Page 6
January 10, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
LSONews.com
Thirst Continued From Page 4
ICEBREAKER: Helping crack through frozen ice might make a landowner feel good, but deer should be fine getting their moisture through other means. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
sledgehammer. That probably wasn’t necessary, according to biologists. “I’m not exactly sure how long
Quail Continued From Page 4
days, but the best in five years. Covey size is huge — 15-25 birds. (We are) finding 10 to 18 coveys a day.
a deer can go without water, but it is probably several days,” said Jennifer Barrow, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist in
We have plenty of birds to repopulate next year, barring natural disaster. “Of course, all will depend on the magic ingredient this spring and summer.” Howard said he is
Decatur. “The ice storm that came through several weeks ago was worse than the most recent cold snap (on Jan. 5-6). The deer can lick
encouraging hunters to leave birds in the field. “We are still shooting lightly and dispersing our hunts widely,” he said, “and recommending others do the same to ensure a good breeding population
the ice or they can get moisture from plants and forbs.” Barrow said more northern locales where deer live see much more extreme cold weather than Texas and those deer do just fine, for the most part. “Some seeds have moisture,” she said. “We went hunting after the ice storm and were watching deer eating through the snow. After we shot a deer, we found out they were eating these tiny seeds, and when you popped them, they had a lot of moisture.” Barrow said deer will break the ice on a water trough if it isn’t too thick. “For sure, they will find water,” she said. Cleburne biologist Nathan Rains agreed. “Deer can usually find water someplace,” Rains said. “They can get it by eating snow or licking ice, from vegetation and by finding areas that are melting. Even in the hard freezes, they will find it.” Rains said a prolonged drought or high heat is much more damaging to white-tailed deer than a freeze, except when there is a sudden drop in temperatures. “That can kill animals,” he said. “Not so much here, but up north it can happen. You might lose some old or sick deer, but a drought is much worse.”
for the spring.” Reports from the Rolling Plains and southern Panhandle have been much better than the past few years. Internet postings by hunters in the Abilene area
showed great hunts after the new year with up to 20 coveys seen in a day. Other ranches in the area still report struggling with birds, but the numbers are definitely on the uptick in the area.