be sure that the top board in the riser box is the same elevation as the normal operating water level will be.

Check back next week for Part 2 on how to manage your wetland once it is built.

Native Prairies of Texas - June Link of the Month

Many of you have heard me recommend planting native grasses or making other efforts toward restoring native prairies on the properties you manage. What are native grasses? What is a native prairie? I didn't plant these grasses, so aren't they native? These are some of the responses I get when I suggest restoring native grassland areas. Your properties lie in the Post Oak Savannah ecosystem. This means that historically the landscape was a savannah with a prairie understory and an open canopy of post oaks and other trees above. A prairie is a diverse ecosystem of mainly native grasses and flowering plants with wildlife, soil, geology, and fire playing important roles. Cotton and grain farming, cattle ranching, and urban development have eliminated or severely altered more than 99% of the nearly 20 million acres of prairie that once existed in Texas.

This month's link of the month is to the Native Prairies Association of Texas. Click on the title of this post or the similarly named link on the right panel of this blog to learn:

• What is a prairie?
• How is a prairie different from fields of grass?
• Where you can visit native prairies in Texas
• How to recognize and protect prairie remnants
• How to plan and install small prairie areas
• What to plant in your native prairie area

You will also be able to follow links to pictures and slide shows of native prairies and beautiful wildflowers, NPAT newsletters, suggested reading materials, and additional links concerning native plants and prairie restoration. If you are interested in restoring natural beauty and wildlife value to the open areas of your property, this website (especially the 'photo album' and 'learn' tabs) deserves at least 20-30 minutes of your time!

For details on restoring native prairie plants on your property or cost share programs offered by state and federal agencies, contact me or comment to this post.

Join the Harvey WMA

Word is spreading about the wildlife habitat management activities, workshops, field days, and social events of the Harvey WMA. Landowners and leaseholders of properties in eastern Brazos County are visiting this site and benefiting from the information they find. If you own property or lease land for hunting or grazing in eastern Brazos County or along the Navasota River in Grimes County and would like to join the efforts of the Harvey WMA in maintaining and improving wildlife populations and wildlife habitats, contact us for a membership application. Join more than 40 owners and managers of more than 16,000 acres of land in Brazos County as they work together to improve bottomland and upland habitats for the benefit of white-tailed deer, waterfowl, song bird, and other important wildlife populations. Dues are $25/year. Membership includes a gate sign, invitations to meetings, field days, and social events, and the satisfaction of belonging to group that is making a difference for wildlife along the Navasota River. E-mail harveywma@gmail.com for a membership application today!

$1 Million to Control Feral Hogs in Texas

Some of you saw the news release yesterday announcing that for the FY 2008-2009 biennium, Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) was appropriated $1 million for a two-year grant program to fund a long-term statewide feral hog abatement strategy. Texas is home to nearly 2 million feral hogs, the largest feral hog population in the U.S., most of which reside in East Texas. Their numbers are continuing to increase because of their high reproductive potential and the lack of natural predators. In 2006-2007, TDA funded a pilot study through Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University to assess feral hog damage to crops, evaluate current control efforts, and measure economic impact. The results were then distributed to landowners and the general public through workshops and field days. The specifics of how the additional $1 million received by TDA will be spent in FY '08-09 has not been determined or released. However, it is likely that most of this money will be used by Texas AgriLife Extension's Wildlife Services unit to implement strategies for controlling and reducing feral hog populations. During the pilot study, Extension personnel selected landowners/ranchers to participate in the eradication portion of the study. To my knowledge, there is still no formal application process for local landowners who wish to have assistance with feral hog removal. However, if you would like more information on the next 2 years of the feral hog abatement project, contact Michael Bodenchuk with the Texas AgriLife Extension's Wildlife Services at (210) 472-5451.

For more information on the feral hog ecology, economic and ecologic impacts, control methods, etc. I recommend the following websites.
http://feralhog.tamu.edu/
http://wildlife.tamu.edu/publications/B6149FeralHogs_low.pdf
http://wild-wonderings.blogspot.com/2008/03/feral-hog-facts.html
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0195.pdf

May Link of the Month

In an effort to keep everyone coming back to the Harvey WMA blog site and keep WMA members informed of the latest information, I will periodically post on this site. At times, I will write "articles" on various topics. Once a month, I will also introduce you to a new link that contains information I think you will be interested in. This month, the link I'm recommending you all visit is the Spring 2008 edition of Texas Parks and Wildlife's Eye on Nature Newsletter. Click on the title of this posting to read the newsletter in its entirety. The Eye on Nature newsletter is published by the wildlife diversity program that Matt Wagner, my predecessor, now oversees. In this issue you will discover the key to great wildlife habitat, learn the differences between native and invasive plant species and effects of each on various wildlife species, read a narrative describing the development of Texas Parks and Wildlife's Private Lands Assistance Program which allows me to work individually with you on the management of your properties, and read short descriptions of native plants such as American beautyberry, wax myrtle, rusty blackhaw viburnam, hackberry, post oak, and mistletoe which provide valuable food and cover for some of your favorite wildlife. I strongly recommend that you follow the link in the title of this post and spend about 10-15 minutes reading the articles in this newsletter. Be sure to check the Eye on Nature Newsletter link on the right column of the blog to see past and future editions of the newsletter.

Aging Deer Using Tooth Wear and Replacement (Jawbone Method)

I'm sure everyone remembers every detail of what to look for when aging deer using jawbones. Hopefully you were even paying close enough attention to my presentation that you noticed (as my wife so graciously pointed out to me) that I misspoke a few times by instructing you to look at the 4th tooth to determine if it was tri-cuspid. Just in case you don't remember everything you saw and heard in my presentation on Tuesday or weren't able to attend the meeting, click on the title of this post to view a full-color PDF brochure titled "A Guide to Age Determination of White-tailed Deer" published by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Remember that recording the age, weight, gender, presence or absence of lactation, and antler measurements of all the deer harvested on your property each year is vital to determining the health of the heard and their habitats and directing future harvest and management recommendations. Use the information provided in this brochure and the one you received on Tuesday to age the deer you harvest next hunting season. If you need a refresher course or some jaw bones to practice on next year, please feel free to contact me.

Wildlife and Fish Management Calendars

During Tuesday's Harvey WMA meeting, I was asked to discuss habitat management activities that should be performed during the spring and summer months. It later occurred to me that I had calendars in my truck that contained much of the information I presented. I had intentions of giving them out, but forgot. So, I wanted to let you know where you could get that information for yourselves.

Clicking on the title of this post will direct you to Texas Parks & Wildlife's Private Lands Calendars in PDF format. This calendar contains "Habitips" in addition to beautiful pictures and information about TPW's Wildlife Management Areas.

I also highly recommend you take a look at the Texas AgriLife Extension's Wildlife and Fish Management Calendar for Texas and the Southeast. This is a full-color calendar that will teach you how to manage your property for wildlife and fish, but also when to perform critical management tasks. It contains information on how to improve fishing in your ponds, understand population dynamics of your deer herd, age deer in the field, select supplemental forages for wildlife, etc. A PDF of this calendar can be obtained from http://tcebookstore.org/ where it can also be purchased for $7.95+ tax and shipping.

For those of you managing green-tree reservoirs and moist soil unit wetlands for wintering waterfowl, go to http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_pr_w7000_1179a.pdf. TPWD's East Texas waterfowl biologist, Corey Mason, has put together a one page wetland management calendar of recommended activities.

I've included 3 great resources for wildlife management guidelines. However, all 3 provide only general guidelines. If you need more information about any of these activities and how to apply them to your properties, please contact me.

Observing and Evaluating Whitetails

During the meeting on Tuesday, someone requested information on aging deer on the hoof before they were harvested. Several of the members suggested a book titled "Observing and Evaluating Whitetails" by Dave Richards and Al Brothers. This is book is full of great pictures used to describe the characteristics for distinguishing between age classes of bucks. The paperback version can be purchased for $29.99 from Quality Deer Management Association at 800-209-3337 or www.QDMA.com

Burn Workshop

On March 1, 2008, the Harvey WMA hosted a prescribed burn workshop sponsored by Texas Wildlife Association, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Texas Parks and Wildlife at The Physician's Center in College Station. The weather and burn bans prevented us from participating a burn that day, but the NRCS and TPW speakers gave good information to those of us interested in planning and implementing a burn on our own properties. A land owner from Grimes County shared some pictures and video of his first prescribed burn conducted just weeks prior to our workshop. Below are a few pictures from this workshop. We plan to host at least 2 such workshops/field trips/seminars every year. We hope more of you will be able to join us for the next one. Stay tuned to the blog for topics and dates.

Welcome to the Harvey WMA blog site

Many of our members and potential members have requested a web location where information about upcoming activities, relevant information, and pictures could be posted. Well, it's finally here! We hope that this blog will help to achieve our goal of fostering relationships and communication among Harvey WMA members. If you have suggestions for information, links, pictures, etc. you would like to see on this blog, please let us know and we'll do the best we can.