Texas Wildlife - The State of Gators - May 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

MAY 2021

The State of Gators

TEXAS WILDLIFE

CEO COMMENTS D AV I D Y E AT E S

W

hile May marks a mid-point on the calendar, where spring melts into summer, it also serves as an annual milestone for me. Seven years ago, I came to work for your Texas Wildlife Association. That anniversary always prompts me to reflect on where we have been, what we have accomplished, and what needs to be done next. Most importantly, it serves as a powerful reminder of what an honor and privilege it is to serve in this role.

TWA's mission and work are inarguably crucial to our home, Texas. Delivering the gospel of natural resource conservation, land stewardship and hunting to everyone from school children to policy makers is a challenging, rewarding and righteous duty.

The responsibility to advance that cause falls on all of us who care about wildlife.

The most humbling thing about that work is the opportunity to serve with scores of passionate, honorable, intelligent and courageous people toward a common goal. The TWA staff are some of the most creative and driven folks one could ask to share a workplace with. They get up early every day and shoulder the yoke of their jobs, to collectively advance wildlife conservation.

These fine people work long hours, nights and weekends, from our headquarters or remotely, from the field to classrooms to the halls of our state Capitol, logging thousands of miles criss-crossing the state along the way. I am enormously proud of what they accomplish while managing to always have smiles on their faces.

The TWA volunteers represent the finest Texas has to offer. This army of heroes are astonishingly generous with their time.

Tightknit teams of Huntmasters plan and run youth hunts on their free weekends; teachers and scientists take time off to assist with workshops and field days; and, Directors, Committee members and Officers share hours of their time and professional expertise to collectively govern the Association on all matters, from fundraising to crafting public policy initiatives and strategic plans. Rest assured your TWA is in good hands with these fine men and women at the helm.

The last 12 months have been hard on everyone, but together we persevered. That was only possible through teamwork and lifting each other up, supporting our friends and colleagues, and allowing them to support us. At the end of the day, that is what it is all about. Working together with good people toward a shared and noble goal is enormously enriching.

To quote Teddy Roosevelt, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Thank you for the opportunity to serve TWA.

Texas Wildlife Association Mission Statement Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

OFFICERS Tom Vandivier, President, Dripping Springs Sarah Biedenharn, Vice President, San Antonio Dr. Louis Harveson, Second Vice President for Programs, Alpine Jonathan Letz, Treasurer, Comfort For a complete list of TWA Directors, go to www.texas-wildlife.org

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES Administration & Operation David Yeates, Chief Executive Officer Quita Hill, Director of Finance and Operations Cynthia Moncrief, Office Administrator

Outreach & Member Services David Brimager, CWB®, Director of Public Relations Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator Mimi Sams, Engagement Coordinator

Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs Kassi Scheffer-Geeslin, Director of Youth Education Elanor Dean, Education Program Specialist Gwen Eishen, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Adrienne Paquette, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Elisa Velador, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Ali Kuehn, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Anna SoRelle, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Brittani Dafft, L.A.N.D.S. Educator & CL Program Assistant Marla Wolf, Curriculum Writer Iliana Peña, Director of Conservation Programs Courtney Brittain, Website Consultant COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bryan Jones, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Nicklow, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Sherry Herrington, TYHP Administrative Assistant Kara Starr, Texas Big Game Awards Program Coordinator

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

Texas Wildlife Association

TEXAS WILDLIFE is published monthly by the Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. E-mail address: twa@texas-wildlife.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) was organized in 1985 for the purpose of serving as an advocate for the benefit of wildlife and for the rights of wildlife managers, landowners and hunters in educational, scientific, political, regulatory and legislative arenas. TEXAS WILDLIFE is the official TWA publication and has widespread circulation throughout Texas and the United States. All rights reserved. No parts of these magazines may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the publisher. Copyrighted 2021 Texas Wildlife Association. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Texas Wildlife Association. Similarities between the name Texas Wildlife Association and those of advertisers or state agencies are coincidental, and do not indicate mutual affiliation, unless clearly noted. TWA reserves the right to refuse advertising.

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MAY 2021

6644 FM 1102 New Braunfels, TX 78132 www.texas-wildlife.org (210) 826-2904 FAX (210) 826-4933 (800) 839-9453 (TEX-WILD)

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

MAY

VOLUME 37

H

8 The State of Alligators

NUMBER 1

H

2021

32 Borderlands News

by WHITNEY KLENZENDORF

A Closer Look At Feral Pig Rooting Disturbance

14 Hunting Heritage

by JOSHUA R. COWARD, RYAN S. LUNA, BONNIE J. WARNOCK, and JOHN C. KINSEY

Hunter Ed Hunt Success

by CHRIS MITCHELL

34 Law of the Land

16 Lessons From Leopold

Eminent Domain

A Way of Living

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

by STEVE NELLE

38 Small Acreage, Big Impact

18 TWAF

for Wildlife

A Tribute to Randy Rehmann

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

by DAVID BRIMAGER

42 Give ‘Em The Axe!

20 Conservation Legacy

by JOHN JEFFERSON

Small Acreage, Big Opportunity

44 Diversified Ranch Income

by AMANDA GOBELI

by BRANDON RAY

24 Guns & Shooting

48 It’s Called Ecotherapy

Gun Safety

by JUDY JUREK

by LUKE CLAYTON

54 Outdoor Traditions

26 Pond Management

Wildflower Foraging

FAQs

by SALLIE LEWIS

by BILLY HIGGINBOTHAM, PH.D.

Photo by Larry Ditto

Magazine Staff

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

MAY 2021

If there is one word that describes the American alligator, it is resilient. Over the course of 200 million years of evolution, this animal has undoubtedly seen highs and lows, but it has bounced back each time. Federal and state agencies have worked with private landowners, and alligator populations in Texas have rebounded. The alligator has responded so well to conservation that it was delisted after only 20 years, making the American alligator one of the first successful recoveries of an endangered species in the United States. Read more from Whitney Klenzendorf in her article “The State of Alligators,” starting on page 8.

MAGAZINE CORPS David Yeates, Executive Editor Kim Rothe, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor David Brimager, CWB®, Advertising Director Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

On the Cover

The State of Gators

Photo by Larry Ditto

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2020-2021 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

MAY

JUNE

AUGUST

MAY 4-23 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

RODEO CANCELED. LIVESTOCK SHOW CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MARCH 21. For more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com.

JUNE 5 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Brazos County Expo Hall, College Station. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

AUGUST 28 Small Acreage Big Opportunity – Field Day Series, Alpine. Register at www.texas-wildlife.org.

MAY 15 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Fiddlers on the Gruene, Gruene. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JULY

MAY 21 Women in the Woods Workshop (virtual), hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas A&M Forest Service. For more information, contact Sam Rhodes at samuel.rhodes@tfs.tamu.edu.

MAY 22 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Bass Pro Shops/ Cabela’s, Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JULY 15 8th Annual Private Lands Summit, Open Gates: Opportunities That Benefit All Texans. JW Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information and to register, visit www.wildlife2021.com.

JULY 15-18 WildLife 2021, TWA’s 36th Annual Convention, San Antonio JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information, visit www.wildlife2021.com.

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 25 Small Acreage Big Opportunity – Field Day Series, Nacogdoches.

Register at www.texas-wildlife.org.

OCTOBER OCTOBER 30 Small Acreage Big Opportunity – Field Day Series, Allen. Register at www.texas-wildlife.org

TEXAS WILDLIFE

V I RT UA L M E E T I N G S A N D E V E N T S G U I D E VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGES ONLINE at www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/category/youth for specifics and registration information.

WILDLIFE BY DESIGN CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS:

YOUTH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS:

• (Virtual) Wildlife by Design is available for K-8 students in the DFW area, Greater Houston area, South Texas, and West Texas. Have your local teacher visit the website for more information.

• Youth Videoconferences are live interactive presentations featuring Texas wildlife species.

Offered throughout the semester, classes connect via videoconference equipment or Zoom.

• (Virtual) Wildlife by Design Across Texas is for schools outside of the areas served by TWA educators (DFW area, Greater Houston area, South Texas, and West Texas).

Programs are offered on a set schedule and registration is required in advance.

• On-demand Webinars are recorded interactive presentations about natural resources and wildlife conservation topics and are available anytime on the TWA website.

CONSERVATION LEGACY TEACHER WORKSHOPS: • (Virtual) Teacher Workshops are scheduled for the summer. Workshops are offered at no cost and participation in the 3-hour live Zoom meeting and completion of self-directed work earns participants 6 hours of CPE credit. Schedule and registration are found online at www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/ teacher-workshops.

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Critter Connections are now available in a read-along format. Recordings of past issues are available online and live broadcasts accompany each new issue. All recordings and scheduled live readings can be found online.

Photo by Larry Ditto

T H E S TAT E O F A L L I GAT O R S

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MAY 2021

THE STATE OF ALLIGATORS Article by WHITNEY KLENZENDORF

A

lthough once endangered, alligators have made a comeback in Texas and have been sighted in places as unlikely as San Antonio.

BACKGROUND OF ALLIGATORS IN TEXAS The story of the American alligator in Texas is a positive one.

Despite having survived for millions of years, they were nearly wiped out due to poaching, loss of habitat and market hunting.

In 1967, the outlook for alligators was so dire that they were listed as an endangered species under the law that predated the Endangered Species Act. Federal and state agencies worked with private landowners, and alligator populations in Texas began to rebound. The alligator responded so well to conservation that it was delisted after only 20 years, making the American alligator one of the first successful recoveries of an endangered species in the United States.

ROLE OF ALLIGATOR FARMING IN THEIR COMEBACK Like so many other successful conservation stories, the win for wildlife and people hinges on economics.

Until a species holds an economic value to a local community, there is rarely enough impetus to actually conserve the species, especially if it is perceived as a threat to humans or livestock. In the case of alligators, their hides have always been in demand.

Alligator skin is a highly valued exotic leather traded worldwide, with great popularity in Europe and Asia.

Texas landowners and farmers saw the economic value of having alligators on their property. However, the market for purses, boots and other goods demanded perfectly “clean” alligator skin— unblemished and scar free—which rough and tumble wild alligators didn’t provide. The only way to ensure the type of product the market demanded was to raise alligators in captivity.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Photo by Larry Ditto

T H E S TAT E O F A L L I GAT O R S

Photo by Jeff Parker

Alligator farming relies on the ability to harvest eggs from live nests in the wild. Louisiana was the first state to initiate this program. In Louisiana, where they have an estimated one million alligators, egg harvesters pick up every single egg from a nest, incubate the eggs at the farm facility and release 10 percent of the alligators back into the marshes they come from once they reach 3-4 feet in length. This number is based on what would have made it past hatchling mortality.

In Texas, we have a much smaller population, roughly half a million. Our egg collection program is a little different than Louisiana: first, collection occurs on private lands which requires the consent of landowners, who get paid for the collection of eggs. And, unlike Louisiana, in Texas we allow only 50 percent of a nest to be collected and we don’t put young alligators raised in captivity back into marshes.

“The Texas alligator population has grown to the extent where they can be hunted and eggs can be collected without severe impacts to population,” said Jonathan Warner, TPWD's Alligator Program Leader who is based in Port Arthur.

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T H E S TAT E O F A L L I GAT O R S

As you all know, in Texas and North America, our ethic of ownership of native wildlife is guided by the public trust doctrine, where native wildlife is held in trust for the people and not owned by any one person. From a conservation perspective, one could wonder how is it justified for landowners to sell alligator eggs, a public resource, to a private alligator farm?

The underlying premise is that the recovery of alligators in Texas hinged on changing where society placed its value. Initially, society valued wild alligator skins but for recovery to occur society needed to value live thriving nests on private lands.

The shift was made possible by establishing of alligator farms to meet demand for alligator hides and enacting regulations on the harvesting of wild eggs to ensure the native population was

WHERE TO SEE ALLIGATORS

ALLIGATOR HUNTING IN TEXAS Alligators are a protected game animal in Texas. A permit is required to hunt, raise or possess an alligator.

Texas is the only state in the country that has two alligator seasons, which are different for “core” and “non-core” counties. Core counties are the historical primary range of the American alligator.

Our state has a limited spring season for non-core counties, and the main season in September for core counties is only 20 days long. In core counties, alligators must be taken on private property using landowner tags. Another option is applying for a drawn hunting permit through TPWD. These hunts take place on Wildlife Management Areas, and you can sign up on TPWD’s website.

Photo by Larry Ditto

• Gator Country in Beaumont, Texas – Here you can see two of the largest alligators in captivity, both over 13 feet long.

• Brazos Bend State Park • Gatorfest in Anahuac, Texas – September 10-12, 2021 • McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge • Sea Rim State Park

replenished. Like commercial fishing, the harvesting of eggs is highly regulated and specific permits are necessary.

“If we keep gators as part of Texas ecosystems, we can benefit from it and our communities can benefit from it in a way that is good for the sustainability of alligator populations,” Warner said. “Where eggs are collected on private lands, these landowners often are managing their lands specifically for that purpose so that those eggs can be collected year after year. In the big picture, it protects alligators and their habitat.”

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Rules for alligator hunting are much different than other wildlife species so be sure to brief yourself on the regulations before taking part in a hunt.

IMPACT OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS ON TEXAS ALLIGATORS With the cataclysmic weather events that have occurred in Texas in the last few years (think Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the ice storms of 2021), it would be easy to assume that alligators have had a rough go of it.

In the case of Hurricane Harvey, TPWD’s Warner said that he didn’t see a broad impact on gators.

“Because of flooding and there being so much water on the ground where there normally wouldn’t be, we saw some displacement in the weeks and months afterwards, but most weathered it out,” he said. “We had females that nested that had just had babies, and the next year they were nesting at the same spot.”

They weren’t expecting anything catastrophic. One year later, amid flooding from Tropical Storm Imelda, “Big Tex,” the 13foot 8-inch alligator at Gator Country, got out of his pen and journeyed down the road, but was quickly found.

On the other hand, hurricanes such as Ike and Rita which had massive storm surges can be catastrophic. In those storms, many alligators were sucked out into the Gulf and were emaciated as they made their way back to shore where their normal nesting habitat was destroyed.

Photo by Larry Ditto

Photo by Kathy Adams Clark

T H E S TAT E O F A L L I GAT O R S

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Photo by Larry Ditto

T H E S TAT E O F A L L I GAT O R S

“Landowners report that only in the last five years have alligator populations rebounded from Ike which struck in 2008,” Warner said. “Ike punched down on the alligator population.”

Fortunately, the ice storm this past February that left Texans without power and caused die offs of many bats, fish and other wildlife across the state had little impact on alligators.

“As far as we can tell, the storm had no real effect on the Texas alligator population,” Warner said. “They are remarkably resilient to extreme conditions and will brumate (similar to hibernation) in cold weather.”

HUMAN MISPERCEPTIONS ABOUT ALLIGATORS As the human population continues to expand into alligator habitat, there will inevitably be more humanalligator interactions.

“While this animal is a predator, the fact we have hundreds of thousands of alligators and go almost without incident is a

INTERESTING ALLIGATOR FACTS • Birds are more closely related to alligators than lizards.

• Most alligators in Texas are around 5 feet long.

• Some alligators live to be 50 years old and measure up to 14 feet long.

• The largest alligator in Texas is 13 feet 8 inches long and is named “Big Tex.” He weighs over 800 pounds. You can see him if you visit Gator Country near Beaumont, Texas.

testament to the timidity of the species,” Warner said. “They are shy and skittish, not seeking to attack a person. But at the end of the day, it’s still a potentially dangerous animal.”

Granted, it’s wise to be cautious. Warner said to use common sense: don’t approach nests and keep your pets away. The number one thing: don't feed them. In fact, it’s against the law in Texas.

FUTURE OF ALLIGATORS IN TEXAS If there is one word that describes the American alligator, it is resilient. Over the course of 200 million years of evolution, this animal has undoubtedly seen highs and lows (and maybe even witnessed a pandemic or two) but it has bounced back each time.

According to Warner, we will continue to see alligator population increases in certain pockets where there’s not a lot of pressure on them. However, as current management practices of hunting, egg collection and nuisance control continue, there isn’t an expectation the Texas population will expand exponentially statewide.

As you might expect, there are differing viewpoints on the presence of apex predators like alligators. Alligator hunters are not in favor of egg collection. Landowners who are managing land for waterfowl aren’t alligators’ biggest fans. Cattle ranchers also see alligators as a threat. As for me, I’m happy the American alligator has come back here in Texas. What a cool conservation win.

Hopefully, alligators (some of the original “Native Texans”) are here to stay.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Hunter Ed Hunt Success Article by CHRIS MITCHELL Photos by ASHLEY ALSOP and MATTHEW EMMONS Four other hunts offered the option to complete the field course on the hunt's first day. The Cave Creek Super Hunt was one of those. On Friday, two of the 49 hunters attended a field course and after participating in all of the requirements and passing the final exam, they went on to participate in Super Hunt number 18 and both harvested their first deer.

Jordan Alsop was one of the newly minted, Cave Creek hunt hunter education graduates.

“I had a blast at the Super Hunt,” he replied when asked if he had fun at the hunt. “Before I got there, I was a little nervous and embarrassed because it was my first hunt and I hadn't completed the field day portion of my hunter ed. I thought I might be the only one. We met great people, landowners, educators and other

Jordan with his first doe at Super Hunt 2021

T

he Texas Youth Hunting Program volunteers were met with many challenges in the 2020-2021 hunting season. One of those challenges was dealing with the reduced number of traditional hunter education and field course classes (ages 9-16) offered in the 2020-2021 hunting season.

TYHP addressed the shortfall by providing an alternative way—TYHP Hunter Ed Youth Hunts—for these youths, who had already completed the online Hunter Ed portion, to become Hunter Ed certified. These youth hunt weekends kicked off with the field course. Once completed, the rest of the weekend was dedicated to safe, educational hunting as always.

Several Huntmasters stepped up to the plate. Troy Carsten of Krum, Texas and Val De La Fuente of San Antonio sought out certification as new Hunter Education Instructors. De La Fuente ran three hunts at the “Any Kid Can Hunt Ranch” all of them offered Hunter Education to new hunters.

“The field course just before a hunt offers a unique incentive for the students to do their best in class,” he said. “The reward is they get to hunt the very next day!”

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Three generations of Bouttes at Super Hunt

HUNTER ED HUNT SUCCESS

Felix with his first harvests at Bamberger Ranch 2021

kids. We still talk about it often to pretty much everyone. Even friends and family not from Texas.”

Three generations of Bouttes also attended the Super Hunt.

“In one fun field weekend, he [James Jr.] was able to obtain a hunting license, pass the hunters education exam, pass the onsite rifle range requirement, sleep in a tent (in the cold), hunt and harvest his first deer,” said James Boutte Sr. “Being able to hunt with both of them [dad and Grandfather], sitting in the deer stand while viewing the landscape of the hill country was amazing,” said James Jr. “We had a great time that weekend, and I will cherish hunting my first doe with them forever.”

The Bamberger Ranch also offered the field course to one of its new hunters.

Linda Campbell, Lead Huntmaster for the Bamberger hunt, told us she asked Huntmaster Ron Roberts to run a field course for one hunter.

“TYHP volunteers who are also hunter education instructors are very important,” Campbell said.

Both Roberts and Felix, the hunter, were very deliberate in their approach to completing the requirements. It paid off for Felix and for Bamberger Ranch. Felix harvested two aoudads, a sow and three smaller pigs.

Parent Matthew Emmons noted that selection for the Bamberger hunt, which offered the field course, was the impetus for his cousins to complete

Hunter Education. He believes without that opportunity, hunter education may have fallen into their “too hard to do” box.

Troy Carsten served as guide and Hunter Education instructor for three of four hunters on the 3 Springs Ranch.

“The hunt went off without a hitch,” he said. “Since the range and skills trail were done Friday night, Saturday was more relaxed,” Carsten said.

The additional time, in an otherwise hectic schedule, offered more time to focus on field dressing and quartering animals. More time with experienced Huntmasters giving personal instruction makes self-sufficient hunters sooner.

They are safer too.

TYHP will continue to depend on parents and hunters to complete hunter education on their own, but we will continue to offer hunter education hunts to serve as Campbell put it “a safety valve” for those instances when finding classes is difficult.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Photo Courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation and University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives

A Way of Living

BY STEVE NELLE

Farming is a way of living as well as a way of making a living. ~Chris Christensen

M

any people acknowledge Aldo Leopold's contributions to the world of conservation and wildlife management. But it is also important to recognize the people who were instrumental in making Leopold who he was.

Chris Christensen was the visionary who hired Aldo Leopold to be the first professor of wildlife management in America. Christensen was the Dean of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin from 1931-1943 and had a different way of viewing agriculture.

Upon becoming dean, Christensen said that one of his goals was to “put some culture back in agriculture.” One of the ways he did that was to recruit outstanding people outside of the traditional sphere of agriculture who could enrich and embellish farm life.

“Our goal is to help farmers create a rural economy and culture that will enable honest industrious people to live upon the land with their full share of joys and satisfactions,” he said. “We wish to create conditions on the land that will attract superior youth who will utilize their talent in the raising of better livestock, the growing of better crops and the building of better farms, which will result in better rural living.”

Prior to the Christensen era, agriculture was solely about the production of crops, livestock and timber; wildlife was not included. Under his leadership, the concept of farming became broader and deeper, emphasizing the quality of life and the enjoyment of rural living.

With Leopold joining the department in 1933, this “new agriculture” included managing land to produce crops of wild game as well as traditional crops. It is noteworthy it was an agriculturalist who first saw the wisdom of incorporating wildlife management into agricultural training and who selected Leopold to lead that effort.

Like Leopold, Christensen possessed a strong land stewardship ethic which guided his thinking.

He said: “The future of agriculture depends in no small measure upon the manner in which we use our land and water resources. Conservation is more than ‘saving;’ it is intelligent utilization.”

This philosophy was in accord with Leopold’s belief that conservation involved the careful and diligent management of the land for beneficial purposes, not handsoff preservation.

Born and raised on a Nebraska farm, Christensen studied at the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Agricultural College in Denmark as well as the University of Nebraska. His Scandinavian experience left an indelible mark on him and is proof that hybrid vigor is a valid concept of education and intellect as well as animal and plant breeding. After leaving the university, Christensen held leadership positions with large agriculture-based corporations—International Harvester, Armour Meats and Celotex.

Like all great people, Christensen’s influence had a rippling effect. His legacy is not restricted to the university or corporate

world; he also left lasting marks on his family and beyond.

From his two sons were born six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and now the fifth generation of his offspring are growing up. All are influenced by him and share a connection to the land through their livelihoods or their avocations. Among them is grandson and TWA Member Charley Christensen who runs the grazing and wildlife management on several large ranches and manages a major livestock auction in West Texas.

“My grandfather was my ‘John Wayne’ and was always larger than life in my eyes. he said. “He grew up on the farm and then stepped out to do amazing things.”

One of the amazing things that Christensen did was to see that farm management includes wildlife management and to appoint Leopold to lead the nation’s first department of game management. This is what vaulted Leopold into prominence more than anything else and is where he honed his conservation ideals and where the first generation of wildlife managers was trained.

Very few people are truly self-made.

Everyone who accomplishes great things gets there with the help of others. It was Chris Christensen who brought Leopold to the place where he fulfilled his life’s purpose.

History has proven the wisdom of Christensen’s philosophy of farm life— "agriculture is more than an occupation—it is a culture of living" that enriches not only the lives of those directly involved but also society as a whole.

WRITER’S NOTE: Aldo Leopold (1887—1948) is considered the father of modern wildlife management. More importantly, he developed and described many of the concepts of conservation, ecology and stewardship of natural resources. Leopold was an amazingly astute observer of the land and man’s relationship to the land. His writings have endured the test of time and have proven to be remarkably prophetic and relevant to today’s issues. This bimonthly column will feature thought-provoking philosophies of Aldo Leopold, as well as commentary.

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TEXAS WIL DLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION

A Tribute to Randy Rehmann Article by DAVID BRIMAGER Photo courtesy of TWA

Randy J. Rehmann at the gates of the Double R Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

L

ong-time TWA Member Randy Joe Rehmann of Austin passed away on Feb. 9, 2021 at the age of 64 after a hardfought battle with cancer.

Randy was born to June and Herb Rehmann on April 8, 1956 in San Antonio. Randy graduated from Samuel Clemens High School in 1974 and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Building Construction from Texas A&M University in 1978.

He met the love of his life, Debbie Ann Lee, in high school and married her on July 21, 1979. They have four children: Ryan, Holly, Aaron and Adam. They were blessed to enjoy 41 long and fruitful years together. There was no one Randy adored more than his Deb. Second only to Jesus and his family, Randy loved the outdoors: hunting, fishing, hiking and simply spending quiet time with the Lord. He was passionate about teaching future generations about wildlife conservation through youth hunts, hosting youth retreats and inner-city high school weekends.

His passion for serving Texas wildlife and its habitats was evident by his involvement with TWA where he served as TWA President from 2007-2009. Prior to that, he served as a TWA

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Director and as an Executive Committee member. Following his term as TWA President, Randy served as President of the TWA Foundation (TWAF). Among the many awards he received over his career, he was honored as the 2013 Texas Outdoorsman of the Year.

I first met Randy and his family at the 2002 Texas Wildlife Association Convention and through our mutual love for the outdoors we hit it off, becoming great friends. I enjoyed so many things about Randy and from our travels together across the state in support of the TWA mission, to various Texas Youth Hunting Program hunts and events at his Double R Ranch in the Hill Country. His love for TWA and all its programs was fanatical and contagious—it motivated all TWA members who knew him and made them appreciate their involvement with the association even more.

Randy treated everyone with respect and always had a smile on his face. His leadership was something to watch, as he brought his expertise from his company to TWA. In 1988, Randy was instrumental in the formation of Dynamic Systems Incorporated (DSI). Today, Dynamic Systems is headquartered in Austin, Texas with branch offices in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, College Station, Atlanta, Boston and Poughkeepsie.

In addition to TWA, Randy was involved in many other non-profit organizations as well. He was a President, Council Member and Elder at Bethany Lutheran Church, past President of Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) Texas, MCA Austin, the Associated General Contractors of America, a member of the Construction Industry Advisory Council for Texas A&M’s Department of Construction Science, and the Senior Austin Aggie Leadership Council.

Randy is survived by his wife Debbie Rehmann; children: Ryan Rehmann and wife Amanda Rehmann, Holly Bazan and husband Daniel Bazan, Aaron Rehmann, Adam Rehmann and wife Sadie Rehmann; brother Russell Rehmann; sister Wanda Reidy; mother June Rehmann; and five grandchildren: Hunter and Annabelle Rehmann, Gabriel and Nina Bazan, and 2-month-old Randy Rehmann.

It is with great respect, deepest condolences for Randy’s family, belief in the hereafter and in honor of the faith that he lived that I am inspired to share this comforting bible verse: He who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has passed from death into life. ~John 5:24 Many thanks “Double R” for all you gave us in your 64 years.

Photo by Ross Studer

TEXAS

Wildlife Association Join like-minded individuals who value the land, water, and wildlife of Texas by becoming a member of Texas Wildlife Association. Our mission is to defend those natural resources for present and future generations through public policy advocacy, hunting outreach, and educating Texans of all ages.

For more information visit www.texas-wildlife.org/membership | (800) TEX-WILD

LAND | WATER | WILDLIFE | PEOPLE

Small Acreage, Big Opportunity Photo by David Day, SABO Attendee

Article by AMANDA GOBELI

I

t’s 9 a.m. on Feb. 29, 2020 as eager students are arriving at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen. Coffee in hand, they settle in for a day of programming which promises to speak to their needs as small-acreage private landowners.

While many of them own fewer than a hundred acres, their interest in and dedication to land stewardship is clear by their attendance here at the inaugural session of Small Acreage – Big Opportunity, or SABO for short.

Their holdings may be relatively small, but there are more landowners just like them in Texas every day. The future of conservation will be shaped, one small step at a time, by these land stewards and their management goals.

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There’s no denying that small-acreage landowners are a growing demographic in Texas. From 1997 to 2017, our state saw dramatic population growth, along with an increase in the number of working land holdings and a concurrent decrease in average ownership size.

What that boils down to is more people owning larger numbers of smaller land parcels.

This trend only stands to gain momentum as the state braces for the largest intergenerational transfer of land in its history. With nearly 40 percent of the current Texas landowner base falling within the 65 and older age group, it may only be a matter of a few years before they pass their hats to the next generation of Texas land stewards.

While some of those holdings will remain within their families, there will be many others which are apportioned to new owners. If property values are any indication, there are plenty of folks who are eager to claim a little slice of Texas as their own.

The splitting up of land holdings is often lamented in conservation circles as a major contributor to fragmentation and loss of working lands, and for good reason—but it’s not all doom and gloom. There is evidence to suggest that many up-and-coming landowners are putting wildlife at the forefront of their management goals.

One indicator is the growing number of acres enrolled in 1-D-1 wildlife tax valuation. This is an alternate form of agricultural tax valuation, first introduced in 1995, which allows landowners to enjoy the same property tax rates for wildlife habitat management that would be applied for traditional agriculture. As of 2017, an impressive 5.4 million acres of Texas land has been enrolled in wildlife tax valuation.

Conservation easements are another clue to the shifting priorities of Texas landowners. A conservation easement is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and a government entity or land trust, in which the landowner sells or donates certain property rights to prevent extensive development of the property.

In essence, conservation easements safeguard working lands by providing financial incentives to private landowners, and it has proven extremely effective. As of 2018, 1.6 million acres have been covered by conservation

SMALL ACREAGE, BIG OPPORTUNITY

Photo courtesy of TWA

easements with an estimated annual value to Texas taxpayers— measured in terms of ecosystem services, recreational benefits and similar metrics—of more than $1 billion per year.

For an even more straightforward barometer of landowner sentiments, look no further than a 2016 survey which identifies the top three reasons for owning land in Texas to be family recreation, hunting and enjoyment of wildlife.

It’s clear there is an increasing number of small-acreage landowners who have the passion and the drive to make wildlife part of their management plans; what may still be lacking though, and what SABO intends to deliver, is the practical knowledge needed to follow through. Certainly, there’s no shortage of information available on soil and vegetation profiles, management techniques, wildlife ecology and all the other topics included under the land stewardship banner.

However, many resources on these topics are tailored specifically for large properties of hundreds or thousands of acres, and the advice therein may not be easily translatable to smaller holdings. Small-acreage landowners may be told their management goals are impractical given the amount of land they have to work with, or that certain efforts demand more time and energy than they’re worth. While there may be good intentions behind such advice, to simply say “not for you” to small-acreage landowners without exploring the ways in which they can pursue their goals and contribute to wildlife conservation is a (big) missed opportunity.

This fall, SABO will return to help those landowners succeed.

Feedback and experience gained from SABO’s first run last year, which was forced to pivot to an online-only format early on due to COVID-19, will help make the program even better.

Considering some of the praises sung by past participants, expectations for SABO 2021 are understandably high, and program coordinators Iliana Peña with TWA, Dr. Maureen Frank with Texas A&M AgriLife, and Amanda Gobeli with Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute are determined to deliver.

(Continued on page 22)

SMALL ACREAGE – BIG OPPORTUNITY Field Day Series

Most information currently available to landowners focuses on management of large properties. Landowners who steward small properties face unique management challenges and require information and recommendations that are a better fit for smaller acreage.

The new Small Acreage – Big Opportunity (SABO) program is a joint effort of the Texas Wildlife Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to address this need. Our series of intensive one-day workshops will teach landowners how to evaluate their property’s habitat and what options are available for wildlife and habitat management, including cost-share programs. Perhaps most importantly, we will connect landowners with local professionals who can walk alongside them as they steward and learn their lands.

Cost: $80 registration fee (includes lunch, workshop materials and field journal) Dates and Locations: Alpine, TX - Aug. 28, 2021 Nacogdoches, TX - Sept. 25, 2021 Allen, TX- Oct. 30, 2021 Topics: - Brush management - Pasture management - Soil health - Creating pollinator and wildlife habitat - Earning 1-d-1 wildlife tax valuation - Cost share opportunities - Meet landowners who are doing the work - And more!

Register at www.texas-wildlife.org.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

21

Photo courtesy of TWA

SMALL ACREAGE, BIG OPPORTUNITY

“A lot has happened since last February,” says David Day, an attendee of the first SABO workshop, the only session to occur in person last year. “We submitted a proposal with Jesus Franco and GRIP and

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got accepted. We are in the middle of a 26-acre grassland restoration project. The focus of our operation has turned more toward conservation and sustainability, rather than economic gain.”

Stories like David’s, about conservation projects getting off the ground with only a couple dozen acres, speak to both the impact of SABO and the potential of small-acreage landowners.

So, what can attendees expect from the program this year? First are some location changes. While the previous SABO covered South Texas, East Texas and the Hill Country over the course of three sessions, this one has sights on Alpine, East Texas and the North Texas metroplex. The area of focus for each session will determine the content covered, as each region has its own management challenges.

Certain subjects are guaranteed to be included, however. Soil health, brush management and pasture management are staples of any land stewardship curriculum and, it could be argued, serve as the foundation for all other land management principles. SABO participants will be taught how to evaluate these features on their properties and what management actions can be taken to improve them. Other likely topics are managing habitat for pollinators, an excellent way to support native species using limited space, as well financial concerns such as cost-share opportunities and the aforementioned wildlife tax valuation process.

Another big change—pandemic willing—will be more time spent outdoors and less time spent in the classroom (or in front of the computer). One advantage of the program going virtual last year is that lectures were recorded and saved.

Program leaders intend to use those recordings as primers for this year’s SABO students, allowing them to brush up on the basics before each session starts to allow more time for hands-on learning in the field. Precautions will of course be taken against COVID-19 during these meetings.

The first session is anticipated for the end of August, with subsequent sessions to be held in the following months. If you’re interested in signing up for the program or supporting it through sponsorship, contact Iliana Peña at ipena@texas-wildlife.org.

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Please register online today at www.wildlife2021.com

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GUNS & SHOOTING

Gun Safety Article by LUKE CLAYTON Photo by LARRY WEISHUHN

S

ome of us who have been shooting all our lives can barely remember when our gun safety training began. Back in the day, youngsters like me who grew up shooting and hunting just sort of absorbed the basics of gun safety by first following our mentors behind pointers and learning how to properly handle a shotgun when a covey of quail exploded underfoot.

I remember tagging along on quail hunts with my brother-in-law for a couple years before I was allowed to take my little Mossberg .410. On those first few hunts, I was the only one doing the shooting, for safety reasons.

I can to this day remember that single quail flushing in front of the dog and then flying overhead and then behind us. I pointed the muzzle toward the sky so that I would not be pointing it in the direction of my “teacher” and swung around and shot at the bird, I didn’t kill it but remember being bragged on for how well I had learned to safely handle my shotgun at crunch times when adrenaline was high and birds were in the air.

Robert Ruark in his writings about the boy and old man penned a passage

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that pretty well sums up gun safety. It went something like this: “What you got in your hands is a dangerous weapon. It will kill you or kill me or kill a dog. You always got to remember that when the gun is loaded it makes a potential killer out of the man that is handling it. Don’t you ever forget it.”

Safety measures with a rifle or shotgun are basically the same in the immediate area of the shooter. One needs to learn to positively identify his target, make sure there is a clear line of sight to that target and only place his finger on the trigger when he is about ready to shoot.

If shooting around companions, always indicate to them that you are about to shoot.

Shooting a rifle that sends its projectile a much greater distance also requires thinking about not only the immediate area but where that bullet might go. That is why it’s never a good idea to shoot at a target/animal that is atop a rise or hill.

You have no idea if livestock or a human is standing behind your intended target in the bullet’s path.

I am a compulsive “safety checker,” which is a very good thing to be. Regardless

of whether I am hunting upland game with a shotgun or walking through the deer woods with a rifle slung over my shoulder, I find myself occasionally stopping and fingering the safety to insure it is in the correct safe position.

Keeping the muzzle always pointed in a safe direction is very important. Keeping a firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction can help avoid serious mishaps.

Gun safety is not a trait that we are born with, but rather a series of habit that we must learn and then put to practice whether on the rifle range or skeet field or in actual hunting situations. We can never take the responsibility of shooting a firearm lightly, and this goes for a lifelong shooter/hunter or someone learning the basics of keeping others and himself safe.

Not all of us have had the opportunity to grow up in a gun owner/hunting family.

And even if we did, we all recognize and strongly believe gun safety is paramount.

At the FTW Ranch (www.FTWSAAM. com) where they teach the Sportsman's All-Weather All-Terrain Marksmanship (SAAM) courses as well as a New Hunter Course, one of the things stressed throughout both the classroom and range time classes is always being aware of where the muzzle is pointed and where fingers are in relationship to triggers. The next step is identifying and confirming the target before pointing the firearm and engaging the trigger.

It’s our responsibility as shooters, both newcomers and veterans alike, to keep gun safety in mind at all times. It’s far better to pass up a shot at game than to pull the trigger and make a mistake that has the potential to severely alter our lives or, worse yet, end the life of a companion.

Gun safety is just that serious.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

POND MANAGEMENT

FAQs

Pond Management Article and photo by DR. BILLY HIGGINBOTHAM, Professor Emeritus, The Texas A&M University System

I

n more than 40 years of working with pond owners, some common and occasionally not so common questions are asked. Here are some of the questions that should have broad appeal to Texas pond owners, whether the impoundment is the size of a wet cow track or a 100-acre bass haven.

1. What fish species can be stocked in my pond? Well, the answer depends on the size and clarity of the impoundment.

For ponds less than one surface acre in size, muddy or clear, the best choices are catfish species, either channels or blues.

If catfish are not desired, try hybrid stripers or hybrid sunfish.

The common trait of all of these fish is that they all accept a pelleted floating fish ration readily, which boosts growth rates so they reach a catchable (and edible) size more quickly than in an unfed pond. Fathead minnows may be added to these stocking choices as a supplemental forage source, especially for catfish and hybrid stripers.

Ponds at least one surface acre in size with at least 15 inches of water clarity are good candidates for stocking largemouth bass

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and their primary forage species, the bluegill. Additional forage species that may be included into your customized stocking plan include fathead minnows, redear sunfish, threadfin shad and/or perhaps even tilapia.

2. What can I do to control all of these weeds in my pond?

Any aquatic plant that has become a nuisance for a pond’s intended use (fishing, swimming, livestock watering, irrigating) has become a “weed.” However, the presence of aquatic plants can be of some benefit in waters managed primarily for largemouth bass. In these waters, coverage from 25-33 percent may be providing valuable habitat to either the targeted species or their food sources.

When it comes to aquatic weed management (notice this does not necessarily equal eradication), partial or total control does not always guarantee that these weeds will not require additional management in the future. Regardless, once the decision has been made to manage a weed population, pond owners do have options.

For many weed species, mechanical, chemical and/or biological tools are the available choices. Mechanical removal is usually as labor intensive as it sounds. Raking, dragging, seining or the use of a motorized harvester are all mechanical choices.

Chemical choices may include a wide array of active ingredients of products specifically approved for use in and around water. Be sure and read restrictions of water use following application as a chemical that works for a pond that never serves as a livestock or irrigation water source may be unavailable for waters used for those purposes.

Biological control typically includes triploid grass carp (requires a permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) and tilapia (depending on your location in Texas). Just because you have aquatic weeds does not mean biological control is the answer. There two fish species have very specific plants that they will impact (just like chemicals), so don’t automatically assume that just because you have weeds that they can be biologically controlled—do your homework before purchasing.

The best place to do that homework is at the Texas AgriLife Extension website AQUAPLANT (http://aquaplant.tamu.edu).

Proper identification is the first step in managing an aquatic weed problem. Once the weed is identified on the website, then AQUAPLANT will steer you to which management option

POND MANAGEMENT

(or options) are best for your specific circumstances. DON’T GUESS when it comes to identification or selection of the best management option(s).

3. All of my fish have died. What happened? This is a loaded question, so let’s address the most common causes that will likely cover at least 90 percent of fish die-offs. The most common cause of fish losses in Texas ponds is oxygen depletion. This almost always occurs in the months of June through September.

Why these months? As the summer sun beats down on us in a typical Texas summer, temperatures increase and water simply cannot hold as much oxygen when its temperature is 85 degrees compared to 50 degrees in the winter months. Also, water levels can drop substantially during a long, hot Texas summer and without sufficient precipitation runoff, fish can become crowded in less water area/volume.

However, these are not the only conditions that can lead to an oxygen depletion. Chemically treating too much aquatic vegetation at one time during the summer months can create a substantial oxygen debt as that vegetation decomposes and may cause an oxygen depletion.

Another cause typically encountered is having too much fish biomass present during the hot months. The same pond that can hold 2,000-3,000 pounds of fish per surface acre in the winter months can only support 1,000 pounds per surface acre maximum during the summer months. Stocking at high rates, feeding to maximize growth and then failing to harvest enough fish to maintain a biomass below the summer threshold can spell disaster come August.

The hammer is now cocked and the trigger is finally pulled when we have several hot, still cloudy days in a row.

This lack of sunlight substantially decreases oxygen production in the water via photosynthesis and as a result, oxygen may plummet well below 3 ppm. Low oxygen levels cause fish to start to swim lethargically at the surface because oxygen concentration will remain highest at the air-water interface so fish congregate there.

Unfortunately, oxygen depletions impact the larger fish first and some species are more susceptible than others. If you suspect a summertime oxygen depletion (let’s say your fish suddenly quit feeding during a patch of the aforementioned weather conditions), go check your pond at daylight. Why then?

Oxygen will be at its 24-hour low just before sunrise, at which time photosynthesis resumes. You don’t have much time to react to an oxygen depletion before the buzzards congregate along the shoreline.

There are a number of commercially available aerators that can be used to increase oxygen production or help prevent oxygen depletions from occurring when deployed during the summer months—but most require electricity.

In a pinch, run an outboard motor on a boat either on its trailer or in a fixed position against the bank so the motor can circulate the pond water. This brings more water in contact with the air interface and can help temporarily boost oxygen levels and save fish. You buy valuable time until you can investigate the root cause of the depletion and work to correct it.

4. “Fishing used to be excellent in my pond for the first few years after stocking. What happened?” If stocking your pond was the last management effort you made, that’s what happened.

Fisheries biologists are fond of using the Garden Analogy: “If all you do is plant the seed and provide no other care during the growing season, prepare to be disappointed in your harvest!”

Stocking is Step 1. In fact, proper stocking is key to getting off on the right fin. Using species composition and stocking rates consistent to both your goals as well as the specific characteristics of your impoundment are key to getting started correctly.

But even that is not enough to sustain good fishing over the long haul. Monitoring your harvest using catch records will go a long way towards assessing the health and status of your fish population.

If your catfish become as skinny as snakes or your bass harvest of fish over 12 inches is nonexistent five years after stocking, something isn’t right.

Managing water quality and aquatic vegetation are important means to manipulate the habitat, and the catch records will help you make important decisions relative to your fish populations present, especially harvest strategies and supplemental stocking.

Now, I will be the first to admit that there are more interesting questions that I have received over the past 40 years. These include “My fish kill was caused by fire ants?” or “Jellyfish? Why do I have jellyfish in my freshwater stock tank?” Let’s save those stories for another time.

Until then, Good Fishing!

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B ORDERL ANDS NEWS BORDERLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

A Closer Look At Feral Pig Rooting Disturbance Article by JOSHUA R. COWARD, RYAN S. LUNA, and BONNIE J. WARNOCK, Borderlands Research Institute, Sul Ross State University, and JOHN C. KINSEY, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Captured feral pigs from the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Hunt, Texas.

I

n Texas especially, there is a lot of long-standing farm wisdom regarding feral pigs, some of which is useful and true. Here is what is true: Feral pigs are invasive mammals that cause an estimated $1.5 billion in damages and control costs in the United States annually. They cause significant agricultural damage through the consumption and destruction of crops, they compete both directly and indirectly

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with native wildlife, and they disrupt native ecosystems through their destructive rooting and wallowing behavior.

Texas is estimated to have roughly 2.6 million feral pigs, which is roughly half of the total that live in the contiguous United States, depending on the population estimate. Feral pigs are an important species to research due to their destructive nature.

In discussions of feral pig damage, often cited figures are agricultural and property damage costs. However, given the sheer size of the population of feral pigs in Texas, it is worth considering how they impact less frequently examined features such as soil components, rates of soil erosion and deposition, and plant species composition. In 2017, the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) began investigating the effects that feral pig rooting behavior has on these components.

BRI researchers partnered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Kerr Wildlife Management Area to determine how feral pig rooting behavior was affecting soil components, rates of soil change and plant species composition. Data were collected on a variety of soil components, including soil carbon, soil nitrogen, soil moisture content, soil pH and soil texture.

Data were also collected measuring the rates of soil erosion between rooted and unrooted sites utilizing soil erosion bridges.

Finally, vegetation sampling was conducted to examine the differences in species composition between rooted areas and undisturbed sites.

Results from the analysis of erosion data indicated that rooted sites exhibited higher variation within the rates of soil change when compared against unrooted sites. The implication of this was that rooting behavior could be causing relatively larger

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

Vegetation exclosure around previously rooted soils on the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Hunt, Texas.

changes in soil levels when compared against ambient levels of soil loss. This is significant because the soil being lost is in the top soil horizons, which are often the most abundant in soil nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth. Eroded soils with depleted soil horizons do not support as wide a variety of plant species and are often prone to invasion by non-native plant species. Diminished plant communities support fewer livestock and wildlife species, so maintaining soil health is an important component of proper land management.

Results from the analysis of soil components between rooted and unrooted soil samples indicated several interesting trends. First, the data indicated that several soil processes were interacting. For example, increased soil carbon, soil nitrogen and soil pH were shown to be correlated with decreases in soil texture. Furthermore, soil moisture was positively correlated with soil texture. This is because soil texture was defined as percent clay content, and clay dominant soils absorb moisture more easily.

Most importantly, rooted soil samples had distinctly altered values compared against unrooted samples. These results provide evidence for the claim that rooting disturbance is causing negative shifts in our measured soil components. The implications are that these alterations could cause reduced soil quality by shifting these soil components, which could potentially hinder successful vegetation regrowth after rooting disturbance, leading to less rigorous and diverse plant communities. This in turn could lead to reduced forage and grazing quality within the disturbed areas.

Results from our vegetation surveys indicated a decrease in the number of plant species present in transects of rooted

Vegetation sampling on the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Hunt, Texas.

sites compared against unrooted sites. Rooted areas contained roughly 36 percent of the total plant diversity measured, while unrooted areas contained roughly 89 percent. This indicates that undisturbed sites had much higher plant diversity when compared against rooted sites.

The plants that initially recolonized the rooted areas were often a mix of native and non-native plants. These were often species that thrive in disturbed soils, such as doveweed (Croton monanthogynus), cowpen daisy (Verbesina encelioides), King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea), silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) and horehound (Marrubium vulgare). The implications of these results is that there is now localized descriptive evidence supporting the claim that feral pig rooting behavior alters species composition in the Edwards Plateau.

This is relevant information because Kerr and the surrounding counties in the region are replete with feral pigs, and it is helpful to both landowners and biologists to have information regarding their effects on plant communities.

The study period for this data was relatively short-term, and therefore is not useful for observing the long-term effects of rooting disturbance on plant communities. The next step should be a longer-term study on these effects. Data provided from this study helps provide a clearer picture of how feral pig rooting behavior can potentially alter a variety of soil components, rates of soil erosion and deposition, and disturbed plant communities within the Edwards Plateau. Continuing to evaluate how feral pigs disturb native flora and fauna will be vital in the upcoming years to ensure that wildlife professionals can make informed management decisions.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

33

Eminent Domain

BY LORIE A. WOODWARD

This is the third installment in a six-part series on key laws that Texas landowners need to know. The series is prepared in partnership with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, who authored Owning Your Piece of Texas: Key Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know. The handbook is available as a free, downloadable PDF file at (https://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/ texasaglaw/files/2019/05/Owning-Your-Piece-of-Texas.pdf).

Hard copies may be purchased by contacting the author.

M

ore Texas landowners find themselves grappling with eminent domain as Texas’ growing population demands more resources and needs more infrastructure.

“The legal scope of eminent domain has not expanded, but there are a lot of projects going on in Texas where condemnation comes into play,” said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, an attorney with expertise in agricultural law who serves as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

The majority of these projects, whether they are pipelines, transmission lines or highways, take place on rural land.

“As the state has more projects, more rural landowners face potential of eminent domain actions on their property,” she said. “Landowners should familiarize themselves with the basics of eminent domain because someday it may impact their land and families.”

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Eminent domain is defined as the power of the government or a private entity acting upon power granted by the government to take private property for public use. Under Texas law, the Legislature may grant the power of eminent domain to private entities through a two-thirds vote of both houses. The entity seeking to condemn property is known as the “condemnor.”

THE ELEMENTS OF EMINENT DOMAIN “The first element of Texas’ eminent domain law is that the condemnor must be authorized to exercise eminent domain,” Lashmet said. “The second element requires that the property only be taken for public use.”

Public use is broadly defined as benefiting the public and not a private company or individual. While projects such as highways and hospitals clearly benefit the public, the public benefits of other projects such as oil pipelines built by private companies are not as obvious to affected landowners.

“The Legislature determined that a pipeline 'for hire,' one that transports oil from more than one company to refineries that make gasoline to fuel all of our cars, for example, is a public good,” Lashmet said.

Those pipelines are designated as common carrier pipelines, and their owners can exercise the power of eminent domain.

Other private entities authorized by law to condemn property include gas or electric corporations.

Under Texas’ eminent domain law, the third element dictates the affected landowner must receive adequate compensation.

L AW O F T H E L A N D

“Although landowners cannot prevent a condemnor from taking their property, they are entitled to adequate compensation,” Lashmet said. “Agreeing on what is adequate is where conflicts arise.”

Under Texas law there are several considerations used to determine what satisfies the adequate compensation requirement. They do not all come into play in every negotiation.

The first consideration is the property’s market value at the time of the taking. Market value is defined as “the price the property will bring when offered for sale by one who desires to sell, but is not obligated to sell, and is bought by one who desires to buy, but is under no necessity of buying.”

When assessing the property’s market value, landowners are entitled to receive the value of the “highest and best” use of the property rather than the value of the property for which the landowner actually uses the land. For example, if a landowner’s ranch is surrounded by housing developments or commercial businesses, it may be that the highest and best use clause would justify a value based on residential or commercial uses rather than agriculture.

For a use to qualify as highest and best, it must meet four factors: legal permissibility, physical possibility, financial feasibility and maximal productivity.

“The factors ensure that highest and best use identified is reasonable,” Lashmet said. “It can’t be speculation or wishful thinking that is completely unavailable in reality.”

Another consideration that impacts market value is damage to the remainder. If only a portion of the tract is taken, then adequate compensation should include both the value of the portion taken and any damages to remaining property, known as remainder damages.

“If the taking, such as an easement, diminishes the property’s overall value, landowners are entitled to payment for that loss of value,” Lashmet said.

Remainder damages are based on any decrease in value by virtue of the taking to the portion of the property not taken.

Common damages include loss of access to a highway or road, loss of water sources or economic uses, and the cost of fencing.

Injuries shared by the landowner and the general public, such as increased traffic, can’t be considered in calculating a damage award.

“If for some reason the taking benefits the landowner in a way that increases the property’s value, the amount of those benefits is deducted from the amount of recoverable property damages,” Lashmet said.

ATTORNEYS AND FEES Navigating a condemnation and negotiating fair, adequate compensation as well as other non-monetary considerations such as reclamation are complicated legal undertakings. Expert legal advice is important.

“Condemnation is a major imposition on your property rights that will affect the land and your family for generations to come,” Lashmet said. “Through this process, you want to protect your land as much as possible while obtaining the highest value for your loss—and the best way to accomplish this is by working with an experienced eminent domain attorney.”

Because the legal work can be complicated and stretch on, legal fees can add up. Landowners’ legal fees and the costs of an appraiser are not recoverable. In recent years, several different eminent domain reform bills have attempted to address this to no success.

“In a condemnation proceeding, landowners receive payments to make them whole,” Lashmet said. “If landowners successfully contest a low offer and are rewarded by the court with a payment that makes them whole, but then have to pay a large portion of the award to the attorneys whose expertise was required for success, then the question of whether landowners have really been made whole arises.”

STEPS OF A CONDEMNATION PROCEEDING IN TEXAS Condemnation proceedings in Texas differ procedurally from other civil cases.

“Landowners need to understand the condemnation process in case they ever find themselves facing a condemnation suit,” Lashmet said. “Again, an experienced eminent domain attorney is a landowner’s best asset and ally in these cases.”

Condemnation proceedings, whether they are prompted by a new highway or common carrier pipeline, generally can be broken down into five phases: offer and negotiations, condemnation petition filing, special commissioners appointment, hearing and award, award filing and objection permitted, and trial by judge or judge and appeals.

Offer and Negotiations Before initiating condemnation proceedings, the company must make a “bona fide offer” to purchase the property it seeks.

To be considered a bona fide offer, the company seeking to use eminent domain must make an initial written offer, obtain an appraisal report from a certified appraiser and make a final written offer that is greater than the amount in the appraiser’s report.

Thirty days must elapse between the initial offer and the final offer. The landowner has an additional 14 days to respond to the final offer.

“From the initial offer, a company must wait at least 44 days before it can file a court action,” Lashmet said. “Although landowners do not want to ignore this situation, they should keep in mind they do have time to negotiate and seek additional protections and compensation. Inaction won’t make the condemnation go away.”

In addition, the company must provide landowners with copies of any appraisals of the contested property conducted within the last 10 years in its possession as well as the Texas Landowner Bill of Rights. Negotiations are generally ongoing between the initial offer and the final offer.

“If you think about it, the taking will impact the land forever, so landowners need to consider many things in addition to money,” Lashmet said. “Non-monetary terms may turn out to be more important than the money.”

Non-monetary terms, which are all the details specific to the land, can only be obtained through negotiation. Examples include an easement’s width, limits on the number of pipelines or company access, remediation, reclamation and fence replacement.

If the condemnor and the landowner reach an agreement, then the final easement agreement, including all terms, should be reduced to writing. The signed document should be filed

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L AW O F T H E L A N D

in the deed records at the courthouse in the county where the property is located.

Condemnation Petition Filing If no agreement is reached, the company will likely file suit against the landowner in either the district court or the county court of law in the county where at least a portion of the property is located.

“This is the beginning of the formal condemnation proceeding,” said Lashmet, noting that negotiations between the landowner and the condemnor may continue despite the filing.

SPECIAL COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT, HEARING AND AWARD Once the condemnation proceeding is filed, the judge will appoint three local landowners to sit as “special commissioners” to determine adequate compensation.

“The three commissioners’ authority is limited to determining the adequate compensation for the landowner,” Lashmet.

A hearing will be scheduled at the earliest practical time, but no sooner than 20 days after the commission’s appointment.

The special commissioners will consider evidence of the property being condemned, the injury to the property owner, the benefit to the owner’s remaining property, and they will determine the adequate compensation due. Both the landowner and the condemnor will be able present evidence and cross examine any witnesses.

After the hearing, the special commissioners will issue an award stating the value of the adequate compensation the company must pay the landowner. The compensation award is filed with the court.

Once the compensation award is made, the company may take possession of the property, pending results of further litigation if the company pays the required amount to the landowner or the court or posts a bond to secure the payment of damages.

“This right to possession allows a pipeline company, for example, to immediately begin constructing the line even though the case is still pending on appeal,” Lashmet said.

Award Filing and Objections Permitted If either party is dissatisfied with the special commissioners’ award, an objection may be filed. If an objection is filed, the condemnation case will be set for either a judge or jury trial.

Trial by Judge or Jury and Appeals Once the case proceeds to a trial, the landowner may challenge issues other than compensation.

“Unlike the special commissioners, the court has the power to consider questions such as whether the condemnor is allowed to use eminent domain or whether the land will be taken for public use,” Lashmet said.

After the trial occurs and a verdict is entered, either party has the right to appeal the decision and proceed through the appellate process like any other litigation.

“Eminent domain may not feel fair, but it is a reality for many landowners,” Lashmet said.

Her best advice?

“If you get a letter in the mail, do not ignore it, instead take action,” she said. “Do not sign the first thing the company gives you, instead negotiate. And, at least, consult an experienced attorney because the impact of condemnation can affect your land forever.”

Disclaimer This column is for educational purposes only, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and is not a substitute for competent legal advice by an attorney licensed in Texas or any other state. The information provided is merely provided for informational purposes.

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Photo by Rita Frey

SMALL ACREAGE, BIG IMPACT FOR WILDLIFE Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD

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mall acreage landowners can have a big impact for Texas wildlife.

“As large ranches get smaller throughout Texas, the only way we can get anything done for wildlife on a landscape scale is to engage small acreage landowners alongside those with larger holdings,” said Tim Siegmund, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Private Lands Program Leader who is based in College Station.

According to the American Farmland Trust, Texas is losing productive, open space land faster than any other state in the nation. Fragmentation, the breaking up of larger parcels into smaller ones, is occurring across the state, but is most evident along the I-35, I-45 and I-10 corridors.

"Texas land continues to fragment, so small acreage is becoming increasingly important as these tracts comprise a larger percentage of the state," said Derrick Wolter, TPWD Senior Wildlife Biologist who is based in Georgetown.

TPWD surveys and work done by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, identify recreation as the driving force behind rural real estate sales. Wildlife is a component of recreation for many people.

"Small is a relative term in many instances," said Erin Wehland, TPWD District Biologist for Burnet and Lampasas counties. "People moving from urban areas who have only

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owned a city lot may consider 10, 25 or 50 acres as a big property.

Many of the small property landowners who I work with have a sincere desire to be good land stewards."

Small landowners, as Natural Resources Conservation Service public information staff pointed out in a written interview, can "serve as a critical link and corridor for many wildlife species.

Providing food, shelter and water is essential no matter the operation's scale."

While NRCS doesn't have a definition for small acreage, TPWD defines small acreage as holdings of 100 acres or less. The notable exception is the Trans-Pecos, where the desert environment limits the land’s carrying capacity, so it takes more acreage to support the same number of animals; in far West Texas, small acreage is defined as 500 acres or less

by TPWD. “From TPWD's perspective, size doesn’t matter when it comes to technical guidance or cost-share programs,” Siegmund said.

“All landowners receive our best information for managing their properties, and cost-share money is awarded on the merit of the project, not on the size of the acreage.”

Eligibility for NRCS technical and financial assistance is not based on operation size either. Instead, the agency treats resource concerns based on the needs that align with the landowner's goals and objectives.

SMALL ACREAGE VS. LARGE ACREAGE While the actual land management techniques such as prescribed burns, mechanical brush control or individual plant treatments are applied to the land identically regardless of the amount of acreage involved, small acreage managers must contend with some unique challenges.

By its nature, small acreage properties are more heavily influenced by their neighbors than larger tracts.

“Small landowners have to look across the fence to understand how they fit into the larger habitat picture," Wehland said. "For instance, if the neighboring properties have good dense cover suitable for white-tailed deer, a landowner might not need quite as much on theirs.”

What happens—or doesn't happen—across the fence directly impacts small acreage holdings.

“Small acreage landowners can do everything exactly right, but may not see the desired results if their neighbors are not managing the resources in a similar manner,” Siegmund said.

“For instance, your 100 acres of prime, restored quail habitat is not going to attract quail if it’s surrounded by 10,000 acres of poor habitat or your 100 acres isn’t going to produce big bucks if your neighbors aren’t managing for mature deer in their harvest and good habitat on the land.”

In areas with a preponderance of small acreage, TPWD personnel recommend that neighbors create wildlife cooperatives.

“Wildlife cooperatives are groups of like-minded neighbors who get together, set goals and all manage their properties to achieve those goals,” Siegmund said. “It creates habitat and shapes meaningful change at the landscape level.”

The groups, which usually meet twice a year, are self-governing. They work with a local TPWD biologist.

Currently, there are more than 140 registered wildlife cooperatives in Texas. The highest concentration of wildlife cooperatives occurs in District 7, an area in the southern post oak savannah and coastal prairie ecoregion that stretches from Beaumont west to Bastrop and from Lockhart through Victoria to Refugio going south and up along the coast back to the Sabine River.

“Cooperation is critical to conservation success in many parts of the state,” Siegmund said. “For instance, the agency needs about 10,000 acres of suitable habitat to conduct an Eastern turkey re-stocking project. In the eastern portion of the state, that’s usually a lot of individual landowners.”

Land management on any scale costs money, but the expenses are borne differently on small acreage.

“Obviously, a small tract of land requires a smaller quantity of any given service such as mechanical brush removal or chemical brush treatment, but the cost per unit of service may be higher,” Siegmund said.

For instance, owners of a 100-acre property may need to treat brush encroachment on their prairie land. In this example, they may need to treat 50 acres with herbicide. Purchasing the herbicide in 2.5-gallon containers and paying a contractor to spray the 50 acres with a ground broadcast application will run,

Photo by Rita Frey

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in this example, about $50/acre. This equals a total of $2,500 for the project.

An owner of a 10,000-acre property may be able to buy the herbicide at a bulk discount in 250-gallon totes with plans to treat 250 acres in one pasture. The bulk cost of the herbicide and the use of a helicopter for aerial application reduces application costs, in this example, to $34/acre. This saves the large project almost $16 per acre over the smaller project due to economies of scale.

Total cost for the large project is $8,500. The larger project would be able to treat five times the acreage for brush encroachment and only spend 3.5 times as much money.

Often times, small acreage landowners don’t own equipment, such as tractors, necessary for some land management techniques such as disking firebreaks for prescribed burning.

As a result, there can be added expense as they have to hire service providers. In the case of prescribed burns, scheduling a

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Photo by Joseph Richards

S M A L L AC R E AG E , B I G I M PAC T F O R W I L D L I F E

service provider can add another variable to an already time and weather sensitive process due to their commitments with other customers, Siegmund said.

In the land management tool box, some tools are better suited to different size properties. Using deer surveys as an example, Siegmund said it is generally more feasible to use camera surveys on small properties because the number of cameras and the number of photographs that have to be analyzed is more manageable on a small scale in order to get an accurate count. Spotlight surveys work well for mid-sized and larger properties, while aerial surveys are best suited to large properties.

Another difference due to scale is that small acreage landowners often have the ability to focus on a greater level of management detail across their properties.

“Landowners can 'micromanage' plant communities on their properties, whether it is selective brush management in woodlands or small patch burns of grasslands that significantly improve habitat for targeted wildlife species at a smaller scale,” Wolter said. “‘Getting down into the weeds’ is more difficult for large land holdings as enhancement projects must focus on gross, large-scale management.”

Generally, small acreage landowners concentrate primarily on wildlife and recreation, while many larger landowners are also managing and balancing agricultural production. For many small acreage landowners, their property represents a lifelong dream of owning a piece of Texas, and they’ve financed their dream with outside income, so there is less pressure to make the land generate money.

“Many small acreage landowners find themselves with an opportunity to live out what they’ve been dreaming about for so long, so they bring a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm

COST-SHARE PROGRAMS Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers several cost-share programs to help private landowners improve the natural resources on the land in their care regardless of the holding size. The cost-share reimbursement is based on a set rate per acre for specific practices performed in the different ecoregions across the state.

The programs, accessed through the local TPWD biologist or Private Lands staff at TPWD’s Austin headquarters include: Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (GRIP): provides direct payment funding for conducting approved grassland bird habitat improvement practices on their property in focus areas throughout Texas administered by various Joint Ventures focused on bird conservation.

Landowner Incentive Program (LIP): designed to support good conservation practices that benefit healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with a focus on Federal Trust Species benefit.

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Pastures for Upland Birds Program (PUB): provides cost-share incentives and technical guidance to private landowners to restore native grass and forb vegetation on pastures and hayfields dominated by exotic grasses such as Bermudagrass, bahiagrass, Johnson grass and Old World bluestems.

For more information go to the Private Lands page at tpwd. texas.gov, contact your local TPWD biologist or call Tim Siegmund at (903) 426-1834.

USDA NRCS USDA NRCS has numerous conservation programs under the current Farm Bill to provide both technical guidance and financial assistance to landowners.

For more information go to "Texas NRCS Homepage" (https:// www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/tx/home/) or contact your local USDA Service Center.

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to the process,” Siegmund said. “Most are eager to learn because they may have limited to no experience with the aspects of managing land.”

MANAGING THE DREAM A lack of landowning experience isn’t a handicap unless people begin making major land management decisions and implementing strategies without fully understanding the implications. For instance, in some counties, it is possible to run a cow to 3 acres on fertilized improved pasture.

If someone attempts to run a cow to 3 acres on native rangeland and also wants wildlife habitat, the landscape, their habitat and their expectations could suffer quickly.

“It is a lot easier to run down 100 acres in the short term than thousands of acres,” Siegmund said. “Education of possible impacts and proper management, on the front end, is important.”

Landowners, regardless of experience level or acreage, have access to free, technical guidance information from several agencies including TPWD, NRCS and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

“Talk to one or talk to them all,” Siegmund said. “This is a free service available to you as a citizen of this state and nation.”

By working with agency professionals, landowners can establish realistic goals and realistic timelines for achieving those goals.

“The professionals will bring their own ideas of what is best suited to the land in the areas in which they work, but our job is to find out the landowners' goals and what they hope to achieve and then establish realistic goals, management actions and timelines,” Siegmund said.

For instance, Siegmund once worked with a landowner who had 75 acres that he wanted to restore to its pre-European settlement state in hopes of re-establishing a quail population. Siegmund had to explain that quail hadn’t been seen in that county in several decades and that they would not traverse all of the unsuitable habitat between the closest

population and his 75 acres, no matter how beautifully restored it was. They also talked through the impossibility, proven through decades of failed attempts, of re-establishing populations using pen-raised birds.

They, too, discussed the myriad of benefits to water quality, soil health, pollinators and other songbirds that could be accomplished by his efforts. Siegmund helped the landowner recognize if quail alone were his measure of success, he would almost certainly be disappointed with the final outcome.

“You don’t know what you don’t know until you start asking questions,” Siegmund said. “If the original goals and timelines are realistic, the chance for disillusionment and disappointment are greatly reduced—and the chance for success is greatly enhanced.”

He continued, “When small landowners succeed, Texas is better for it.” *Portions of this story first appeared in Texas LAND magazine.

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Photo by Vicky Jefferson Even when shooting from the hip, the Axe tore through a gallon, water-filled milk jug from about 20 feet.

GIVE ‘EM THE AXE! Article by JOHN JEFFERSON

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story tells of a Texas Ranger arriving at a function in full Ranger regalia—boots, starched khakis, starched white shirt, black necktie, a wide-brimmed western hat and the traditional silver Texas Ranger badge. On his hip was a semi-automatic pistol.

A lady walked up to the Ranger looking at his pistol, and asked in a mocking tone, “I see you are armed; are you expecting trouble?”

His respectful reply was, “No Ma’am, if I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my shotgun.”

Whether that’s a true story or just a good one, it’s at least a professional opinion of a good self-defense weapon if trouble arises. But most folks don’t want to lug a long gun around everywhere they go. And shells for larger gauge add weight.

But in 2019, Henry Arms may have just introduced the ultimate firearm for self-protection—a short barreled, semipistol- gripped, .410-gauge, five shell magazine, lever-action

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shotgun. The .410 round has a mild enough recoil to permit being hand-held, using both hands. The light .410 shells help out weight-wise, too.

The emphatic sound of a shotgun’s action being operated should discourage most aggressors, too. Be it the metallic “Chung-Ching” of a pump action or the equally metallic “ClankClink” of the Axe’s lever action loading a round, both serve as a verbal exclamation point to any defensive action. I pray I will never be confronted with that situation, but I also pray that I will be prepared if it does. A scatter-gun is a formidable adversary and makes a trustworthy companion.

Shortly after picking mine up at McBride’s Guns in Austin, we headed to a ranch to test it. We started with #8 shot for familiarization. It’s very comfortable to shoot resting it against your hip. My wife Vicky agreed.

The little gun slid backwards an inch or so with each shot. The muzzle didn’t jump at all. Vicky shot a little high on the paper

Photo by John Jefferson

GIVE ‘EM THE AXE!

Handsome and well-made, the Henry Repeating Arms “Axe” shotgun is a convenient and reliable partner on the ranch or at home.

with it, but her shots would have required serious maintenance on someone with evil intent.

Then we switched to high brass #4 shells. They rocked her a little more but were certainly manageable and provoked no complaints. They inflicted considerably more damage to the paper target, however. It was annihilated!

When asked later if there was a difference in recoil, she shrugged and replied, “Not a noticeable one.” She added, “It’s the most fun gun that I’ve ever fired!” And, she’s shot a few.

We only had a couple of empty plastic milk jugs, so that test was abbreviated. The #4 shot destroyed the jugs of water and looked like it penetrated out the back side. But I learned that shooting into a fresh north wind at a gallon milk jug full of water from 25 feet away is a sure way to get your glasses washed.

And from the milk jug’s condition, #4s certainly looked lethal.

Buckshot wasn’t available at the time, but ought to handle deer, small hogs and all species of predators, if needed. Slugs are also marketed. Bird shot is plenty for snakes. Other rounds are available for self-defense. Read on.

Its 26.4-inch length rides well with the Axe handle wedged between the driver’s seat of my truck and the console. I’ll add a small muzzle holster on the truck’s floor along the drive shaft cover to transport the little Axe. This portable little shotgun is fairly heavy (5.75 pounds) but illustrates the Henry slogan: “Made in America or Not Made at All!” It’s substantial.

The tubular magazine holds five, 2 1/2-inch, .410 rounds, but a loading port located just above the trigger guard allows changing loads quickly by ejecting the first round(s) in the magazine and replacing it (them) with lighter or heavier rounds, depending on what the circumstance dictates.

I prefer having the less lethal #8 shot for the first round to be chambered in case of a snake or the need for a warning shot.

Vicky feels differently about it. “If I have to fire it at all, I want it be a stopper,” she told me. Levering my #8 shell out quickly still leaves her four rounds in the Axe. For self-defense, Winchester makes rounds called “Defender” that each contain three discs that should be excellent anti-bad boy bullets. Define bad boy any way you care to, so long as you include medium-size hogs in the definition.

The hogs didn’t cooperate the times we have been looking for that test, but the Defender rounds appear to be stoppers. And just in case of inadequate aiming, 12 pellets of buckshot follow the discs out the barrel for good measure.

I was puzzled by the Defender’s stated 750-foot muzzle velocity when other 2 1/2-inch shotshells were advertised as moving over a 1,000 feet/second coming out of the muzzle. I asked Winchester Ammunition about it.

Nathan Robinson, an engineer with Olin (Winchester), replied. He said their tests were run more than a decade ago when the only gun they had to test the ammo was the Taurus Judge, a 3-inch barrel revolver that fired both .410 and .45 Colt rounds out of the same cylinder. From a 3-inch barrel, the 750 feet velocity was satisfactory.

Mr. Robinson said out of the Axe’s longer barrel (15.4 inches) velocity should be higher. The Judge had a rifled barrel and the Axe is a smoothbore, so shot disbursement might be a little wider.

I don’t know this for a fact, but if the tests were done on a Taurus Judge, it seems likely that the Defender rounds were developed for that pistol. That might explain why the muzzle velocity was slowed to 750 feet per second, compared to the muzzle velocity of other 2.5 - inch .410 rounds.

The less power required for the slower muzzle velocity would reduce recoil in the handgun. Even though the Judge is a heavy pistol which somewhat absorbs recoil, firing a full powered .410 load would have been—for lack of a better description—a load.

Fired from the Axe, it’s quite manageable.

It’s a shotgun to love, and it fits all mature hands in the family!

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A windmill at sunset in big ranch country.

DIVERSIFIED RANCH INCOME In modern times, you have to get creative to keep a ranch intact from one generation to the next.

Article and photos by BRANDON RAY

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n 1948, my grandfather Guy Owens purchased land south of Amarillo, Texas. The property was about half rangeland suitable for farming and grazing and half rugged breaks of the Palo Duro Canyon.

Back then, the ranch was mostly a weekend getaway.

Granddad lived in town, but he loved to go to the country to tend to his horses and cows. Eventually, part of the property was farmed for wheat. I have fond memories as a kid hiking through the rough canyons, looking for arrow heads, hunting mule deer and chasing chickens around the barn. A lot has changed since then.

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Today, I’m part of the third generation to take care of Rim Ranch. Like many ranches that pass from one generation to the next, adjustments had to be made to keep the ranch intact. There is a desire for the family’s private use of the land, but the reality is someone has to pay taxes and expenses. Time to get creative.

Here are six ways we generated income at Rim Ranch.

CATTLE LEASE

Income from cattle grazing is a common way for landowners to make money off of their land if they don’t want to own and manage cattle themselves. There are multiple ways to set up a lease.

DIVERSIFIED RANCH INCOME

The two most common are for a cattleman to run a cow/calf operation or to run stockers or steers. A cow/calf operation usually means livestock on the property year-round.

The best fit for our ranch was running steers. With steers, the cattle are only on the ranch part of the year, usually from April through August. Our agreement calls for the cattle to be removed by August 31, meaning there are no cattle on the ranch during hunting season. Since half of our ranch is steep, rough country, land that is not grazeable, we have to adjust the number of cows per acre.

Today, we agree to a conservative number of livestock on the ranch with the lessee. The price can be set per acre to graze or per animal unit.

Water is important for cattle. Since rainfall is unpredictable in our part of the Panhandle, and dirt ponds often dry up, windmills provide year-round water. Part of our lease agreement is that we split repairs for windmills with the lessee. We also split repairs of fencing. In times of severe drought, we do not put any cattle on the ranch.

HORSEBACK LEASE Tourism is often overlooked as a potential income for ranchers. In the Amarillo-area where our ranch lies, western heritage runs deep. People come from all over the country to visit Route 66, watch the play Texas in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, attend rodeos and just be close to anything cowboy related.

When one of our neighbors started offering trail rides, their business really took off. Because our ranch has a stunning view of the canyon, it made sense for the neighbor to approach us about a lease.

First, we made sure it would not cause any conflicts with our cattle lease. The cattleman was okay with the idea and understood the need to generate more money for the ranch.

Today, we lease the ranch from approximately February through August for trail riding. Summer time, when kids are out of school, is the busiest time of year for the horse business since families are on vacation.

A chuck wagon supper at sunset is even an option. Even though the horses are on the ranch almost every day, they leave very little evidence of being there. The wranglers take groups on different trails every day to limit their footprint.

The wildlife are accustomed to the horse traffic, and it does not seem to affect the number of deer we hold on the ranch in hunting season. Be sure you and your trail ride provider have solid insurance plans that cover potential horse accidents.

AIRBNB/PARTIES At first, the idea of renting our main ranch house and small bunkhouse seemed far-fetched. Who would want to stay in an old ranch house 30 miles from town? Why not try to make some extra money? We set up an account with Airbnb.com, took a bunch of pictures, researched a reasonable price for what we had to offer and were shocked at how well it was received.

Emma Ray is happy to saddle up for a trail ride. A lease for horseback riding has produced extra income in the summer.

Lisa Armbruster is saddled up next to an authentic chuck wagon. A lease for horseback riding through the neighboring ranch has produced extra income for Rim Ranch in the summer.

This is the screened-in porch on the main ranch house at Rim Ranch. It’s a popular spot for guests to eat meals in the summer.

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DIVERSIFIED RANCH INCOME

Today, most weekends in the summer are booked far in advance. Simple country things like chasing grasshoppers, chickens and fetching fresh eggs from inside the coop, kittens in the barn and feeding our two miniature donkeys, Jessie and Dixie, are exactly the sort of unique things that made our Airbnb stand out. City folks seldom get to see that side of life.

Another possibility for the future is parties and weddings.

With some new lighting and a few upgrades, a large empty Quonset barn would make a perfect party barn. This is another business idea that works best in the summer, so there is no conflict with hunting in the fall and winter.

Simple things like chickens and the crow of a rooster at sunrise are popular attractions for city guests that stay at Rim Ranch’s Airbnb in the summer. This rooster’s name is Pigeon.

Happy client Barry Heiskell with a huge, 33-inch aoudad ram. Guided hunts for free-ranging aoudads produce income for the ranch while helping to control the exotic population.

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HUNTING While white-tailed deer are probably the most common source of hunting/lease money in Texas, there are other options. While we wanted to keep the deer and turkey hunting for family, we found a way to generate money from hunting with exotics.

Back in 1957-1958, aoudad sheep were introduced to the Palo Duro Canyon. Today, these wild sheep thrive and roam the red rock canyons like they’ve been there since the beginning of time. Rim Ranch and the surrounding landscapes are home to good numbers of sheep. A big, old ram makes a fine trophy, and there is high demand among hunters for a quality hunt.

By guiding a few hunts each fall, during the aoudad rut in September and October, we generate extra money. Guided hunts include food, lodging, guide and field care of the hunter’s trophy.

We also control the population of these exotics that compete with native game, such as mule deer, at the same time.

The prime months of November and December are left available for family to hunt deer.

Hunting invasive feral hogs in the off-season or dove hunting over windmills in September are other potential sources of hunting revenue beyond the usual deer lease.

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS Did you know the government will pay you to rotationally graze cattle? Did you know they will cost share to replace old fences and build new ponds? A visit to your local Farm Services Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office is worth the drive. Both government agencies offer programs that pay landowners to be better stewards of the land.

For example, Rim Ranch is currently enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). CSP pays us annually for things like wildlife-friendly fence crossings, protecting prime fawning and nesting cover from cattle grazing during the spring of the year and building metal ramps in water tanks to keep birds and small mammals from drowning.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will cost share certain projects, such as replacing old fences and controlling invasive weeds or brush, that are normally cost-prohibitive for small ranches. We used EQIP to spray mesquites. The government paid approximately 60 percent

DIVERSIFIED RANCH INCOME

What ranch doesn’t have old equipment rusting in the sun? This old Chevrolet pick-up could bring extra money to pay for new ranch improvements.

of the cost to aerially apply the chemical on our ranch in July. The chemical we used, Sendero herbicide, killed approximately 80-90 percent of the sprayed mesquites.

A rancher friend of mine in the northwestern Panhandle got ALL of his mesquite spraying paid for through EQIP because he qualified as a first-time, young generation rancher. They sprayed thousands of acres and the cost would have been astronomical, but through the program it was free. Now that ranch has more grass, better grazing for cattle and better habitat for pronghorn antelope.

someone to decorate a bar. The money from all that old equipment helped pay for ranch improvements.

Even random things like old metal Coca Cola signs or rusty pick-up

trucks have value. What ranch doesn’t have a few old signs, a collapsed windmill or an old pick-up truck rusting in the sun? Turn that junk into cash.

One of the tricks to making so many different ideas work is to make sure they all fit together like a puzzle. Each piece has to fit with the next one. Maybe five or six ideas for your place is too many, but maybe one or two could pay the taxes every year.

Balance is important. At Rim Ranch, cattle grazing, horseback riding and Airbnb are only done through the summer. We don’t want those things to overlap with hunting as that would create some safety issues and reduce the quality of the hunting experience.

Aoudad hunts are only done in September and October. That leaves late fall and winter open for hunting native game.

So far, balancing all of these ideas has worked to keep our ranch in the family for at least one more generation.

SELL JUNK In the late 1980s, we made the decision to stop farming wheat. Those fields were later converted to native grasses to reduce erosion as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), another income source for the ranch. We no longer had a need for tractors, grain trucks, plows and other machinery.

One piece at a time, we sold all that old farm equipment. I sold one grain truck on eBay to a buyer in Florida. The buyer drove all the way to Texas, loaded the truck on a trailer, and drove it back home.

I sold an old Airstream trailer to a band in Austin who wanted to use it as a dressing room. I sold a few bent blades from a defunct windmill tower to

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Photo by Larry Ditto

IT’S CALLED ECOTHERAPY Article by JUDY JUREK

I

t is so important to find ways to get kids and adults outdoors. Hiking, biking, gardening and camping are a few suggestions.

There are multiple organizations available in most cities and counties that offer activities to connect children to nature. Kudos to the Texas Wildlife Association for what it does to introduce youths to the outdoors, conservation and hunting through its Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs.

Getting outdoors to improve your overall well-being has a name—it’s called Ecotherapy. The approach rests on the idea people have a deep connection to their environment and to earth itself. Failing to nurture this connection can take a toll on your well-being, particularly mental health.

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The term was created in 1996 by a pastoral counselor named Reverend Dr. Howard Clinebell, author of “Ecotherapy: Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth.” Ecotherapy involves using nature to promote both physical and psychological healing. It helps depression.

The benefits of nature have found their way to doctors’ prescription pads! A typical directive may simply be to take a stroll outside, which by itself can be a great pick-me-up whether obvious or indiscernible.

Getting outside, taking a deep breath, flexing your shoulders while rolling your neck around helps clear your head, gives your mind a moment to refocus elsewhere even if only briefly. A few minutes breathing outside air can do wonders to a psyche.

IT’S CALLED ECOTHERAPY

Photo by Larry Ditto

Photo by Judy Jurek

In the old days, people were involved in a vast array of outdoor activities…whenever they were not working inside. Being outdoors more than indoors was normal way of life so to speak.

They were often engaged in ecotherapy without realizing it.

The introduction of air conditioning began the subtle shift away from spending time outdoors especially in the heat of summer. Technology, with satellite television offering hundreds of channels, computers at work and home, video games, and of course the influx of social media, further increased the appeal of staying indoors. Regardless of the medium, technology consumes our time and minds.

It is a proven fact that being in front of a "blue screen" of any kind for more than two hours straight is not good for anyone.

Many do not realize insomnia may result from late night computer use. For any age person sitting for long periods of time with little or no movement may be detrimental to a one’s mental wellbeing, not to mention the physical aspect of posture and blood circulation.

A year ago, few people were truly “getting outside” to reap the benefits of the great outdoors. Then a pandemic occurred that has affected the lives of almost every individual regardless of age or lifestyle. Suddenly more people began working from home while youngsters were not allowed to physically attend school. The numerous changes have created stress, anxiety and

boredom to name a few of the many emotions people began to experience even if they never had before this virus hit.

It is often overlooked how Mother Nature and her seemingly limitless offerings can rejuvenate a person’s body, mind and soul.

Hippocrates once said, “Nature itself is the best physician.”

Spirit is something that truly cannot be gauged or measured but the outdoors may easily lift someone’s disposition that has been disheartened in any way.

“When in doubt, get outside!” is a dictum often spoken and coined by Amber Jekot, owner of Ecotherapy Austin. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LSCW), Registered Play Therapist (RPT) and with a Master’s of Divinity (Mdiv), this vibrant lady speaks from her heart, from her own experiences with nature.

In graduate school Jekot was employed on a farm working in gardens and with animals while doing all sorts of outdoor activities.

“I realized how simple things like feeling soil in your hands could relax you, remove stress, have a calming effect,” she said.

“I decided then to concentrate on and specialize in ecotherapy and horticultural therapy, incorporating what I learned from the garden into the therapy room.”

Jekot’s philosophy is relative yet simple.

“I see nature as an abundant resource, as a co-therapist in healing,” she said. “Nature increases well-being, creates avenues for positive sensory intervention and encourages physical and emotional healing.

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“While it is not my job to provide medical prescriptions, I do prescribe a nature connection. Nature prescriptions can also be a powerful addition to the help medication can provide.”

Jekot said that, if appropriate, she often prescribes nature before sending clients to the psychiatrist.

“People need to disconnect from technology and get outdoors,” she said. “A weekend away is great but an entire week is better."

She continued, “Doing yard work, taking a walk, sitting on your porch are helpful transitional activities with calming effects after stress or the blues. Sensory experiences help grow the brain creating positive, healing neuropathways in youngsters, but they are also important for adults.”

Even having a natural scene out a window can influence mood. If possible, Jekot recommends creating work and play spaces near windows for nature views. If no window, having a great outdoors photograph or mural can help, too.

According to Jekot, research suggests soil microbes are associated with increases in positive moods so many places are now incorporating gardening in their healing protocols. It is all related to ecotherapy.

Is it really as simple as Jekot intimates, when she says: “When in doubt, get outside.”?

As mentioned earlier, ecotherapy wraps around our five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. Our brains interpret each sensory perception which allows us in turn to distinguish between wind and rain, grass and wood, tomato and pecan, elk call and bird song, skunk odor and lavender…most everything in the world both inside and outdoors.

Today’s world is busy, often chaotic, sometimes confusing, and perhaps even overwhelming when we attempt performing too much of one thing or everything. Stepping outdoors opens your senses that may somewhat be temporarily dulled by whatever you were doing before exiting to an outside environment.

Two minutes, two hours, two weeks or longer can refresh your senses quite clearly or inconspicuously. It is often the small respite that unlocks a person to new ideas, a different approach, or merely tackling a tough task with more vigor.

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It is important to recognize the healthful benefits of being outdoors regardless of the amount of time. Research has proven a variety of sights and sounds relaxes and calms an array of emotions. Watching and/or listening to water cascading over rocks, surf rolling onto sand, song birds singing, wildlife in their natural settings…the list is long.

April Daniels and husband Bauer (not real names) both work from home. They are raising a trio of boys aged three to seven.

“We realized long ago the benefits of the outdoors for ourselves way before the kids came along,” laughed April. “Now it’s even more important for us after work, the boys after school, and for all of us on weekends.”

“Every single day we do something outside. We own a few acres with multiple paths. Bike riding is an almost daily full family event. It’s both fun and exercise. Even if the weather isn’t perfect, we’ll at least take a short walk. The boys look for things and point them out: birds, rocks, insects, flowers and even wild animal scat!”

The youngsters assist their parents whenever possible handing tools, gathering garden produce, or keeping their eyes and ears open for whatever.

“The older two know all about snakes,” April said. “They’re learning the different Hill Country wildlife species around us so they’re constantly looking through windows when indoors in hopes of being the first to see something.”

Asked about ecotherapy, April remarked she knew its meaning and understood how nature can play an essential role in creating healthy, happy people.

“Without realizing it, I guess we’ve been practicing it for years,” she said. “Bauer and I can feel it ourselves and see in the kids how stepping outside regardless of the weather can lift your mood, attitude, spirit…and just make your mind and body feel better.”

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 has had an impact no one was expecting: staying at home more than ever while trying to be creatively active to keep from going bananas. This is especially true for those with children. More than a few have turned to outdoor activities in their own back, front and side yards.

Ecotherapy is being employed without anyone truly noticing.

Photo by Larry Ditto

Photo by Larry Ditto

IT’S CALLED ECOTHERAPY

Photo by Larry Ditto

IT’S CALLED ECOTHERAPY

Have you tried lately purchasing any alfresco gear locally or online? “Out of stock” is now a common disclaimer attached to a multitude of items associated with the outdoors. Asked when something may become available the answer is likely, “We don’t know” as they claim Covid has affected production, accessibility, delivery, etc.

From exercise equipment to swing sets and jungle gums, tents to trampolines, barbeque pits to full outdoor kitchens, flower and vegetable gardens to tree houses, hot tubs to paddle boats the items people want to venture outside and entertain themselves are in demand like never before.

Landscaping and gardening essentials in stores are often depleted as people get outside. Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects of every kind are experiencing a boom. Recreational vehicle sales are at an all-time high as families desire outings with some comforts and amenities of home. Camping is a way to socially distance yet enjoy others while viewing wildlife. All the above and more are related to ecotherapy.

Engage in ecotherapy. Get outdoors. Look around.

Breathe deeply. Listen. Sniff the air. Let your senses take control. Experience the natural presence of Mother Nature’s surroundings.

As the age-old adage recommends: Take time to smell the roses! That simple act may truly enhance your physical and mental well-being.

Photo by Cory Morrow

TWA Auction Excitement WildLife 2021 is the place to be this July!

This year’s auction features exclusive hunts, trips, vacation packages, game feeders, blinds, firearms, clothing, jewelry, optics—and so much more.

As an example of the one-of-a-kind exclusive items offered at this year’s convention auction consider this South Texas evening to remember.

Thanks to the generosity of TWA Past President J. David Anderson and his wife Brenda, three couples will enjoy a weekend of great music, great food and luxurious accommodations. To make the memorable weekend beyond compare, TWA Member and Texas Country Music star Cory Morrow will play a private concert at the Andersons’ Las Colinas Ranch located between Freer and Hebbronville.

This awesome event will take place on a mutually agreeable date between buyer and donor in the fall of 2021 or spring of 2022.

JULY 16-18, 2021

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa 23808 Resort Parkway, San Antonio, TX 78261

This exclusive concert is just one of the exciting items you will find at the TWA Annual Convention, WildLife 2021 to be held July 15-18, 2021 at the beautiful JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. A portion of the auction will also be held online again this year. Register today!

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Wildflower Foraging Article and photo by SALLIE LEWIS

L

ady Bird Johnson once said, “Almost every person, from childhood, has been touched by the untamed beauty of wildflowers.”

Having grown up visiting the Texas Hill Country, I can personally attest to the former First Lady’s words. But last year, I came to know this “untamed beauty” more intimately while living in Fredericksburg for a year-long sabbatical. As winter waned and the days grew longer, I watched Mother Nature reveal herself through the soil.

Spring has long been a season of rebirth and renewal, and for Texans, this symbolism surfaces through our world-renowned wildflower show. Every year, the roadsides transform into a kaleidoscope of colors as flowers such as bluebonnets, browneyed Susans, winecups, Indian paintbrushes, evening primrose and firewheels bloom in spring.

Watching this metamorphosis deepened my well of gratitude for the outdoors. As my interest in nature grew, I began studying to quench my curiosity. A thoughtful neighbor gifted me a book titled Range Plants of North Central Texas: A Land User’s Guide to Their Identification, Value and Management by Ricky J. Linex, which spurred my studies in plant identification.

Through this text, along with informative apps like PlantSnap

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and PictureThis, my understanding of local flora and fauna developed considerably.

Last year, as I took my morning walks, I felt like I was learning a new language. With phone in hand, I snapped pictures of silverleaf nightshades and prairie coneflowers, white prickly poppies and blackfoot daisies, studying their color, structure, uses and benefits.

Studying wildflowers is also an act of discovery. One of my favorite discoveries occurred last spring when I passed a milkweed varietal called antelope horn. The plant gets its name for its pronged flowers which resemble a pronghorn antelope. Like many native plants, antelope horns have a strange medicinal history; their milky sap was once used as a holistic treatment for wart removal.

Wildflowers are also laden with legend and lore. Others, such as the Maximilian sunflower, signal the shift of seasons from summer to fall.

For land stewards, knowledge of plant life is crucial to managing rangeland and wildlife habitat. It can also be a lifeenhancing practice for anyone interested in nature. Simple acts, like foraging for wildflowers and arranging the cut stems in your home can be an act of self-care, as can planting your own seeds.

Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg is a great place to buy both native grass and wildflower seeds. As the largest working wildflower farm in the nation, their bulk seed division and mailorder catalog sells a wide-range of regional mixes and blends for climates around the United States.

Of all the things this past year taught me, slowing down was by far the most important. In spring, I practiced the art of slow living by stopping at fields of flowers and sitting quietly in nature.

In those moments, life revealed itself to me at a micro-level. I saw ladybugs crawl on the thorny undersides of nodding thistle and butterflies wing past patches of purple lantana. Striped bees, heavy with nectar, moved at leisure from flower to flower. And I took note, noticing for the first time new layers of life pulsing around me.

Despite the challenging times we’re living in, I know firsthand there is respite in the outdoors. Like the head of a sunflower, which follows the sunlight, I believe in the power of positivity.

Heading outside, asking questions, respecting the land and stopping to smell the wildflowers is a great place to start.

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