Texas Wildlife - Helping Bobwhites Survive Drought - January 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Helping Bobwhites

Survive Drought

JANUARY 2021

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

CEO COMMENTS D AV I D Y E AT E S

I

’ve been looking forward to this month since last spring when the realization slowly crept in that we were in for a long haul in 2020. Of course, calendar pages are arbitrary when it comes to pandemics and to a slightly lesser degree with political discourse and the economy.

Although we are not out of the proverbial woods yet, a new year is an occasion to refocus on hope and resolve to keep our chins up and keep moving forward in a positive direction.

Last year was shrouded in a blurry fog of survival and constant adaptation. Yet here we are. The sun kept rising, and we kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Your Texas Wildlife Association is in solid condition—and we never stopped delivering our important programs. Our natural resource education programs are still reaching thousands and thousands of Texans. Our hunting programs are still introducing new hunters to the tradition and recognizing harvests across the state. Our advocacy program is as engaged as ever, working to protect and advance public policy important to our membership.

There are countless lessons to take away from last year, but through it all one fact was omnipresent: Texans wanted to be outside. Plant nurseries and RV lots were picked bare; state park reservations were snapped up months in advance; hunting and fishing license sales spiked; firearm and fishing tackle sales ballooned; and walking trails were used heavily every hour of the day.

The takeaway? What we care about and work on here at TWA matters to our fellow Texans. What a terrific affirmation that encourages us to keep pushing even harder for the land and wildlife of our home state.

This month, the Texas Legislature goes back into session. Rest assured that we will be at the tip of the spear on wildlife, natural resource and rural property rights matters from Day One until the Legislature adjourns. Truly effective advocacy work demands worthwhile goals, credibility, financial resources, capable professional teammates and, most importantly, engaged stakeholders.

For TWA, those stakeholders are you, our valued members. Expect to hear from us on important matters as they arise this session—and plan to act. The Texas Legislature wants and needs to hear from Texans on the front lines of wildlife conservation. There is no better voice than that of TWA members. Never forget that.

As of now, our staff and volunteer leadership are planning the year ahead with a hopeful expectation of returning to the time-honored and effective practice of bringing people together. In person. We look forward to hosting open houses at our new headquarters in New Braunfels, delivering workshops for landowners and conservationists, and of course we hope to host our 36th Annual Convention in the summer.

Happy new year to you all. Let us turn the page and forge ahead into a fresh chapter, making it the best one yet. There is important work to be done—and we, as always, are just the ones to do it.

Stay safe.

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 2020 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.

4 TEXAS WILDLIFE

JANUARY 2021

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

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

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

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

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

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

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

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

JANUARY VOLUME 36

H

8 Helping Northern Bobwhite Quail Survive Drought

by ROBERT FEARS

NUMBER 9

H

2021

32 Borderlands News

Parasite Evaluation in the Desert Quails of the Trans-Pecos

by RACHEL E. BITTNER and RYAN S. LUNA

18 Hunting Heritage

36 Law of the Land

Where Are They Now?

What Do I Own?

by KARA STARR

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

22 Lessons From Leopold

38 Native Bees

A Land to Please Everyone

Sculpting the Texas Landscape

by STEVE NELLE

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

24 Conservation Legacy

44 Texas Slam

Critter Connections

Consider hunting all four of Texas’ native big game species in one season.

by ELANOR DEAN

26 Members In Action

by BRANDON RAY

Members Across Texas

48 The Desert Quail of Texas

by KRISTIN PARMA

by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

28 Guns & Shooting

54 Outdoor Traditions

All About “Arrow” Guns

Quail Rigs & Hunting Traditions

by LUKE CLAYTON

by SALLIE LEWIS

30 Pond Management

Some Random Thoughts on Managing Bass and Bucks

by BILLY HIGGINBOTHAM, PH.D. Photo by Russell A. Graves

Magazine Staff

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

David Yeates, Executive Editor Kim Rothe, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor

Photo by Russell A. Graves

David Brimager, CWB®, Advertising Director

Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

On the Cover To help quail survive drought, land managers should initiate land practices that create and sustain quail habit for population growth, reduce livestock grazing pressure, broadcast supplemental feed and reduce harvest. Read more from researchers with the Department of Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University in Robert Fear’s article starting on page 8.

MAGAZINE CORPS

Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor

JANUARY 2021

Helping Bobwhites

Survive Drought

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

5

TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2019-2020 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

FEBRUARY

MAY

JUNE

FEBRUARY 11-28 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

For more information, visit www.sarodeo.com.

MAY 4-23 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

For more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com.

JUNE 26 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Bass Pro Shops/ Cabela’s, Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

MARCH MARCH 15 Texas Brigades Application Deadline.

Apply online at www.texasbrigades. org/applications.

MARCH 31 Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA) College Scholarship Deadline. Visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org for more information on how to apply.

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

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

JULY JULY 16-18 WildLife 2021, TWA’s 36th Annual Convention, San Antonio JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information, visit www.wildlife2021.com.

TEXAS WILDLIFE

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

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

•• (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.

YOUTH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS: •• 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 read-along format. Recordings of past issues are available online and live broadcasts accompany each new issue. All recordings and scheduled live readings can be found online.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

JANUARY 2021

Š D.K. Langford

TWA Engages in a Broad Range of

Land, Water, and Wildlife Issues AS MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION, we are asking our neighbors who are fellow conservationists, ranchers, and hunters to join our vital efforts. Your membership will help promote Texas’ hunting traditions and develop opportunities for new generations to know the pleasures of Texas outdoors. By joining, you will strengthen our work with legislators, educators and wildlife biologists to protect private lands and the many species of wildlife they support. The future of our wildlife populations depends on you.

Join your neighbors today!

For more information on becoming a member of the Texas Wildlife Association, please visit www.texas-wildlife.org/membership

Photo by Russell Graves

(800) TEX-WILD

Photo by Russell A. Graves

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

JANUARY 2021

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT Article by ROBERT FEARS

T

exas is blessed with four quail species. These include Northern Bobwhite Quail that occur throughout most of the state; Scaled or Blue Quail usually found in the western half of the state; Gambel’s Quail in western parts of the Trans-Pecos region; and Montezuma Quail that inhabit TransPecos and western Edwards Plateau.

Bobwhites are the most popular species and provide many hours of enjoyment for hunters, photographers and wildlife observers. They also serve as a revenue source for Texas towns that provide quail enthusiasts with lodging, food and supplies.

The bad news, however, is the historic decline of bobwhite populations. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the North American Breeding Bird Survey has shown a decrease in Texas bobwhite breeding numbers at a rate of 3.9 percent per year from 1970 to 2009.

During Aldo Leopold’s day, wildlife experts were saying that quail had been declining for 50 years, so the population problem is not new. Within the long-term decline, quail numbers generally boom during wet years and bust when it’s dry; therefore, helping Northern Bobwhite Quail survive drought is an important conservation practice.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Photo by Russell A. Graves

“Quail-Tech Alliance Anchor Ranch Program research has shown a significant positive correlation between rainfall and population numbers,” said Dr. Brad Dabbert, Burnett Foundation Endowed Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University.

“Initiated in January 2010, the program’s mission is to reverse quail decline,” he said. “Quail-Tech is a research and demonstration project coordinated between Quail First, a 501(c) (3) organization, and the Department of Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University.”

The Anchor Ranch program is conducted within a 38-county area, primarily in the Rolling Plains.

Participating ranches are called anchor ranches, because they anchor quality quail habitat throughout the study area.

Research conducted in the Anchor Ranch Program is funded by the Burnett Foundation and the Park Cities, Cross Timbers, and Permian Basin Chapters of the Quail Coalition.

Research on member ranches has shown that lack of food and cover during drought reduces the number of nesting attempts by as much as 80 percent. Drought also decreases survival of chicks produced by the few attempted nests.

“Quail hatch eggs in the summer, and if conditions are favorable, they can have multiple clutches each year,” Dabbert said.

“Multiple clutches allow the population to renew itself.”

He continued, “To create favorable conditions for population growth, reduce livestock grazing pressure for habitat preservation, broadcast supplemental feed and reduce harvest. These practices will help quail survive drought.”

Bobwhite Quail must have suitable habitat for survival.

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HABITAT NEEDS Land managers must initiate and maintain land practices that create and sustain quail habitat for bobwhite populations to survive. A thorough understanding of the variation in vegetative types required for each of their life stages is necessary for helping quail survive drought.

Quail chicks require cover for protection from predators.

Photo courtesy of Brad Dabbert, Texas Tech University

Bobwhites require vegetative cover for protection from predators and thermal extremes, nesting, brood rearing, feeding, travel, loafing/resting, roosting and escape. They nest on the ground and cover is usually provided by native perennial bunchgrasses such as little bluestem, big bluestem, Indiangrass, threeawns, balsamscales, lovegrasses and various gramas. Residual growth from the previous growing season is important because it can provide nesting cover early in the spring and during drought. Hens also nest under prickly pear, yucca and tasajillo.

Quail hens lay one egg per day until a clutch containing an average of 12 to 15 eggs is produced. After laying, they stay on the nest most of the day and have to protect it from predators during the 22to 24-day incubation period.

Photo courtesy of Brad Dabbert, Texas Tech University

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Bunch grasses provide travel corridors for quail.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Photo by Rowdy White, Texas Tech University

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Bobwhites need large blocks of nesting cover.

“Bobwhites need large blocks of nesting cover in which to hide their nests,” Dabbert said. “Quality quail habitat usually consists of scattered areas of cover ranging from less than one acre to about 10 acres.”

Brood rearing is a priority after hatching and bobwhite chick cover requirements are different than for nesting. At hatching, chicks are only about an inch tall and cannot travel through a thick cover of bunch grasses. They need the ability to move through vegetation freely, yet have overhead cover for protection.

Chicks also need vegetation that attracts invertebrates, such as grasshoppers, to satisfy their requirement for protein-rich diets.

Forb species such as western ragweed, broomweed, partridge pea and croton provide excellent brood rearing cover, attract insects and serve as an important seed source for adults during fall and winter. Good brood rearing habitat is located near loafing/resting cover.

Loafing cover can encompass multiple vegetation types including perennial bunchgrasses and tall multi-stemmed forbs; however, quail prefer woody shrubs such as redberry juniper, sand plum, lotebush, sand shinnery oak, and spiny hackberry.

These woody plants provide bare ground, shade and a food source, especially during times of limited food availability.

“Feeding and travel cover requirements are similar to those for brood rearing with a few exceptions,” Dabbert said. “Adult bobwhites primarily eat seeds found on forbs and grasses.”

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Important forbs, in addition to those listed as providing good brood rearing habitat, include Engelmann daisy, sunflower and legumes such as wild beans and bundleflowers. Grasses, preferred by quail, are hard-seeded and include bristlegrasses, panicums and paspalums.

During spring and summer, quail eat green vegetation, insects and mast (seeds and fruit from shrubs). Mast producing shrubs include agarito, chittam, mesquite and hackberry. Insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, ants, termites and spiders provide protein and serve as a water source.

Preferred escape cover for bobwhites generally is dense to moderately dense brush in which they can enter and hide when threatened by predators or otherwise startled. Plant species that might provide adequate escape cover include mesquite mottes, ashe juniper, red-berry juniper, prickly pear patches, tasajillo, lotebush and dense stands of assorted forbs and grasses.

“Roosting cover is an easy requirement to fulfill for bobwhites,” Dabbert said. “Bobwhites will generally roost anywhere vegetation does not obstruct a quick burst of flight.”

The quail roost on the ground in a circle with their heads facing out. This pattern allows for a quick escape when threatened by predators.

The aforementioned cover requirements show that bobwhites need a variety of cover types to survive and complete their life

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Pasture rotation allowing pastures to rest and recover after grazing is another way of making quail cover resistant to drought. Rotation systems are often designed to vacate pastures where quail are prone to hatch their eggs during nesting time.

This prevents cattle from stepping on nests and eggs.

If there is a good side to drought, it is early forb emergence after the first rainfall. Due to the importance of forbs to attract insects and provide seed, it is common for quail enthusiasts to disc strips across pastures to promote forb growth SUPPLEMENTAL FEED Effects of supplemental feed on quail survival have been studied by several researchers during the last 10 years and results show that supplementation can help bobwhites survive drought.

When drought destroys natural feeds, broadcast supplemental feeding can provide quail with their required nutrition.

“Supplemental feeding may benefit quail nutrition when natural foods are limited,” said Darrell Townsend II, Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University. “Survival rates of bobwhites in western Oklahoma were six-fold greater during the winters of

Photo courtesy of Brad Dabbert, Texas Tech University

cycle. These sites must be close together to avoid long exposure periods because exposure puts the quail’s life in jeopardy.

“Survival of bobwhite quail through drought is dependent on how well their needs are met during the dry period and grazing management is very important for meeting that need,” Dabbert said. “Optimal vegetation height has not been determined, but if vegetation height is reduced to the point that quail are seen, it is too short.”

Moving quail are noticed in vegetation as short as 12 inches.

By comparing quail abundance and vegetation height, it is estimated that maintaining vegetation at 16 inches meets minimum requirements with 30 inches considered as optimal, he said.

These vegetation heights are also good for cattle because they allow them to consume the most nutritious top growth.

Conservative cattle stocking rates promote soil health and more robust plant growth which can withstand drought longer than overgrazed forage. This type of management also allows forage to recover more quickly after drought, reducing the long-term effects on quail populations.

Proper grazing management can help build habitat drought resistance.

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Photo courtesy of Brad Dabbert, Texas Tech University

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Photo by Rowdy White, Texas Tech University

Many land managers till strips of soil to encourage forb emergence.

Areas of loose soil provide opportunities for quail dust baths.

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1992 and 1993 in areas with supplemental feeders than in areas without feeders.

During the winters of 1993 and 1994, the difference was two-fold.”

Relative use of five feed types by hatchery raised bobwhite quail were examined in the Duane M. Leach Research Aviary at the Tio and Janell Kleberg Wildlife Research Park at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

“The feed types were whole corn, sorghum, soybeans, a commercial quail breeder pellet and a native forb and grass seed mixture,” said Jonathan Larson with Texas A&M University. “The native mix used in the study included pigweed, common sunflower, wooly croton, partridge pea, red prickly poppy, switchgrass and plains bristlegrass.”

Single and multiple offerings of feed during a 24-hour period were alternated.

Sorghum was the most highly consumed feed for both single and multiple offerings. In single feedings, sorghum had 81 percent greater consumption than

Photo by Russell A. Graves

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Lead males will perch on tree limbs to watch their flock.

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HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Soils are loam, fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam with level to steep terrain. Dominant vegetation species include redberry juniper, sand sage, side oats grama, blue grama, little bluestem, netleaf hackberry, honey mesquite, lotebush and yucca.

In late 2009 and early 2010, redberry juniper was grubbed and piled by the ranch. Strip disking was employed to promote cover and natural food sources.

“Milo was used as supplemental feed in the study because of its high energy content and proven palatability to bobwhite,” said Dr. Byron Buckley, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University.

Milo was broadcast biweekly with a modified trip hopper range cattle feeder. Feeding rate was approximately 150 pounds of milo per 0.6 mile. The grain was broadcast to the right side of the road in a swath of approximately one foot to 60 feet wide.

The feeding began on September 15, 2010, and continued yearround until September 30, 2012.

Photo courtesy of Brad Dabbert, Texas Tech University

the second most consumed feed which was the native seed mix.

The difference between the same two feeds was 149 percent consumption in favor of sorghum.

Byron Buckley, Alicia Andes and Brad Dabbert at Texas Tech University, examined the influence of food supplementation on a wild population of Northern Bobwhite Quail. Study objective was to determine if food supply influenced bobwhite reproduction by distributing supplemental feed into useable quail habitat along roadside edges. The study was conducted on the 6666 Ranch near Guthrie, Texas in the Rolling Plains ecoregion.

Annual precipitation for the area is approximately 23 to 24 inches and average daily temperatures range from 45 degrees in winter to 81 degrees during summer. “Average vegetation structure was 85.6 percent cover at an average height of 2.5 feet.

Vegetative composition was 29.6 percent woody, 54.3 percent grass and 14.4 percent succulents (forbs) at the study site.

Native perennial bunch grasses such as bluestems, Indiangrass, lovegrasses and gramas are good for quail habitat.

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Photo by Russell A. Graves

HELPING NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL SURVIVE DROUGHT

Positive nesting impacts occur when supplemental feed is broadcast into roadside vegetation.

During the first year of the study, two of eight experimental units were designated as untreated controls, while the remaining units received supplemental feed. In the second year, two control units were switched with their adjacent units and a third control unit was added to minimize any potential habitat bias.

One hundred ninety-six female bobwhites were captured in the wild with milo-baited funnel traps and released in the experimental units during the two-year study period. In the fall 2010 through spring 2011 portion of the study, 52 females were observed in the feeding plots and 69 in the controls. Thirty-five nests were produced in 2011 where quail were fed and only four were produced in the controls.

For the fall 2011 through spring 2012 study portion, 26 females were observed in the fed areas and 49 in the controls. In 2012, 33 nests were produced by fed quail and 18 by the unfed. The 2011 nesting season occurred during a significant drought with only five inches of rain from October 2010 to September 2011.

Ninety females were fitted with radio transmitters, 45 each for treatment and control units, Buckley said. Even though all radio-marked females attempted nests in 2012, hens on treatment units produced 19 re-nests, which included five triple re-nesting attempts. In comparison, there were only three re-nests on control units. Some females on treatment units attempted re-nests twice during the 2011 nesting season

while no control females attempted to re-nest. Three females on supplemental feed successfully hatched three clutches during the 2012 breeding season.

The study results definitely show positive impacts on nesting dynamics of Northern Bobwhite Quail when supplemental feed is distributed into roadside vegetation prior to and during nesting season,” Buckley said. “In this two-year study, bobwhites had a higher net productivity when supplemental feed was provided during and after drought conditions.”

HUNTING MANAGEMENT “Killing fewer birds will result in more for the future,” Dabbert said. “Managers should realize that Texas’ bobwhite hunting regulations are designed to protect quail populations on a state-wide basis.”

For maintenance of quail populations on individual properties, it is more effective to manage numbers by individual pastures, he said. A popular and effective way to estimate population sizes is by fall covey counts.

“Landowners should take a conservative approach and limit the total kill to 20 to 30 percent of the population within huntable pastures,” Dabbert said. “During drought years, it is wise to forgo shooting quail and just enjoy watching the dog work.”

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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Where Are They Now?

Following Up With Past TBGA Scholarship Awardees Article by KARA STARR Photos courtesy of AWARDEES

A

s we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Texas Big Game Awards this year, we’re looking back at some of the program’s highlights. For the last 20 years, we have been able to award college scholarships to students all across Texas thanks to the generosity of the Carter’s Country Outdoor Store and its Wildlife Heritage Foundation of Texas.

In 2000, Bill and Ellen Carter partnered with TBGA to begin offering this scholarship honoring deserving Texas youths who are pursuing degrees in natural resources-related majors.

Since the beginning of this partnership, 180 students have been awarded scholarships. We checked in with a few of them to see what they are up to now.

GARY KAEHLER Gary Kaehler was a 2002 scholarship awardee who attended Texas A&M-Kingsville and graduated with a degree in range and wildlife management with an emphasis in wildlife.

When asked what he’s been doing since graduation, Kaehler responded, “I have been fortunate enough to have been able to keep my career within the wildlife field. For the last six years, I have been the Wildlife Manager at Cook Canyon Ranch.”

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Kaehler tells us that receiving this scholarship helped him to pursue his dreams of working in the wildlife industry. It is apparent that he is doing just that.

Kaehler continues to serve as an official TBGA scorer, a volunteer activity he undertook in college. He has also helped to coordinate the training of new scorers for TBGA and is an active volunteer for the Texas Brigades.

JESSICA HEARD OLNEY Jessica Heard Olney received the TBGA scholarship in 2012 and earned a degree in agricultural leadership and development and a master’s degree in human resource and development from

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Texas A&M University. Since graduating, Olney has worked in the logistics industry and is now a recruiter for a staffing agency in Fort Worth.

She said, “The TBGA scholarship allowed me to attend the school of my choice, become a second-generation Aggie and assisted in graduating loan free! I am so thankful for the opportunity this scholarship has given me. It allowed me to focus on my education and not stress about financials.

“Life has thrown many curves my way, and I am so blessed to be where I am today. I am healthy; I have a wonderful job; I am involved in a wonderful church and community; I am close to loved ones; and, I keep extremely busy!

“I encourage others to participate in any organization they can and meet new people because you never know what connections and relationships you can build by meeting others.”

CHRIS COULOMBE Chris Coulombe was awarded a scholarship in 2013 and earned a degree in agricultural science with a teaching option from Texas A&M University. Upon graduation, he started teaching agricultural science at Plains I.S.D. and tells us that he is “loving every minute of it!”

“I don’t think I’d be where I am today without the help of the TBGA scholarship,” Coulombe said. “After my father passed away when I was 6 years old, my mom took on the job of raising me by herself. She did an amazing job in my opinion, but because of the single parent situation paying for college was a big worry for me.

“I was fortunate enough to have a mother who pushed me and two great ag teachers who told me about the Texas Brigades camps, which is where I met more folks—Dr. Rollins, Kassi Scheffer, the list could go on and on—who guided and supported me as well as helped instill a love for teaching the next generation.”

Coulombe is a TWA member and encourages his high school seniors to apply for the TBGA Scholarship.

SETH RUTLEDGE Seth Rutledge was a scholarship awardee in 2001 and attended Texas Tech University where he majored in English literature with a minor in natural resource conservation. Throughout college, Rutledge worked on ranches and after graduation, he went on to get his master’s degree in English literature from Angelo State University.

He then began teaching in San Angelo. He is currently the Director of Advanced Academics for a public school near the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

“The TBGA Scholarship and scholarships like it were integral in helping me afford college,” Rutledge said. “Without the financial assistance that I received (primarily from sources tied to wildlife management and ecology), I may not have been able to pursue my degree.”

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

It’s been a few years since Rutledge participated in TBGA, but with two young sons of his own now, he tells us that we’ll soon have new Rutledge family members involved in TBGA. KIMBERLY HANEBRINK Kimberly Hanebrink received the TBGA scholarship in 2003 which helped her to attend Texas A&M University where she majored in biomedical sciences. She then earned a master’s in physician assistant studies and is currently working as a physician assistant for an otolaryngology clinic in Webster.

"Having the support of the TBGA helped me to focus on my education and excel in my field,” Hanebrink said. “This in turn is what granted me acceptance into a very competitive master’s program. Now I am able to help people on a daily basis through medicine which has been my dream since high school."

She said that she hopes to become involved in TBGA when her two young sons get a little older.

Editor’s Note: If you know a high school senior or college student who might qualify, be sure to tell them about our Texas Big Game Awards College Scholarship. More information and the application can be found on our website at www.TexasBigGameAwards.org or by calling Kara Starr (210) 236-9761.

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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)

20 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

JANUARY 2021

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

A Land to Please Everyone

BY STEVE NELLE

When the cows were first turned out upon the hills, everything was all right because there were more hills than cows and because the soil still retained the humus which the wilderness vegetation through the centuries had built. The streams ran clear, deep, narrow and full. They seldom overflowed. The deep loam of even the steepest fields and pastures showed never a gully, being able to soak up any rain as it came and turned it upward into crops or downward into perennial springs. It was a land to please everyone, be he an empire builder or a poet. ~Aldo Leopold

T

hese were the conditions of the Coon Valley watershed in west central Wisconsin in the middle to late 1800s just as it was being developed for dairy farming. It is a beautiful description of natural resource abundance, balance and stability.

The Coon Valley watershed (water catchment) absorbed and stored rainfall; the healthy soil acted like a huge sponge.

The soil had rich inherent fertility and water holding capacity due to the organic matter and the workings of microorganisms which kept it productive and porous year after year. The roots of trees and grasses held the soil in place and the blanket of plant litter on the surface insulated and protected the soil.

Most rainfall soaked into the ground to be used by plants or to seep below to sustain springs and feed aquifers. Creeks and rivers had their natural character of a narrow deep channel that flowed strong and clean.

But by the early 1900s, the rapidly expanding dairy herds were taking a toll on Coon Valley. The prairies were grazed off and the once rich timberlands were cut to make room for more pasture.

By the time Leopold wrote this article in 1935 the land had deteriorated into something sad and unrecognizable: “Gone now is the humus of the old prairie

which had enabled the ridges to take on the rains as they came. Every rain now pours off the ridges as from a roof.

The ravines of the grazed slopes are the gutters. In their over-pastured condition, they cannot resist the abrasion of the silt laden torrents. Great gashing gullies are now torn out of the hillsides. Each gully dumps its load of hillside rocks upon the creek bottom and its muddy waters into the already swollen streams.”

No matter where we live it is good to look back in history to discover what the land looked like and how it worked prior to settlement. Across most parts of America, the late 1800s and early 1900s was an era of exploitation, over-use and natural resource degradation.

The Norwegians who settled Coon Valley had to make a living, but they did not understand conservation or land stewardship. Similar stories can be repeated in every region of every state including Texas. The lessons learned keep us from repeating the mistakes of the past.

The Coon Valley watershed later became one of the first cooperative watershed conservation projects in the country. The Soil Erosion Service, which later became the Soil Conservation Service embarked on an ambitious program of technical and financial

assistance with willing farmers. It was a voluntary partnership between conscientious landowners and locally led government.

Progress did not happen overnight and there were many mistakes and setbacks, but little by little the grasses returned to hold the soil in place and capture the rainfall. The steeper slopes were returned to trees. The creeks were fenced to allow streamside vegetation to be properly managed. Today, Coon Valley boasts of blue-ribbon trout streams, stable hillsides, productive agriculture and natural beauty.

Leopold knew that land had to be managed and worked to produce goods and income. He knew that land management is not just about ecological integrity but also about economic and social well-being; the so-called triple bottom line providing financial, ecological and social benefits.

Well managed land is the proverbial win-win for everyone whether rural or urban. It is beautiful enough to inspire poets and productive enough to generate returns for the owner which in turn sustain families and communities. Along with these benefits are good wildlife, good fish, good water, all perpetually renewable. These are the results of genuine stewardship.

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

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JANUARY 2021

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23

Critter Connections Adapting to the Times

Article by ELANOR DEAN Photos courtesy of CONSERVATION LEGACY

C

ritter Connections, the youth magazine of the Texas Wildlife Association, was established in 2007. The very first issue, that March, was all about turkeys and included a call out to Texas youths to design a mascot for the magazine. Entries poured in and Nancy Nine-band, the armadillo, was declared the winner.

Since then, the Texas Wildlife Association has released four issues of Critter Connections every year, including two in Spanish. In 2018, after 10 years of magazines, a redesign was

in order. Critter Connections was redesigned to mirror Texas Wildlife, the membership magazine of the Texas Wildlife Association. Now, each issue has a vibrant cover featuring a native species and still includes the same great content.

So, what can you expect when you open an issue of Critter Connections? Each issue has a plant article and a lead article

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JANUARY 2021

about the highlighted animal. There are also crafts, activities, fun facts, stewardship actions and tips to observe wildlife from Nancy Nine-band. Critter Connections are geared for youths ages 13 and younger, but even adults may learn something.

Issues are released to align with the school year in February, April, September and November. Members of the Texas Wildlife Association automatically receive a copy with their membership magazine, but free annual subscriptions are available to educators and Texas youths.

CRITTER CONNECTIONS

CRITTER CONNECTIONS Subscribe to Critter Connections Today!

• Quarterly youth magazine of the Texas Wildlife Association oo Issues in February, April, September, November • Available in hardcopy and digital formats oo Classroom sets and individual subscriptions

Educators can sign up for a hardcopy classroom set which comes in pack of 25 or individual subscriptions are available. Beginning in Fall 2020, digital subscriptions were introduced both as a PDF or in a digital magazine format. Included with the digital subscription is a worksheet which students can complete and turn in as part of an assignment.

Also last fall, a new interactive aspect of Critter Connections was introduced with read-along videos.

This idea was developed because of the digital and at-home learning aspects of the upcoming school semester. If students could not get a hardcopy of Critter Connections, they could still

learn virtually, hitting both science and reading objectives.

Critter Connections read-along is available in two formats: videos of previous issues and live broadcasts of current and upcoming issues. With both versions, students do not need to have a copy in front of them, unless desired, because the words will be visible during the broadcast and in the videos. To date, there are four read-along videos of previous issues that can be viewed anytime. The current videos are from the 2018 issues about foxes, Greater Roadrunner, turtles and backyard bugs, with more programs to join the lineup soon!

Starting with the September 2020 issue about dragonflies, a live broadcast was offered where the plant article and main wildlife article are read aloud through the Texas Wildlife Association’s YouTube page. November’s issue about Sparrows was also broadcasted, and you can join the live read-along in February for the upcoming issue. Each live broadcast was recorded and will be accessible anytime on the Texas Wildlife Association’s YouTube page.

If you haven’t read Critter Connections before, it’s definitely worth a read, and don’t forget to subscribe if you have any kids at home, or let teachers in your area know about the classroom sets. Subscriptions are completely free while supplies last at bit.ly/ subscribecritterconnections.

• Each issue features puzzles, activities, a featured article about native Texas wildlife and so much more!

• Read-along videos available of past issues and live read-along broadcasts of new issues Sign up here: bit.ly/subscribecritterconnections

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25

T WA M E M B E R S I N A C T I O N

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Members Across Texas

A Closer Look at Some Unique People Who Make Up Our Membership Article by KRISTIN PARMA Photos courtesy of TWA

A

s your Texas Wildlife Association Membership Coordinator, I have the pleasure of talking with our members daily. Often though, it is getting to know them on a more personal level that excites me. After all, TWA members are comprised of so many different backgrounds, lifestyles and interests. Here are three of the members that I’d like to introduce to you.

what he wanted to do. That moment led him toward falconry and ultimately his career, serving as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist for the last 13 years. Often described as an extreme form of bird watching, falconry is no easy feat.

One of fewer than 300 falconers in Texas, there is nothing Reidy loves more than going hunting with his bird dog and falcon teammates.

MATT REIDY Matt Reidy is a native of Central Texas, having split his childhood between the Temple and Belton area. A driven kid from the start, Reidy has always had a love for the outdoors and its critters. So much so that he knew it would always play a deep role in his personal and professional life. Reidy remembers distinctly in first grade when he became captivated with falcons after a visitor came to talk to his class about migratory raptors.

He immediately looked up the word falcon in his father’s encyclopedia and found falconry next to it. Bingo! That was

SARAH KEARNEY Sarah Kearney was raised in a cotton-farming family in Lamesa, Texas, where an appreciation for the land and its wildlife was instilled in her at a young age. If she was not on a tractor, she was typically out hunting with her dad. This love of the land and the memories she created carried her to Sul Ross

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JANUARY 2021

TWA MEMBERS IN ACTION

State University, where she majored in wildlife management and worked many hours at the local taxidermist. Working her way up the taxidermy ladder professionally, she decided to follow her passion even further to Central Texas School of Taxidermy in Snyder. Now in her last semester of college, she has started her own taxidermy business, Trans-Pecos Taxidermy, in Alpine. Kearney attended TWA’s Women of the Land program and quickly became a Texas Youth Hunting Program volunteer where she continues to share her heritage with others.

TANNER KNEESE Tanner Kneese is a native of Kerrville and a 6th generation Texan. Kneese grew up around horses and played on polocrosse teams as a youth, which took him around the world in competition. Following in the footsteps of Tio Kleberg, Kneese was a member of Texas Tech University’s men’s varsity polo team. Texas Tech won the national championship in 2006 against Texas A&M University. Kneese recently adopted a 4-year-old retired racehorse, aptly named “Dark Spirit.” Driven by his profound love of the land and proficiency at hunting, Kneese has been involved in TWA’s conservation efforts and serves on the Membership Committee. Kneese currently lives in Austin, where he is a local real estate professional for Sotheby’s International Realty. On an average day, you can find him spending his time outdoors throwing a Frisbee for his two border collies or on horseback with friends.

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27

TEXAS WILDLIFE

GUNS & SHOOTING

All About “Arrow” Guns Article and photo by LUKE CLAYTON

Larry Weishuhn with a Seneca .50 caliber Dragon Claw loaded with air bolt.

I

t’s now legal to hunt in Texas with “arrow” guns during the general seasons for all game with the exception of Eastern Turkeys. (Please consult the 2020-2021 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Outdoor Annual or visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/ outdoor-annual/hunting/air-gun-arrowgun-regulations for specific provisions.)

For those who haven’t kept up with the changes in regulations pertaining to

28 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

air gun hunting, the thought of shooting an arrow through a “gun” might seem somewhat disconcerting. It’s important to note that arrow guns are not legal during archery seasons, thus no conflict with bowhunters.

Before we get into the particulars of harvesting game animals with an arrow or “bolt” fired from an airgun, it’s important to understand the type of gun used to fire the bolts. Most big

JANUARY 2021

bore precharged pneumatic (PCP) airguns that shoot bolts are also capable of shooting bullets.

A PCP airgun must be at least .30 caliber and generate a minimum of 215 foot-pounds of energy to be legal for hunting big game in Texas. Airguns that are capable of shooting bolts are almost always .50 caliber. The larger bore is necessary to facilitate loading an arrow (bolt) with vanes.

The most popular PCP airgun used for shooting bolts is the Secena Dragon Claw in .50 caliber. The rifle is not only popular with “arrow” hunters, it shoots soft lead bullets equally well.

To compare the lethality of a sharp broadhead launched from a powerful PCP arrow gun such as the Dragon Claw with conventional archery tackle, let’s compare arrow speeds. A compound bow with a draw weight of 70 pounds will shoot an arrow just over 300 feet per second (fps).

Crossbows launch arrows a bit faster. A PCP arrow gun charged with 3,000 psi of compressed air, zips a bolt along at around 500 fps. The added speed obviously makes the arrow gun’s trajectory flatter at extended yardages.

I’ve hunted with compound bows for years and still do and have witnessed clean harvests with broadheads on everything from deer to bear. The big advantage of shooting an arrow gun is range. It’s very common shooting a scoped PCP arrow gun to group arrows within a 2-inch circle at 50 yards. It takes an expert shot with a compound bow to accomplish this.

A well-placed shot with a bullet fired from a PCP airgun of sufficient power will cleanly dispatch big game. I’ve harvested a lot of hogs, exotics and one

GUNS & SHOOTING

of the biggest whitetail bucks of my career with a .45 caliber Airforce Texan® shooting a 240-grain soft lead bullet.

If I were tasked to go after a really big animal with an airgun, say a bison or cape buffalo, I would most definitely opt for a shot inside 50 yards with a bolt tipped with a sharp broadhead.

I’ve seen what broadheads launched from compound bows at around 300 fps do on bear and elk, and I’m convinced they will cleanly harvest the largest animals on the planet. I am sure most of us have seen videos of cape buffalo being harvested with the Dragon Claw shooting broadheads.

The accuracy of these airguns is due in large part to the design of the arrow or bolt. The airbolt used in the Dragon Claw has a soft seal at the end rather than a nock that attaches the arrow to the bowstring in conventional bows and crossbows. This tight seal engages the rifling as the bolt travels down the barrel and once out the muzzle, the vanes on the bolt stabilize the shaft in flight.

Obviously, in order to withstand the added speed, the bolt used for arrow guns is shorter and stouter than carbon arrows used in conventional archery tackle. I have several of these airbolts that I’ve been shooting several years. Some of them I’ve retrieved from harvested animals and because of their durable design, they can be used over and over.

Bolts are pushed down the barrel through the muzzle and at first, I wondered how difficult it would be to insert a fully fletched arrow through the barrel. I found loading to be really easy. The trick is to twist the vanes against the bolt as they are being pushed down the muzzle.

For safety reasons, the broadhead should not be screwed onto the bolt until the bolt is fully inserted and seated into the barrel nor should the rifle be cocked while loading or unloading. I always keep the rifle’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction when loading or removing the bolt. Should the airbolt not be fired from the rifle, the broadhead should obviously be removed before pulling the airbolt out of the barrel.

If you are considering shooting or hunting with these arrow guns, you

will definitely want to give some thought to practice with field points rather than shooting broadheads. Once you have the bolts shooting tight groups at the distance you desire, screw on the broadhead you intend to hunt with and check the zero. I have found little difference in the groups shot with field points compared to broadheads.

Don’t expect the target you use for practice with your compound bow to stop a bolt fired from an arrow gun traveling at much greater velocity. You will need a target designed to stop these fast-moving bolts.

Newcomers to shooting/hunting with big bore airguns (arrow guns) often have lots of questions and not everyone lives close to a store that stocks the necessary supplies. One needs either a small PCP compressor capable of pressuring an air tank or the rifle up to 3,000 psi or a place nearby such as a paintball range with a high capacity compressor.

I have a carbon fiber tank that I can use for a quick charge, but lately I find myself loading my lightweight compressor that plugs into an AC outlet or the electrical power outlet on my truck.

I always leave home with a full charge of 3,000 psi on my air rifle which is good for at least three strong shots on game. If I need to recharge at camp, I simply charge the rifle directly from my portable compressor.

Although there are a few well-equipped dealers across the state that carry everything necessary for the PCP airgun shooter, the lion’s share of supplies are ordered online. Pyramyd Air (www. pyramydair.com) is the world’s largest airgun supply company that offers everything needed for the airgun shooter.

There is always someone available to answer questions that might arise.

If you have questions, feel free to contact outdoors writer Luke Clayton via his website www.catfishradio.org.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

POND MANAGEMENT

Some Random Thoughts on Managing Bass and Bucks Photo by Russell A. Graves

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

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s you read this, whitetail season is winding down on many properties across the state, with the exception of those lands permitted for an extended season courtesy of the landowners’ intensive management efforts.

However, there is no “closed season” when it comes to fishing in the Lone Star State, and landowners are free to enjoy the fruits of their management labors all year long.

I can’t help but constantly compare and contrast the management practices employed on private lands for white-tailed deer and private waters for largemouth bass. You see, fish are wildlife, too.

30 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

I blame this mindset on my college background that afforded me degrees in both the fisheries and wildlife fields.

One of the aforementioned species is an herbivore while the other is a carnivore.

For one, water is the most essential nutrient in their diet; and, for the other, it is the very habitat they need for survival.

And for one, the male is the object of obsession while the other, only the female reaches the trophy status we seek.

Regardless of these differences in bass and bucks, there are many parallel management strategies that can be employed to produce quality hunting and angling experiences for both on private lands and their waters.

JANUARY 2021

My first job out of graduate school was in Florida. In fact, I am fond (when asked) of stating that “I spent a lifetime one year in West Palm Beach.” Part of that dissatisfaction was due to the fact that I am a mountain person, not a beach person—and there are just not many mountains in tabletop flat Florida.

But the main reason for my statement was the frustration of trying to manage what fisheries biologists refer to as an “open system.” Everything wet in south Florida was eventually connected by an extensive network of canals to the Everglades and that made it difficult to make a positive impact through management efforts.

Fortunately, that’s not the case when it comes to managing Texas private lands and waters for bucks and bass.

I was indeed fortunate to spend 37 years of my career assisting and transferring research-based educational information to Texas landowners as they identified and worked to achieve their management goals.

One interesting observation, at least to me, is the gap that often exists between Group A (landowners, anglers, hunters) and Group B (biologists—particularly agency biologists). We biologists as a group tend to be obsessed with the PROCESS of management to manipulate and improve the habitat and populations of the targeted furred or finned target species.

On the other hand, landowners in part and particularly hunters and anglers tend to be much more interested in the PRODUCT of those management efforts, whether it is defined as 170 inches of antlers or double-digit weights of largemouth bass. Think about this fundamental difference in these philosophies for a minute or two.

The bottom line is that the byproduct of any SUCCESSFUL habitat management effort is ALWAYS going to be an increased population of deer or largemouth bass. It’s a fairly simple concept. Improve the carrying capacity of the land or water as defined by improved habitat conditions created through landowner management efforts—and you are virtually guaranteed to increase the number of mouths on the range or in the water.

But there is a limit to how much of a population increase can be sustained by a habitat, so you need to increase harvest, which also increases your workload.

This typically manifests as a need to remove excess antlerless deer or an overabundance of bass less than 12 inches in length.

These by-products of successful habitat management are inevitable. Addressing them must be a primary management goal to keep your target population healthy and viable.

So how does the landowner know when a population response to successful

Photo by Butch Ramirez

POND MANAGEMENT

management must be addressed?

Ahhhhh…This is where recordkeeping comes into play.

Sure signs that you are falling behind the curve on keeping your deer numbers in check include: 1) increased deer use of less-preferred browse species, 2) declines in field-dressed body weights by sex and age class and/or 3) declines in fawn crops.

For largemouth bass, as the percentage of bass caught over 12 inches in length declines and the relative weights (what a bass should weigh of a given length versus what it actually weighs) decline, it’s time to go to fishing.

Texas deer managers and hunters put a premium on managing nutrition for their deer population. This can be in the form of food plots or other supplements offered primarily via a sack. The goal for many is simply to remove nutrition as a limiting factor to their herd 365 days a year.

This deer management goal can be addressed through both supplementation, as previously described, and habitat management via the tools livestock grazing management, prescribed fire on range and forestland, sculpting of the habitat vegetation, and soil disturbance to boost cover and native foods for deer.

But how many landowners strive to manage forage availability for their largemouth bass population as well?

Some do and they strive to stimulate forage production through fertilization, supplemental feeding and/or by adopting a multi-forage species strategy in order to set the dinner table by providing all sizes of forage for all sizes of bass.

In a watery landscape, forage management should be complemented with habitat manipulation via watershed management, aquatic weed management and water quality management to create a diverse food source. The more pounds of forage fish produced, the more pounds of bass your impoundment will support.

How you as a landowner define success is very subjective. Not everyone measures success by how much of your share of the Gross National Product goes to your taxidermist, but if you do, that’s okay as well.

Over the next month or two, sit back and give some serious thought to your current management efforts through a lens of habitat and population management that go hoof and fin with your goals.

Until next time, good fishing and hunting!

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

B ORDERL ANDS NEWS BORDERLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Parasite Evaluation in the Desert Quails of the Trans-Pecos Article by RACHEL E. BITTNER and RYAN S. LUNA Photos by MICHAEL L. GRAY

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In Texas, Gambel’s Quail are only found in the Trans-Pecos region along riparian habitats associated with tributaries of the Rio Grande.

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orth America is home to six species of quail, four of which are found in Texas: Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus), Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) and Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae). The Trans-Pecos ecoregion of far West Texas is unique in that it has three dominant quail species, Scaled Quail, Gambel’s Quail and Montezuma Quail, found in different parts of the region.

Scaled Quail are the most widespread of the desert quails and are found throughout the Trans-Pecos in areas of large open grasslands with scattered shrubs and cacti. Gambel’s Quail in Texas are associated with riparian habitats along the tributaries of the Rio Grande. These habitats typically have thick brush that serve as loafing cover and roost sites. Montezuma Quail in the Trans-Pecos are found at elevations above 4,500 feet where there is wooded terrain and grass understories that support their unique diet, which consists primarily of tubers.

The desert quails’ populations, like many other species around the world,

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

are in decline, primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Often times, parasite loads are exacerbated by habitat fragmentation. Because little is known about parasite loads in Trans-Pecos quails, we are studying what species of internal and external parasites quail may have, if these parasites may be damaging associated tissues, and how these parasites are influencing host survival and reproduction.

Quail have numerous external and internal parasites, including mites, nematodes and helminths. Parasites of particular interest, due in part to their widespread prevalence in Texas quails, are eyeworms (Oxyspirura petrowi) and cecal worms (Aulonocephalus pennuli).

Eyeworms are found under the nictitating membrane (third eyelid) and in ocular tissues found behind the eye on an infected host. Cecal worms are found in the ceca and ileocecal junction of an infected host.

Quail represent the definitive host for both eyeworms and cecal worms and acquire these parasites by consuming an intermediate host, often an insect species such as grasshoppers. Not being able to see predators, find food, or receive the required amount of nutrients necessary to maintain health are some of the possible negative issues associated with eyeworm and cecal worm infections.

The abundance of eyeworms and cecal worms in our desert quails on an ecoregion-wide scale has not been well documented. Research is warranted in order to understand how parasite loads might differ between Scaled, Gambel’s and Montezuma Quails and how these Helminth Quail

Eyeworm Montezuma

Gambel’s

Scaled Cecal worm Montezuma

Gambel’s

Scaled

Montezuma Quail are unique in that their claws are used in digging for bulbs, tubers and other food items underground.

parasites might be impacting the health and survival of the different quails.

In order to document the prevalence, abundance and intensity of eyeworms and cecal worms, we collected quail across the Trans-Pecos by hunter harvest and throughout the rest of the year by scientific permit.

Prevalence Intensity Abundance (percent) (x ± SE) (x ± SE) 100 12.50 ± 1.50 12.50 ± 1.50 50 4.07 ± 2.48 8.14 ± 4.60 66.20 5.20 ± 0.34 7.85 ± 0.46 100 38.25 ± 18.63 38.25 ± 18.63 100 75.57 ± 28.10 75.57 ± 28.10 98.76 75.98± 2.98 75.98 ± 2.98

Table 1. Eyeworm and cecal worm prevalence (percent of quail infected of total quail collected), intensity (average number of parasites per all quail collected) and abundance (average number of parasites per infected quail) in the desert quails of the Trans-Pecos collected from September 2018 to July 2020.

We collected five Montezuma Quail, 14 Gambel’s Quail and 636 Scaled Quail from 21 sites across the Trans-Pecos (Table 1). The low sample size of the Montezuma Quail and Gambel’s Quail is not ideal for parasite load comparisons but still yields valuable information on parasite loads with these species.

Parasite counts were assessed as follows: parasites’ prevalence (percent of quail infected of total quail collected), intensity (average number of parasites per all quail collected) and abundance (average number of parasites per infected quail) in the respective desert quail species.

We speculate that the differences in eyeworm and cecal worm loads between the desert quails may be due in part to the habitat preferences and diets of each of the quails. Preferred Gambel’s Quail habitat in the dry desert washes are dominated by shrub, scrub and

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33

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

Of the desert quails, Scaled Quail have the most widespread distribution in the Trans-Pecos.

woody vegetation. Scaled Quail habitat, on the other hand, is made up of semiarid scrubland dominated by grass and shrubs. Montezuma Quail preferred habitat is typically in higher elevations with sloping, mountainous terrain and pine-oak and pine-juniper woodlands with a grass-dominated understory.

The diets of the desert quails also differ. Scaled Quail and Gambel’s Quail having diets composed of insects, seeds and leafy greens. Scaled Quail shift their diet seasonally, consuming primarily insects and leafy greens in the summer season and mainly seeds and leafy greens throughout the rest of the year. Like Scaled Quail, Gambel’s Quail diets shifts seasonally, but their diet is mainly composed of leafy plant material throughout the year.

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Montezuma Quail diets differ from those of Scaled Quail and Gambel’s Quail. They primarily consume tubers, bulbs and seeds, but will also consume insects during portions of the year.

In the samples we collected, Gambel’s Quail had similar eyeworm and cecal worm loads to Scaled Quail. We were unable to determine if this was due to the similar habitat and diets of the two quails or if the large difference in sample size (14 Gambel’s Quail versus 636 Scaled Quail).

Montezuma Quail had the highest eyeworm abundance but the lowest cecal worm abundance. Having a larger sample size might help determine if these extremes compared to Scaled Quail and Gambel’s Quail were unique to our collections or show that Montezuma

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Quail are affected by higher eyeworm loads. The high eyeworm abundance in Montezuma Quail was not expected, given that insects are not reported to be the main diet of Montezuma Quail.

However, as it has been estimated in other studies that 50 percent of a Montezuma Quail’s diet during the summer consists of insects, perhaps Montezuma Quail in the TransPecos consume a higher percentage of eyeworm-infected insects compared to other quail species.

The majority of eyeworm and cecal worm research in Texas has been confined to the Rolling Plains. As such, we needed data from the Trans-Pecos to fill in the research gap on parasites in desert quail.

Parasite investigations in the Rolling Plains have looked not only at the eyeworm and cecal worm loads in Northern Bobwhite and Scaled Quail, but how these parasite loads are impacting these quail. Eyeworms can irritate and inflame the eye and ocular tissues, which can also be permanently scarred. Cecal worms, specifically Aulonocephalus pennuli, are not known to attach to the lining of the ceca, but their presence in some Northern Bobwhite has been documented to interfere with the ceca’s ability to absorb nutrients.

Research has just begun to assess if and at what severity eyeworms may cause irritation and scarring and if cecal worms inhibit nutrient absorption in infected Gambel’s Quail and Montezuma Quail.

With Gambel’s Quail and Montezuma Quail having eyeworm and cecal worm loads similar to or higher than the Scaled Quail, there is concern that these quails could be facing similar if not more severe impacts from eyeworms and cecal worms prompting further population declines.

This study was one of the first to document parasite loads in Montezuma Quail in the Trans-Pecos and the first to compare three quail species at such a large geographic scale. Basic understanding of eyeworm and cecal worm loads allows a crucial first step in the process of determining how these parasites may be impacting infected quails and if they may be influencing the population decline of these iconic desert quails.

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What Do I Own?

BY LORIE A. WOODWARD

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

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or many Texas landowners answering the question “What do I own?” may not be as simple as it seems.

“Obviously, most people know their property boundaries, but ownership covers more than the surface estate,” said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, an attorney with expertise in agricultural law who serves as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

“Ownership comes with rights and responsibilities, so you have to understand how they can be exercised.”

To be fully prepared, landowners should know: what type of ownership structure is in place; what reservations, if any, exist that can affect estates such as minerals, wind and water; what encumbrances exist, which include easements, liens and leases.

OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE While property is often owned by a one person, it can be owned by two or more people simultaneously.

“Co-ownership is workable, but it can raise certain legal issues that everyone involved needs to be aware of,” Lashmet said.

When discussing co-owned property, Lashmet noted the focus is on property owned by unmarried co-owners, such as relatives like siblings or cousins or by business associates. This differs from property owned by spouses in Texas, for which different legal principles apply.

The two most frequent types of co-ownership are “tenancy in common” and “joint tenants with rights of survivorship.” (In this legal context, the word “tenant” means “owner,” not “lessee” as it would be more generally understood.)

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“Each type of ownership has very different implications particularly with regard to death of one of the co-owners,” Lashmet said.

Tenants in common each own an undivided interest in the property, but there is no right of survivorship. For example, consider a 100-acre tract. Brett and Amy, as tenants in common, each own 50 percent of the whole rather than Brett owning the westernmost 50 acres and Amy owning the easternmost 50 acres. If Amy were to die, the heirs identified in her will or by intestate law would receive her interest. The land would not automatically pass to Brett.

Joint tenants in common with rights of survivorship also own undivided interest in a property. Under this type of coownership, if one co-owner dies the surviving co-owner inherits the deceased’s portion. Using the above example, if Amy were to die, Brett (not Amy’s heirs) would automatically inherit Amy’s 50 percent.

In Texas, tenancy in common is the default form of co-ownership.

“Unless the deed expressly states that some other form of coownership applies, then it will be presumed that the land is held in tenancy in common,” Lashmet said.

Under any form of co-ownership, there are a number of rights and responsibilities afforded to each owner. They cover a broad range of issues including right of occupancy, right to share in income and rights to grant easements and transfer ownership.

“As a co-owner, neither owner has all the rights,” Lashmet said. “Disagreements over those rights often prompt trips to the courthouse to fight out differences.”

Co-ownership can be terminated but it also requires legal action.

REVIEWING DEED RECORDS When land is acquired, either through purchase or inheritance, reviewing the deed records held at the county courthouse is a valuable exercise.

“The deed records tell the legal story of the land—at least in part,” Lashmet said.

L AW O F T H E L A N D

When reviewing the records, a new landowner (or potential landowner) should first ensure the most recently filed deed lists the correct owner. While this generally is not an issue with newly purchased property where the land transfer was handled by a title company, it can be a problem with inherited property.

“Sometimes families fail to formally transfer ownership by filing a deed or other instrument of conveyance,” Lashmet said.

“This can lead to issues down the road if the heir wants to sell, borrow against, or allow encumbrances such as a lease or an easement on the property.”

Another issue to be clear on is whether or not there are any encumbrances such as liens, mortgages or leases for grazing or agricultural production. If the lease agreements have been recorded, they have to be honored by the new owner. Easements, whether they are granted to individuals or entities such as energy or utility companies, are also considered encumbrances.

“Easements can be a potential spot for conflict, so it’s important that the landowner has a clear grasp of who might have existing rights to cross or otherwise use the property per an easement,” Lashmet said.

Landowners should determine if there are any reservations affecting the property. Reservations can result in severances of estates such as minerals, wind and groundwater.

“If an estate is severed, it means that a single piece of property can have numerous owners,” Lashmet said. “Problems often arise because development of the various resources, which can benefit one owner, can dramatically impact the land’s surface and its use, which can potentially harm another owner.”

It is possible for the surface estate, the mineral estate, the wind estate and the groundwater estate to be owned by at least four different people. And to further complicate it, each estate can be owned by multiple people simultaneously, so each has a percentage share of the whole.

“Ownership can get complicated in a hurry,” Lashmet said.

By law in Texas, the mineral estate is dominant to the surface estate, so in practical application it means that the minerals can be developed without the surface owner’s consent. The surface owner that does not own any mineral interest generally does not benefit financially from the oil well or coal extraction but bears the full burden and impact of any damage to the surface.

Surface owners, whether they own mineral interest or not, may negotiate a separate surface use agreement.

“While it’s not codified in statute, a recent Texas Supreme Court case has held that a severed groundwater estate is also dominant to the surface estate,” Lashmet said.

DETERMINING OWNERSHIP OF VARIOUS ESTATES Unfortunately, determining whether the minerals or any other estates have been severed can be difficult and expensive.

“Ferreting out estate ownership generally requires more than driving to the courthouse and reading through a few papers,” Lashmet said.

Generally, title insurance commitments don’t determine or insure mineral ownership, but it’s still a good idea to review the title report. Groundwater or wind severances are more likely to show up in a title report.

In addition, historical oil and gas leases should be reflected on the document—and careful reading can provide additional clues. For example, if the immediate predecessor in title is listed as a lessor that indicates that he or she owned at least some portion of the mineral estate before the sale.

“If an immediate predecessor owned some portion of the mineral rights and did not expressly reserve those rights, they passed with the property’s sale,” Lashmet said.

Owners who are trying to trace mineral ownership for a specific piece of property have several options at their disposal.

If there is an oil and gas company that holds or is seeking a lease on the property, the landowner can request a copy of the title research conducted for the property.

“Some companies will share, and some companies won’t,” Lashmet said. “It’s a question worth asking, especially if the landowner and company might end up in negotiations.”

A landowner could also attempt to hire a landman, a professional who by job description researches deeds and records to determine ownership. Although many of these professionals work full-time for oil and gas companies, there are some who are willing to do this type of research for private individuals.

“Landmen generally earn good salaries and have more work on their plates than they can get done, so it’s not always easy to find someone to hire privately,” Lashmet said.

Attorneys specializing in oil and gas law also have the expertise to conduct the research.

“Title research can be complicated and time-consuming,” she said. “This option can get quite expensive depending on what is involved.”

If this is the chosen route, Lashmet suggested landowners ask the attorney for an upfront estimate of the title determination cost and come to a clear agreement on payment terms before work begins.

Finally, a landowner could do the title determination himself or herself.

“This sounds good in theory, but sorting through deed records to determine if, when and how minerals may have been reserved or severed decades ago is complex,” Lashmet said.

To determine ownership, the chain of title has to be traced back to ensure no mineral rights were ever reserved or severed. It often proves difficult even for experienced oil and gas attorneys, she said.

A clear picture of ownership that comes from a thorough title determination is important for day-to-day management now and in the future.

“Once the title work is done, hang on to it because it will be as important to your heirs or the next owners as it is to you,” Lashmet said. “Finding it in a file cabinet or safety deposit box is certainly simpler than finding it in the courthouse.”

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

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Photo by Ross Winton/TPWD

N AT I V E B E E S

American Bumblebee (a Texas native)

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NATIVE BEES Sculpting the Texas Landscape Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD

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ative bees sculpt the Texas landscape.

“The Texas landscape would look vastly different without native bees,” said Ross Winton, the invertebrate biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Native bees directly pollinate the vast majority of native Texas trees, shrubs, forbs and flowers.”

Scientists have identified more than 800 species of native bees in the Lone Star State. Native bees are found in all 254 counties.

“Different native plants are adapted for different bee species, and in many cases, there is a high degree of specificity,” said Winton, noting the ecoregion with the largest variety of bees in Texas is the Trans Pecos. “It is an essential symbiotic relationship that evolved over time. Our native bees are our greatest available resource for ensuring reproduction of many of the native plants that provide habitat for insects, birds, reptiles and mammals.”

When it comes to woody plants, the notable exceptions are cedar, pine, oak and pecan trees which are wind pollinated.

Most grasses also rely on the wind.

“From a management standpoint, we’ve come to understand that wildlife and livestock benefit from a diversity of plants,” Winton said. “To have diverse native vegetation, we have to have diverse pollinators.”

BUSY AS A SINGLE, WORKING MOM Butterflies, moths and hummingbirds are incidental pollinators. As they move from flower to flower in search of nectar, they brush up against pollen, carry it with them and randomly scatter it as they

move through the field. Any pollination that occurs is a secondary result of their nectar search.

Native bees, on the other hand, are deliberate pollinators.

“Native bees target pollen,” Winton said. “They harvest and feed on pollen, so there is a specific and unique relationship that exists between those bees and those plants.”

Native bees are categorized first by their behavior. They are either social or solitary. As the names imply, social bees live together in colonies while solitary bees live alone.

“The vast majority—about 95 percent— of native bees in Texas are solitary,” Winton said.

Solitary bees are further categorized as ground nesters or cavity nesters. Ground nesters live in tunnels they either dig or find. Cavity nesters live in existing cavities that can range from beetle holes in trees to hollow plant stems and even empty snail shells.

“Like some plants, many solitary bees are ‘annuals,’” Winton said.

Females mate in the spring, find or dig an appropriate nest, and lay multiple eggs in a series. They collect pollen, mix it with either saliva or nectar, depending on the species, to make a pollen cake. The larvae will “eat cake” when they emerge from their eggs and grow throughout the coming year. After laying the eggs and providing their food source, the female dies.

“They spend their lives as single, working moms,” Winton said.

Ironically, the bumblebee, arguably the most charismatic and well-known native bee, is one of the few species of WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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N AT I V E B E E S

Photo by Ross Winton/TPWD

native social bees. They live in small hives ranging in size from 50 to 400 bees.

While bumblebees make a honey-like, nectar-based substance, the quantity is very limited.

“People are just naturally drawn to the flying teddy bears that bumblebees are,” Winton said.

In the world of invertebrates, researchers tend to focus on certain species in spurts because there is not the interest or funding for invertebrates that exists for other wildlife, he said.

Bumblebees have been on researchers’ radars for the past decade or so.

As a result, one bumblebee species found in the northeast has been declared an Endangered Species and a petition has been filed for two others. TPWD has designated 16 native bee species as species of greatest conservation need due to population decline or rarity (often known from a single site).

“We’re most aware of bumblebees—and have noted population declines,” Winton said. “Because Texas has lost so much open space land including most of our native prairies, which is prime native bee habitat, to fragmentation and conversion, it is safe to assume that solitary bee populations are suffering declines too.”

Photo by Ross Winton/TPWD

Carpenter Bee (a Texas native)

Native bee nest entrance

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IT’S NOT THE BEES KNEES The loss of native habitat sparks a vicious cycle. Less native habitat means fewer native bees. Fewer native bees delivering pollination services reduces the productivity of the remaining native plants.

“When we lose large swaths of habitat, diversity suffers—and that’s a loss for the ecosystem,” Winton said. “A loss of habitat for pollinators affects everything up the food chain.”

In addition to habitat loss, native bees across the country are affected by pesticide use. The most devastating impact occurs in areas where the land is intensively row-cropped and farmers use a class of insecticides called Neonicotinoids. The systemic, general pesticide can be used as a seed coating or sprayed directly on crops.

“These insecticides, which affect the insects’ central nervous system, are not

THE BUZZ ON EUROPEAN HONEYBEES European honeybees arrived in North America with the early colonists and have been part of the landscape since then causing many people to mistakenly believe they are native to the United States.

European Honeybees (not native to Texas)

Photo by Larry Ditto

species specific,” Winton said. “They directly kill or significantly injure every individual insect that comes into contact or even just flies close to treated plants.”

A third challenge, at least from a management standpoint, is a lack of baseline knowledge about native bees. While invertebrates make up a vast majority of life on the planet, the financial and human resources dedicated to studying them is limited.

“If you compare what we know about the diversity of native bees to what we know about white-tailed deer, we know a whole lot more about deer,” Winton said.

“The irony of that knowledge imbalance is the native plants that sustain whitetailed deer rely on native bees for their reproduction and sustainability.”

Through the years, science has moved away from taxonomy.

“We don’t even know all of the bee species that exist in Texas,” Winton said.

“In fact, we suspect we’re losing bee species faster than we can discover them.”

He concluded, “You can’t manage something if you don’t know it exists or what it needs to survive.”

And unlike large mammals, invertebrates such as native bees can be hard to identify even for experts. It can take hours or days of intensive research which can include comparing a find to hundreds of specimens in a collection, he said.

To further complicate the situation, population trends are hard to establish when no one is watching a species continuously over time. According to Winton, there are bee species that were identified 100 years and have not been seen since.

“The bee has disappeared from the records, but we don’t know for sure whether the bee is extinct or no one ever looked again,” Winton said.

Photo by Larry Ditto

N AT I V E B E E S

European Honeybee (not native to Texas)

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N AT I V E B E E S

“European honeybees are a domesticated wild species, but they didn’t originate here,” Winton said. “They are managed like livestock to deliver focused pollinator services for a huge number of crops and to produce honey.”

European honeybees, which are also facing their own survival challenges, are famously social. Their hives contain thousands of worker bees. Unlike native bees that tend to rely on specific plants, European honeybees are generalists.

Even though the European honeybees are incapable of pollinating many native plant species, they gather pollen from across the landscape. This lays the

groundwork for heightened competition with native bees when pollen resources are scarce. Fall and drought can be particularly trying.

“Land has a carrying capacity for bees based on pollen resources just like it does for livestock and wildlife based on forage,” Winton said. “A solitary bee is simply outcompeted by thousands of worker bees.”

As headlines attest, European honeybees, like other species that are raised in close confinement, are susceptible to a myriad of diseases and pests. They can also serve as vectors for disease for native bees and vice versa.

“When we domesticate a species and begin to manage it intensively, we introduce a human component that always has more implications than we ever perceive,” Winton said. “If you’re trying to do good things for native bees adding honeybee hives isn’t the way to do it. It’s about the same as trying to help songbirds by putting chickens in your yard.”

A HONEY OF AN OPPORTUNITY As the plight of bees, both domesticated and native, has become more widely understood and publicized, more people have begun to actively manage for

ASIAN GIANT HORNETS Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photos courtesy of WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE The Asian giant hornet, native to Japan and Korea, was first reported in the United States in December 2019 in northwest Washington State. On Oct. 24, 2020, the Washington State Department of Agriculture successfully eradicated a nest located through its extensive trapping and monitoring program; the nest was the only one known to exist in the state.

“Like other invasives, USDA and state officials have remained vigilant in their search for this unwanted newcomer and have been prepared to respond,” said Ross Winton, the invertebrate biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Unfortunately, the media chose to sensationalize its arrival by creating its new nickname—murder hornet.”

The world’s largest hornet, which can measure up to 2 inches, feeds on social insects such as honeybees. It earned the nickname, in part, for its ability to decimate bee hives in a matter of hours.

“Because the hornets seek out the biggest nutritional bang for their buck, they pose a substantial risk to European

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honeybees which have no evolutionary defenses against the invader,” Winton said.

Social native bees, such as bumblebees, and wasps also might be at higher risk, while solitary bees are less likely to be directly impacted.

Although Texas, with its many ports and active international airports, is always at risk for accidental introduction of nonnative species, the state’s climate is vastly different than the hornet’s home range.

“While we have to be vigilant, our climate may work in our favor if the Asian giant hornets ever appear in Texas,” Winton said.

Unless the Asian giant hornet catches a ride on a plane, vehicle or boat, the threat to Texas’ social insects is not eminent. It would take decades for the ground-nesting hornet to spread on its own.

“Obviously, we have to be aware and watch, but there is no need to panic,” Winton said.

N AT I V E B E E S

them. In Texas, the conservation pot is made even sweeter by the availability of production tax valuation.

“Raising European honeybees can qualify land for agricultural tax valuation, while managing for native bees can qualify land for wildlife tax valuation,” Winton said.

In Texas, land must qualify for agricultural tax valuation first, following five years of specific agricultural practices on the property.

The following tax year, it may be converted to a wildlife tax valuation and the land can be managed for wildlife by implementing appropriate and approved practices.

For would-be bee managers, this means if they buy land that is not already classified as agricultural land, they must first raise honeybees (or another ag product) to earn the agricultural valuation before turning their attention to native bees. Raising honeybees in the interim can create a management challenge because by the time the land has earned its agricultural valuation, it may have exceeded its carrying capacity for bees.

“If people are raising honeybees, it takes a very deliberate phasing out of the honeybee operation over time to create opportunity for the native bees to establish and thrive,” Winton said. “And frankly it’s not always easy for people to turn loose of the time and money they’ve invested in honeybees.”

With that said, honeybees can exist on the landscape alongside native bees, but the numbers need to be carefully evaluated and managed.

“Many suggested honeybee stocking rates are very high and should not be broadly applied,” Winton said.

“Just like most management practices, the stocking rates are not a one-sizefits-all.”

With a rising interest in bees, an alternative to honeybee ownership has emerged. Many commercial apiaries will provide hives and honeybees for landowners in exchange for access to habitat and possibly monetary or in-kind payments in honey.

“It’s similar to leasing your land for grazing,” Winton said. “The landowner gets the benefits of honeybee production without having to own or manage them—and it allows for a more seamless transition to native bee management when the time is right.”

Bees are an attractive option for many landowners because they can be successfully raised and managed on small acreage as well as larger holdings. The only difference is scale.

“When it comes to native bees, even tiny ‘pocket prairies’ can have a huge impact,” Winton said. “Any habitat is better than no habitat—and its effects ripples through the ecosystem.”

While individual species might require individual strategies, Winton said there are three general prescriptions that apply to managing native bees, whether someone owns a ¼-acre suburban lawn or a sprawling ranch.

First, landowners should try to keep the landscape as intact and natural as possible.

“Mother Nature isn’t a manicurist,” Winton said. “Leave the land messy.”

Obviously, he’s not suggesting hauling in junked equipment, but leaving dead limbs, leaf litter, dead flowers, standing dead grass and plants to provide the cover necessary to perpetuate the bees’ life cycles.

Second, landowners should think holistically and long-term.

“If the bees nest in the stems, branches, soil, etc. and you leave them through the fall and winter, but destroy them in the spring, you’ve still destroyed the next generation,” Winton said.

Third, landowners should just do it.

“Don’t say, ‘I can’t make a difference because I just have x-amount of land or time or money,’ instead do what you can with what you have and know that you are making a difference for native bees—and for the landscape of Texas,” Winton said.

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TEXAS SLAM

If you like adventure, consider hunting all four of Texas’ native big game species in one season.

Article by BRANDON RAY

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Photo courtesy of Brandon Ray

hite-tailed deer will always be king in Texas, but there’s so much more to explore inside Texas’ boundaries. If you’re looking for a challenge and an excuse to see different parts of the state, making a run at the Texas Slam, an award given by the Texas Big Game Awards [TBGA] program, might be for you.

Whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn and javelina are all on the list. It will demand some travel, an investment in both time and money, the ability to pass young animals and target older, mature animals, and the ability to estimate score. Finally, you must execute a good shot. Do this four times, on four better-than-average animals in a single season, and you’ve reached your goal.

The first Texas Slam was awarded to Earl Brady in the 1992-93 season. Since the program’s inception, there have been 165 hunters recognized with the Texas Slam award.

“Awarded annually at TWA’s convention in July, the Texas Slam has become the pinnacle of hunters and landowners trying to harvest and produce quality game animals from across the state,” Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) Director of Public Relations David Brimager said. “Not only does the award recognize the hunter’s accomplishments, but it also showcases the landowners who are putting forth the effort to produce quality habitat needed to allow trophy big game to thrive.”

There is no cost to have an animal scored or entered in TBGA. Here’s a closer look at the four species that make up the Slam.

The author with a pronghorn buck from the 2019 season. This mature buck had horns just shy of 14-inches long and net-scored 71 4/8, just over the 70-inch minimum.

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PRONGHORNS Pronghorns are hunted in two primary locations in Texas: the Trans-Pecos and

TEXAS SLAM

MULE DEER About 80 percent of Texas’ mule deer live in the Trans-Pecos.

The remaining 20 percent live in the Panhandle.

Top counties for big bucks include Culberson in the TransPecos, sand hills counties along the Texas/New Mexico line in the southwestern Panhandle and scattered ranches across the Panhandle that practice good management. Crops like wheat and milo help Panhandle deer through the fall and winter.

The statewide minimum score for TBGA is 145-inches typical and 160-inches non-typical. For best odds of achieving those numbers, a hunter is looking for a buck 5 ½-years-old or older.

A typical buck should exhibit a classic 10-point frame with good forks in the front and back. Tine length, or fork size, will increase the score more so than spread. Look for mature bucks with large “sling shots” for back forks.

Some counties offer a month-long archery season in October.

This is a great chance to hunt bucks before the pressure from rifle hunters on neighboring ranches effects how deer travel.

Other counties have a shorter, general season in late November or December.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Ray

the Panhandle. Top counties include Hudspeth in the TransPecos and Dallam and Hartley in the Panhandle. The short nine-day season starts every year on the Saturday closest to October 1. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department conducts summer surveys and issues buck permits to landowners with sustainable numbers of antelope.

The minimum net score for a TBGA pronghorn is 70-inches statewide. Look for bucks with 14-inch horns or better with prongs above the ear and good mass.

Use ear length as a reference when judging horn length. A mature buck’s ear will measure about 6 ½-inches from base to tip.

A mature pronghorn buck will only weigh 100-150 pounds on the hoof. You don’t need big calibers in pronghorn country. My go-to antelope gun is a .25-06 topped with a simple 3-10X scope.

Other popular pronghorn rounds include the .243 and .270.

Even though the country is big, by using folds in the prairie or cactus patches for cover, it’s usually possible to setup a 100 to 300-yard shot. Decoys, both pronghorn and cow silhouettes, can help when closing the gap.

The author with a fine mule deer buck from the 2019 season. This mature 9-point was missing a right brow tine, which dropped his net score to 147 4/8-inches, just over the 145-inch typical minimum.

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Photo courtesy of Brandon Ray

TEXAS SLAM

Photo by Russell A. Graves

The author with a big whitetail buck taken in October 2019 in a Panhandle creek bottom.

The javelina, or collared peccary, could be considered Texas’ smallest big game animal. An average-sized adult will weigh 35-40 pounds with a 60-pounder considered a huge specimen. The javelina was added to the Texas Slam award in 2018.

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A big mule deer buck can weigh 250 pounds or more on the hoof. Old classics like the .270 or .30-06 still work out West like they have for decades. New favorites like the .300 WSM or even the 6.5 Creedmoor also work.

Bring good optics, 10X binoculars and a tripod-mounted spotting scope, to find and judge distant bucks. Not many mule deer are shot over feeders, so be in shape to walk, glass and stalk.

WHITETAILS Trophy whitetails can be found in many places in Texas. The South Texas Brush Country, middle Texas Hill Country and North Texas’ plains habitat are probably

TEXAS SLAM

the three best picks for big bucks. Both high fence and low fence bucks are eligible for TBGA entry.

The TBGA minimum score varies by region. The low is 125-inches typical and 140-inches-non-typical in the TransPecos and East Texas counties, 130-inches typical and 145-inches non-typical in middle Texas and the Panhandle and 140-inches typical and 155-inches nontypical in brushy South Texas.

To make those numbers, hunters should look for 4 ½-year-old bucks or older. A typical 10-point with tines like a picket fence will score better than an average 8-point. It takes a very large 8-point with long beams and long tines to make the minimum in each region.

With Managed Land Deer Permits (MLDP) on many well-managed ranches, whitetail seasons can start in early October and run through late January.

However, the rut, usually mid to late November across the state except deep South Texas where it peaks later, mid to late December, is prime time to catch an old buck moving in daylight.

Hunting from tower blinds or ground blinds near corn feeders is a Texas tradition. Need corn? In top counties for deer hunting, you can find 50-pound bags at the local grocery store or corner gas station. That’s a unique part of Texas’ hunting culture.

The best areas to hunt are in the desert, Trans-Pecos counties or prickly South Texas in the pear flat jungles.

Javelinas can also be found in certain Hill Country counties and some lower Panhandle counties.

Javelinas are often taken as a bonus animal on deer hunts, but a late season hunt just for javvies is a good excuse to visit the desert in the winter. Due to their dim eyesight, close range weapons like archery tackle make the hunt more exciting. The statewide limit is two javelinas per hunter per year.

CONCLUSION More so than an award, I like hunting all of these species because of the different landscapes where they live.

From steep canyons for mule deer to river bottoms for whitetails, to prickly cactus flats for javelinas or rolling prairies in search of pronghorns, nothing is ever the same.

The chase starts in October for pronghorns and might end in January for a javelina. The pursuit of all four is a great excuse to explore the wilder side of Texas.

JAVELINAS The javelina, or collared peccary, could be considered Texas’ smallest big game animal. An average-sized adult will weigh 35-40 pounds with a 60-pounder considered a huge specimen.

The javelina was added to the Texas Slam award in 2018. Not to be confused with feral hogs, an invasive, javelinas are native to Texas and the Southwestern United States. The javelina is a popular game animal not only in Texas, but also in states such as New Mexico and Arizona The TBGA Advisory Committee felt this unique game animal deserved recognition.

The minimum score for a TBGA javelina is 13 4/16-inches, the width and length of the skull added together. Both boars and sows have impressive tusks.

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Photo by Russell A. Graves

THE DESERT QUAIL OF TEXAS Article by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

R

elatively speaking, the mountains are cool despite the searing heat on the valley floor some 1,100 feet below.

High on Forbidden Mountain near the northern extent of the Davis Mountains in West Texas, the grasslands, dry-cured from incessant winds and scant rain, swayed randomly with the swirling breeze. While the high mountain steppe is ideal habitat for Mearn's Quail, I have yet to see any.

Soon, I see movement beneath an Emory Oak. Glassing through the binoculars I can see that it is a pair of Mearn's Quail feeding beneath the tree's canopy. While they are too far to photograph, I watch them intently as they are among the handful of these quail that I've seen.

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As quail in Texas go, this is the rarest species. Only found in isolated pockets in West Texas, it is an obscure species. Outside of the Glass, Del Norte and Davis mountains, the bird is only found in the extreme southwestern edge of the Edwards Plateau; historically, though, the bird was found in nearly every county on the plateau.

Fire suppression and livestock grazing changed their habitat resulting in the bird's extirpation from the region. Research shows that this quail species will not live in an area where 40-50 percent or more of the tallgrass cover is removed; therefore, their present range is relegated to those locales such as the upper mountain areas in Texas where land use is historically unchanged.

With that said, three years of research conducted by Dr. Eric Grahmann at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, led to the following conclusion: "‌we have found Montezuma Quail on most ranches when habitat is available.

With increased sightings of this beautiful bird from landowners in addition to further detections on the periphery of their formerly known range, Montezuma Quail may be occupying more area within the Edwards Plateau than 20 years prior."

Outside of Texas, the quail is found in similar habitats in Southwestern New Mexico and Arizona, but little is known about the bird due to its secretive nature.

It's a quail that when threatened, holds as tight as it can to cover right up until you approach it.

Once while hunting for Mearn's Quail in Arizona, our pointers could sniff the birds but they would only flush when we'd almost step on them. When they flew, their pattern was low and erratic.

As such, most flew free and we harvested very few. Because of their sparse numbers, there is no open season but they are listed as game birds by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Known by names such as Montezuma Quail, Harlequin Quail or crazy quail, the Mearn's gets its varying monikers from the male's black and white feather patterns on the bird's face. The coloration is basic yet their facial pattern is ornate.

Their habitat needs are straightforward.

Like bobwhites, the Mearn's needs bunchgrasses in which they build a nest with a "roof" to help hide their clutch of a dozen or so eggs from predation. The birds prefer rocky and mountainous terrain that's peppered with grasses and tree cover like the mixture of pines and oaks found at higher elevations in the Texas Trans-Pecos.

Soon, the birds I'm still watching move out of sight. I think they've gone on so I walk over to the tree where they've been feeding beneath. In typical Mearn's fashion, they hold tight to the grass where they hide. I step within 2 feet of them before they fly.

Their flight pattern isn't up and away like a bobwhite. Instead, they hang low and cruise right about the grasslands for

Photo by Larry Ditto

THE DESERT QUAIL OF TEXAS

Mearn’s Quail, also known as Montezuma Quail.

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THE DESERT QUAIL OF TEXAS

Photo by Russell A. Graves

about 100 yards until they pitch and land never to be seen by me again.

When I investigate under the feeding tree, I see scratch marks and indentions from their foraging. Mearn's Quail have the longest claws of any quail, and they use them to scratch and forage for a variety of tubers, rhizomes, acorns and other seeds. Also, they'll often eat insects as a part of their diet.

While the sighting is fleeting, it's valuable to me nonetheless.

Down in the valley floor, where it's much hotter, another quail species finds its home. While the thorny scrub is an ideal habitat for Scaled Quail, pockets of Gambel’s Quail are also found in the desert lands of the Lone Star State.

As quail go, the Gambel’s Quail has a raucous call that is instantly recognizable if you've heard it before. In the mesquite brush, I hear a male calling for a mate. It's in the midst of their breeding season, and he's looking for love.

When I finally see him, he's sitting in a dead tree. While all Texas quail are beautiful, the Gambel's might be the most stunning. A black face that's lined on the margins with a stripe of white separating from the scaled appearance of the feathers. On the bird's head is a top knot of feathers that looks like a regal plume. The females, like most birds, are less ornately colored than the males but share the same top knot.

Like Mearn's Quail, the Gambel’s occupies limited habitat in Texas.

Historically, the bobwhite is the most widespread of Texas quail as it's found over most all of the state except for the Trans-Pecos. The Mearn's and Gambel’s Quail occupy the deserted region of West Texas. The Mearn's in high elevations and the Gambel's live in the lowlands chiefly along the Rio Grande River from Terlingua to El Paso.

Ideal Gambel's habitat is thick, woody brush found adjacent to riparian areas and adjacent desert scrublands. In these habitats, they find superlative conditions for constructing nests.

While most quail species nest in bunch grasses, Gambel’s Quail nest at the base of shrubs in a small depression that's

Photo by Russell A. Graves

Gambel’s Quail

Scaled Quail

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THE DESERT QUAIL OF TEXAS

lined with dried vegetation. Typically, in May, the females, who remain monogamous with a male once they pair with one another, lays a clutch of about a dozen eggs where they'll incubate them for a little more than three weeks.

Like most quail, Gambel’s Quail populations are on a cyclical, boom and bust cycle that tracks along with the annual rainfall for the region. On years when the rain falls in sufficient abundance, the quail's populations spike because of the increase in food-producing plants.

Gambel's feed on seeds from plants like desert spike, Russian thistle, mesquite and desert willow. Also, wet years influence the number of bugs and invertebrates on which the chicks and adults feed in late spring and early summer.

Curiously, unlike other Texas quail species, Gambel’s Quail do not roost on the ground. Instead, they sleep in trees or low growing brush.

Overlapping the Gambel’s Quail habitat in places, I find the last of Texas's desert quail near Balmorhea. This is distinctly Scaled Quail country: flat, hot and dusty.

Just north of town along the margins of a huge creosote bush flat, a male Scaled Quail calls from a fencepost. It seems that fence posts are a preferred perch for calling males as I see at least four more as I creep down the caliche path.

It's late spring and these males are still in the mood for love.

As I ease along in my pickup attempting to photograph a male, I see a few birds scamper through the upland brush and cross the road in front of me.

Scaled Quail, or Blue Quail as they are often called because of the bluish tint of their scaly-looking features, are notorious runners. Being the second most hunted quail species in Texas, those who hunt Scaled Quail can attest to that.

Instead of holding and flushing like bobwhites, Scaled Quail simply run away. They will fly only when pushed and as such, they are notoriously challenging to hunt in the conventional ways you'd hunt bobwhites.

Of the desert quail species in Texas, Scaled Quail are the most widely distributed. Historically, the birds are found roughly along the 98th meridian and west and the Scaled Quail occupies dry brushlands and open grasslands found in the dryer parts of the state.

However, in the late 1980s, something happened that pushed the Scaled Quail population even further west. Dr. Dale Rollins, Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University and the Executive Director for the Texas Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation, suspects that disease may have been the culprit.

"In 1988 the birds started retreating west," Rollins explained.

"Between Thanksgiving 1988 and Christmas of the same year the birds around Hollis, Oklahoma were gone. I got similar reports from parts of Texas as well."

Although his evidence is anecdotal, Rollins considers disease a prime suspect because that same year, he harvested eleven birds in Crockett County and eight had spotted livers—a sign of a possible bacterial infection.

Today, he says that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department roadside counts are the highest for Scaled Quail in the Trans-

Pecos. In the Texas Rolling Plains, the Scaled Quail are all but gone.

Where the Scaled and Bobwhite Quail do still exist in the same habitats, Rollins said that Scaled Quail can be viewed as drought insurance as the birds thrive better than bobwhites in drier climates.

"When Scaled Quail were more prevalent around and east of the 100th meridian, in drier years you'd see the bobwhites numbers retreat east and the blue quail expand,” he said. “In wet years, you'd see the opposite."

Although most Texas quail are similar in size, the Scaled Quail are a little larger than bobwhites.

They make their nests in a variety of bunch grasses, but research indicates they prefer to nest at the base of prickly pear where they lay a nest of a dozen or so eggs and incubate them for about three weeks.

Like other quail, Scaled Quail feed on a variety of seeds and invertebrates. Because their diet depends on vegetative growth, they too are susceptible to the yearly variabilities of seasonal rainfalls.

Ultimately, the success or failure of all desert quail species has to do with the availability of acceptable habitat. Each of the species has shown a propensity to thrive given the habitat.

"My advice to sustain all desert quail populations is to maintain large properties with good grazing management," Rollins said. "Lightly stocked ranches keeps the country and the grasslands in good shape. There are lots of little things you can do, but there is nothing more important you can do than to manage your grazing."

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OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Quail Rigs & Hunting Traditions Article by SALLIE LEWIS Photo by A. LOKEY

R

alph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

When it comes to quail hunting in Texas, these sage words ring true.

Hunting Bobwhite Quail is a cherished pastime for many families across the state.

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the pleasures of this hunting tradition as much from the vantage of a moving quail rig as from the field.

Rodney Gisler, the owner of Performance Top Drives in Three Rivers, has built his livelihood around the rising popularity and endless possibilities of these classic hunting vehicles. Every year, he and his team of welders, painters, electricians and mechanics make 8090 custom hunting rigs for folks of all stripes, from U.S. Senators to successful entrepreneurs, passionate outdoorsmen, and professional athletes across Texas and the United States.

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“I love meeting people and learning their way of life,” he said.

Gisler takes pride in listening to his clients and making the best possible rig for their needs.

“A lot of these hunters are so busy in their careers, they only have a few days a year to hunt,” he said. “You have to make it special.”

He does this by outfitting each vehicle with features reflecting the client’s personality. On many rigs, there are custom dog boxes and leather gun scabbards, Yeti® coolers and liquor cabinets. Others are fashioned with couches and captain chairs, gas grills and wine chillers. Here, there is a place for everything, from trusted shotguns to pointing, flushing and retrieving quail dogs, and elevated seats for glimpsing a covey rise from afar.

Much like an old gun, an old vehicle can be well-oiled with priceless family

JANUARY 2021

memories. Gisler knows this firsthand and reworks these treasured heirlooms for the next generation. Though he deals with many different kinds of vehicles, his all-time favorite is the classic quail rig.

Texas photographer A. Lokey captured the diversity and craftsmanship of Performance Top Drives along with other outfitters in his celebrated 2014 book, Texas Quail Rigs. In the decade leading up to its publication, the bobwhite population had steeply declined and Lokey sought to celebrate the traditions of Texas quail hunting as it faced an uncertain future.

“I wanted to capture it before it was gone,” he said.

Thanks to good rains and conservation efforts, many ranches are reporting excellent quail populations in recent years. Today, Lokey’s book continues to offer a rare glimpse into the private worlds of Texas ranchers and the beloved vehicles that steer them to and from the field.

At King Ranch, a 1958 Checker Cab bought in New York City was made into a premier hunting rig with custom cabinetry and a picnic table outfitted below the high seat. At a ranch in Raymondville, a family honored a deceased loved one by turning his personal 1982 Rolls-Royce into a royal conversation piece. My own family turned a long-bed Ford pickup into “The Beast,” a five-level, 13-seat rig that has colored many of our favorite ranch memories over the years.

Collectively, these vehicles represent much more than just the hunt. They symbolize the togetherness and joy, camaraderie and conversation that makes quail hunting a timeless Texas tradition.

“Even if you don’t hunt it’s still cool to ride on a big quail rig,” Lokey said. “It’s a unique experience.”