Texas Wildlife Extra - May 2025

Texas Wildlife Extra MAY 2025

E-MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

JULY 10 - 13

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PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

Texas Wildlife Association M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

OFFICERS Jonathan Letz, President, Comfort Nyle Maxwell, Vice President, Georgetown Dr. Louis Harveson, Second Vice President for Programs, Alpine Parley Dixon, Treasurer, Austin For a complete list of TWA Directors, go to www.texas-wildlife.org

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES

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ay means spring is in full swing and hopefully most of you received some spring rains to get the wildflowers, grass, shrubs and trees ready for another year. Wildlife is especially active during this time of year. Life is active everywhere.

May in odd numbered years means another thing--the Texas Legislature is in session. We do our best to monitor what they are up to in Austin. This year nearly 9,000 bills were filed during the current 89th Legislature. We closely monitored about 250 to 300 of these bills which covered numerous and varied topics from deer, CWD, brackish water, wildfires, private property rights, new world screw worms, conservation easements, renewable energy, TPWD issues and beyond.

I want to thank our officer team of Nyle, Parley and Louis; Chuck Greco and his Legislative Committee; our advocacy team of Joey Park and Mignon McGarry and our Executive Committee. A special shout out goes to our CEO, Justin Dreibelbis. Justin does a great job coordinating where we need to focus our efforts, testifying and making key contacts with the legislators. It is also always fun to see how they are going to pronounce his name at committee hearings.

Our efforts started in 2024 making contacts and meeting with senators, representatives and their staff. Building relationships is critical. In early February we had an extremely well attended and effective Boots on the Ground in Austin. I want to thank all of you that made contact with your legislators during the year, attended Boots on the Ground and became engaged. We cannot be effective without your involvement, so thank you. I also want to thank all our PAC contributors. These contributions are very important and a good way to keep lines of communication open with our legislators.

We were expecting two deer bills to be filed this session. One regarding enhanced penalties and the other related to permanent identification—both supported by TWA. However, we were a bit surprised at the over 30 additional deer bills and anti-TPWD bills that were filed, all of which were bad. To date it appears only four bills have a good chance of passage. Three of these bills TWA supported: enhanced penalties, a CWD study, and a release site fence bill.

We testified neutral to a transfer of CWD authority from TAHC to TPWD. It is often just as important to help kill a bad bill as it is to pass a good bill through the process. I believe we have been successful in achieving this goal.

Most of the bills that impact the TWA mission go through the Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee. We appreciate Chairman Perry and his staff and Chairman Metcalf and his staff for their efforts and willingness to listen to our positions.

We still have a little over a month to go for the regular 89th session which concludes June 2. We will continue to monitor and carefully watch bills, bill substitutes and amendments. If we reach out for your assistance, please answer the call. Until next time.

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ADMINISTRATION & OPERATION Justin Dreibelbis, Chief Executive Officer TJ Goodpasture, Director of Development & Operations Denell Jackson, Controller Becky Alizadeh, Office Manager

OUTREACH & MEMBER SERVICES Debbie Copeland, Director of Membership Sean Hoffmann, Director of Communications Nicole Vonkrosigk, Regional Membership Coordinator

CONSERVATION LEGACY AND HUNTING HERITAGE PROGRAMS Kassi Scheffer-Geeslin, Director of Youth Education Andrew Earl, Director of Conservation Amber Brown, Conservation Education Specialist Gene Cooper, Conservation Education Specialist Sarah Hixon Miller, Conservation Education Specialist Megan Pineda, Conservation Education Specialist Kay Bell, Conservation Educator Taylor Cabler, Conservation Educator Denise Correll, Conservation Educator Christine Foley, Conservation Educator Yvonne Keranen, Conservation Educator Terri McNutt, Conservation Educator Jeanette Reames, Conservation Educator Louise Smyth, Conservation Educator Marla Wolf, Curriculum Specialist Noelle Brooks, CL Program Assistant Matthew Hughes, Ph.D. Director of Hunting Heritage COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Taylor Heard, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Nicklow, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Kristin Parma, Hunting Heritage Program Specialist Jim Wentrcek, Adult Learn to Hunt Program Coordinator Loryn Calderon, Hunting Heritage Administrative Assistant

TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION Justin Dreibelbis, Chief Executive Officer TJ Goodpasture, Director of Development & Operations Denell Jackson, Development Associate

ADVOCACY Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

MAGAZINE CORPS Sean Hoffmann, Managing Editor Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

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

Texas Wildlife Extra E-MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION MAY 2025

8 THE POSSUM COP CHRONICLES No Honor Among Thieves

by JON BRAUCHLE

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VOLUME 41

| NUMBER 1

22 GUNS & HUNTING

Remembering Turkeys

by LARRY WEISHUHN

INITIATIVES 12 CONSERVATION Brackish Groundwater

by ANDREW EARL

26 TWA STAFF SPOTLIGHT 28 WHY WE SCORE BIG GAME

NEWS 16 CKWRI What it Takes to Make Native Seed Commercially Available

by ANTHONY FALK, PH.D.

20 TAMU NEWS

Do You Know Your Bass Genetics?

by TODD SINK and BRITTANY CHESSER

ON THE COVER: Pollinators are busy this time of year around the state, especially in areas that have received plentiful rainfall. Here, a honey bee visits a Texas Yellow Star.

by JUSTIN DREIBELBIS

32 TEXAS WILDLIFE

ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION TWAF Luncheon to Celebrate Conservation at TWA’s 40th Anniversary Convention

by DENELL JACKSON

35 TWA MEMBER PHOTO CONTEST

Texas Wildlife Extra is published by the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. E-mail address: twa@texas-wildlife.org.

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 Extra is an official TWA publication. All rights reserved. No parts of these digital magazines may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the publisher. Copyrighted 2025 Texas Wildlife Association. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the TWA. 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.

Photo by Paul Stafford.

MAY 2025

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MAY

AUGUST

May 8

August 2

Texas Outdoorsman of the Year, Fort Worth Zoo. For information, contact djackson@texaswildlife.org or www.twafoundation.org

Kingsville Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center, 1730 W. Corral Ave., Kingsville, 78363

JUNE

August 22

June 12 New Braunfels Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m. Allen Farmhaus, 2606 FM 758, New Braunfels, 78130

June 20 Region 6 Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

Pitser Garrison Convention Center, 601 N. 2nd St., Lufkin, 75901

Amarillo Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan St., Amarillo, 79101

August 29 Victoria Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

Victoria Community Center Annex, 2905 E. North St., Victoria, 77901

SEPTEMBER

JULY

September 12

July 10-13 WildLife 2025, TWA’s 40th Annual Convention, J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio. Register and book your room today at https://bit.ly/WildLife2025.

July 24 Alpine Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

Granada Theater, 207 E. Holland Ave., Alpine, 79830

Bryan/College Station Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m. Ice House on Main, 800 N. Main St., Bryan, 77803

September 19 Abilene Sportsmen’s Celebration & Texas Big Game Awards, 5 p.m.

201 Mesquite Event Center, 201 Mesquite St., Abilene, 79601 FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2024-2025 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at: tpwd.state.tx.us.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TWA LETTER TO THE EDITOR POLICY: Texas Wildlife Association members are encouraged to provide feedback about issues and topics. The CEO and editor will review letters (maximum 400 words) for possible publication. Email letters to shoffmann@texas-wildlife.org.

HELP PROTECT AND PRESERVE FUTURE

OUTDOOR EDUCATION. CONSIDER LEAVING A BEQUEST TO TWAF IN YOUR WILL Contact TJ Goodpasture for information | (800) 839-9453

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When it comes down to it, we’re in the dreams-come-true business. Especially when it’s helping people get a loan for land for their farm or ranch, for recreation or for a future homesite. You see, no one knows rural Texas better than us. We’ve been at it for more than 100 years, and we have the lending power to see it through. Go ahead and pinch yourself, this part isn’t a dream.

877.944.5500 NMLS493828

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4/10/25 3:49 PM

Texas Wildlife Association 2025 Sportsmen’s Celebrations & Texas Big Game Awards Help us celebrate 40 years with dinner, fellowship, fun and the Texas Big Game Awards at eight regions across the state this summer!

Each celebration is from 5-9 p.m.

Click on the event links at right to register!

New Braunfels June 12 Lufkin June 20 Alpine July 24 Kingsville Aug. 2 Amarillo Aug. 22 Victoria Aug. 29 Bryan/College Station Sept. 12 Abilene Sept. 19

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Bubba Vincent, Texas Game Warden, in his pre-undercover days.

No Honor Among Thieves Operation Venado Macho ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY JON BRAUCHLE

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situations. They will see people do hen the spotlight lit up things that they personally find the biggest buck they had deplorable, but will have to play seen so far that night, along like everything is okay. Heck, Tommy Carroll hit the brakes. From they may even have to pretend the truck bed, Milton “Bubba” Plsek that the people doing those things held the light steady while the are their friends. Some of them do “client” beside him assessed the become friends, to some extent, but deer through a rifle scope. BOOM! that can’t get in the way.

The deer dropped. Bubba smiled There’s not a whole lot that’s cerand said, “Let’s go get him.” tain from one day to the next in the When they found the deer, a malife of an undercover game warden. ture 11-point with a 24-inch spread, To compensate, they often speak the client seemed disappointed. Apambiguously, using phrases like parently, it had looked more impres“gettin’ ready for tomorrow” and sive in the spotlight than it did on “getting on down the road” when the ground. Tommy said, “You don’t anyone--even friends and familyhave to pay me for that one if you’re -ask them what they’re up to. not happy with it. He’s kind of pinOh, and there’s always the horned.” The client said, “Hey, I’ll possibility of getting arrested and buy another one. We can do whatthrown in jail. After all, when one ever…” Tommy cut him off, saying, runs with outlaws, one gets treated “If he ain’t what you’re lookin’ for accordingly when the police arrive.

- I’m a man of my word.”

Whether or not they’re a cop will be The client patted his pockets as sorted out later. they discussed what to do with the Personal forms of identification reflected the aliases Tommy and Bubba were naturals. deer. Then, dumbfounded, he said, of the undercover wardens who worked Operation To establish themselves in any “I forgot my hunting license! How Venado Macho. given covert operation, they would am I gonna tag him?” The three hang out in beer joints, cafes, feed men busted out laughing. Bubba said, “I got one you can borrow!” More laughter, then a stores, boat ramps, hunting camps or wherever, and make decision was made. The client used Bubba’s tag, paid $500 themselves appear to be, what game wardens call, “good for it,” meaning there’s a good chance they’d engage in cash, and took the deer home.

As the client would later find out, everything about that whatever unlawful activity they might find profitable.

Dec. 9, 1997, late night hunt on a 38,000-acre ranch in Webb Though their primary job duty involved catching people County was not as it seemed. Tommy (alias, Carroll) Johnson violating fish and wildlife laws, small drug buys commonly and Milton “Bubba” (alias, Plsek) Vincent were Texas provided the “in” to get things rolling.

Game Wardens assigned to the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s As the lead investigator on Operation Venado Macho, covert law enforcement unit. They were working a months- Tommy had obtained permission from a Webb County long undercover investigation, dubbed “Operation Venado landowner to use his family’s sprawling ranch to facilitate Macho,” into a ring of hardcore outlaw hunters in deep illegal hunts. Apparently, the landowner was at his wits South Texas. Venado macho is Spanish for buck deer. end from finding a headless deer every time he tried to Being a full-time undercover game warden is tough and figure out what all the hubbub was about beneath a wake reconciling what you agreed to do when you first became a of buzzards. game warden with what you do as a covert operator can be For Venado Macho, Tommy and Bubba operated under the difficult. It takes a person with a special skillset to pull it off. guise of being ranch employees, and they were allowed to Undercover wardens must be comfortable with being use a trailer house on the property as a base. Ostensibly, they on their own and distancing themselves from other were cowboys by day, but by night, they opened the gate and law enforcement officers. They have to be able to adapt allowed access to whoever had the right amount of money, to whatever comes their way in sometimes dangerous drugs, or combination of the two, to hunt trophy deer.

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No Honor Among Thieves and 15 years undercover, said, “When I was a field warden, I thought I knew a lot. When I first went undercover, I found out I didn’t know squat, especially when it came to poaching and the commercialization of wildlife.” He continued, “In covert mode, you’re wound up tighter than an eight-day clock. You gotta always be alert, but you also gotta be loose and try not to show your emotions, even if you’re disgusted by what’s happening around you. I was ecstatic, though, to finally being able to catch these hardcore poachers.”

As it had been for Tommy and Bubba’s informant, poaching is a family tradition for some folks. Bubba described a Venado Macho hunt where he and Tommy went to pick up a client, and the guy wanted to bring along his five-year-old son.

They weren’t keen on the idea, but when you run with outlaws, you got to act like one or people get suspicious. The kid came along.

Bubba Vincent, undercover game warden on Christmas Eve, 1997, with a Venado Macho buck.

When the hunt started, the father turned on a spotlight and handed it to his boy. “Don’t point it too high in the sky,” he said, “a game warden might see Their clientele were veteran outlaw hunters initially it.” When the kid waved the light too high, the father yanked identified by a confidential informant who had been raised it away and gave it to Bubba. A short while later, Daddy got by his father to follow the outlaw way. But around the time his deer, an eight-point. A few months later, Daddy got his Operation Venado Macho got underway, he was hoping to due in court.

Another Venado Macho client was particularly proud of his leave that life behind. The targets (prosecutors don’t like to use that word) were good at not getting caught and even 9mm pistol. So much that he changed the number of a farmwent as far as doing countersurveillance on area wardens to improve their odds of steering clear of them. Many had already trespassed onto ranches in the area and poached trophy deer.

The techniques the outlaw hunters used varied. Some would trespass onto a ranch before deer season and bury stashboxes that contained things like food, clothing, rattling horns and extra gear, and the location would be marked with a GPS. When it was time to hunt, they’d have a nice spot to lay up during the day in between night hunts. Some would use high-tech equipment and tactical gear, while others just kind of winged it and got by on savvy, determination and grit. They all shared a common M.O., though; if they killed a trophy buck, they only took the head.

So, what’s it like for a game warden who used to spend countless hours on patrol trying to catch poachers to now be a running buddy riding shotgun in a truck and watching it all up close and personal? Bubba, who is retired now but Texas Game Warden Tommy Johnson, working undercover, with a poached buck from Operation spent 19 years as a field game warden Venado Macho, Dec. 24, 1997.

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Another South Texas deer poached as part of the Operation Venado Macho investigation.

to-market road whenever he spoke about it. Every time the guy hung out with Tommy and Bubba, he would brag about poaching deer with his 9mm pistol off FM 2050 out of Bruni – only he changed it to FM 2059, with an emphasis on the 9.

Yep, things can get crazy in a hurry when you work undercover. Operation Venado Macho lasted about a year.

During that time, Tommy and Bubba facilitated 20 poaching trips in which a total of 14 deer were killed. In the weeks following the end of the operative part of the investigation on Feb. 5, 1998, over 100 charges were filed, mostly misdemeanors, on 14 individuals for drug, firearms and poaching-related offenses.

More importantly, Operation Venado Macho left a legacy on wildlife conservation in Texas that few wildlife investigations ever have. In the following State of Texas legislative session, changes were made to the way serious wildlife crimes would be prosecuted and punished moving forward. Some poaching-related violations that, prior to Sept. 1, 1999, were misdemeanors, can now be prosecuted as felonies.

Tommy Johnson Sr. passed away in December of 2008 at the age of 56. Milton “Bubba” Vincent retired that same year. During their undercover careers, they missed out on a lot of the accolades and public pats-on-the-back their work may have merited. But they knew that was all part of the game, and that there’s no honor among thieves. No worries; they kept doing what they’d always done. They got ready for tomorrow and went on down the road.

www.OGTTX.org Purpose Offer rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest & conviction of natural resource crimes Provide financial aid to the families of game wardens & park peace officers killed in the line of duty Obtain technologically advanced equipment for game wardens, resulting in safer & more efficient operations Outreach & educate all Texans in order to protect our natural resources and private property rights

If a violation is currently in progress, please call 800 792-GAME (4263) immediately - 24/7

Operation Game Thief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve our quality of life by intentionally engaging individuals and communities across Texas to prevent theft and destruction of our natural resources through outreach, education, and a direct confidential link to report violators.

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CONSERVATION INITIATIVES

Brackish Groundwater What’s at Stake Thousands of Feet Down ARTICLE BY ANDREW EARL, TWA DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Brackish Groundwater

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he Lone Star State gains about 1,100 new Texans each day. This is no more evident than on the boundaries of our urban centers, where long-productive working lands now grow homes. Municipalities are scrambling to keep pace and ensure that schools, roads and water systems meet the needs of our growing populace.

At the heart of debate around the sustainability of Texas’ pace of growth is that of water—how much do we need and where will it come from? According to the Texas Water Plan, the state’s water supplies will dwindle by 18% by 2070.

Meanwhile, our population is expected to double.

Last November, passage of Proposition 6 created the Texas Water Fund, seeded with $1 billion to finance the development and conveyance of new and existing water resources. Now, lawmakers are debating how to administer those funds and are looking deep underground to do it.

A blueprint put forward by Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Chairman Charles Perry seeks to spur private investment in the extraction of brackish groundwater.

‘Brackish’ refers to water with 1,000-10,000 milligrams/liter

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Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Often not drinkable but suited for industrial, non-potable uses, estimates are that greater than 5.2 billion acre-feet of brackish water lie in reserves beneath the state.

Senator Perry’s bill, SB 2658, would incentivize development of these resources by exempting wells withdrawing groundwater of >3,000 TDS within a Brackish Groundwater Production Zone from groundwater conservation district (GCD) permitting requirements. The Texas Water Development Board holds the authority to create these zones, which were most recently expanded in 2019.

During committee consideration in April, TWA expressed support for the exploration of brackish groundwater but shared some concern regarding the implications of the bill on groundwater ownership and management.

GCDs serve a critical function as a local arbiter of varied, at times competing water-uses and afford landowners an amount of input and transparency in decision-making.

Removing this layer of input threatens to diminish a landowner’s ability to control whether to utilize or conserve groundwater in already arid parts of the state.

It’s also important to realize that TDS readings are variable. Surface water infiltration, oil & gas development, agricultural irrigation and shifting aquifer boundaries all impact readings on a given day.

These variables invite scenarios in which large-scale utilities and industries extract water for urban and suburban uses without concern for the sustainability of a resource critical to the livelihood of millions of acres of rangeland in Texas. In some ways, it is par with the condemnation of property without due process.

Some critical of this point of view correctly point out that pockets of brackish water are too deep and treatment too costly for most landowners to utilize. That may be true right now, but to view the future through the lens of today’s feasibility is shortsighted. Hydraulic fracturing proved similar thinking around oil and gas development incorrect and has brought on a new age of opportunity for its exploration.

A landowner’s right to groundwater beneath their property is rooted in the Texas Constitution and over 100 years of subsequent caselaw. Meeting the needs of our growing state must not result from the erosion of this longheld right. TWA and our partners will continue to make that clear as this and other bills surrounding the management of our natural resources are considered in the 89th Session.

For more information on SB 2658 and other bills being considered by the Texas House and Senate, visit capitol.texas.gov.

20 TEXAS 25 OUTDOORSMAN of the YEAR Presented by

Honoring

KELLY THOMPSON Thursday, May 8, 2025 6:30 p.m. Fort Worth Zoo

TWAFOUNDATION.ORG

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What It Takes to Make Native Seed Commercially Available ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY ANTHONY FALK, PH.D., DAN L DUNCAN ENDOWED DIRECTOR TEXAS NATIVE SEEDS

Commercial seed production field of Oso Germplasm Hall’s Panicum.

Almost everyone agrees that native habitat restoration is the right thing to do. However, there is a common misconception that since it is native, once spread, it will grow and thrive.

Continuous seed cleaner at a commercial seed producer, utilizing a series of screens, elevators, and drums to automate seed cleaning.

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he process of making native seed varieties commercially available is involved, and while everyone likes the idea of using native seed to restore native grasslands, few understand what it takes to make it possible, especially at scale.

Restoring native grasslands is a critical habitat management practice that is done by state and federal agencies, right-of-way operators, energy extraction companies, and private landowners, but how is it that these users can call a seed company and get the seeds they need? Is it really as simple as going to native stands and harvesting seed from the wild? If it is that easy, why is native seed expensive and why are some species unavailable or do not originate from where I want them?

The reality is that making native seed available at a commercial scale is very difficult for a number of reasons.

In this article I will break down some of the challenges associated with this process. My goal is to help end users understand the associated costs, why availability fluctuates and why some varieties are unavailable.

A challenge to having an ample supply of diverse, highquality native seed is that native plants generally do not produce large volumes of high-quality seed. Texas weather can be harsh, and because of that many native plants use precious resources to make large volumes of viable seed under good weather conditions. As a result, under normal weather conditions, native plants make a lot of structures that look like seed, but do not have the necessary embryo to be viable. In addition, there is value for native plants to drop the seed they do produce to the ground as soon as it is ready. This results in short windows of time when a given seed is mature and available on the plant to be collected.

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What It Takes to Make Native Seed Commercially Available How does all of this effect a commercially available product?

Well, that depends. If the seed is sold as wild harvest, it means the company selling that product has to have a small army of highly trained employees that can scour the state looking for these plant species in the hopes of finding them during the narrow window that the seed is ready. Many named varieties also start as wild collections that are then evaluated in a common garden study.

Common garden studies are the typical way that named native seed varieties are created. These studies involve making many collections from wild populations (as described above) of the same species. Planting each of those collections, which is representative of an individual population, in a specific location enables TNS and the PMCs to see how plant performance is impacted by genetics and not the collection site or weather. Data are collected for multiple years to identify and select the highest performing populations at specific study locations. While not all native species (less than 60%) are suited to this type of selection and production model, it does have the ability to create a product with a known level of performance. Following common garden studies, seed of selected populations is produced in small scale plots, before being provided to commercial seed producers for large scale production.

Commercial seed producers have the ultimate green thumb, frequently being able to figure out each species’ quirks. Challenges mount when it comes time to harvest

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and clean the seeds. These steps use simple technology, but making it all work requires innovation. Native seeds are designed for dispersal, which is typically accomplished by either being light with extra appendages to float in the air or stick in fur, or by being slick and hard creating a delicious snack for birds and rodents. Luckily, growers can use traditional harvesting equipment with either type of seed, but with unique attachments to not damage the seed. The challenge is to maximize the amount of seed collected while minimizing the amount of unwanted plant material. Each harvest then needs to be dried, cleaned, cataloged, and tested. This requires warehouses full of specialized equipment.

Cleaning native seed has historically used simple technology. The seed is separated from the unwanted plant material by taking advantage of the differences in shape, size and weight, using screens, indent drums, blown air and shaking.

The challenge is that relatively small weights of native seed can create considerable volume. Think of sorting a small number of Legos. You can separate the smallest ones which make up a large portion of your overall pile by putting them in a bucket and shaking it at an angle. The larger ones will migrate to the bottom of the bucket, leaving the smaller ones at the top. The problem comes when you have a lot of Legos and the small ones make a small portion of the overall pile. Each time you put a handful in your bucket you can separate the big and small ones, but you will get a portion of the small ones. Only after repeating this process several times will everything finally be separated. This is the same concept in cleaning seed. New seed cleaning technologies may prove more efficient such as computerized color sorters that can learn and “look” at a specific seed lot and separate everything by color.

Now that there is a cleaned product, a sample is sent to a commercial seed testing laboratory. Seed samples are evaluated to determine what percent of the sample is the desired species and what percent is waste and unwanted seeds. “Good” seed is tested to ensure that the embryo inside is alive. This requires the lab technician to cut the seed exactly in half and stain it with a dye to see if it is releasing CO2 (respiring). The percentage of desired seed combined with the percentage of viable seed is what gives the percent pure live seed, or the percent “good” seed per sample.

Almost everyone agrees that native habitat restoration is the right thing to do. However, there is a common misconception that since it is native, once spread, it will grow and thrive. The reality is that producing native seeds requires trained personnel, technology, time and patience.

The good news is that several entities work diligently to make native grassland restoration possible: the Texas Native Seeds program of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas A&M Agrilife Research, and the three United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service Plant Material Centers located throughout the state. These dedicated organizations collaborate to develop new named varieties and engineer unique tricks to commercial production.

The next time you are looking for native seed but a certain species is not available, smile and know that someone is working on it. But it will require a little bit of time and patience.

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE?

Consider making a bequest to TWAF in your will Contact TJ Goodpasture for information (800) 839-9453

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Spawning aggregation of pure Florida largemouth bass at a commercial hatchery.

Do You Know Your Bass Genetics?

ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY TODD SINK, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND AQUACULTURE EXTENSION SPECIALIST, TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE and BRITTANY CHESSER, AQUATIC VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM SPECIALIST, TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

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nowing the genetics of the largemouth bass species you are stocking in your pond plays a crucial role in accomplishing your specific management goals.

Many people do not know there are multiple species of largemouth bass. Up until early last year, the largemouth bass, the number one sportfish species in the U.S. that is widely distributed and relocated, was a single species with the scientific name Micropterus salmoides. Largemouth bass are members of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, in the black bass genus, Micropterus, which includes species such as the smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, spotted bass, Micropterus punctulatus, and Guadalupe bass, Micropterus treculii.

There have long been different recognized strains or subspecies--the northern largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and the Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus), which have been elevated and demoted several times from strains to sub-species to species and back down again depending on the taxonomic paper in question. However, a 2022 phylogenomic study from Yale University may have finally put an end to the debate; largemouth bass consists of two closely related, but genetically distinct species.

The scientific name for the northern largemouth bass used to be Micropterus salmoides, but now it reverts to the first known species description and is Micropterus nigricans. The northern largemouth bass is native to most of the central and eastern United States and northern Mexico to southern Canada along the Mississippi River drainage, Great Lakes region, and coastal Texas rivers. It is the native largemouth bass species found in Texas. The Florida largemouth bass, formerly Micropterus salmoides floridanus, is now just Micropterus salmoides. The Florida largemouth bass is native to only peninsular Florida and a small portion of southeast Georgia, but has been widely introduced throughout Texas, Nevada and California, as well as other places.

Twenty-five years ago, if you showed up to a fish supplier and asked for largemouth bass fingerlings, you most likely would have received what the native species in that region originally was. However, now when you purchase largemouth bass for your pond, you had better know something about the fish genetics and your management goals or you may pick the wrong fish to stock in your pond. Now most hatcheries will carry northerns, Floridas, hybrids and intergrades, or may have genetically selected strains. So, what are the differences? Let’s start with size. On average, a female northern largemouth bass will top out at a maximum weight of between 10 and 12 pounds, while a male will top out around 3-4 pounds. A female Florida bass will top out at 20plus pounds while a male will top out at around 4-6 pounds.

In general, Florida largemouth bass achieve about twice the maximum size as northern largemouth bass. This means that a pond can sustain nearly twice the number of northern bass, albeit of much smaller size, than it can Florida largemouth bass. This means that if you want trophy bass fishing, stock Florida bass genetics only; do not stock northern genetics of a smaller size. Florida bass also grow poorly in areas with cooler climates and are only suitable for stocking in the southeastern third to half of the state, whereas the northerns may actually outperform and grow larger than the Floridas in cooler, northern/western portions of the state.

Florida largemouth bass are also notoriously bite shy and difficult to catch on artificial lures compared to northern

Pure Florida largemouth bass as pictured above develop a deeper, heavier body than their native northern largemouth bass counterparts, but only perform well when the weather and climate are similar to their native South Florida range. In more northern or temperate climates, the smaller northern largemouth bass will often outperform the Florida largemouth bass.

bass. Northern bass are much more aggressive and bite freely compared to Florida Bass. Because they are smaller and there are more fish per acre, bite rate increases with Northern largemouths because there are more mouths per acre, and they are more aggressive when it comes to feeding.

If you want a pond where you have the potential to catch a true double digit largemouth bass at any time, but you may only get one to three bites a day, then you want a trophy pond and should stock Florida largemouth bass genetics only. If you want a pond where you can go catch 10-30 largemouth bass during an afternoon, but you are okay with the largest fish only being maybe 5-6 pounds, then stock northern largemouth bass genetics.

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GUNS & HUNTING

Remembering Turkeys ARTICLE BY LARRY WEISHUHN PHOTOS COURTESY LARRY WEISHUHN OUTDOORS

There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of calling in longbeards that go into full strut.

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hank goodness Benjamin Franklin did not get his way when he proposed that the wild turkey be designated the national bird of the United States of America. Had that happened, we may not have the opportunity to hunt wild turkeys these days. However, I do agree it would have been an excellent choice. The wild turkey is truly an American icon, even though their kind has been transplanted to many parts of the world.

With vision three times sharper than 20/20 and the ability to see more than 270 degrees and most colors, it is a wonder that any are ever harvested. When escaping danger, wild turkey can run upwards of 25 miles per hour and can fly 55 miles per hour--pretty impressive speeds for such a large bird!

Only the pronghorn eclipses such speeds when running. Throughout much of the year turkey congregate in flocks with each bird constantly on the lookout for danger. In Texas the Rio Grande subspecies is most common with the Eastern subspecies in a few eastern counties of our state.

Texas quite frankly has a larger wild turkey population, than do numerous other States combined.

Our current wild turkey populations exist because of trapping and transplanting done by our Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, paid for by hunters through license sales and funds

provided by the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 when hunters asked for an excise tax to be placed on all guns, ammo and archery equipment. The funds are distributed annually to States that match the funding and are earmarked for wildlife conservation projects.

We Texans had our first spring turkey hunting season back in 1969. Prior, turkeys could only be hunted during the fall. As a TPWD wildlife biologist, with the assistance of numerous landowners, I was able to secure the first spring turkey season in 1977 for much of the northern and western portion of our great state. That spring, armed with a Savage Model 42, a .22 Mag over a 20-gauge barrel I took my first spring gobbler. He was a threebearded tom that responded to my plaintive hen sounds emanating from a box call.

Back then it was not uncommon to hunt spring turkeys with “deer rifles” rather than shotguns. When I researched why Texas turkey were long hunted with rifles instead of shotguns I learned it was due to the possible encounter and attack by hostiles. Once Indians were relegated to reservations and bandito raids squelched, people started carrying shotguns rather than rifles when hunting turkeys. Still, several of us preferred rifles. During the 1970s I often gave turkey hunting seminars where I’d state that my favorite turkey gun was my finely accu-

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Larry with one of his early turkeys, going back to the days when TWA was first established.

Remembering Turkeys Most turkeys have a winter range and a spring/summer range. Back during the early days of TWA I assisted counting winter turkey roosts, when birds were congregated on traditional winter roosting areas in tall trees along streams. It was not uncommon to count as many as 3,000 or more turkeys roosting in the same area every night. As spring approached. the hens dispersed into adjoining areas, where they would breed, lay eggs and raise young birds. Then return to those same winter roost areas starting about November.

I loved calling turkeys back then and still do. But these days our Texas spring turkey hunting seasons coincide with spring black bear seasons in states to our north. While I occasionally hunt Texas wild turkeys in the springtime, I tend to drift out of state for spring bear.

Then again, maybe it’s time to wipe the dust from my old Mossberg Model 835 12-gauge, grab some turkey loads, my old box or slate call and head out to the spring woods.

PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FINANCES Larry with a Texas Rio Grande gobbler he took at 12 yards with a T/C Contender .410 handgun.

rate .270 Winchester bolt action rifle. I liked hunting with a rifle. When turkey hunting during the spring, it was all about calling a gobbler in close, meaning 20 yards or less. To me it made little difference whether I had a shotgun in my hands or a rifle. I too remember Outdoor Life magazine stories by Byron Dalrymple, who lived in Kerrville, about reversing bullets when reloading .222 and .222 Magnum rounds.

He claimed those became ideal turkey hunting loads!

About the time we created Texas Wildlife Association I started hunting turkeys with a Mossberg 835 12-gauge shotgun, shooting Winchester No. 5

shotshells. This was before we saw a proliferation of extra full choked shotguns, and improvements in shotshells designed specifically for hunting turkeys. My Mossberg accounted for numerous gobblers in Texas and other states as well as New Mexico for the Merriam’s subspecies and Eastern gobblers in Alabama and Georgia.

Today there are many shotguns with tight choke restrictions that work fabulously on wild turkeys, including the diminutive .410 bore. Coupled with shot and shotshells developed specifically for turkey hunting, many hunters can now confidently shoot gobblers out to 50 yards and beyond.

ENROLL TODAY! Philip Walker Membership Sales Manager 210.913.7049 Use Code: 24253-TX-BUS amcnrep.com

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Staff Spotlight T

WA welcomes Megan Pineda to the team as a conservation education specialist. Megan has 15 years of experience as a private lands wildlife biologist and a decade in the education field. She will be able to utilize her broad skillset to connect with landowners and adult learners who are interested in protecting and conserving our Texas wildlife and habitat resources. Megan is from Seguin and resides in Riviera on Baffin Bay with her husband and newborn son. She graduated from Texas A&M University - Kingsville with a bachelor’s degree in range and wildlife management and a minor in agribusiness. Megan has spent her professional career working for hunting camps and private landowners to better manage their wildlife resources and also served as an agriculture science teacher at the high school level. When time allows, she volunteers with the Texas Youth Hunting Program as a Huntmaster and gives back to Texas youth by fostering a love for the outdoors and developing the next generation of hunters and outdoorsman. In her free time Megan enjoys spending time outside riding horses, hunting, hiking and camping with her husband and son.

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TheHuntingBusiness.com

GREG SIMONS

AWARD WINNING WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST Greg Simons uses his 36 years in the hunting industry to provide a deep examination of the business side in hunting, while also taking an introspective look at the current and future state of affairs of the hunting and conservation world.

Plus, there’s considerable information that most anyone can apply to their chosen field of endeavor.

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Texas Wildlife Extra

FREE TEKS-ALIGNED

DISTANCE LEARNING Classifying Living Things Explore the levels of taxonomy from Domain to Species, identify the basic characteristics of organisms, and study familiar classes of wildlife from the animal Kingdom.

Food Chain Fun Discover the basic need of food and explore how energy flows from producers to consumers and decomposers, then identify the components of an ecosystem and witness the effects of a broken food chain.

Complete & Incomplete Metamorphosis Investigate and compare how plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes during their life cycles and explore the basic needs and physical characteristics that allow ladybugs & dragonflies to survive through each stage of metamorphosis.

& MORE!!

REGISTER AT www.texas-wildlife.org/distance-learning FOR IMMEDIATE ACCESS

Wanda Bazemore harvested the second-largest Texas pronghorn in the Boone & Crockett record book. While she has five more book pronghorn, this 2023 Hudspeth County buck is by far the largest. Additionally, she received a Texas Big Game Award for her harvest.

Why We Score Big Game ARTICLE BY JUSTIN DREIBELBIS

The following article was originally published in the March 2014 edition of Texas Wildlife Magazine. The author, TWA CEO Justin Dreibelbis, was TWA hunting heritage program director at the time.

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will be the first to admit to you that in this world of instant gratification, where biggest is always best, there is a tendency for hunters to get hung up on the score of an animal. It regularly comes up in conversation between hunters; it commonly shows up in hunting articles and on websites; and, antler scores are often how commercial hunting operations ultimately determine the price of a hunt. Because of all the attention that is placed on score, it can sometimes be easy for a hunter to forget to take the time to appreciate the unique moment and place

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that their hunting adventure has taken them, especially, when the horns of their trophy don’t stretch the tape quite like they had dreamed. This is a potential issue for our hunting community, and this article is meant to examine the scoring system and get back to the basics of why we score big game.

HISTORY By the late 1800s, many of the wildlife species we love today were vanishing from the landscape primarily due to market hunting and land development. Through the hard work of forward thinkers like Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell, hunters banded together to take the steps necessary to save the species and their

PHOTO BY SEAN HOFFMANN

From left, TWA employees Kristin Parma, Matt Hughes and Taylor Heard measure antlers as part of TWA’s Rack Madness scoring event held for the public in February 2025.

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Why We Score Big Game habitat, thus, beginning an American wildlife conservation revolution that would become the world’s most successful wildlife restoration story. Game laws were put into place, national parks were set aside, hunting clubs were formed, and the Pittman Robertson Act was approved by Congress in 1937, making hunting a bonafide user-pay system. An important part of this conservation success story was the establishment of the Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) in 1887.

In addition to serving as an organized, leading advocate for wildlife conservation, some of the early big game records established by B&C were intended to serve as

a historical documentation of some of North America’s vanishing game species. Further, B&C club members began having taxidermy displays for the general public, the most notable of which was the National Collection of Heads and Horns at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, which was opened in 1922. The displays were meant to give the public an understanding of the amazing wildlife resources they were losing. Much like today, there was a major disconnect in the urban areas, and this effort proved to be fruitful in that the decision makers within the cities began to take notice of the concerns associated with wildlife health and sustainability.

...B&C began to record horn and antler measurements of North American Big Game in 1906 as a tool to study trends within these wildlife populations. Though B&C experimented with several very subjective scoring systems, they hung their hat on the current system in 1950.

MEASURING STICK FOR CONSERVATION SUCCESS Hunters saw the fruits of their labor as these wildlife populations began to rebound. However, they did not have a measuring stick to gauge the health of these herds.

Since the mature males of a given species usually carry the largest, most developed horns/ antlers, B&C began to record horn and antler measurements of North American Big Game in 1906 as a tool to study trends within these wildlife populations. Though B&C experimented with several very subjective scoring systems, they hung their hat on the current system in 1950. This system has a uniform set of measurements accounting for length, mass and symmetry, with width considered on certain species. Although there are various scoring systems used today, most would agree that the B&C system is the gold standard.

REFERENCE TOOL

Noah Edwards deservingly earned a TBGA First Harvest certificate for his doe taken during the 2023-24 season.

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In my opinion, one of the very useful ways that scoring is used today is as a reference tool. If a hunting companion tells me that they located an 8-point whitetail buck, it could mean anything from a yearling, basket-racked 8, to an old, monster 8-point with exceptional antlers. However, if they tell me that the 8-point they saw was pushing 140 inches, this significantly clears things up in my mind. First

of all, it tells me that the deer has big antlers, which doesn’t always mean that the deer is mature, but the chances are good that the buck has a fair bit of age on him. For an 8-point to hit 140, he will have to have exceptional antler characteristics of some kind. For instance, mass may be what pushes him over the 140 mark, a deer with 21- inch main beams, 18-inch inside spread, 5-inch brow tines, 10inch G2s and 8-inch G3s would have to have 34 inches of mass to make 140.

A HOOK TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED IN CONSERVATION People get excited about big antlers – that’s just how it is. They got excited about it back in 1922 at the Heads and Horns exhibit, and they got excited about it last summer at Texas Big Game Awards banquets all over Texas. This interest in big antlers can be and is being used for the betterment of wildlife conservation by getting people in the room to receive a positive conservation message.

Though some may see it differently, I believe the value that has been placed on large antlers can be good for wildlife. Without this value, a large portion of the public loses interest and ceases to contribute to this conservation movement that is so important to the wildlife resources that we love.

Hunting is a big business in Texas, and the ability to lease the hunting rights on a property is a big plus for a private landowner. The value of hunting incentivizes good habitat management on these lands and creates a win-win situation for everyone… hunters, landowners, wildlife and the general public.

TEXAS BIG GAME AWARDS Texas Big Game Awards started in the 1991-1992 season as a partnership between the Texas Wildlife Association

(TWA) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to keep a database of exceptional animals across the state.

With habitat in mind, TPWD wanted to be able to compare the effect certain weather patterns and land use trends were having on big game in certain areas.

In order to compare these animals, a measuring stick was necessary, and the B&C scoring system was a natural choice.

Trained scorers in all corners of the state score and enter animals each year, adding to the nearly 33,000 entries now compiled in the TBGA database. Along with the collection of antler data, youth and first-time hunters are recognized for their accomplishments, and landowners are honored for their hard work in managing the habitat that these wildlife species depend on so greatly.

CLOSING There are some people who will criticize a hunter for selectively hunting an animal for the size of its antlers. I would argue that locating and hunting the oldest, wariest buck in the woods is the biggest challenge of all. The hunter should be proud of his or her accomplishment in outwitting a mature, wild animal and should show that animal the respect it deserves by making good use of the meat and by sharing information about that animal with others, as a means of celebrating the harvest and appreciating the habitat that produced such a unique trophy.

Next time you are in the woods, I would challenge you to not let the score of your harvest dictate the success of your hunt. Scores should not be perceived as a metric of competition, declaring winners versus losers, as hunting should never be viewed as a contest, in this sense. However, remember the value of the information that is gained through the study of this antler data, and appreciate the true significance of why scoring systems were initially established.

Official Corporate Conservation Partner of TWA

THANK YOU CAPITAL FARM CREDIT

FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

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TWAF Dan Cabela, executive director of the Cabela Family Foundation and a resident of Dripping Springs, will serve as the TWA Foundation Luncheon keynote speaker on July 11 at WildLife 2025.

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TWAF Luncheon to Celebrate Conservation at TWA’s 40th Anniversary Convention ARTICLE BY DENELL JACKSON, TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

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s we celebrate 40 years of conservation, education and advocacy, the Texas Wildlife Association Foundation (TWAF) invites you to a special luncheon during the Texas Wildlife Association’s 40th Anniversary Convention this July. This milestone year calls for an event to match the occasion, and we are thrilled to announce that our keynote speaker will be Dan Cabela, a leader in global conservation and a passionate advocate for sustainable wildlife management.

Born and raised in Sidney, NE, Dan was introduced to conservation, hunting and fishing by his father at a young age. This early passion became a lifelong commitment, with Dan now spending over 200 days a year in the field. Whether in the cornfields of Iowa or atop the mountains of Ethiopia, his connection to nature drives his belief that hunting and responsible resource use are critical to wildlife conservation.

Dan is the host of Hard Truths of Conservation, a television series on Discovery Channel and Animal Planet dedicated to educating the public on sustainable use through hunting and conservation. He has worked in the outdoor arena for most of his life and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Cabela Family Foundation. In this role, he leads initiatives that promote outdoor recreation, conservation and charitable outreach.

Beyond his work with the foundation, Dan and his wife, Darlene, live on their ranch in Dripping Springs, TX, where they raise endangered and at-risk species such as dama

gazelle, Kenyan mountain bongo, addax, and Nile lechwe.

His deep commitment to wildlife extends into active roles on multiple conservation boards and initiatives, reinforcing his dedication to responsible resource management and education.

This passion for conservation and education makes Dan the perfect keynote speaker for the TWAF Luncheon, an event designed to bring together like-minded individuals dedicated to preserving Texas’ wildlife and wild places. More than just a meal, the luncheon provides an opportunity to connect with fellow conservationists, celebrate shared successes, and look ahead to the future of wildlife and land stewardship in Texas.

Proceeds from the luncheon directly support TWAF’s mission to fund conservation education and leadership programs that inspire the next generation of land stewards.

Join us for an afternoon of camaraderie, insight and celebration as we honor our past and forge ahead for the next 40 years of conservation excellence. Seats for this exclusive event will be limited, so be sure to secure your spot early!

TWA Foundation Lunch event details: When: Friday, July 11, 2025 Where: Texas Wildlife Association 40th Anniversary Convention, San Antonio, TX Keynote Speaker: Dan Cabela Tickets & Sponsorships: Visit https://bit.ly/WildLife2025 Reserve your seat today and be part of this unforgettable celebration of conservation!

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICE DIRECTORY

YOUR COMPANY HERE To find out how you can advertise in Texas Wildlife magazine, contact Sean Hoffmann at (800) 839-9453 for more information.

RENEW TODAY to receive your

NEW Membership Decal!

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

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TWA Member Photo Contest C

ongratulations to this month’s Photo Contest winner. Member Loryn Calderon submitted this photo of Kinley Byars who, at six years old, caught her first black drum off a reef in St. Charles Bay, October 2024.

Email us your best photos, TWA! We’ll accept them from current members through Oct. 31, 2025 and publish the best

ones in upcoming issues to Texas Wildlife Extra. One entry per member per category, must be a current TWA member when photo is entered. Categories are landscape, wildlife, humor and game camera. Also, an open youth division for photographers who are 17 and under. Photos must be taken in Texas! Email your high resolution, unedited and unenhanced picture to TWA@texas-wildlife.org.

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