writing this from Terlingua in early August and can only hope that by the time you’re reading this the temperatures have dropped significantly, your fridge is stocked with dove and you’re gearing up for deer season.
I just attended the Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference in Alpine which was co-hosted by the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Wildlife Association (TWA). It was very well attended by about 200 conservation enthusiasts.
The agenda was packed with a range of topics covering habitat management, cost share programs, and wildlife management for both game and non-game species. I was honored to join Chad Ellis of Texas Agricultural Land Trust and John Silovsky with TPWD on a panel about the opportunities and challenges of conservation on private land. Friday morning, participants were invited on a field trip to two nearby ranches to see conservation practices in action
After the presentations on Thursday, TWA hosted a member mixer under the cottonwoods at Kokernot Lodge. Thanks to some wonderful sponsors like Shiner Bock, Nyle Maxwell Family of Dealerships, Permian Basin Area Foundation, Wildlife Systems, Corteva Agriscience, Texas Ranch Sales, and Mule Deer Foundation, everyone was treated to cold Shiner and a delicious barbecue dinner.
It was the perfect setting to visit with friends old and new. We talked to people from all over the state (and world!) from various backgrounds. Some had been landowners for generations while others were just starting out, but everyone had at least one thing in common—a love for Texas wildlife and its habitat.
TWA has hosted a handful of these member mixers around the state and we’re always looking for opportunities to host more events in other regions. If you have an idea for a mixer in your area, we’d love to hear from you. These are always most successful when we have engaged local members to help us plan and promote the event.
Thanks for all you do for TWA!
Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.
6644 FM 1102
New Braunfels, TX 78132 www.texas-wildlife.org
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 2022 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.
(210) 826-2904
FAX (210) 826-4933 (800) 839-9453 (TEX-WILD)
VOLUME 38 H NUMBER 6 H 2022
by NATE SKINNER
Justin
Burt Rutherford,
Lorie A.
Brimager,
Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO
The High Plains of Texas have long been a funnel in the Central Flyway for geese, ducks and other migratory wildlife that find the playas in the region vital as stopover points for rest and recharge. But the function of these ephemeral wetlands has changed over the past 40 to 50 years as agricultural practices have changed and drought has become a major player in the ecosystem. How have Canada Geese adapted and what’s the future for the playas and the flyway? Read Nate Skinner’s report beginning on page 8.
Photo by Wyman Meinzer Photo by Nate SkinnerLadies Quail Hunt. TWA, McKenna Quinn, and Spoke Hollow Outfitters are excited to join forces to offer a unique opportunity to connect women’s conservation and upland bird hunting communities by hosting a morning Hill Country experience. For more information, contact Kristin Parma at kparma@texas-wildlife.org.
Hunting Film Tour, YETI, Dallas. The Hunting Film Tour features 10-12 conservation-oriented adventure stories. For more information, visit www.Texas-wildlife.org or contact Kristin Parma at (800) 839-9453 or kparma@texas-wildlife.org.
TWA Foundation presents Camp James 2022 with special musical guest Jack Ingram. Enjoy an evening dedicated to celebrating the successful impact of wildlife and conservation education which connects North Texas youth to the land. For information on tickets or to donate fundraising items, contact TWAF Director of Development TJ Goodpasture at (800) 839-9453 or tjgoodpasture@texas-wildlife.org, or go to www.twafoundation.org.
2022 Texas Outdoorsman of the Year, honoring Carter Smith. Texas Old Town, Kyle. To make a donation or for more information, visit www.twafoundation.org or contact TJ Goodpasture at tjgoodpasture@texas-wildlife.org
OCTOBER 20
Hunting Film Tour, YETI, Houston. The Hunting Film Tour features 10-12 conservation-oriented adventure stories. For more information, visit www.Texas-wildlife.org or contact Kristin Parma at (800) 839-9453 or kparma@texas-wildlife.org.
Houston Clay Shoot, Greater Houston Gun Club. For more information, visit www.Texas-wildlife.org or contact Kristin Parma at (800) 839-9453 or kparma@texas-wildlife.org.
DECEMBER 17
Members-only Wild Game Cooking Class, TWA Headquarters, New Braunfels. For more information, visit www.Texas-wildlife.org or contact Kristin Parma at (800) 839-9453 or kparma@texas-wildlife.org.
• Youth Videoconferences are live interactive presentations featuring Texas wildlife species. Offered throughout the semester, classes connect via videoconference equipment or Zoom.
• On-demand Webinars are recorded interactive presentations about natural resources and wildlife conservation topics and are available anytime on the TWA website. Critter Connections are now available in a readalong format. Recordings of past issues are available online and are created for each new issue.
• (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.
FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2022-2023 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.
VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGES ONLINE AT www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/category/youth for specifics and registration information.
Playas are important migration stopover and wintering sites for many migrating birds. But drought and changing farming practices have taken a toll on these unique, ephemeral wetlands. Help and hope, however, is on the horizon.
WILD GEESE AND
PLAYAS
Photo by Wyman Meinzer
The
High Plains of West Texas have long been a premier wintering grounds for wild geese. The vast expanse of agricultural production across this region provides ample food and habitat resources to migrating waterfowl.
In addition to food, the geese that winter here also need water, both for hydration and roosting habitat. For decades, waterfowl have depended on playa lakes as the main sources for water and roosting habitat in the area. In recent years, these natural water features have been disappearing from the landscape, due to drought and changing agricultural and irrigation practices.
These changes have not decreased the overall number of geese migrating to the area. In fact, there are more birds taking refuge here during the winter than there ever has been, as the geese have learned to adapt to the changes that have occurred across the landscape over time.
The future of playas in Texas, however, is uncertain. Time will tell whether or not the efforts of conservation-minded Texans will be enough to restore those that have dried up and save the ones still left. The outcome could have long-term effects on win tering goose populations and groundwater quality.
Article by NATE SKINNERPlayas, relatively small, round, and shallow depressions that are found primarily in the western Great Plains, are basically ephemeral lakes or ponds. Their basins are lined with clay, which collects and holds water from rain and runoff.
According to TPWD Waterfowl Program Leader Kevin Kraai, the extreme wet and dry cycles that playas experience are the lifeblood of their ecosystem.
“Plant seeds and invertebrate eggs from the last wet period lie dormant in the soil of a dry playa, awaiting the next large rainfall that will cause them to germinate and hatch,” Kraai said. “When rains fall, the first flush of water runs down into the playa’s clay basin and through the cracks that occurred during the dry period. This water then begins its journey to the underlying aquifer.”
As the runoff continues, Kraai said that the clay soils in a playa basin will expand, sealing the cracks.
“This will allow the playa to begin to fill with water,” he said. “Wetland plants and invertebrates will then complete their life cycle, and waterfowl and other wildlife will use the playa for food, water, and shelter.”
Playas are like a community hotspot for wildlife on the plains. They support an incredible number of bird, plant, amphibian, and mammal species at some point during their life. Playas are the main water source in many areas of West Texas, and they provide much-needed rest stops and food to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as resident prairie birds.
“Even when playas have been dry for years, perennial plants can show up and eggs can hatch to become small invertebrates such as fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, clam shrimp, and snails, within days after a big rain,” Kraai said. “This rapid growth of plant and animal life provides a ready feast for local and migrating birds.”
In addition to their benefits for wildlife, playas play a key role in recharging groundwater or aquifers. “The vast majority of the Ogallala Aquifer recharge occurs in playa wetlands,” Kraai said.
According to the Texas Water Development Board, a playa with a grass buffer that does not have any unnatural hydro logical modifications such as pits or ditches goes well beyond simple recharge. Studies show that water reaching the aquifer through playas is of higher quality than that going through other pathways.
Playa is Spanish for shore and the wetlands are thought to have been named by Coronado in his 1540 expedition. Coronado and his entourage, searching for the Seven Cities of Gold, found plentiful water as they crossed what is now the High Plains of Texas. Photo by Wyman MeinzerThis results from two processes. First, as rainfall and runoff travel toward the playa, the surrounding grasses trap sedi ments that could otherwise carry con taminants into the playa. Then, as the water moves through the playa’s clay ba sin the soils beneath the playa remove ni trates and other dissolved contaminants which are common in agricultural areas.
Andy Weinberg, a geoscientist on the Texas Water Development Board, said that nitrates will break down in the absence of oxygen.
“When the heavy clay soil of a playa is saturated, oxygen is pulled out of the system,” Weinberg said. “As water moves through the cracks in the clay, the nitrate gets reduced back down to nitrogen, and it is removed from the system. The result is high-quality water reaching the aqui fer that can be used by those living on the land.”
West Texas has undergone some signifi cant changes in agricultural practices over the last 30 to 50 years that have ultimately led to the diminishment of the region’s naturally-occurring playa wetlands.
“The irrigation system has drastically changed over the last three to five decades,” Kraai said. “Historically, water was pumped out of the ground and allowed to run downhill. There’s basically no significant elevation changes in the Texas plains, other than playa basins. So, farmers would run water down the rows of their crops, practicing what was known as surface water irrigation or furrow row irrigation, and the water would drain into the playa basins.”
According to Kraii, the farmers would dig ditches and a large pit in proximity to the playa, greatly modifying it.
“These modifications might take place on the side of the playa or directly in the middle, but they would dig ditches and a huge pit somewhere in the playa to collect the water left over from the irrigation runoff,” Kraai said. “They would then recycle that water and use a pump to send it back uphill.”
These practices essentially droughtproofed the entire landscape in that portion of the state.
In addition to geese and ducks, playas are habitat for many species. This American Avocet stalks the shallows for a bite to eat. Photo by Wyman Meinzer“Wherever these irrigation practices were taking place, the land was drought proof, because there was massive amounts of water constantly running downhill into playa basins,” Kraai said. “This always allowed for there to be green vegetation, weeds, and water on the landscape.”
Because of this the playa basins in the area were wetter than Mother Nature would have allowed, relying solely on rainfall.
“This took place throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, and throughout this timeframe, the landscape was very artificially wet,” Kraai said. “A shift in irrigation practices followed this time period, in which a switch was made to using pivot irrigation and drip irrigation, and later subsurface irrigation. This shift was out of pure necessity to become more efficient at delivering water from a conservation standpoint.”
Kraai said the result of these changing practices left the functionality of playas in a “real mess.” Playas across the region were no longer holding water naturally. The ditches and pits essentially “pulled the plug” on many of these playa basins.
“Most of the ditches and pits had been dug in a way that forced runoff toward the edge of a playa where the permeable soils are located, instead of in the main basin of a playa where there is clay,” Kraai said.
This, in turn, allowed the water from runoff to flow straight into the ground through the permeable soils. Therefore, any playas that had ditches and pits dug into them basically lost their ability to hold water for an extended period of time.
“They might hold water for a little while after a heavy rainfall but would dry up much quicker than they would naturally, without the modifications of ditch and pit systems,” Kraai said.
Droughts have also affected playas over the years, and have only intensified the negative effects that changing irrigation practices have had on their functionality. Extended dry periods during drought years cause more sediments to build up across the landscape, because there is no rain to wash them away across the watershed.
Droughts also cause the altered playas to have even larger cracks in their clay basins, because they are unable to hold the moisture in the same capacity that they once did. According to Kraai, these two issues raise some concerns for the future of playas.
“Regular farming practices across the region creates sediment and silt that naturally flows downhill during rain events that produce runoff,” Kraai said. “This silt eventually ends up in the lowest part of the landscape, which in this case, means playas. During a drought, enough silt could build up that when it is finally
The playas that dot the southern High Plains are ephemeral wetlands fed by runoff from precipitation and more recently, irrigation. With their clay-lined basins, the shallow depressions found across the southern High Plains have provided wildlife habitat for centuries. Photo by Wyman Meinzercarried into the playa by runoff from rain, it completely covers the clay basin.”
If this happens, the playa will essentially disappear, because it will no longer be able to hold water.
“In addition to the risk of this taking place, we also run the risk of silt and sediment washing into these large cracks that have formed in playa basins,” Kraai said. “Because these cracks are larger than they used to be, they allow more silt and sediment to get inside of them. If enough silt and sediment gets into these cracks, they will not be able to close up when it rains, which will cause the playa basin to leak, allowing the water to flow into the ground instead of holding it.”
The changes in agricultural irrigation significantly altered the hydrological cycle across the landscape, resulting in fewer naturally functioning playas. Rain events that historically would have filled playas, allowing them to hold water for geese throughout the winter, now dry up in a few weeks. Both the number of playas and the amount of time they hold water is smaller now.
The Canada Goose is by far the most predominant species of geese that winter in the West Texas High Plains, according to Kraai.
“Traditionally, these geese have relied upon playa basins to hold water in the winter, as they migrated to the region year after year, drawn by the area’s massive agricultural influence that provides them with food sources such as corn, wheat and milo,” Kraai said. “What these birds have done over the last decade is adapt.”
Flaps down for landing is a thrilling sight as goose hunters take to the fields in the Texas High Plains every fall and winter.
Setting decoys in the pre-dawn dark takes time and expertise. Having a few friends along helps, too.
The decoys are set and the hunters secure in the blind as the sun peeks over the horizon. Now all they need are geese. As wild geese numbers have increased over time, there’s a good chance the sky will soon be filled with birds.
Photo by Nate Skinner
Photo by Nate Skinner
Photo by Nate Skinner
With playas essentially off the table in terms of abundant water and roosting habitat, the geese have resorted to roosting and loafing within city limits.
“Pretty much every single city and town in the High Plains has a park pond or a treatment pond that the geese are using,” he said.
The water within the cities is a lot more reliable for the geese, because it’s always there, unlike the water that can only be found during wet periods in playa basins.
“Roosting habitat inside the city limits is also a lot safer for the geese,” Kraai said. “There’s a lot less risk of predation there, plus there is no hunting pressure. It just makes sense why they are taking advantage of the water resources within High Plains cities and towns.”
Kraai said that this adaptation has actually stabilized the region’s wintering goose numbers, despite the lack of naturally functioning playas on the landscape.
“Wintering goose numbers used to fluctuate depending on how many wet basins we had,” Kraai said. “Now these numbers are pretty steady. The only factor that really changes these numbers is weather.”
Kraai said that extremely dry weather and extremely cold weather can boost the number of geese wintering in the High Plains of West Texas.
“If it gets dry enough that the only water on the landscape avail able is either industry or urban related, and it gets cold enough that the birds are pushed out of the front ranges of Wyoming and Colo rado, then the number of geese in areas like Lubbock and Amarillo can be absolutely unbelievable,” Kraai said. “This combination doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the sight is breathtaking.”
About 10 years ago or so, this combination of weather conditions occurred. According to Kraii, 190,000 cackling geese were counted inside the city limits of Amarillo, and 270,000 cackling geese were counted inside the city limits of Lubbock during TPWD’s mid-winter survey back then.
“It is truly amazing the adaptations that these birds have made with the changes that have occurred on the landscape over the last 30-50 years,” he said.
During wet years, the birds will still use playa basins that are holding water.
“This actually provides them access to food sources that they cannot find inside city limits,” Kraai said. “Playas that hold water are actually much better for the geese, overall. Most of the time, playas are much closer to their food sources than the ponds that they are roosting on inside city limits.”
From 2000-2010, the West Texas High Plains wintered about 103,000 Canada Geese on average each year.
Photo by Nate Skinner“Since 2011 to present day, that average is up to over 320,000 geese,” Kraai said. “In 2015, the area wintered 485,000 geese, the majority of which were inside the city limits of Amarillo and Lubbock. These numbers attest to just how valuable urban water sources are, especially during dry years.”
Kraai said the geese are leaving the water inside town twice a day to feed outside the city limits, and some are flying 50-60 miles or more to eat.
“We have plans to begin a three-year project this fall, in which we will put transmitters on some of these birds to really learn how far they are willing to fly to feed, as well as many other details about their movements and behaviors,” Kraai said. “The sport of hunting Canada Geese has significantly grown in recent years, especially from a commercial standpoint. There are a lot of outfitters chasing them now, and (the geese) are under more pressure than they ever have been, so we want to learn more about them in order to ensure their prosperous future here in Texas.”
The Texas Playa Conservation Initiative (TxPCI) is working with landowners and other stakeholders across the Panhandle and West Texas to incentivize restoring and rejuvenating healthy playas. TxPCI’s leading partners include TPWD, Playa Lakes Joint
TxPCI restoration facilitates the recharge of the Ogallala Aquifer, which has a major impact on natural water supply for the region. The partnership has funded and coordinated restoration of more than 1,100 acres to date, and seeks additional funding and help to drive awareness and support from the landowners across the area. Landowners who participate receive a one-time incentive payment per acre for restoring their playas, as long as they agree not to re-pit or dig out the playa for 10 years.
This landowner-friendly program benefits the aquifer below the playa of the participating landowner. By having a healthy playa, they are helping put clean water back into the aquifer below their land for future use. Plus, wildlife benefits from healthy playas as well.
The playa-dense region that TxPCI works within covers 46,000 square miles, and is home to more than 1.2 million people. Healthy playas can help provide access to clean, reliable water, which will be important to keeping families in the region and keeping growth strong.
Although the threat to playas is real, there is hope. With the support from landowners and conservation-minded Texans, our playa wetlands have a chance at significantly benefiting wildlife and the people that call this region home.
Venture (PLJV), Ducks Unlimited (DU), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and USDA NRCS. Beyond providing wetland habitat, the shorelines of playas yield an abundance of plants. These are important habitat for species that frequent the playas. Photo by Wyman Meinzerand advice is available online, some of which is reliable and much of which is not. Determining which guidance to fol low is rarely easy.
Fortunately, there is an organization working to provide scientific, indepen dent research on ways to optimize ar row and broadhead performance: the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation (www. ashbybowhunting.org). Founded in 2017, the Foundation seeks to build upon the extensive research into arrow and broad head performance by Dr. Ed Ashby, a legendary hunter, that has benefited bow hunters for more than 30 years.
Bowhunting
is challenging. Just ask any of the youngsters who partici pated in a Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) archery hunt this spring.
As we tell students in Bowhunter Edu cation courses and youth on TYHP ar chery hunts, bowhunters willingly choose to make everything about hunting more difficult. A shot opportunity with a bow requires many things to come together at once—you must have the right animal, in the right place, in the right body position to offer an ethical arrow path, and within a distance that is right for your skill lev el. And, by the way, before shooting you must draw your bow without being de tected by a wary animal.
Daunting? Yes. Impossible? No. Worth the attempt? Absolutely. When everything works out for a successful harvest, it is an amazingly rewarding experience.
Archery is an ancient sport still very popular and widely enjoyed. Modern archery gear has evolved to include highly sophisticated compound bows capable of amazing accuracy at impressive distances. Similarly, arrow design and components such as broadhead points used for hunting have also seen considerable innovation.
However, despite such advances, matching bows and arrows to achieve great arrow flight and optimal terminal performance can be a difficult task with many challenges. That means your equip ment must be well-tuned.
And we’re not talking about the sound the bowstring makes. The process of tun ing equipment can be easy, hard, or some where in between. Some archers figure it out on their own, while others need pro fessional guidance. As is the case with any technical sport, a lot of information
The Foundation’s goal is to provide information to help hunters achieve the highest possible success rate and reduce the rate of wounding (non-recovery) big game to the lowest level possible. In short, they study arrow flight and penetration. As noted on their website, “The Founda tion accepts no funding, direct or oth erwise, from the archery industry, thus keeping the Foundation’s testing truly in dependent of industry influence.”
How does this relate to the TYHP? Each season, the Texas Youth Hunting Program features a number of archery hunts. In light of the challenges inherent in bow hunting, TYHP Huntmasters and other volunteers work hard to set up youth bow hunters for success, and to help them learn as much as possible about their equipment, how it works, and how to optimize perfor mance. Thus, many of TYHP’s goals align with the educational goals of the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation (ABF).
In 2021, TYHP staff members and the officers of ABF began discussing our mutual goals and ways we could work together to achieve them. ABF has a strong interest in the next generation of
The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation sponsored a TYHP archery hunt in April 2022, helping young hunters put new education and new gear to work. Photo by Bob Barnettehunters and soon a formal Memorandum of Understanding was executed between the Texas Wildlife Association and the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation.
“The purpose of this MOU is to ad vance the shared goals of ABF and TWA through collaboration, communication, and interaction between ABF and TWA,” the agreement states. “The establishment of a coordinated working relationship provides an opportunity to combine the power of ABF’s hunting knowledge and TWA’s mission for the benefit of the ar chery hunting community. To this end, ABF and TWA will work together to:
• Increase awareness to the general public about each organization.
• Share knowledge to the general public as it relates to conservation and bowhunting.”
The collaboration with ABF blossomed this past spring with a video project and a TYHP hunt sponsored by the Foundation. TYHP staff, along with Rob Neilson and Dr. Ed Ashby from ABF, taped a wide-ranging discussion of archery and bowhunting, including factors to improve arrow/broadhead performance and opportunities for youth to bowhunt with TYHP.
In April, TYHP and ABF partnered to arrange a bowhunt for axis deer and hogs. The plan for the hunt included setting up each youth with new arrow systems utilizing the “12 Factors for Lethality”
that are promoted by ABF. (For more information on the 12 Factors, visit www.ashbybowhunting.org). GrizzlyStik Archery made a generous donation to TYHP of arrows, broadheads, and other components.
Prior to the hunt, ABF arranged a Bow hunting 101 clinic for the youth hunters at Texas Archery in Spring, Texas. At the hunt, Dr. Ashby spent many hours with the group sharing stories of his extensive hunting adventures and more important ly, relaying his knowledge and wisdom about effective, ethical bowhunting.
This hunt was a unique and valuable experience for all involved, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation and GrizzlyStik to make it all come together.
Looking ahead, expect more collabo ration, content, and opportunities from TWA, TYHP and ABF. Final video ed its are almost complete, and discussions are underway for more TYHP and ABF hunts. And we will continue to seek ad ditional ways to grow this partnership.
One of the fun aspects about bowhunt ing and archery is that there is always more to learn, and we will work closely with the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation to sharpen the skills that bowhunters need to improve their success in the field.
$11,190,000 | Aspermont, TX
This premier conservation sporting ranch in central Stonewall County is in the heart of the rare Nobscot “quail sands” soil series. The 4,069± acres are teeming with whitetail deer, turkey, and feral hogs, and an immaculate move-in ready lodge.
$3,950,000 | Brownwood, TX
Adjacent to Lake Brownwood, 391.29± acres with a custom home, barndominium for guests, and a 26-acre privately owned lake. A private escape with first-class opportunities for fishing, waterfowl, and hunting with close proximity to Brownwood.
Article by PEGGY MAXWELL Photos by GROUNDSPEAK INC. (DBA GEOCACHING)
Haveyou heard of geocaching? Geocaching is an outdoor global treasure hunt, in which seekers use a Global Positioning System (GPS) device and other navigational techniques or apps to hide-and-seek containers all over the world. It’s a fun and exciting way to spend time outdoors.
To start geocaching, you will need a GPS-activated, handheld mobile device such as an iPhone, Android, or Windows phone. This will act as your navigation system and will allow you to download a free official geocaching app which provides you with local areas to navigate and to try and find a hidden geocache. Go to geocaching.com to put in your location. Discover caches near you or add geocaching to your next family vacation.
The containers, called geocaches or caches, are usually waterproof containers hidden, not buried, at specific locations marked by latitude and longitude coordinates. Clues are provided online which can lead to a cache hidden under a false rock, behind a real one, or propped up on one side of a tree and only visible from a certain angle.
FUN FACT: According to geocaching.com, there are more than 2 million active caches hidden around the world!
✓ Take something from the cache
✓ Leave something in the cache
✓ Write about it in the log
✓ Geocaching by Groundspeak Inc
✓ Cachly (IOS only)
✓ C:Geo (Android only)
Caches contain small, low-cost trinkets or geocoins which are traded out, and a logbook to list names of visiting seekers. Common trinkets traded or found inside the cache include: kids meal toys, key chains, trading stones, small inexpensive jewelry, coins, and travel bugs.
Travel bugs have trackable numbers on them. You assign goals to your bug, such as visiting all Texas state parks. When other geocachers find your bug in the cache, they enter the information online and it acts as a travel log for your bug. You can see where your bug has traveled since the day you placed it inside the cache!
As you head outside to geocache, take pictures of yourself with your caches and treasures. Send us an email with a few of your favorite pictures and tell us a little bit about how you and your family are getting outside geocaching and exploring our beautiful Texas natural environments.
Email pictures to: pmaxwell@texas-wildlife.org
Meet Charley! Charley joined us on our TWA Nancy Nine-band Scavenger Hunt for Earth Day 2022. Here’s a picture of Charley and Nancy with her “something yellow” discovery. Charley loves collecting pecans from around her yard, so much so that she asked Santa for a pink nutcracker this past year. She also loves finding rocks and adding them to her growing collection.
the fall season underway, many of us start rummaging through our closets for long-sleeved shirts, rain-proof jackets, and thick, woolly socks. It’s the time of year when the drops in temperature are sobering and noticeable and prompt us to prepare for the colder days to follow.
Just like us, migratory animals adjust their behavior in response to changing weather. Bird enthusiasts know fall migra tion is already underway. Throughout the fall season, millions of birds travel through Texas to return to warmer climates.
Among the bird species that call Texas their winter home, few can match the beauty and elegance of the Northern Pintail. With their long necks, pointed tails and aerodynamic profile, the “grey hounds of the sky” are spectacular.
On arrival to the wintering areas, it takes a keen eye to distinguish between the males and the females because plumage coloration is similar after the summer molt. During this time on wintering areas, pintails molt once more. The males regain their striking breeding plumage characterized by a chocolate brown head with a white stripe running down the length of its neck and a (mostly) white belly.
Winter is an important time for pin tails to prepare for the demands of spring and summer. Pintails must survive the winter and ensure they are conditioned to embark on energy-intensive spring
Sponsored by JOHN AND LAURIE SAUNDERS
Article by GEORGINA ECCLES
Photos courtesy of CAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Female Northern Pintails fitted with tracking devices.
migration. Moreover, following a rigor ous courtship ritual, females will select a male partner during winter. The pair will remain partnered throughout the winter and during spring migration, separat ing once the female starts incubating her clutch.
At one time, pintails were much more abundant in the United States than they are today. In 1956, it was estimated that there were 10.4 million breeding pairs. By 1965, however, their numbers had dropped by 65%. Pintail numbers have continued to decline to an estimated pop ulation of 3 million birds in recent years.
Currently, changes in the timing in farm ing practices in breeding areas is thought to be the major cause of decline. Females prefer to nest in croplands and other areas with sparse cover. High nest destruction occurs when female nesting periods overlap with spring field preparation.
Several characteristics of pintails war rant investigation to determine how their ecology during the nonbreeding period influences their breeding effort. For ex ample, pintails spend the majority of their annual cycle on nonbreeding areas. Female survival is a key factor in pintail population dynamics, a factor that is less important for other waterfowl species.
Moreover, female pintails rely on stored fat reserves to produce their clutches. Fat stores acquired from wintering areas and during spring migration are later allocated to egg production. Only when fat reserves are adequate to support egg production will a female nest, otherwise she will forego nesting for that year.
During the winter and on spring stopover areas, pintails are often faced with the challenge of finding enough food to meet the energy demands of migration and breeding. It is currently unclear how these challenges on seasonal habitats impact pintails’ selection of spring migration routes and spring stopover sites, and how these winter and spring habitat conditions carry over into the breeding season and impact female breeding efforts.
Recent advances in tracking technol ogy are allowing researchers to delve into these fine-scale questions about pintail ecology. The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife
Research Institute, along with state and federal agencies and non-government organizations, are working together on a continental scale pintail tracking project to answer questions on pintail ecology that have never before been attempted.
Our collaborative effort has aided in capturing female pintails on six impor tant wintering areas in the southwest por tion of the United States, including the Louisiana and Texas coasts, Texas Pan handle, New Mexico, Arizona, and the Central Valley of California. We have de ployed lightweight tracking devices fitted to female pintails. These devices record one location per hour and have an on board accelerometer, allowing researchers to estimate the females’ behaviors.
Several components to this research attempt to capture the breadth of factors that have the potential to influence the decline in the pintail population. Using both GPS data and accelerometer data from the tracking devices, we are investigating the effects of the winter landscapes on female energetics. Identifying areas within the habitat that are promoting energy gain from feeding activities is important in the effort to inform resource managers on beneficial areas for wintering pintails.
Similar goals for habitat management are guiding our research in pintail spring
migration landscapes. Our large sample of females in different winter regions helps in understanding different migra tion strategies in these females and link ing these migratory decisions to their breeding efforts.
Since these pintails are migrating from different wintering regions, they will expe rience different environmental challenges on the migratory pathway. For example, females migrating to the Prairie Pothole Region from California must overcome the Rocky Mountains before reaching their breeding destinations—a challenge that is not presented to Texas coast birds that fly through the mid-continent.
These differences in spring migration habitat features are key to understanding how pintails deal with these landscape features on their migratory trajectories. We will also identify the important stopover sites of females from each wintering region. Taken together, we hope to better understand some of the drivers impacting Northern Pintail population dynamics and help in future management of this species for generations now and in the future.
One final reminder for all this fall. “Lights Out Texas!” Let’s help our migratory birds find their way home this fall and once again in the spring when migrations are underway.
Subset of spring migration tracks of female northern pintails from each wintering region in this study
We had an opportunity to co-host the Texas Wildlife Association’s Wild at Work Stewardship Series with Amanda Gobeli and Kristin Parma to talk about conser vation easements. Setting aside the natu ral anxiety that comes with speaking to large groups of people—or small groups for that matter—I’m particularly invested in teaching other landowners about con servation easements and the value they bring to families and partners as power ful tools to keep land in a condition that aligns with one’s values.
Typically, landowners begin looking for information when they find themselves asking: “How do we ensure that the land we own looks this way forever?”
By “this way,” I mean as private farms, ranches, and forests, often collectively called working lands or open space lands. Working lands are devoid of most human structural developments, and still serve as wildlife habitat and contribute ecosystem services like clean air and water, or space for agricultural production. When I think
of conserved land, I see native species, room to roam, and lessons to learn.
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between you, the property owner, and a qualified conservation orga nization (often a “land trust” and known as the “holder”) or public agency. When entering into this kind of legal agreement, the owner voluntarily agrees to restrict the type and amount of development or certain uses that may take place on their property to protect its natural, produc tive, or cultural features.
The keyword being voluntary
This view has enthralled family members on the Pike Davis Ranch for 165 years. Thanks to a conservation easement, the view will remain unchanged in perpetuity, even if the family ultimately decides to sell their Hill Country property.Definitions are nice but there’s an inter nal narrative here that you may come to next: “What rights do I retain as the land owner if I choose a conservation easement?”
Good question. With a conservation easement, the landowner retains legal title to the property and determines the types of land use to continue and those to restrict. As part of the arrangement, the landowner grants the holder of the conservation easement the right to periodically (typically annually) assess the property’s condition to ensure that it is maintained in accordance with terms defined by you and the holder.
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s back up and talk about perpetuity.
There are very few things in life that we can decide today that will be guaranteed forever. We oftentimes depend on—and base decisions on—people and circum stances changing. It seems incomprehen sible to make decisions that will live on beyond our lifetimes. How do we make stewardship commitments to the way land can and can’t be used for a future we won’t be a part of, for generations of people who we will never meet?
I remember when I was in high school, my grandfather called a family ranch meeting and described an opportunity for us that would remove a few lingering fears we’d battled over the last 165 years to keep our family ranch intact. He wanted to hear our questions and, most importantly, he wanted to convey this idea as a responsibility to us, the next generations to steward the ranch.
He reminded me of this conversation as I prepared for the Wild at Work Series presentation. I asked him for the technical background that I just didn’t ask to be a part of back then as a 16-year-old with other obviously more pressing priorities (this is sarcasm). He thought my impression of that meeting and my recollection of minimal personal investment was comical because he recalled that I was the one who spoke up first and gave a resounding yes.
The ranch was a constant. Growing up, it was there and always would be because
it always had been. It wasn’t until I was in college that I really understood the sacrifice I was largely shielded from to keep the ranch that had been in the family since 1854. Our land is rich with heritage, seeped with refuge and conflict alike.
“The ranch represents the hard work of men and women in my mother’s family who settled the land and kept it in the family for 165 years. Now, I get to see my grandchildren and great-grandsons develop a love for the ranch as well,” said Howard Hicks, my grandfather and steward of the Pike Davis Ranch.
Bettie Green, family member and costeward of Pike Davis Ranch, added, “I had this real desire for it to continue to be a working ranch as long as possible because I felt that’s what my granddad would have wanted. We all wanted it to stay pretty much as it is.”
Working together, Hicks and Green stewarded the land to which their grand father, Pike Davis, dedicated his life.
Overall, as deeply challenging as a de cision can be, it was a necessity for our ranch to remain as it is in perpetuity. So, in 2010, our ranch became a cause that would serve a purpose larger than any
of us and any future generation. We pre served heritage and a legacy that was no longer contingent on the hope that our stories would be passed down.
Climbing down off my sentimental box here, I realize that we have been fortunate to be able to make these decisions as a family. We are a diverse group, but we are still anchored by our love for the ranch.
What are other reasons, outside of a multi-generational family legacy, that you might choose a conservation easement for land?
Keeping open space open
Eighty-three percent of the land in Tex as is classified as privately-owned working land. Rummaging through some layers of paperwork and nuances of landown ership and parcels, that means roughly about 250,000 people in Texas are respon sible for our state’s valuable resources that come from healthy working lands.
Increased population growth and de velopment puts increasing pressure on these working lands, leading to fragmen tation into smaller parcels or conversion
Conservation easements are growing in popularity as Texas landowners seek to preserve their heritage and the private lands they steward. People are moving to Texas in never-before-seen numbers and the face of rural Texas is changing. Thanks to a conservation easement, however, the bluebonnets on the Pike Davis Ranch will always have a wild place to grow.to other land uses like converting a farm to residential develop ment. Land-use conversion alone accounted for the loss of ap proximately 1.1 million acres of working lands in Texas between 1997 and 2012.
The equation for land loss, fragmentation and conversion is typically summed up as this: as an area experiences economic growth, population growth follows where a higher demand on the land occurs. As the demand grows, the values increase, and the incentive increases for landowners—who are already struggling with limited financial resources—to subdivide or sell altogether.
To compound this situation, recent land ownership may have come without the intent to keep the land in the family, or without interest from younger generations who have many other opportunities outside of the land to build a life.
A conservation easement in this case becomes a tool for the future as it is tied to the land, regardless of who owns it.
Leading me to my next point, as explained by the Texas Land Conservancy, conservation easements are a tool to help families and individuals with their long-term planning goals. Under a voluntary, negotiated agreement, the owners retain the right to build houses, within reason, and conduct other activities such as agriculture and hunting, protecting the property from land fragmentation and large-scale or intensive development. The landowner can pass it down to heirs or sell it.
Because the easement is perpetual and so runs with the title of the land, the tax benefits are one of the main takeaways. By donating development rights to the land holder through a con
servation easement, the owners can take a tax deduction of that value. Typically, the property’s tax value is diminished by any where from 30% to 50%. Not only is the taxable value decreased, but this may be a tool for consideration as we prepare for estate tax liability.
The reality of working through the process of crafting and implementing a conservation easement as landowners is not something that can be covered in a short article. With that said, I want to share and emphasize the shift that occurred for the younger generations, me specifically, after the conservation easement was in place on our property.
Although I wasn’t at the table navigating the process to implement a conservation easement on our roughly 1,600 acres in the Hill Country, the idea that we would steward this ranch in perpetuity sparked an ember in me that altered my life’s trajectory. When I realized that before we decided to preserve the ranch, it could have been taken out from under us in a swift series of unfortunate events that happen every day for landowners, I carried that unease in my belly for years.
I attended a land stewardship presentation by Steve Nelle a few years ago and I will never forget the phrase he used to describe the internal fire that moves you to do better for the soil under your boots. He said there’s an ecological conviction that drives a land steward. It’s a choice, and sometimes seems like it could be voluntary, but to quote Aldo Leopold, “Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.”
Here’s to the next 165 years of open land. And here’s to hoping that my sons will live as fervently for our land as we do.
The Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) developed a Conservation Easement Guidebook that features 15 ranches, the Pike Davis Ranch included. The technical background and considerations are clearly outlined to help support landowners who are sitting at the table making decisions. My advice is to grab some snacks and invite the young people in your family to pull up a chair, too. https://bit.ly/CEguidebook
Supported by the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) and the TLTC, NRI wrote “Conservation Easement in Texas,” a datacentric report that describes the state’s current participation and growing need for land conservation easements. It’s informative and interesting...if you’re interested in knowing what’s happening to the land in Texas and what’s being done to preserve it for the betterment of everyone. The report can be found here: https://bit.ly/ConservationEasementsinTexas
To find local conservation-focused organizations that can help you navigate a conservation easement, the Texas Land Trust Council is a nonprofit organization that builds and supports a strong, active coalition of more than 30 organizations working to conserve the lands and waters of Texas. https:// texaslandtrustcouncil.org/
Official Corporate Conservation Partner of TWA
Thistap-rooted native perennial sprawls out on vinelike stems, each 2 to 5 feet in length, creeping over the ground and often rising above weeds and rocks. Unless lifted above the soil surface by grasses or other plants, these stems will hug the ground as tightly as the belly of a rattlesnake crawling along bare soil.
The stems of catclaw sensitivebriar, Mimosa nuttallii, are densely covered with short re-curved prickles. Leaves are alternate with prickly branches, twice pinnately compound, each with four to eight branchlet pairs of primary leaflets, with eight to 15 pairs of smaller secondary leaflets. Each secondary leaflet will be up to ⅓ inch long and ending with a sharp tip. Each of these leaflets will generally be attached to the branchlet from the
Article and photos by RICKY LINEX
Dense cat clawed prickles cover the stems, leaflet branches and seedpods of sensitivebriar.
Stem with tender new growth reveals a bite likely from a white-tailed deer. Unless uplifted by other vegetation, catclaw sensitivebriar stems will hug the ground.
The crown of sensitivebriar will continue producing new stems each year even with the loss of topsoil.
corner rather than the center of the leaf base, showing a distinctive asymmetrical attachment to the leaflet base.
Flowers are fragrant, pink- to rose-col ored, powder-puff-like globes with bright yellow-tipped stamens. These flowers ap pear about 1 inch in diameter on leafless 1½- to 3½-inch-long stems originating from the axils of the leaves. Flowers ap pear from May to September.
Fruit is a rounded legume pod about ¼ inch in diameter and 2 to 4 inches in length, densely covered in prickles. Seeds are slanted on the ends from being crowded within the pod. Upon maturity, the seed pods begin to split open with the seeds falling upon the ground.
All parts of the plant are prickly with the exception of the leaflets and flowers. Leaves fold up when touched or rained upon, giving its other names of shame-vine and touch-me-not. This is a botanical adaptation of the plant to help avoid being browsed when touched.
On new growth in the spring, the leaves “get skinny” and usually close within just a few seconds, but during hot and dry summer months the leaves may take up to 20 seconds to close. These leaves also close during the night and on dark, stormy days. This species of Mimosa can be found within all vegetative regions of Texas with the exception of South Texas and the dryer regions of the Trans Pecos.
Catclaw sensitivebriar is a highly nu tritious native forb readily eaten by all classes of livestock, deer, and antelope.
The young, tender stems are most likely to be chosen with new growth containing crude protein levels of 30% to 32%. Ener gy values are high in April and very high in May to June.
Quail, dove, turkey, and songbirds readily consume the seeds. These seeds mature and become available beginning
in July. The numerous flowers are visited by bees and many insects.
Sensitivebriar is a very tough plant, able to grow equally well in a gravel road or the most fertile bottomland soil. The plant’s woody crown will continue to produce new stems annually even if erosion is washing away the topsoil where the plant grows.
The roots of this legume are deep underground and can withstand harsh, dry conditions. Look for sensitivebriar in open rangeland areas, dry rocky ground, woodland edges, and old fields where native plants have returned. However, long-term overgrazing has eliminated this highly desirable forb from many ranges. Proper livestock stocking rates combined with rotational grazing will help reestablish this forb. Maintaining proper deer numbers will also aid in the return of this forb
Catclaw sensitivebriar growing in the open in a pasture is a good sign that proper grazing management is being practiced.
Askyour average nature lover where they go to seek beauty, and chances are they respond with some sweeping mountain vista, an endless beach with sparkling blue waters, or a mighty old growth forest draped in carpets of dripping moss and ferns. Indeed, my own tendency is to seek the
most pristine of places when in search of nature’s splendor—ancient places that I imagine look much the way they did prior to European settlement and allow me to transport myself to a distant, wilder time.
It’s safe to say that very few would iden tify a 10-year-old pine plantation or an overgrown fallow field as a hotspot for
Habitat regeneration is not only natural in ecosystems, it’s necessary for ecosystems to remain healthy. In the Pineywoods of East Texas, regenerating areas provide habitat for a colorful array of songbirds.
Article and photos by MATT BUCKINGHAM
natural beauty. But if we choose to ignore these disturbed areas, we rob ourselves of a wealth of beauty and diversity.
In fact, many species have evolved to take advantage of early successional communities created in the wake of some distur bance. Historically, these habitats may have formed by a variety of means.
Take for example, a massive tree falling in an old growth for est. Imagine 10 tons of timber crashing to the earth. A tree like this could take out a swath of forest totaling a third of an acre or more, especially if it brings adjacent trees down with it. Nature abhors a void, and this new gap in the canopy would undergo the process of succession, responding much the way a fallow field does when it slowly reverts to woodland.
The size of disturbed land could increase significantly in the face of some natural disaster. A tornado, for example, can take out a swath of forest a quarter of a mile or more wide and more than 10 miles long. A hurricane can level entire pockets of forest near the coast, and a wildfire can remove forest cover on tens of thousands of acres.
The East Texas of today is far different than it was just a few hundred years ago. That is not to say, however, that suitable hab itat for disturbance-dependent species no longer exists.
Take the Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor), for example. The “Prairie” in its name is misleading, as this is not a species of prairie or grassland habitats, but rather one of those early successional habitats described above. They breed throughout
much of the eastern U.S., from Maine to the Pineywoods of Texas. Here I most frequently observe them in regenerating pine stands 5 to 10 years after harvest.
These sites undergo succession much in the way a forest would following some natural disturbance. First, a variety of grasses and forbs invade. Soon after, the pines sprout. Before long, how ever, the trees grow too tall, the canopy closes, and the habitat is no longer suitable for the Prairie Warbler.
The ephemeral nature of these ever-changing habitats means that species like the Prairie Warbler do not have a reliable territory to return to each year and must seek out new breeding sites once their old territories are no longer suitable. I speculate that, given a certain element of unpredictability with their preferred habitat, Prairie Warblers and other disturbancedependent bird species likely experience local cycles of “boom and bust,” potentially increasing in numbers following large disturbance events, and decreasing as the disturbed areas reach later successional stages.
The Prairie Warbler is just one of a suite of colorful Neotropical migrant songbirds that can be found in these types of disturbed habitats. This group of songbirds spends the winter in Central and South America, though some species may also winter in the southern United States—particularly deep South Texas and peninsular Florida.
In the spring they migrate north en masse to breed throughout the United States and Canada. Though perilous, this annual migration allows these birds to take advantage of the relatively stable food resources of the tropics during the lean winters farther
Chats, most often heard due to their loud and varied songs, can be found throughout much of the contiguous U.S., as well as portions of Mexico and Canada. Once considered the largest warbler species, recent research indicates it is more closely related to blackbirds, and it has been placed in its own family (Icteriidae).
north, and benefit from a huge boom in the populations of insects and other invertebrates in North America during the summer months, providing a high protein buffet for their chicks.
Another of the Neotropical migrants found in regenerating pine plantations and other highly disturbed habitats is the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens). The chat was once considered our largest warbler species, but recent research indicates it is more closely related to blackbirds, and it has been placed in its own family (Icteriidae).
Chats are well known for their loud, varied songs which consist of a variety of raucous warbles, whistles, rattles, and more. The males perform elaborate courtship displays on the wing, slowly descending in choreographed fashion.
Yellow-breasted Chats can be found throughout much of the contiguous U.S. and portions of Mexico and southern Canada. They are less specific in their habitat preference than Prairie Warblers and can be found in a variety of disturbed habitats in different successional stages. They are easy to hear but difficult to see, often skulking low in dense vegetation.
Unlike the chats, Painted Buntings (Pas serina ciris) maintain a visible presence in their territory, frequently singing from the highest perches available. These sparrowsized songbirds are considered by many to be among the most beautiful birds in the country, and they certainly leave a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to encounter them. I’ll always remember the first one I saw birding with my mom.
The Painted Bunting breeds in the south-central states, along the Atlantic coast in the southeast, and portions of northern Mexico. They can be found in a variety of disturbed habitats and require some shrub or small tree component to provide suitable nesting sites and perches from which to announce their presence and defend their territory through song.
Though it lacks the varied color scheme of its cousin the Painted Bunting, the In digo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) is no less striking. With its metallic cyan plumage, this is one of my favorite birds to observe in the spring and summer in the Piney
Although not quite as flashy as its cousin the Painted Bunting, the Indigo Bunting is striking nonetheless. Birders will find Indigo Buntings during the spring and summer in pine plantations and longleaf pine savannas in the Pineywoods.
One of the most colorful birds found in disturbed habitats, the Painted Bunting comes by its name with brilliant, multi-colored plumage.
woods. Indigo Buntings breed through out much of the eastern U.S. with a few isolated populations in the Southwest.
Though I most often associate this spe cies with disturbed areas, I also frequently observe them in high quality habitats such as mature longleaf pine savannas. This is not entirely surprising, however, as these once vast longleaf pine forests depend on regular disturbance, primarily in the form of frequent, low intensity fires, to main tain an open understory and rich herba ceous layer.
Another disturbance-loving blue beauty is the Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea). They are similar to Indigo Buntings but can be differentiated by their heavier bill and chestnut wing bars. To me, the blue of the grosbeak is more cobalt, and the bunting more cyan.
Birders might encounter Blue Grosbeaks across the southern and central United States and northern Mexico where they can be found in a variety of shrubby habi tats. In the eastern U.S., this usually means areas that have undergone some recent or continuing disturbance. However, farther
west, this can include mature desert scrub and woodlands.
When a disturbed habitat occurs near water, additional bird species may be en countered. The Eastern Kingbird (Tyran nus tyrannus), for example, inhabits dis turbed areas such as marshes, shrublands, forest edge, and riparian areas, and are generally closely associated with water. Kingbirds are so named for the voracity with which they defend their territories against intruders of all shapes and sizes.
Perhaps our most familiar denizen of wet, disturbed habitats is the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)—the little masked crusader that announces its presence to the world with its trademark wichity-wichity-wichity song. Though they can be found away from water, yel lowthroats are most commonly associat ed with weedy or scrubby habitats on the margins of marshes, ponds, and streams.
The Common Yellowthroat is a mem ber of the warbler family. They are wide spread in the U.S., Canada, and portions
Similar to the Indigo Bunting, the Blue Grosbeak is differentiated by a heavier bill and chestnut wing bars. It is one of the colorful songbirds that frequent disturbed areas in the process of regeneration.
A member of the warbler family, the Common Yellowthroat is typically found in weedy or scrubby habitats on the margins of marshes, ponds, and streams. They are present year-round in the southern half of the Pineywoods and along the Upper Texas Coast.
of Mexico. They are present year-round in the southern half of the Pineywoods and along the Upper Texas Coast.
There are many other familiar birds that will utilize these habitats. Examples include the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), Carolina Wren (Thryo thorus ludovicianus), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), Orchard Ori ole (Icterus spurius), and our highly vo cal state bird, the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottis).
And it’s not only songbirds that might be found here. The few times I have seen or heard Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) in the Pineywoods have been associated with recently harvested pine plantations.
Naturally occurring disturbances are particularly important in the eastern United States, including the eastern third of Texas, where much of the landscape was historically forested. Prior to widescale landscape alteration there also existed a multitude of non-forested communities interspersed among the old growth timber.
These included prairie inclusions, bar rens, and similar habitats kept open by a variety of factors including soil conditions, grazing by American bison, and regu lar wildfires. If one of these communities went too long without some natural dis turbance, it would begin to revert to forest through the process of succession. These communities still exist today, albeit on a much smaller scale.
In modern times, areas of significant disturbance have increased dramatically as old growth forest has been cleared to make way for pasture, agriculture, development, and managed timber. Having some early and mid-successional areas on the land scape benefits biodiversity on a macro scale. However, it becomes a concern when this occurs on a scale that’s too large.
The key, like with so many things in life, is moderation. Fortunately, modern forestry practices have improved dra matically, and massive clearcuts and cutand-run policies of the past are no longer
common, and important programs like the Sustainable Forestry Initiative pro mote managing the landscape as a patch work of successional stages.
Despite an increased abundance of disturbed areas across the U.S., many of these bird species remain uncommon and some are declining. The problem is that disturbance in and of itself is not enough. The nature and method of the distur bance is important.
Areas that undergo intensive herbicide or pesticide use, for example, are not suitable breeding sites for birds.
Additionally, areas that are too heavily managed, and where woody vegetation is not allowed to reach appropriate heights, are similarly unproductive for all but the most generalist of species.
As lovers of biodiversity, it is impor tant that we support and promote best management practices in land-disturbing activities, so that we can simultaneously provide a sustainable resource for human use and enhance local biodiversity. In do ing so, we can ensure that these beautiful birds living in disturbed places will re main for future generations to enjoy.
For many private land owners, the recreational value of their property can add income as well as expose city dwellers to the need for private land stewardship.
In2022, Texas headlines have been dominated by record-breaking events. The destructive drought, extreme summer temperatures, and the steady influx of people moving to Texas have led the news.
Population growth is one headline maker that continues to place systematic pressures on rural lands across the state. Today, private landowners are faced with a quandary—sell to the highest bidder,
often meaning development and con version, or commit to deep diving into a greater understanding of the true value of an acre and its continued stewardship into the future.
A recently released report, “A StateWide Assessment of Texas Ecosystem Services,” serves to begin a different con versation for private land stewards ex ploring new opportunities to keep their working lands viable and working.
The population in Texas is booming and that means more and more real estate is being gobbled up to make human habitat. That’s the exclamation point on the idea of keeping working lands working to produce food, fiber, and outdoor recreation.
“We recognized there are many questions and much interest in understanding the value of private lands in a broader sense. This report starts to try to answer this through data and illustrating values broadly,” said Dr. Roel Lopez, director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and report co-author. “Good stewards look at their lands in a more comprehensive manner. We are beginning to see through identified ecosystem services that an acre of land provides much more value than what we normally would consider.”
Texas is unique. Across the state’s 254 counties, an estimated 95% of lands are privately owned. More importantly, 83% of Texas is a farm, ranch or forest, which translates into more than 141 million acres of privately stewarded open space.
On paper, the numbers may appear sustainable for the long term. However, consider an estimated 30 million people currently call Texas home in contrast to just 10 years ago when the population was at 25 million. Additionally, data suggest more than 1,200 people move to Texas each day. Every day, millions of Texans experience first-hand the intersection of rural and urban land use and availability.
According to “Farms Under Threat 2040 Report” recently released by the American Farmland Trust, if current trends and business-as-usual development and planning approaches continue, by 2040 Texas is projected to experience a conversion of more than 2 million acres of prime working lands due to population growth and urban expansion.
Simply put, ecosystem services collectively embody the benefits and well-being all people derive from working lands and open spaces. This can range from food and fiber products to stored carbon in soils that improves climatic conditions to benefits derived from recreational pursuits.
To begin understanding in greater detail the intrinsic value of an acre, the research report set two objectives: identify and illustrate the broad ecosystem services drawn from rural working lands and provide a relative estimate of economic value or level of investment currently being made.
The researchers used 11 ecosystem services with a valuation method based on two estimates—market-based and willing ness-to-pay. Market-based is an already established market system where transactions of goods and services take place.
For many, the idea of keeping working lands working means livestock production. While that’s a traditional and iconic aspect of private land stewardship, the ecosystem services that working lands offer Texas is much broader.Willingness-to-pay data encompassed federal and state program investments paid to landowners for maintaining, improving, or stewardship practices focused on sustainable services that benefit all Texans. Examples of the 11 identified ecosystem services are water quantity, wildlife habitat, along with carbon storage.
All results are broken down by coun ties. Data used included information from the USDA NRCS, Texas Water De velopment Board, and the Texas Comp troller of Public Accounts.
To summarize the report’s findings, a conservative, state-wide estimate of goods and services across rural working lands is $629 per acre of economic and ecologi cal benefits. Annually, this translates into more than $89 billon. These estimates do not include personal investments made by private landowners or other cost mea sures that benefit ecosystem services.
This snapshot of the results is encour aging and supports the assertion that now is the time to explore diversified ecosys tem services markets with increased vigor as viable strategies for incentivizing and promoting continued stewardship of pri vate lands. The full report can be found at txlandtrends.org.
“A key takeaway is we are likely to see more activity in emerging ecosystem markets, illustrating an increased ap preciation for the value of private lands in totality, in a more complete and com prehensive way,” said Lopez. “Paying at tention to these emerging markets is im portant such as the recent attention that we are seeing with carbon markets, which are the first wave, with more likely to fol low in the future.”
A record was broken this summer at the Private Lands Summit held during the TWA’s annual convention, more than 200 people attended sessions to learn more about statewide ecosystem services.
“This was the largest crowd to date at this summit. It’s a good problem when you scramble to bring in more chairs for attendees,” said Chad Ellis, CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) and a report co-author. “That shows the
Provisioning
Regulating
Cultural
Supporting
All
Food and Fiber Production $103
Provisioning Total $103
Erosion Control $27
Flood Mitigation $22
Air Quality and Pollution Removal $19
Carbon Storage and Sequestration $13
Regulating Total $81
Recreation (Consumptive-Hunting) $9
Recreation (Non-Consumptive) $12
Cultural Total $22
Water Quantity (Replacement) $348
Water Quantity (Improvement) $29
Water Quality $30
Wildlife Habitat/Biodiversity $16
Supporting Total $423
Total Ecosystem Service Value $629 TABLE 2
growing interest from private landowners impacted by factors like increased costs to doing business, population increases, and land fragmentation. These impacts aren’t just isolated to expanding metro and rural areas, but some of the most remote locations in our state are feeling the pressures.”
TALT is a non-governmental organiza tion whose mission is establishing con servation easements in voluntary part nership with private landowners. In turn, protecting and preserving Texas’ natural resources, habitats for wildlife and the state’s iconic heritage for today and gen erations of Texans to come.
Ellis and Lopez both delivered ecosys tem services sessions and panel discus sions at the summer summit.
“My big push at the conference and with the ecosystem services report was to start a conversation and ultimately have data available to all for land use decisions,” Ellis said. “Generations of
Texans have poured their blood, sweat and tears into historically getting paid for those provisional type ecosystems like food and fiber. It’s time to start looking at rural lands creatively and assessing innovative opportunities for future funding streams within the categories set out in the report.”
Educating both landowners and the general public about the true value of land and its ecological productivity will be crucial to successfully conserving the more than 141 million acres of viable working lands and open spaces in Texas.
“It’s important that we, as landowners, continue to share our stories and enlighten the public about what land stewards do on a daily basis and the inherent values in this work,” Ellis said. “It’s never been more critical than now. The question is: How do we get everyone to understand the urgency and take action?”
Winter months and longer evenings are right around the corner. Having more time indoors lends itself to analy sis, evaluation and planning for the next year. This includes assessing what prac tices and systems worked and which ones didn’t, as well as determining where value exists and what new value-added oppor tunities are worth exploring.
Land, whether it is one acre or 10,000, can be complicated when it comes to as sessing benefits. Delving into a deeper understanding of ecosystem services and supporting markets might be the next business step to consider.
“Every acre counts when considering population growth. No matter how big or small the place we operate, it still provides goods and services,” Ellis said. “We need to be able to find revenue streams that empower us to keep the business running today and for the next generations.”
100% turnkey and ready for move in! This scenic hunting and recreational ranch has been meticulously managed and cared for for over 40 years. A love of wildlife and general ranching practices has produced a property that is both aesthetically beautiful and highly productive for wildlife and cattle.
Huge native deer!
The ranch has miles of big rolling hills, sandy soils, large native brush, food plots, improved quail hunting areas, stock ponds, multiple water wells & troughs, cattle facilities and adequate fencing throughout. Several large wetweather creeks traverse the property creating fertile bottoms and excellent elevation changes. Nothing needed other than to maintain what has already been put into place!
is a powerful motivator. To this day I’m leery of an electric fence even if I’ve been told the energizer is off. Once burned, twice learned. Fear not only drives our reactions to the threat of eminent danger but, as defined, the anticipation or risk of the perceived threat.
I’ll argue that the “threat of an antagonistic encounter” fuels such defensive behaviors as gated communities, “white flight,” security video doorbells, and concealed carry licenses. Furthermore, I posit those threats will only worsen as our population grows...speculation on my part. I’ll refrain from further sociopolitical comments and constrain my views to the Back 40 and how wild critters, specifically quail, react to threat stimuli (spelled “predation”) in their worlds.
About 20 years ago, the phrase “landscape of fear” (LOF) was coined in the ecological literature. The concept originated by scientists researching the foraging behavior of elk in
Yellowstone National Park before and after the reintroduction of grey wolves.
The LOF hypothesis states that prey species perceive “spatial variation in predation risk and navigate this landscape to bal ance foraging requirements and risk.” The concept has become popular, but it is not without its critics who argue other factors such as the diurnal variations among predator activity, may also be important. Ecological studies almost always have issues with multiple variables acting at the same time—alas, such is life. You can Google the phrase for subsequent reading, for and against the LOF concept.
“Fear” is defined as “an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” Some will argue that using the term “fear” cants too far toward anthropomor phism, giving human traits to non-humans; caveat emptor. Such critics tend to be OK with the phrase “predator avoidance strate gies,” but I’m comfortable with using “fear” in this article, and I suspect you are, too.
Quail feeders help two-legged predators wielding shotguns find more quail. Feeders do the same thing for other predators that like quail for dinner. Does the fear of such predation alter a covey’s behavior?There may be no other critter in Texas hated as much as the red imported fire ant (RIFA). Some might argue for the feral hog, but hey, you can eat marauding feral hogs. Fire ants can cause many problems, especially in the Texas Coastal Prairie. Ask most landowners in that part of the state what’s causing quail decline and I’d wager 75% or more will cite the invasion of RIFA over the past 50 years as THE cause.
One approach to check RIFA populations experimentally has dealt with a parasitic phorid fly. The fly, a prominent predator of RIFAs in their native Brazil, lays its eggs at the base of an ant’s head and when the larvae emerge, the ant soon becomes decapitated. But it turns out the phorid fly’s potential impact may not be predation per se, but the ants’ fear of predation.
Phorid flies don’t need to infect the fire ants to influence their behavior—they just need to fly around them. As phorid flies circle ants looking for victims, some ants will hide, retreating into their nest. Others simply freeze and assume a defense posture.
The presence of phorid flies disrupts the fire ants’ foraging behavior by making them more nocturnal and allowing other native ant species to reclaim lost territory. I’ve heard that in Brazil, “it’s just another ant,” not a marauding threat it is here in the U.S. So the impact can go beyond direct predation (or parasitism in this case) if it causes a temporal shift in when the RIFA are most active.
I have no issue extending the LOF to Bobwhite and Scaled Quail. Now, most of my experience delving into this arena is based on years of hunting quail and not scientific study per se. Accordingly, keep your antenna up if I exceed your threshold for speculation. And one must seek to separate the threat of direct predation from the predator’s ability to change the quails’ behavior in the absence of the predator.
If you’ve ever attended a Quail Appreciation Day, Quail Masters, or Bobwhite Brigade, you’ve probably heard me pro claim, while you’re examining a quail specimen for subsequent dissection, that “every living, breathing moment of a quail’s life is dictated by the threat of predation,” i.e., fear. It has shaped the quail’s anatomy, physiology, and behaviors for thousands of years.
Consider the bird’s plumage, which is perfect camouflage for its habitat. Natural selection at work. Consider the covey’s proclivity to roost in a circle at night. Some argue this is prompted by low ambient temperatures, but as such it’s not really effective unless temperatures dip below about 15 F.
Roosting in a tight circle with tails pointed inward and eyes outward functions as a more efficient escape path when the covey is disturbed by a predator at night. Consider the crop— what a handy adaptation for an “eat and run” lifestyle.
What about some examples of fear-mediated behaviors? Ever hunted blue quail in the Permian Basin? A common method for hunting the desert scrub in this area is known as the circle technique. I call it the Midland loop.
A quail’s life isn’t easy. Just about everything that shares its habitat wants to eat it or otherwise harm it. In this “landscape of fear,” how does a species adapt?
A hunting party consists of three jeeps, Lannom ranch buggies, or UTVs. As the caravan moves across quail country in a coordinated, running-abreast manner, an air horn sounds when a covey flushes to bring attention to the rest of the pack. The vehicles make a large circle while dropping off hunters as in numbers on a clock dial. The technique is deadly effective and may be looked down upon by others...but when in Rome.
What I want to point out is that if a covey of blues is flushed within 400 yards or so of a fence, the birds will fly far enough to get on the other side of the fence. Why? They’ve “learned” that a fence affords a refuge from its pursuers and their chariots. Now, I’ve had peers tell me quail are incapable of “learning” in this respect. Could be...all I know is what I’ve seen...on multiple occasions. Be your own judge.
Do quail “learn” to avoid hunters, and use various cover types, and would they change their behavior, i.e., foraging times, in response to a threat? I think they do. I often refer to a quail population as consisting of two “types” based on the Yogi Bear cartoon of the 1960s. Older quail, what I call Yogis, are “smarter than your average quail” while Boo Boo juvenile quail are more naïve to threats. Trust me, the hunting is better in years when most birds are Boo Boos and not Yogis.
I’ve even advanced the “Old Rooster Hypothesis” as it relates to quail hunting, positing that the last bird that flushes is an
“old” rooster, as gauged by its wing feathers. Check it out when you claim one in your bag.
The premise is that the first birds to flush are more vulnerable to the gun(s). Caution: anthropomorphism alert! But when both guns are empty (I’m talking about double-guns here, not pumps or semi-autos), and a bird flushes late, when the shotgun actions are open for reloading, put your money on it being an old rooster. I’ve got several video clips (and witnesses) documenting this phenomenon in the field. A twist of the LOF if you will.
One of our most interesting studies at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch was conducted by Texas Tech graduate student Becki Perkins from 2011-2013. Our objective was to assess whether a rap tor, in this case a Finnish Goshawk (think a Cooper’s Hawk on steroids) could target radio-collared quail. Quailologists often
the bird in question. Perkins’ research at tempted to answer the question “in vivo.”
In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of her research was how bobwhites behaved when confronted with various threats, including Vinney the Goshawk. Escape flights were low, long, and fast— the afterburners were on. And how quail seemingly avoided various opportunities to land in escape cover. Indeed, their tastes and ours (at least mine) varied about what constituted escape cover.
About 40% of the time, the quail would hit the ground near a catclaw acacia and then go underground via a rat burrow to escape the imminent threat. I walked away from that experiment with a new found respect for “storm shelters” in the ecology of bobwhites.
Probably not. Most of my experiences with quails suggests how the threat of
so, the quails would have to avoid certain habitats even in the absence of their predator (think largely raptors here).
Do quail continue to use stationary feeders even if they’ve been harassed at them by a hawk? Probably so, but perhaps with increased vigilance.
If an area is hunted frequently (I’m using hunting as a form of predation here) does the covey shift its home range or its diurnal use of the habitat? Ever seen a covey of quail feeding at a corn feeder after dark (I’m not talking about dusk, I’m talking dark)? I have via trail cameras and one personal experience which space does not permit me to describe here.
When a mountain lion hangs out around a water hole in the Trans-Pecos, does its presence impact the behavior of mule deer or desert bighorns? If so, for how long? Is the LOF ephemeral or is it as indelible as my fear of electric fences? Interesting concept; feel free to share your own experiences with me at drdalequail@gmail.com.
Article by JOHN JEFFERSON
Growing
up, I had not seen much taxidermy. Or maybe I just hadn’t seen much good taxidermy.
It was not until after WW II that hunting resumed in America. Without hunting during the war years, there was no work for taxidermists. And most able-bodied men were in the military defending our way of life.
I did not think of taxidermy as being either art or science. And certainly not a combination of both. I guess all I thought was that the taxidermy owner had been a successful hunter. And that impressed me.
Where does art enter the title? Well, the dictionary defines art as, “The quality, production, or expression, according to aes
thetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” While the aforementioned definition continues for about the length of a once-fired rifle shell-case, the portion above is enough for purposes of this article.
Some might find much of Pablo Picasso’s modern art failing to fit that description, while others might not see the mounted heads of the “Dilly Monster” or the “Brady Buck” as of extraordinary significance. But as the well-worn phrase indicates, “Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.”
Art and beauty go hand-in-hand. Sometimes beauty in a mount is enhanced in the process—lifelike eyes, ears, mouths, and no sagging skin. Art can be anything that recreates the memory of the hunt, like the setting—vegetation, terrain, rocks, or sand.
The Warren Wildlife Gallery in South Austin is a museum of numerous taxidermy dioramas depicting many of the world’s most unique wild creatures in settings created to simulate their native habitats. Photo by John and Vicky Jefferson PhotographyJason Bynum, the taxidermist in Sny der, Texas, who mounted my best buck, followed my request for a cocked left ear that signaled it was about to bolt away. That day in the brush, when I saw the buck was alert and had cocked his ear, I realized something had alarmed him. Maybe he’d spotted us. The thought hastened my shot. I often look up at that cocked ear and relive that moment when I thought to myself, “Shoot!” Had I waited, he would have been gone in a heartbeat.
Bynum described some of his trophy room creations as being similar to a photo album of past hunts. Except his albums are three dimensional and the critters’ eyes seem to follow you around the room.
I have no trouble seeing taxidermy as art nowadays and am confident that most TWA members view it as certainly significant—especially if it reminds the owner or observer of treasured times in the outdoors.
‘Nuff said about taxidermy as art.
Science comes into play in a number of ways. I was impressed with several prac ticing taxidermists I interviewed who told me they conducted research to as sure their presentations of wild animals, especially of African game or rare spe cies, were anatomically correct. When I worked for the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, I had no doubt that the wildlife biologists-members of the Texas Chapter were scientists. Taxidermists studying animals for correct rendition of mounts are also involved in a form of sci entific research, whether they are earning a degree or not.
The distance taxidermy has come from the days when it was referred to as “stuff ing animals” is astounding. Some years back, I had just accepted the job as news letter editor for a large sporting/conser vation organization. A taxidermist was the next scheduled speaker for the club. I titled the newsletter article about his forthcoming appearance with the crude heading, “STUFF IT!”
Admittedly, it was not the best choice of words although that was still the way much of the public viewed taxidermy. The speaker spent the first five minutes of his
Several taxidermists interviewed for this article said one important method of protecting a hide in the field is to never drag it. Dr. Dan McBride (left), a veterinarian in Burnet, Texas, who also does outstanding taxidermy, is helping a hunter move his quarry without dragging it. European skull mounts are an attractive and economical way of displaying a set of trophy antlers that usually gets them on the wall quicker than a mount with the head and hide on. Photo by John Jefferson Photo by John Jeffersontalk harshly explaining my ignorance of innovations in mounting specimens.
Creating a form by more or less packing it with paper-maché or other materials had been one of the ways mannequins were made before the use of polyurethane forms simplified the process.
TWA member and former director, Dr. Dan McBride, DVM, created his own mannequins when he began taxidermy and says at times it’s still necessary if what you want is not available from distributors. More about Dr. McBride later.
Science was also involved in several ways in the tanning process of preserving hides and in creation of other products for fine-finishing a mount. The new mount forms, the tanning processes, and what the late Russell Tinsley referred to in his book, “Taxidermy Guide,” as an “evergrowing number of supply houses” have greatly increased the quality of taxidermy while decreasing the time involved in creating a lifelike mount.
Tinsley collaborated on that book with Lem Rathbone, a highly respected taxi dermist in Austin. Russell distrusted “Do it Yourself” books and was dedicated to producing a book that wouldn’t disap point young taxidermy hopefuls. Rath bone suggested Tinsley test what he had written by attempting to mount a deer head using his own directions.
It worked. Russell’s book contains directions, tools, materials needed, and photos. He said taxidermy can be learned from a book and he had testimonials to back it up. The original text was done in 1967 and revised several times. Although Tinsley has regrettably passed on, the book is still available on the Internet.
I’ve sat in his office in his home in Ma son many times and admired the buck hanging on the wall behind him. I never thought to ask about it and had no idea he had mounted it himself. It was only his second attempt at taxidermy. I’ve since wondered how he got involved in taxi dermy. Had I known I would be writing about taxidermy, I would have asked.
My guess is that a publisher or a friend suggested the need for a book on taxider my. He told me that he got into wilderness
Central Texas taxidermist Terry Rheinlander works on minute details of this life-size golden wildebeest. Many details around eyes, mouth, nostrils, and ears help distinguish excellent taxidermy from lesser work. Central Texas taxidermist Terry Rheinlander shows the variety of fish and wildlife that his studio excels in besides Texas deer, pronghorns, and other native species. Photo by John Jefferson Photo by John Jefferson
survival at a publisher’s suggestion. I’ve since asked several other taxidermists how they got into the profession. Their answers are interesting.
Bynum never aspired to be a taxidermist. He was a wildlife major in college, saw an ad for a taxidermy school and wrote for a brochure. He decided to give it a try. He attended Central Tex as School of Taxidermy (CTST) in Llano, Texas, the state’s first licensed taxidermy school.
He did well. He remained in touch with the CTST owner, who decided to retire and offered to sell the school to Bynum. He bought the school and moved it to Snyder, keeping its original name. Soon after, he saw the possibilities for it, and sold his “Bull Creek Taxidermy” business. He still does some taxidermy work as time permits. The school, however, is his major business. He
has had students from most U.S. states, Germany, U.K., Canada, and Mexico. There are now several other schools.
McBride grew up living with his family on a large Llano County ranch. He was assigned as a helper—a gate opener, in his words—for a wildlife biologist doing research on velvetantlered deer. The biologist legally shot deer for research and young McBride skinned them, but he hated just throwing away the hides. He soon subscribed to a mail order taxidermy course from somewhere in the Northwest.
His first assignment by mail was to study the course’s book on mounting a sparrow and then submit his effort. He later saw a poor mounting job done on his brother’s deer and decided he could do it better. The future veterinarian mounted his first deer at age 13, having created his own form.
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF This diorama was constructed for a client’s trophy room by Snyder, Texas, taxidermist, Jason Bynum. He has built several “mountains” for clients’ trophy rooms. Photo by Jason BynumHe also traveled to Austin and watched Rathbone work. He was told to not touch anything. He learned a lot from Rathbone. He also learned much from the deer re searcher he worked for on the ranch, Jack Ward Thomas, who became one of the preeminent wildlife biologists in America. McBride mounted deer heads for friends throughout his Vet school years.
At age 28, Terry Rheinlander took a nice deer to an expensive shop to be mounted. When he got it back a year later, only the antlers were from his buck and the overall quality didn’t match the heads the shop displayed on its walls.
He, too, decided he could do it better. He found a couple of taxidermists who let him watch them work and answer his questions. He said that was rare—and fortunate. The best thing he did, he told me, was joining the Texas and National Taxidermy Associations. Their annual conventions, how-to seminars, and cri tique of members’ work opened his eyes to the possibilities.
All three gentlemen have been successful taxidermists. Dr. McBride devotes most of his time to his veterinary practice in Burnet, but he works on a few mounts on weekends and evenings. Bynum manages a little work that is scheduled around several schools he conducts each year (six-week course costs $7,500; two-week course is $2,800). He sees an increasing number of women enrolling, most with an artistic bent.
Rheinlander is a full-time taxidermist at his studio between Austin and Lock hart and has steady business, much of it from repeat clients. One attraction in his showroom is a Longhorn steer with the widest horns I’ve ever seen—and I’ve seen hundreds. (Another I saw in a film years ago was the most unique mounted Long horn ever. It belonged to Amon Carter in Fort Worth and snorted smoke out of its nostrils! Terry’s steer doesn’t smoke…yet!) After several successful years of competing in professional taxidermy competitions, he became a judge for the associations.
Although as Texas-based taxidermists each of them mount a herd of deer, they all seem to welcome challenges. McBride says moose are difficult as are some Af rican game. He favors Texas pronghorns,
some of which have come from his Hud speth County leases. Spending consider able field time scouting pronghorns each year assures anatomical accuracy. Most years, Texas Big Game Award winners en ter mounts he created.
Rheinlander told of a difficult assign ment that involved a Bengal tiger fighting a 15-foot king cobra. Both subjects had died of natural causes in Texas. Another project that took time and talent involved a bear attacking a deer.
Bynum admitted that Marco Polo sheep and a couple of giraffes took extra time. And most African game is challenging because the skin is usually thinner than North American wildlife. The shipping time required for African specimens to arrive stateside can be problematic.
As hunting increased, so has the de mand for taxidermy. While the profession is highly competitive, the field is not over crowded. But what does it require?
Bynum said it’s not easy. An interest in hunting and fishing is necessary. And one must be driven to be one of the best. Too many quit before they become skillful enough to be successful.
Dr. McBride said it’s easier to learn now than when he started. Kids now can learn from the Internet. Tanned hides and mannequins are more available. According to him, young people can learn to be better taxidermists at age 7 than he was at 17.
Rheinlander said taxidermy schools are great for learning the basics, but there’s still a lot to learn before opening your own shop. Join the state taxidermy association. Attend the conventions and seminars. Give your clients the best quality mounts you can. It’s your reputation that sells.
From what I’ve read and learned from interviewing taxidermist, there is abundant information and products available for taxidermists. But unique problems some times occur that must be solved creatively.
That’s where taxidermy becomes art.
Article by AARON SUMRALL, Ph.D. Photos by RUSSELL GRAVES
Itis no secret that Texas is in the firm grip of a significant drought that is expected to persist into the last quarter of 2022 and perhaps longer. And that elevates concerns over water quantity and quality to sky high levels.
The question of water quantity in Texas is very easy to answer—there is not enough. Quality, then, becomes a much more serious question. However, from a ranching and landscape perspective, no animal can compromise water quality quite like feral hogs (Sus scrofa).
That’s important because, when we assess landscapes, we must always begin at the foundation—water. We must answer the questions of quantity and quality to better understand the building block needs of landscape health.
The skills of feral hogs are seldom referred to with positive ad jectives, especially surrounding water quality. Because hogs can’t sweat to regulate body temperature, they’ll typically do their
daytime loafing in water sources, and in increasing frequency as the mercury rises. When thinking about what this means to a decreasing water quantity, we come back to the elephant in the room of water quality.
Let’s take a minute to ponder the quality implications posed by feral hogs with regard to dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform units, erosion, disease, and the aftermath of when the rains come again.
Dissolved oxygen is the concentration of oxygen incorporated into the water with four primary factors affecting the level. Water temperature (most important), atmospheric pressure, salinity, and water turbulence drive the bus when discussing dissolved oxygen.
Oxygen enters the water column through atmospheric pres sure and turbulence influenced by temperature and salinity. Warm water holds less oxygen than cool water, and water with
If there’s water, hogs will find it. And they’ll wallow to escape the heat. In so doing, however, they substantially degrade water quality.less turbidity holds more oxygen than does turbid water. Tur bidity can be summed up by the particle load suspended in the water column. This simply means that warm, colored, stained, murky, or muddy water holds less oxygen than cool, clean water.
Feral hogs may not influence temperature, atmospheric pressure, or salinity but they can heavily influence turbidity, with smaller water sources more significantly impacted. Direct turbidity from feral hogs comes from rooting, wallowing, and loafing, not allowing particles to settle and water to clear.
Other water turbidity injections originate from the riparian zones surrounding the water body. When feral hogs leave the water for short daytime excursions, they typically stay within the shady confines of those riparian zones. Such zones typically see an elevated level of bare ground, loss of vegetative cover, and higher erosion potential caused by hog activity.
When I think of fecal coliform units (FCU) in the water body, I can’t help but wrinkle my face with concern. Feral hogs do not have a mom to instruct them to get out of the water to answer the call of nature in order to preserve water quality. And that’s a huge problem.
Coliform bacteria originate in the intestines of all warmblooded animals and are excreted through the feces. The FCU assay is utilized as an indicator of fecal contamination leading to possible pathogens in the feces.
Feral hogs are listed in virtually every watershed management plan in Texas as a major contributor of FCUs. This opens a completely different can of worms when we start to consider disease transmission possibilities to people, livestock, food crops, and other wildlife.
Riparian zones are hugely important in the overall health of landscape-level ecology. Many species, both plant and animal, depend on riparian zones to survive and thrive. Some species exclusively depend on these microclimates to exist.
Feral hogs running amuck in riparian zones frequently destroy plant communities, life cycles within microclimates, nutrient cycling, and increase erosion potential. Oftentimes, easy food such as the nuts from species like oaks and pecans are completely eliminated over time. Combine this with the loss of native grasses and forbs and the increase in bare ground, and the stage is set for invasive plant species to become established on the ground that does not erode into the water.
I often speak to land and wildlife managers who did not have feral hogs in a given area until it rained and the drought broke. This makes perfect sense. Hogs will travel vast distances along waterways in search of food, and when the landscape recovers following a drought, feral hogs will leave the immediate confines of the watery corridors to find new places to feed. We observed this years back when fragmented private land ownership increased on the western side of the state, and newly drilled water sources allowed feral hogs to inject themselves into harsher climates.
More than 95% of Texas land is privately owned. The beauty of land ownership is the ability to manage the land, with wide parameters as the owner sees fit. We need to keep in mind that every action (or the lack thereof) has a reaction. Life has value.
Feral hogs affect water quality in many ways and in many places. Because feral hogs will follow waterways as they travel, they can degrade the quality of the habitat by rooting and wallowing.
Landscapes are intended to be productive when well-managed, and a well-managed landscape is healthy with native plants and animals. Feral hogs are not native! I was asked what the carrying capacity of feral hogs is on the landscape. The answer is simple—None! They are a proven scourge on the landscape, so as we watch the declining levels of water in our impoundments, what can we do to preserve the quality?
SALLIE LEWIS
From October to March, the eastern population of North America’s monarchs return to the states of Mexico and Michoacán, where they find refuge in the forested microclimate. The Piedra Herrada Sanctuary, located on the outskirts of Valle de Bravo, is one such place they return every year.
The first time I visited the sanctuary was early January 2015. The morning air was crisp and dry as I trekked up a dirt path broken by rocks and roots. The climb to the top was roughly 45 minutes, and with each step forward, I felt my heart pounding as the elevation rose.
Finally, around 10,000 feet, my guide motioned me to stop. I took a seat on a large rock and breathed in the clean mountain air, absorbing the sounds of the wilderness around me. Over head, the oyamel trees climbed like beanstalks to the sky. Their wide branches sagged heavy under the weight of thick camou flaged clusters, which I soon learned were actually colonies of butterflies, packed tightly together to ward off the cold.
As the sun arced over the forest that morning, the trees began to flash with color. Like fireflies in the night, the heavy branches blinked orange and black, as the dull underside of the butterflies’ wings fanned open to reveal their striking patterns.
With the temperatures rising, tens of thousands of monarchs took flight. For a moment, the entire forest teemed with butter flies floating like orange confetti, before descending down the hill, where they sipped from salty mud ponds and blooming flowers.
the start of something new. The air smells different this time of year—fresh and full of hope—and I always feel inclined to look up at the sky, marvel the leaves, and breathe in all that autumn has to offer.
In Texas, the fall skies are particularly special thanks to the monarch butterflies passing through. Last year, Lorie A. Wood ward wrote an illuminating story on the monarch migration for the October issue of Texas Wildlife. With the recent news of the butterflies’ placement on the endangered list by The Internation al Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), I’ve been thinking a lot about my own interactions with the Texas state insect.
From 2015 to 2019, I celebrated almost every new year in the small town of Valle de Bravo near Mexico City. In winter, paragliders fly high above the hills, their rainbow wings like kites in the sky. While these glider pilots paint a scenic picture, just a few miles away, the real magic takes flight in the town’s lush oyamel fir forests.
As I worked my way back down the path, swarms of butter flies flew alongside me, the flutter of their wings like the soft, soothing sounds of rain. While I’d heard all about the mon archs’ phenomenal fortitude long before my trip—they have the longest two-way migration of any insect on earth—nothing could prepare me for the beauty I witnessed that day. It was one of those rare, spiritual moments in nature when creation leaves you spellbound.
When I think back on my life thus far and the memories I’ve made outdoors, that experience in Mexico remains one of my most valuable treasures. I still vividly remember the branches dripping with butterflies and seeming to sag under their collective weight.
The magnitude of their beauty is something I think about often, particularly now, with the news of the monarch’s endan gered designation. It’s a solemn reminder of the responsibility we share in conserving our natural habitat—and with it one of nature’s most beautiful gifts.
As a local cooperative, we share our profits with the Texans we serve. Since 2006, we’ve returned $2.2 billion in combined cash and allocated equities to our members through our cooperative returns program. So, when you’re ready to secure a loan for that perfect hunting property, try a partnership that really pays. Together we’re better.
