Texas Wildlife - Common Ground - December 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Common Ground

DECEMBER 2021

TEXAS WILDLIFE

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS SARAH BIEDENHARN

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.

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n writing these remarks, I often look back to past years' magazines in hopes of inspiration. Common themes for the December article are a look back at the successes of the year, hunting stories and Christmas wishes. Unfortunately given the events of the past few months, all I can seem to write about is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a topic that is far from “merry.”

Over the past few months, TWA staff, leadership and members have been hard at work advocating and educating at the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the legislature. I must admit that prior to taking on this role, CWD seemed an intimidating topic. I knew it was a devastating disease, but the polarizing politics of it in addition to the complicated science made trying to understand it a bit overwhelming. I have learned a lot lately thanks to many people who have dedicated years to this issue and feel I am just beginning to scratch the surface of all there is to know.

CWD impacts people and businesses in every aspect of the hunting industry. It will impact some more than others, which is mostly out of anyone’s control. There is nothing “fair” about this disease and I do empathize with everyone experiencing the brunt of the impact today, but the reality is if we don’t take it seriously now, we will all face devastating and irreversible consequences later.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to testify on this topic at both the TPW Commission and the TAHC. As someone who typically prefers to avoid both conflict and public speaking, this was intimidating to say the least. Looking back now, I am full of gratitude for the chance to represent an organization of people that care so much about our wildlife in Texas and be part of a conversation that will impact our hunting heritage for generations to come.

Thanks to all of you who have spent many years fighting to protect our beloved deer population in Texas. Your passion and dedication are inspiring.

For anyone less familiar with the issue, I encourage you to start learning about CWD. I have no doubt that you too will realize the magnitude of the issue.

As I am writing this, I do not yet know whether the TPW Commission voted to adopt the proposed rules in November, but either way this issue is far from over. The political pressures on this topic will no doubt continue into the legislative session and beyond. Now is the time to contact your legislators, donate to the TWA Political Action Committee, and standup for one of our greatest natural resources in Texas.

Thanks for all you do to support TWA and to help protect our land, water and wildlife in Texas.

Merry Christmas, y’all!

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

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES Administration & Operation Justin Dreibelbis, Chief Executive Officer Quita Hill, Director of Finance and Operations Shannon Hasan, Office Administrator

Outreach & Member Services David Brimager, Director of Public Relations Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator

Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs Kassi Scheffer-Geeslin, Director of Formal Education Elanor Dean, Conservation Education Specialist Peggy Maxwell, Conservation Education Specialist Gwen Eishen, Conservation Educator Adrienne Paquette, Conservation Educator Elisa Velador, Conservation Educator Ali Kuehn, Conservation Educator Susannah Becken, Conservation Legacy Program Assistant Marla Wolf, Curriculum Specialist Iliana Peña, Director of Conservation Programs Amanda Gobeli, Conservation Education Specialist Chad Timmons, Conservation Education Specialist COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Nicklow, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Sherry Herrington, TYHP Administrative Assistant Kara Starr, Texas Big Game Awards Program Coordinator

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

Texas Wildlife Association

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

4 TEXAS WILDLIFE

DECEMBER 2021

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

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

DECEMBER VOLUME 37

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NUMBER 8

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2021

26 TTU Wildlife Research News

8 Common Ground

Airborne Environmental DNA Reflects Landscape Changes

Increasing Number of Whitetails in Panhandle Mule Deer Territory

by MARK D. JOHNSON, ROBERT D. COX,

by BRANDON RAY

BLAKE A. GRISHAM, DUANE LUCIA and MATTHEW A. BARNES

14 Hunting Heritage

Remembering Bob Warren

30 Plant Profile

by COL(R) JERRY WARDEN

Wolfberry

by BRADLEY KUBECKA

16 Conservation Legacy

Conservation Legacy Expansion with Funding from the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation

32 A Quail Odyssey

by DALE ROLLINS, PH.D.

36 Passive-Aggressive

20 Caesar Kleberg News

Implications of the Thermal Environment for White-tailed Deer Management

by DR. EVAN P. TANNER and DR. MICHAEL J. CHERRY

Habitat Management

by STEVE NELLE

42 The Effects of the Rut

by NATE SKINNER

22 Noble Research Institute

Understanding Bobwhite Quail Needs, Trends and Management

48 Sinkholes

by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

by DR. STEPHEN L. WEBB and MIKE D. PROCTOR

54 Outdoor Traditions Silent Night

by SALLIE LEWIS Photo by Russell A. Graves

Magazine Staff

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

DECEMBER 2021

On the Cover Dr. Warren Conway, Department Chair & Bricker Endowed Chair in Wildlife Management, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University photographed this mule deer buck and white-tailed buck in Lynn County on the southern edge of the Texas Panhandle. In this month’s lead story, Brandon Ray explores the reasons for the increase in whitetails in mule deer territory. The obvious encroachment of brush is a major factor as Conway’s photo so beautifully illustrates.

Read more in Ray’s article “Common Ground” starting on page 8.

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

Common Ground

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2021-2022 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

DECEMBER 2021

FEBRUARY 2022

JUNE 2022

DECEMBER 13, 2021 TWA 5th Annual Houston Sporting Clays Shoot, Greater Houston Gun Club. For more information, visit www.texas-wildlife.org.

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 20 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For more information, visit rodeohouston.com.

JUNE 25 Texas Big Game Awards Sportsman’s Celebration, Fiddler’s on the Gruene, New Braunfels. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

DECEMBER 20, 2021 TWA Member Mixer, Krause’s Cafe, New Braunfels, TX. For more information, contact Kristin Parma at kparma@texas-wildlife.org or (800) 839-9453.

JANUARY 2022 JANUARY 23 Kids Gone Wild! Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. For more information, visit www.fwssr.com.

FEBRUARY 2022 FEBRUARY 10-28 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

For more information, visit www. sarodeo.com.

MAY 2022 MAY 21 Texas Big Game Awards Sportsman's Celebration, Brazos Expo Center, College Station. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JUNE 2022 JUNE 4 Texas Big Game Awards Sportsman’s Celebration, Thompson Student Center, Tarleton State University, Stephenville. For more information,visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JULY 2022 JULY 14-17 WildLife 2022, TWA’s 37th Annual Convention, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information, contact David Brimager at (800) 839-9453 or dbrimager@texas-wildlife.org.

JULY 15 Statewide Texas Big Game Awards Banquet, during TWA’s Annual Convention, WildLife 2022, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information, contact David Brimager at (800) 839-9453 or dbrimager@texas-wildlife.org.

TEXAS WILDLIFE

C O N S E R VAT I O N L E G A C Y Y O U T H P R O G R A M M I N G VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGES ONLINE AT www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/category/youth for specifics and registration information.

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.

WILDLIFE BY DESIGN ACROSS TEXAS CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS: • (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.

Critter Connections are now available in a readalong format. Recordings of past issues are available online and are created for each new issue.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

DECEMBER 2021

COMMON GROUND

A young whitetail buck jumps a fence to chase a mule deer doe in the rut. This exact scene is described in the opening paragraphs.

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

DECEMBER 2021

COMMON GROUND

In the Texas Panhandle, whitetails and mule deer share common ground.

Article and photos by BRANDON RAY

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t was early December, so the scene just outside my country home should not have been so unusual. A mule deer doe in heat was twitching her tail and running in bursts. A buck was nearby, nose to the ground. In that county south of Amarillo, the mule deer rut tends to peak in December.

The buck started following her, then it turned into an allout chase. My camera was nearby, so I steadied the lens for a few shots. The buck and doe chased around my barn, jumping fences and running in circles. Other deer nearby just stared. I watched the young buck eventually chase that doe across my neighbor’s pasture.

What makes that story so unusual? It was a white-tailed buck chasing a mule deer doe!

Increasingly in the last 20 years, I’ve seen whitetails in places where I used to only see mule deer. Multiple times I’ve seen whitetail bucks trying to breed mule deer does, but I’ve never seen a mule deer buck pursuing a whitetail doe.

WHY MORE WHITETAILS? When I was a kid, Panhandle mule deer were found in rocky, arid, canyon country. Crop fields like wheat or milo were nearby.

Mule deer preferred open landscapes with minimal brush, so

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COMMON GROUND

large Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields of endless grass near rough country were also their home.

Back then, whitetails were common on creek bottoms and along rivers. The riparian habitat was their preference. They preferred brush over open country.

Today, those lines are more blurred. Brush encroachment, mostly mesquite but also juniper, is to blame. As the brush has gradually thickened, the habitat has become more favorable for whitetails and less desirable for mule deer.

“Mule deer evolved to thrive in rough, rugged terrain with little brush cover,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologist Todd Montandon of Canyon. “River breaks, canyons and rolling plains hold the best mule deer habitats in the Panhandle, especially if there aren’t brush encroachment issues.

“Whitetails are more of an 'edge' species; they thrive where two habitats come together, making them adaptable to more habitat types. This is why you see overlap of the two species, whitetails are able to thrive in more habitat types.

A close-up photo of a whitetail buck in the Texas Panhandle. Notice the tines come up off the main beam like a picket fence on this 10-point.

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"Since settlement, habitats have been changing throughout the panhandle. Fire suppression, confined grazing, and farming changed the landscape drastically. Our two problem brush species (red berry juniper and honey mesquite) spread throughout the canyons and up onto the plains because of fire suppression. Historically, periodic wildfires would keep both at bay resulting in more 'open' habitats. This change has happened pretty slowly over the years resulting in more favorable habitat for whitetails.”

There is this misconception that whitetails are running the mule deer off.

“Whitetails aren’t running mule deer off,” Montandon said.

“The habitat has just been favoring them which is why we see more and more. Because of their adaptability, once they are in an area, they can move into adjacent habitats. We have seen this on the High Plains as whitetails are becoming more prevalent there as well. Both species are becoming more prevalent in more places in the Panhandle.”

Over the last 30 years, whitetail seasons in the Panhandle have gone from no doe days to two doe days to six doe days to taking up to five does at any time during the season. There is also a whitetail season in every county of the Panhandle now, whereas 30 years ago the season was restricted to mostly the eastern Panhandle counties. Over the last 15-20 years, mule deer seasons have been added to all of the western Panhandle counties as well.

The Rolling Plains currently has the most overlap, because the whitetails moved in from the east and southeast and have been there longer.

“Long term, I don’t think overlap is necessarily bad for either species,” Montandon said. “They have been around together for a long time. There has always been overlap where habitats transition. Changing habitat conditions caused by brush encroachment definitely favors whitetails, but land managers are addressing this by increasing brush removal efforts (red berry juniper and mesquite) throughout the Panhandle over the last 15-20 years.”

Peak breeding and fawning are slightly different for the two species. For whitetails on the Rolling Plains, most does were bred from Oct. 8 to Dec. 30 in the three years studied, according to Montadon. Study areas showed a peak date of Dec. 3 in the north and Nov. 20 in the south.

The Rolling Plains had the highest incidence of pregnancy, with 97 percent. Biologists found an average of 1.7 fawns for each doe examined. The majority (90 percent) of the fawns are born by July 2 in the northern area and by June 26 in the southern area.

The breeding season or “rut” for mule deer in Texas takes place at almost the same time every year, usually from midNovember through mid-February peaking during mid to late December. Following a 7-month gestation period, most fawning occurs in late June and early July.

HYBRIDS? As for interbreeding of white-tailed deer and mule deer, it does happen occasionally, but not a lot. There have been several

COMMON GROUND

studies throughout North America over the years looking at hybridization of the two species.

“Based on those, a population could have anywhere from 1.5 percent to around 24 percent incidence of hybrids at any point in time, Montadon said. “But, overall, it is pretty rare. Most of the time when someone thinks they see a hybrid, it’s a 2- or 3-yearold mule deer buck that hasn’t fully developed both sets of forks (usually missing the back fork) so it superficially looks like a whitetail rack."

The only real identifying physical characteristic of a hybrid is the metatarsal gland on the hind leg, he said. In a mule deer, the gland is typically 5 to 6 inches long; and in a whitetail, it is only 1 inch long.

"If you see a deer with a 3-inch metatarsal gland, it could be a hybrid," Montadon said. "Studies have shown hybridization can go either way; mule deer buck/whitetail doe or whitetail buck/ mule deer doe.”

I’ve seen at least two fawns I’m confident were hybrids on my family’s ranch south of Amarillo. In both cases, a herd of mule deer lived near a windmill and one mature whitetail buck was often with the herd. That buck hung out at that location for several years. He was the only whitetail I saw there.

Two of those mule deer does had fawns I believe were sired by that 8-point buck. Both of the fawns looked like whitetails but had black tails. Both fawns had roughly 3-inch metatarsal glands, a sign of a possible hybrid as mentioned by Montandon.

I even snapped a few pictures at less than 20 yards from my bow blind.

In both cases, I got to watch the mother and fawn up close.

The hybrid fawn would interact with other mule deer fawns, but mostly stayed close to its mother. When the mule deer mother and the hybrid fawn were spooked and ran away, the hybrid fawn did not lift its tail like a normal whitetail fawn but trotted with its tail down.

I’ve heard others who have witnessed hybrids say the animals appear confused as to whether they should run like a whitetail or bound and pogo-stick, stot, like a mule deer. Some say this lack of a good flight response also makes a hybrid more susceptible to predation.

On our family ranch, I have never seen an adult buck or doe that I thought was a hybrid. Hybrids can not only take on the physical traits of either parent, like ears, tail, antler configuration and hide coloring, but they can also take on a mix of behavioral traits of either species.

Writer and photographer Brandon Ray snapped this photo of a mule deer doe and what he suspected was a “hybrid” fawn. At that location, a windmill by a steep canyon, Ray said he has seen the same mature whitetail buck with a herd of mule deer for several years.

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COMMON GROUND

Specialized bulldozer-type machines can be used to mechanically “sculpt” juniper brush and create more open terrain.

MANAGING BRUSH I love observing and hunting both whitetails and mule deer.

However, because whitetails can be found far more places across Texas and the United States than mule deer, mule deer are special. Any place you can grow, observe and hunt mule deer is rare indeed.

Mule deer habitat should be treated as such, special and unique. For that reason, I personally look for ways to manage my land for better mule deer habitat. Opening up the landscape by removing brush is one way to do that. Limited cattle grazing, limited harvest of mature bucks, predator control, food plots like wheat for food in the harsh Panhandle winters and better water distribution are other ways to help.

If brush encroachment becomes a problem, there are several ways for a landowner to “open” the property or “sculpt” the brush. First, a prescribed burn might be an option. Check with local Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) offices for assistance in timing and executing a successful burn. Next, mechanical removal

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might be necessary. Bulldozer-type machines can be used to uproot and destroy large juniper trees, turning them into mulch.

Finally, chemical applications can work to open the landscape and knock back invasive plants like mesquites. Sendero herbicide is very effective at killing mesquites. It works best when applied in the summer, usually in July, when soil temperatures are up. For large pastures, applying the chemical aerially is most effective but also costly.

I asked Jason Davis at S&D Spraying in the town of Panhandle for current prices. His price to spray is approximately $35 per acre. That price includes about $27 for the chemical, $1 for oil and $6.50 application fee. S&D sprayed some of our land in July 2020. We got about an 80-90 percent kill. Today, there are skeletons of the dead mesquites in those pastures that were sprayed, but the landscape is more open and the grass and weeds are thicker than before. It’s better pasture for cattle grazing and more open for mule deer.

Government assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is available to cost share the spraying

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of mesquites. All that is required is completing some paper work, have someone from NRCS survey the pasture and then wait for the right conditions. The plant canopy must be above a certain minimum requirement, thickness, for the government to cost share the spraying.

For smaller pastures the Sendero chemical can be applied by hand with a spray rig. Consult with a local TPWD biologist for his recommendation on which brush control method might work best on your property.

HUNTING BOTH DEER SPECIES Before you can hunt either deer species, you should be able to identify what you are looking at. Identification is important since seasons do not always overlap for both species. In other words, you don’t want to mistakenly shoot a mule deer buck when it is whitetail only season.

A mule deer in the Texas Panhandle will have a mousegrey colored hide, large ears and a short, black-tipped tail.

Mature bucks will often, but not always, have bifurcated or “forked” antlers.

Whitetails tend to have a brown-colored hide, smaller ears and a long tail with a white underside that they wave or “flag” when they run. Whitetail bucks tend to have antlers that grow up off the main beam like a picket fence.

When hunting common ground counties, it’s just an exciting bonus to find the opposite deer species when you are focused on the other. Another interesting aspect of hunting deer in “overlap” counties is reading sign. Was the track, droppings or rubs you found made by a whitetail or a mule deer? I see whitetails make more rubs than mule deer on our ranch; but unless you actually see the buck making the sign, it’s hard to say for sure if it was made by a whitetail or a mule deer.

A mature mule deer buck bedded in thick mesquites and tall grass.

Last fall, I had both whitetails and mule deer visiting one of my feed sites in a small canyon dotted with juniper and yuccas, flanked by level ground thick with mesquites. My blind sits on the level ground on the edge of the canyon.

I had bucks of both species under 20 yards, but never a buck of the size or age I was looking for. Interestingly, it was like the two species took shifts visiting the free corn. Rarely did I see the two species at the feeder site together.

The older whitetail bucks visited mostly in the dark, showing up on my trail camera at midnight or later, but the mule deer bucks were often visible in shooting hours. I didn’t shoot a buck there last season. However, the year before I shot a 153-inch, 9-point mule deer on Oct. 31 from that blind. A week later, on Nov. 6, as the whitetails were getting rut-crazy, I shot a 157-inch, 11-point whitetail from the same blind.

Both of those bucks were later aged by tooth wear at only 4 1/2-years-old. Imagine what they might have been at 6 1/2? It’s proof that if bucks get the chance to age, Panhandle bucks of both species can reach impressive rack size.

Traditional hunting tactics for the two deer species are slightly different. Mule deer hunting usually means lots of glassing and hiking. Quality 10x40 binoculars, spotting scope and tripod, backpack and lace-up boots are tools of the mule deer hunter.

You find the deer mostly in rough country.

Crops like wheat and milo will attract mule deer, especially if those crops are near rough canyons, but often, the older bucks only visit such fields at night or during the rut's peak in daylight. Mule deer tend to rut later than whitetails in the Panhandle. I see the most rut action in December and early January.

For whitetails, hunting from blinds is common. Rut action tends to peak in November. Calling, both rattling and grunting, can pull a buck within range. I have the best luck rattling the week before and after Thanksgiving Day. Last fall, my daughter Emma shot her first-ever white-tailed buck. We sat in a natural brush blind built out of cedar branches and tumbleweeds. We were guarding a corn feeder near a creek in the bottom of a large canyon. Cottonwood trees towered over the creek bank and patches of mesquites, juniper and prickly pear cactus covered the flatter ground.

A week later, bow hunting from the same blind, I harvested a mature 8-point whitetail. On the way back to the ranch headquarters, my white-tailed buck riding in the back of the truck, I passed a herd of 12 mule deer quenching their thirst at a windmill pond. Two bucks were in the herd, but they needed more time to age and be their best. I just watched from close range with my binoculars.

Certainly, the opportunity was there if I had wanted to fill my mule deer buck tag.

That to me is one of the coolest aspects of hunting common ground. When your hunt for one species ends, it’s time to go look for the other.

You can follow the author Brandon Ray on Instagram @brandonrayoutdoors.

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Remembering Bob Warren Loss of a True Outdoorsman (Sept. 9, 1931 - Aug. 31, 2021) Article by COL(R) JERRY WARDEN

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WA remembers and honors long-time TWA Huntmaster Bob Warren who died on Aug. 31, 2021 at the age of 89. Bob’s legacy will be carried on by the hundreds of youths who he mentored through the Texas Youth Hunting Program. As TWA members for over 20 years, Bob and his wife Betty actively supported TWA by volunteering for many of its events, especially the TWA Conventions. They have passed along their passion for hunting and the outdoors to their children and grandchildren. Bob’s twin boys from his first marriage, Keith and Alan, were both instilled the same ethics and love for the outdoors and they each run their own outdoor-oriented media production companies.

Bob grew up in the Alamo Heights neighborhood of San Antonio with his

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brother (Blair) always by his side. Young Bob explored the San Antonio River when it still had wild places. Before he began hunting, his father instilled in his boys “whatever you hunt and kill, you better be ready to eat.” As they matured and acquired BB guns, they hunted rabbits, frogs, squirrels and pigeons, all of which were served at the Warren’s dinner table.

This was a core hunting lesson that formed Bob’s hunting ethics, which he passed on to future generations. His youthful years on the river and its banks developed into a passion for the outdoors, hunting and fishing.

Later, Bob earned two undergraduate engineering degrees from Rice University and a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. Upon completing his education, he worked for several major aerospace engineering corporations in the West and the Northwest. Some of his engineering developments were partially responsible for John Glenn’s first U.S. orbital space flight; the Apollo moon rocket mission which landed the U.S. on the Moon; portions of the Viking spacecraft; and numerous U.S. defensive missiles.

His horizons expanded as he renewed his passion for the outdoors by exploring the mountainous and forested areas of our country. He took advantage all the hunting opportunities afforded him.

While in Utah, Bob authored several hunting books and numerous magazine articles about hunting and conservation in the West. His 1997 book “How Could You, Danny?” defended hunting,

DECEMBER 2021

explained why people hunt and hunting’s importance in wildlife conservation.

The love of the Texas outdoors never left Bob so after retirement as an aerospace engineer executive, he moved his family back to his beloved San Antonio. He devoted his life to outdoor conservation. He and Betty became members of almost every species-specific conservation organization. Bob sought David K. Langford’s counsel about forming a San Antonio Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Within a few years, under Bob's leadership and Betty's organizational skills, the fledgling chapter developed into one of the best chapters in the state. As a Christian, Bob believed, “you must walk the talk,” and he demonstrated in his involvement with conservation organizations. When he was in his 80s, he was climbing up and down the bolder strewn mountains of the TransPecos actively helping with the Texas Big Horn Society’s work project.

One of his biggest contributions to the outdoors came through his involvement with TYHP. After taking his son on a TYHP hunt, he and his family soon became trained volunteers.

Not surprising, many were turkey hunts.

Their hunts were educational and fun.

He knew that the reason that he enjoyed hunting was because of the people he met and the land stewards’ appreciation for wildlife conservation. His efforts helped introduce two generations to hunting with appreciation for the value and the importance of safe, ethical hunting and its relationship to conservation.

DONATE Please consider making a tax-deductible investment to TWAF, and help us as we continue to change minds and lives, through natural resource education.

Thank you in advance for supporting your Foundation.

Texas Wildlife Association Foundation, Inc. is increasing natural resource literacy and promoting conservation and educational programs that connect Texans to the land.

Together with those who donate, we are making a difference and ensuring a legacy of conservation and the heritage of hunting through education. This year has highlighted the critical importance of healthy land, water, wildlife and agriculture, and our mission of connecting Texans to the land is needed now more than ever before.

www.twafoundation.org

Conservation Legacy Expansion with Funding from the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation

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he Texas Wildlife Association is a leader in natural resource education in Texas. In 2001, TWA launched its Conservation Legacy (CL) program with the goal of “putting yellow school buses on private ranches” in an effort to plant the seeds of natural resource literacy and recognition of the critical role private landowners play in the minds of young Texans.

Over the last 20 years, we have done exactly that. We have brought thousands of school children to pastures and riverbanks for lessons delivered by staff and volunteers. Along the way, the CL program blossomed into a broad and deep catalog of curriculum and delivery strategies.

Two years ago, we launched a strategic planning initiative to set the path for the next 20 years of CL. Committing to a planning process was an important step in expanding TWA’s CL

program. It required that we analyze all of our internal data and gather input from trusted partners to determine TWA’s presence and influence in Texas’ conservation education space and where we envision CL in the future.

After countless hours of work by volunteers, staff and outside professionals, that plan is now complete. While dense, the detailed strategic plan is indicative of a comprehensive review and implementation plan. Conservation Legacy will continue all existing program components and use granted funds to support the expansions.

The visionary and patron of this initiative, Steve Lewis, through the Elma Dill Russell Spencer Foundation, has donated $2 million. We are humbled by his continued passion for and support of conservation education. Soon on the horizon – Conservation Legacy 2.0.

AMANDA GOBELI, Conservation Education Specialist Howdy, my name is Amanda Gobeli and I’m excited to be serving as a Conservation Education Specialist for Conservation Legacy. I’ll be working with our partners to launch and expand several statewide programs that will help shape the next generation of Texas land stewards.

I grew up in Colorado, where I developed a love for wildlife at a young age. Hiking in the foothills and mountains was always a treat, and I was constantly on the lookout for any and all animals—from lizards and snakes along the trails to deer and coyotes on the hillsides as we drove by.

Over the years I developed a particular fondness for birds and am a selfdescribed “bird nerd” today. One of my absolute favorite things is taking people out to experience the beauty of nature,

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especially if they would not normally do so on their own. I find it’s a great opportunity to foster an appreciation for wild things and wild places…and to convey important bird facts along the way.

I earned a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of North Texas, though my subsequent employment with Texas A&M AgriLife left me feeling more like an Aggie than anything. That job also allowed me to work closely with many of the folks at TWA, so in many ways it already feels like home.

I look forward to learning, teaching and fostering relationships that will help protect our state’s amazing wildlife and natural resources.

CONSERVATION LEGACY EXPANSION

PEGGY MAXWELL, Conservation Education Specialist My name is Peggy Maxwell, and I am honored to be a part of TWA and its mission to serve Texas wildlife, habitat and the conservation efforts to steward wildlife resources. As a Conservation Education Specialist, my responsibilities include developing, managing, deploying and evaluating Wildlife by Design classroom presentations, Teacher Workshops, and Middle/High School programming to further promote this mission.

Growing up in Amarillo and spending summers in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, my six siblings and I spent a lot of time exploring. Experiencing the caves of Palo Duro Canyon and the waterways of the Gulf Coast fostered my love of nature and wildlife.

After graduating from Louisiana State University, I moved to the Northeast and worked in the medical field before returning to Texas and earning

my teaching certificates in elementary and secondary science. In addition to teaching in public and private schools, I spent several years working in informal education, building exhibits and expanding programs in area children’s museums.

From the top of the Panhandle to the tip of the Rio Grande Valley, my daughters and I have lived in various climates, geographical terrains and Texas communities. We have visited the ecoregions of the Trans-Pecos and the Pineywoods experiencing most of Texas’ 254 counties.

After decades of teaching classroom science, I understand that to truly ignite a passion for land stewardship and ecological conservation, we need to get our young Texans outside to use their five senses. TWA’s youth programming offers the perfect opportunity.

See you outside, Texans!

CHAD TIMMONS, Conservation Education Specialist Hello! My name is Chad Timmons, and I am thrilled to join the TWA staff as a Conservation Education Specialist.

My role will be working with partners, supporters and volunteers to create Conservation Legacy’s new Nature Studies Program. Our goal will be getting Texas youths and families into the outdoors to inspire future generations of conservationists.

I was born and raised in Austin, where I still live with my wife and two children. Some of my earliest memories in the outdoors were of birding with my father in our local state parks and nature observatories, pursuing panfish in our neighborhood creek and pond, and dove hunting with my father and grandfather here in Central Texas.

I am an avid hunter and angler; and in recent years, I’ve been teaching

angler education and archery in our state parks and have served as a mentor for adult hunting and fishing experiences with Stewards of the Wild. In our free time, my wife Adrianna and I enjoy camping with our children and exploring our local waterways.

I graduated from Texas State University in 2008 and for the past 13 years, I’ve served as a high school educator in the Austin Independent School District. It has been a long-term goal to merge my passion for the outdoors with my love for education, and I think I’ve found the perfect home at TWA. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to working with our next generation of land stewards.

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17

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19

TEXAS WILDLIFE

CAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE

Implications of the Thermal Environment for White-tailed Deer Management Photo by Evan Tanner

Article by DR. EVAN P. TANNER and DR. MICHAEL J. CHERRY

Figure 1. Vegetation can greatly affect the temperatures that are available to deer in the landscape.

Infrared imagery provides a glimpse of how diverse the thermal landscape is in this South Texas rangeland. Woody cover provides a cooler area due to its influence on radiant energy.

A

s summer and fall give way to winter, deer hunters are gearing up for the time of year that produces so many memories as well (hopefully) puts some food in the freezer: the rut. Any seasoned deer hunter or outdoor enthusiast knows that the rut coincides with important behavioral changes in deer that lead to unique patterns in deer activity, habitat selection and movement patterns.

However, there are more than just behavioral changes that occur throughout this period for white-tailed deer. A closer

look at the transition period from summer to fall will also highlight a change in their pelage or fur coloration, transitioning from a reddish summer coat to a darker mix of brown and gray. This new winter coat is an important adaptation that helps keep deer warm during the winter season in several ways.

For instance, the winter coat is thicker with a well-developed underfur layer as compared to the summer coat, which light with little underfur. Moreover, that color change is an important means of temperature regulation for deer. The

darker winter coat absorbs more radiant energy than the light-colored summer coat. As a result, the winter coat captures more heat, while the lighter summer coat reflects more of the sun’s light and absorbs less energy, keeping a deer cooler in hot conditions.

These pelage adaptations tell us one very important thing about whitetailed deer: temperature matters. In fact, temperature is one of the most important conditions on Earth that determines where and when animals occur.

At first glance it may seem at first glance managing white-tailed deer habitat may be separate from mitigating the influence of temperatures. After all, the temperature is what it is each day, right? Yet, temperatures in landscapes are influenced by many different factors including vegetation, soil types, topography, disturbances such as fire, and even land use such as a cropland versus a grassland.

Vegetation, for instance, influences the temperatures that a deer might experience by absorbing, reflecting, and transmitting different amounts of the sun’s energy known as radiant energy before that energy reaches the deer. Think about a clear, sunny July day in Texas where your phone measures the temperature at 97 degrees. Would you rather be standing in a pasture or in the shade of an oak tree?

The phone app is more than likely measuring of ambient temperature,

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DECEMBER 2021

A white-tailed deer in a South Texas rangeland.

important aspect of how cover, one of the four major components of habitat (food, water, cover, and space), structures the temperatures on a landscape known as the thermal environment [Figure 1].

Though cover is a fundamental component of habitat, often it is thought to strictly provide escape cover from predators. Yet, cover functions as a means for moderating temperatures for deer and can be critical for an individual’s survival during extreme heat or cold. Research has shown that woody cover can buffer extreme operative temperatures of up to 54 degrees in rangelands. Put another way, when the ambient temperature is 97 degrees, operative temperatures can range from 86 degrees to 140 degrees depending on where you are within a

Photo by Jacob Dykes

which removes the influence of direct sunlight and wind on the temperature measured. With this in mind, your phone would register 97 degrees in the pasture and 97 degrees under the oak tree.

We all know, though, it would feel cooler under the oak tree's shade because that tree is affecting the way radiant energy reaches your body. If we incorporate the influence of ambient temperature, wind and radiant energy, known as operative temperature, into a measure of the heat a deer would experience, we begin to get a better understanding of the temperatures available for deer in landscapes.

Deer have different options for how they mitigate temperatures throughout the annual cycle. For instance, aforementioned pelage adaptations allow them to hold or repel energy to help warm or cool them across seasons. During the summer's heat, deer may pant to reduce excessive heat. However, this results in a net loss of water for the deer and may be a concern in arid and semi-arid rangelands throughout Texas where food/water resources may be sparse.

Another option is for deer to change their behaviors) and habitat selection to balance heat loads. Management can influence how deer respond to their temperature requirements in this critical point where behavioral changes occur.

Think back to our analogy of standing in a pasture or underneath an oak canopy on a hot summer day. This illustrates an

Photo courtesy of CKWRI

CAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Research at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute focused on how extreme temperatures influence white-tailed deer behavior.

landscape. With this in mind, managers can help to provide a wide range of thermal conditions for deer through their vegetation management strategies.

Providing a variety of thermal conditions for deer should be a priority component of any habitat management plan.

As mentioned previously, temperatures directly affect the space use and movement patterns of deer (Figure 2). Temperature can also influence foraging activity patterns, food and water consumption rates, physiological stress, and even cause direct mortality.

If deer are forced into areas to mitigate extreme temperatures at the risk of increased predation, there may be other indirect effects. Thus, any effective management strategy for deer with temperature in mind should ensure that thermal generally woody cover is balanced with areas of high-quality forage to reduce physiological and behavioral costs during times of heat and cold stress.

Winters are getting warmer and quick changes back to a summer coat is not an option for deer. This may present a future conundrum for deer in Texas.

Heat stress during the winter could become more common and new behavioral adaptations will be necessary to help deer avoid stress. Ensuring that habitat is managed to provide many thermal options during these new periods of stress may help balance the daily and seasonal needs of deer under future changing temperature patterns in Texas.

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

NOBLE RANCHER NOBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Understanding Bobwhite Quail Needs, Trends and Management Article by DR. STEPHEN L. WEBB, Noble Research Institute senior research consultant, range and wildlife ecology / slwebb@noble.org MIKE D. PROCTOR, Noble Research Institute senior research associate, range and wildlife ecology / mdproctor@noble.org Photos by ROB MATTSON, Noble Research Institute staff photographer

T

he Northern Bobwhite Quail is an iconic species for many reasons.

Depending on who you talk with, you may hear a bobwhite referred to as a game bird, indicator or umbrella species, or a species of conservation concern. As an

indicator species, bobwhites are used to gauge the health or status of ecosystems and other grassland species. Bobwhites also may serve as an umbrella species because many other plants and animals rely on the same type of habitat and healthy landscapes.

During its spring courting ritual, you will hear the male’s unique call – “bob” “white” – giving the bobwhite its name. Hearing the “bobwhite” call reminds us of days gone by – when one could drive backcountry roads and hear whistles at each stop. But

To learn more about how Noble Research Institute supports agricultural producers through research, education and direct consultation, visit www.noble.org.

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DECEMBER 2021

NOBLE RANCHER

today, it is much rarer to hear the iconic bobwhite call.

Bobwhites are found in the eastern half of the U.S. Having such a large distribution is driven by their generalist behavior, meaning they can live in a variety of habitats as long as basic habitat requirements are met for foraging, nesting, and raising a brood of newborn chicks.

Data from the Breeding Bird Survey shows that bobwhite populations across much of their range have been declining since 1967. From 1967 to 2015 in Oklahoma, the bobwhite population has declined by nearly 68 percent, which equates to about a 2 percent decline per year. Some areas of Texas have experienced declines of 75 percent in the past four decades.

A number of factors have led to the decline including overgrazing, encroachment of trees and other woody plants, introduction of exotic grasses, variable weather, herbicide and pesticide use, disease, predation, and the list goes on. However, loss of habitat, including habitat fragmentation and degradation, is the driving factor behind the decline.

Just like any species, bobwhites need food, cover, water and space to meet seasonal habitat requirements.

Oklahoma and Texas consist primarily of native rangeland containing grasslands, brushland or remnants thereof. Grasslands are particularly important as feeding, nesting and brood-rearing habitat.

Woody cover, mainly as shrubs or brush, also is required and used for whistling posts, loafing, and thermal and escape cover. Bobwhites have predators that attack from the air and the ground, so a certain level of woody vegetation is needed for overhead cover as well as screening cover. The estimated amount of necessary woody cover varies; some scientists estimate as little as 5 percent, while others estimate 30 percent, with the average falling between 15-25 percent.

From 2008 to 2018, the Noble Research Institute conducted spring call counts for bobwhite quail at 13 survey sites on Noble’s Oswalt Ranch in Love County, Oklahoma. Using these data, we are able

Figure 1a. Map showing shrub cover across the study area in 2008. Areas in yellow and green represent greater shrub cover.

Figure 1b. Map showing shrub cover across the study area in 2018. Areas in yellow and green represent greater shrub cover.

Figure 2a. Map showing tree cover across the study area in 2008. Areas in yellow and green represent greater tree cover.

Figure 2b. Map showing tree cover across the study area in 2018. Areas in yellow and green represent greater tree cover.

Figure 3. Annual abundance estimates of calling male bobwhites across 13 survey sites and 11 years. Survey data were not available for 2009 and 2014, so models predicted abundance for these years.

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NOBLE RANCHER

to look at trends in populations as it relates to environmental conditions or factors such as woody species encroachment.

Mapping shrub (Figure 1) and tree (Figure 2) cover show that these classes of woody cover have increased approximately 1.7 percent per year across the ranch over the course of the study. Considering the woody cover needs of bobwhites, mainly dense, low growing (less than 6 feet) shrubs, we expect bobwhite populations to respond favorably to shrub cover when within the recommended range. However, trees offer little for the habitat needs of quail, so denser tree cover will affect bobwhite populations negatively.

In fact, these are the trends we observed. The abundance of bobwhites was lower at sites with greater tree cover.

Average tree cover at sites was 29 percent

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

in 2008, ranging from 9.7 to 43.8 percent.

Also as expected, bobwhite abundance was greater at sites where shrub cover was greater, which averaged 5.5 percent in 2008. The average shrub cover at our survey sites is within the recommended range for shrub cover (5-30 percent), even after shrub cover increased through 2018.

We also found that calling activity of male bobwhites was greater on warm days, so call counts may be more informative about the presence of bobwhites when surveyed at warmer times during the morning from sunrise through mid-morning. And, like most bobwhite populations, there is a lot of variability in abundance from year-toyear and from site-to-site (Figure 3).

Cool-season precipitation, from October through March, preceding the call count influenced whether

DECEMBER 2021

bobwhites used particular sites or not. As precipitation increased during the cooler season, quail were less likely to be found at most of the survey sites.

Bobwhites may not be found on particular sites after greater coolseason precipitation, because most forage production at our study site was dominated by three types—native Texas wintergrass, and non-native bromes and goatgrass. These species can comprise up to 85 percent of the biomass prior to the start of surveys on some sites. As these species increase, bobwhites have a more difficult time moving through these areas, which may cause reduced use of these sites.

Cattle grazing is compatible with quail management and, when done properly, benefits rangeland health and creates habitat for quail. For example, cattle

NOBLE RANCHER

disturb the soil, which can increase bare ground temporarily and promote forb production. Bobwhites spend much of their time on the ground, so they require some bare ground to ease their movement, and this is especially important for chicks.

Greater forb production then provides seeds and attracts insects as sources of food. However, proper stocking intensity, timing and frequency are key to promoting quail habitat.

With tree cover increasing in many areas, an affordable and effective management tool to control woody cover is the use of prescribed fire. For many reasons other than control of woody species, fire is one of the most effective tools for managing quail habitat. Fire removes excess litter that aids in movement, stimulates new forage production and can increase insects and preferred forbs.

Most burns are cool-season burns that stimulate perennial forbs. However, growing-season burns in July-September may be required when the goal is reducing woody species. Patch burning is probably more beneficial than other burn types because it creates patches of burned and unburned sites for quail. This creates greater plant diversity and edge habitat.

Improper use of fire and grazing can be detrimental to quail. Too little vegetation, and too much bare ground, doesn’t offer food or security cover. Also, having too little vegetation may interfere with successful prescribed fire management because there is little fuel to carry a fire.

Just like overgrazing can impact quail habitat, so can too much grass. If there is too much grass and litter, and not enough bare ground, then quail have a difficult time moving about.

Too much of any one thing is not a good thing. That statement is especially true for quail. Too much litter, woody cover, grazing, or bare ground limits habitat that quail need to survive and reproduce.

To end with a quote by Wyman Meinzer, from the Foreword of Beef, Brush and Bobwhites, “…wildlife and habitat conservation is directly proportional to the quality of stewardship that we bestow on the land.”

TAKE A KID HUNTING

TODAY!

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25

department of natural resources management

texas tech university

TTU WILDLIFE R ESE A RCH NEWS

Airborne Environmental DNA Reflects Landscape Changes Article by MARK D. JOHNSON, ROBERT D. COX, BLAKE A. GRISHAM, DUANE LUCIA and MATTHEW A. BARNES Photos by MARK D. JOHNSON

(Left) The Texas Tech University Native Rangeland study site in Lubbock County, Texas, where the restoration and airborne eDNA sampling took place. The hatched lines show the two different restoration methods used and the clusters of points represent the airborne eDNA Big Spring Number Eight Dust Traps. (Right) The Big Spring Number Eight dust traps that were used to collect airborne eDNA in this experiment.

E

cosystem restoration projects are vital to repairing degraded lands, controlling invasive species, and maximizing the ecosystem services of an environment. The value of ecosystem restoration is highlighted by the recent news that the state of Texas received $79 million in grant money SPONSORED BY

from the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act) to restore coast lines, water quality, and natural ecosystems.

To maximize the success of restoration efforts, ecosystems must be monitored

before, during and following management activity. For terrestrial vegetation, this typically means that researchers and managers deploy transects and quadrats and various counting techniques including line-point intercept surveys and belt transects.

However, these methods are often time consuming, can physically harm the environment that is being restored through inadvertent and unavoidable trampling of restored vegetation, and require taxonomic expertise to identify large numbers of plant species. As a result, researchers are developing novel monitoring methods to address the limitations of traditional surveying methods while still providing high quality data.

One such method is the collection and analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA), which is genetic material shed from an organism into its environment.

Researchers can take advantage of this genetic material using methods resembling a forensics team gathering evidence at a crime scene; genetic material is filtered from bulk environmental samples of air, water, and soil, and analyzed to determine if the DNA from a species of interest is present in the environment. In Texas, eDNA-based methods have been applied effectively

The Rumsey Research and Development Fund and the Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University

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DECEMBER 2021

T TU WILDLIFE RESEARCH NEWS

for the detection of invasive species such as zebra mussels, Bighead and Silver Carp, and feral pigs, among other terrestrial and aquatic species. Emerging eDNA methods have often proven to be more effective, more efficient, and less intrusive than traditional methods for species detection.

The analysis of airborne environmental DNA such as pollen, flowers, and vegetative fragments, for detecting terrestrial plant species represents an exciting frontier in eDNA research. This airborne eDNA sampling could be ideal for tracking changes in plant community composition throughout a restoration project and provide information afterward for robust adaptive restoration.

Additionally, airborne eDNA could be used to assess the impacts of climate change, assist in identifying the spread and location of rangeland invasive species, track endangered species, and detect disease within a restored site or before a restoration. However, a critical first step in the evaluation of such methods is examining the extent to which airborne eDNA reflects landscape changes.

Therefore, we collected and analyzed airborne eDNA samples during an ecological restoration demonstration on the Texas Tech University Native Rangeland in Lubbock, Texas. Specifically, we examined whether airborne eDNA changed in response to activity on the landscape by examining 1) patterns in honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) airborne eDNA abundance during the rangeland restoration project; and 2) patterns within the broader,non-target plant community using the Bouteloua genus and global plant chloroplast eDNA as indices.

The Texas Tech University Native Rangeland acts as a natural area for teaching and research within the Department of Natural Resources Management. The site has a large encroaching population of honey mesquite that was targeted for removal by student members of the Texas Tech Chapter of the Wildlife Society, students from the NRM 4309: Range Wildlife Habitat course, and Texas A&M Forest Service in November and December 2017.

The restoration of the honey mesquite consisted of chain sawing the limbs and treating the stumps with herbicide.

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T TU WILDLIFE RESEARCH NEWS

The honey mesquite, once cut, was then chipped on site.

Mesquite trees were cut with chainsaws and chipped on approximately a 2.6-hectare section of the native rangeland. The restoration was divided into two intensity levels: the first required cutting down the entire tree while the second required cutting down the main stump. Herbicide was used on the all of the stumps and the material was chipped on site.

To track how airborne eDNA responded to this activity on the landscape, we collected samples from across the rangeland using Big Spring Number Eight Dust Traps before, during and after the restoration. We isolated DNA from dust samples and quantified three different genetic targets.

First, we used a honey mesquite primer to determine how the amount

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

of honey mesquite changed over time.

Next, we used a Bouteloua genus primer, which includes blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) the most common grass species on our study site, to investigate how other species were impacted by this activity.

Finally, we used a chloroplast primer that should be able to detect all plant species in our samples to act as an indicator of changes in the plant community as a whole.

We found that the amount of honey mesquite eDNA in airborne samples responded dramatically to restoration activity. Additionally, the magnitude of the honey mesquite eDNA was related to the amount of restoration activities that took place in the field. In other words, airborne eDNA was more abundant after the restoration activity where the

DECEMBER 2021

entire honey mesquite tree was cut down compared to just the stump, though both resulted in large increases in honey mesquite airborne eDNA. We also observed that the restoration activities impacted species that were not restoration activity targets. For example, we found that the Bouteloua eDNA increased with the associated activity on the property.

We also saw that the Bouteloua genus eDNA also reflected the seasonal ecology of the Bouteloua genus with the eDNA amounts decreasing as winter approached and biological activity lessened. Finally, we observed that the global plant eDNA increased in response to restoration activity and could be detected from every sampling event, highlighting the consistent presence of airborne eDNA in the environment.

Overall, our results demonstrate that airborne eDNA reflects changes in the terrestrial plant community highlighting the ability of airborne eDNA to contribute to plant community monitoring. For example, airborne eDNA could be used throughout a restoration process, with aspects such as site selection and monitoring before, during, and after restoration activities.

In another example, human construction activities on a landscape can severely disturb the natural environment.

Our results indicate that airborne eDNA could be used to determine which species were most impacted based on their eDNA signals and track the changes over time to see how the natural community settles into place after the disturbance.

The next step for airborne eDNA analysis is to examine airborne eDNA in a metabarcoding framework.

Metabarcoding allows a researcher to determine all the species that contributed eDNA within a sample.

This methodology would allow airborne eDNA to determine all the species present within a single sample, instead of focusing on a single species at a time.

The study results presented in this article combined with metabarcoding would show that airborne eDNA could be used as a faster less invasive method of plant community surveying.

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29

TEXAS WILDLIFE

PLANT PROFILE

Wolfberry

The white flowers of wolfberry are small and discreet.

W

olfberry (Lycium berlandieri) is common shrub prevalent throughout the western two-thirds of the state, growing in a variety of conditions from the clay loam soils of the Rolling Plains to the gravelly outcrops along the Rio Grande.

Wolfberry rarely exceeds 7 feet in height and is more commonly found about 4 feet in height and width. The bright green, spatulate wolfberry leaves are about 3/8-inch wide and 1 ¼ inches long. Stems of wolfberry are light grey with striations running along the length of the branches which are sometimes referred to as having a zig-zag shape.

The plant has small white flowers that produce bright red fruits (1/4-inch diameter) that resemble Chile pequin peppers during late spring and early fall. Both species are in the tomato family (Solanaceae), and it is believed wolfberry’s name manifests from the colloquial term “wolf peach” that describes garden tomatoes. Other common names such as tomatillo have a similar etymology.

Wolfberry is a summer deciduous shrub, losing its leaves when conditions become hot and dry. Despite above-average rainfall, many wolfberry plants in the Rollins Plains dropped their leaves in August and September this year.

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Nevertheless, wolfberry can be quite resilient to extreme temperatures. A study in the lower Rio Grande Valley following the December 1983 freeze found virtually no damage to wolfberry.

Wolfberry is used by a wide variety of wildlife as well as livestock where it occurs. The protein content of wolfberry fruits collected during summer measures around 17 percent, with relatively low calcium (0.55 percent), phosphorus (0.30 percent), and sodium (0.06 percent) but high potassium (2.8 percent).

Interestingly, 55 percent and 62 percent of early- to midwinter fecal samples collected from Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, respectively, contained wolfberry fruits. By volume, wolfberry comprised more of the diet for Sandhill Cranes (50 percent) than that of Whooping Cranes (14 percent).

In another study analyzing diet items of Gambel’s Quail from 392 crops collected in Presidio, Hudspeth, and Culberson counties, researchers found wolfberry fruits in about 25 percent of all samples, comprising about 12 percent of food items by volume. There, samples with wolfberry were most common from crops collected along the Rio Grande River during summer. Gambel’s Quail along the Rio Grande are also Photo by Ricky Linex

Photo by Ricky Linex

Article by BRADLEY KUBECKA

Wolfberry produces fruit in the spring and fall.

Photo by Bradley Kubecka

L AW O F T H E L A N D

The stems of wolfberry are zig-zagged with length-wise striations.

known to use wolfberry as loafing cover when it forms dense mottes in conjunction with other brush.

While wolfberry is often promoted as a common food item in diets of other quail species, the scientific literature does not necessarily support this assertion. This anomaly may be caused because the samples are taken during hunting season, while wolfberry fruits are available in late spring and early fall.

Other wildlife species that use wolfberry as food include black-tailed jackrabbits, Plain Chachalacas, and white-tailed deer. However, wolfberry is considered a third choice browse plant for deer and comprises a relatively low percentage of diets by volume (3 percent) for jackrabbits. Similarly, cattle consumption tends to be limited to smaller quantities.

Despite its resilience to weather challenges and its ability to grow over 70 years of age, wolfberry can be sensitive to treatments applied to other brush such as honey mesquite or prickly pear. Studies have shown winter and summer burning both decreased wolfberry cover, and applications of herbicides including picloram (Surmount®, MezaVue®, Tordon 22k®) can also cause severe collateral damage. When practical, individual plant treatment and targeted, small-scale management can help avoid impacts to non-target and desirable woody plants like wolfberry.

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31

A QUAIL ODYSSEY Part 1

Article by DALE ROLLINS, PH.D.

R

eaders beware…this tale may hint of swagger—that’s not my intent. Rather it’s meant as a celebration of the perfect career path (for me) in hopes that it may inspire other young wildlife professionals as they plot and plan their future.

An odyssey is defined as (1) “a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune;” or (2) “an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest.” See, for example, the story of Forrest Gump or…yours truly.

I can’t imagine anyone who has not seen the award-winning movie, perhaps because I’ve watched it so many times I have the dialogue memorized. I often comment about the white feather that floated on the breeze and kept Gump confused about his destiny versus serendipity. In my case, the white feather was a bobwhite’s feather.

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DECEMBER 2021

A CALLING One of my earliest, and most indelible, childhood memories occurred when I was only four or five years old. I was raised five miles due south of Hollis, Oklahoma…two miles north of the Red River. One summer afternoon, perhaps in June, my mother and I were in our kitchen with the window opened. A bird called from some scrub elm trees along our backyard fence: “poor bob-WHITE!” “Do you hear that bird?” Mom asked. “It calls its name: ‘Bobwhite’!”

And now, some 62 years later, it still calls to me. Chance or destiny? I believe the latter.

A couple of years ago I was honored to be inducted into the Texas Conservation Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony in Austin, Kelly Thompson with the Texas Parks and Wildlife

A QUAIL ODYSSEY

Foundation commented, “I cannot imagine anyone who has said the word quail more than Dale Rollins.”

I took that as a compliment.

My love-at-first-sound affair with quail was a product of my environment. There were no deer, turkeys or other “trophies” in that part of the world, but there were quail, both bobwhite and scaled aka Blue Quail]) so when you went “huntin.’” it was implied that you were quail hunting.

And so it was for my formative years, from Daisy to Crossman to Remington. My buddy Coondog Cary and I had pretty much free run of the southwestern half of Harmon County, and we roamed it every Saturday and holiday. Never mind that neither of us had a bird dog until we were about 17.

We had a “Lieutenant Dan” figure named Timmy McGee who was about six years older than us, but who tolerated us on quail hunts. He taught us much about hunting and camaraderie.

MY FIRST TROPHY One of my oft-repeated proclamations to people is that “EVERY quail is a trophy.” I bagged my first quail (on the wing anyway) with a borrowed Revelation .410 shotgun when I was 12 years old. It was 5 miles south of Hollis on Mr. Burns’ property; even today I could take you to the spot with GPS precision.

The hen flushed and as she quartered around to my right, I folded her with a good shot. That was the first of I don’t know how many quail I’ve bagged over the years, but I could show you practically every spot where one dropped.

When I was 16, I bought my first shotgun: A Remington 870—the “Wingmaster” as it was called. And mine lived up to its name. I nicknamed it “KOMA” after the rock-n-roll powerhouse from Oklahoma City (1520 on your AM dial) owing to their slogan “we just keep pumping out the hits.”

I tell folks that IF I was still “mad at quail,” which I haven’t been in years, I’d still be carrying the Wingmaster, but it’s been retired for the past 30 years. I’m more “cultured” now and carry a 28-gauge over and under.

A SHOTGUN WEDDING I married my sweetheart Kay in 1974; simply put I had to get married. That phrase wouldn’t mean much in today’s society, but in the early 1970s such would imply a shotgun was involved.

And in my case, there was.

Now it had nothing to do with the physiological status of my bride-to-be, it was because my future father-in-law had some of the best quail hunting in Harmon County! The marriage has lasted for 48 years.

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A QUAIL ODYSSEY

prospective Ph.D. project on the legendary Y.O. Ranch. So off to Lubbock I headed with my wife Kay, son Travis, and everything we owned piled into a 28-foot gooseneck trailer . . . with my Chevy Luv pickup truck hooked up to the rear of the trailer.

It was during those years that I met Drs. Fred Bryant, Fred Guthery and Sam Beasom—all of whom helped shape me as a hungry, young professional.

A QUAIL MASTER’S When college called, I attended Southwestern State College in Weatherford, Oklahoma and majored in biology. (They didn’t offer a wildlife degree.) When I graduated in 1977, I found out a sad truth: What do you do with a degree in biology except go to graduate school. And so, I did.

In 1978, I headed to Oklahoma State University. I had no project lined up, no funding and a mostly absentee major advisor. What’s a mildly disillusioned, poor student to do?

Improvise, adapt and overcome (a phrase that would serve me well during my years with Bobwhite Brigade).

I convinced my advisor I could study the ecology of Bobwhite Quail and Scaled Quail where they were sympatric, meaning their ranges overlapped, and I could do so at Hollis with minimal expense.

Shucks, I was going to be quail hunting anyway. Two years later, I earned that Master’s of Science on the backs (and crops and intestines) of Bobwhite Quail and Blue Quail.

My quail odyssey was mostly paused from 1980 to 1991. I’d heard the siren call of the venerable white-tailed deer and a

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INCOMPLETE ANSWERS When one pursues a doctorate, everything is “ramped up” relative to the master’s degree. Expectations are higher, demands are greater, the mile-run of the master’s becomes a high-hurdle marathon. And near the race's completion, you’re tasked with your comprehensive exams—a series of five daylong examinations, one from each committee member. The questions were designed to probe your knowledge further than ever before.

In preparation, you read and study, study and read for months.

Now, in February 1983, this ordeal was pre-Google, even preword processor. Your answers were written out on college ruled notebook paper (34 lines to the page as I recall) and then hopefully typed if time allowed.

My most challenging exam came from Dr. Beasom, who as many will recall became the second President of the developing Texas Wildlife Association. Sam had the blue eyes of Paul Newman but the inquiring mind of Einstein. His exam consisted of seven questions, including No. 3 which requested (verbatim after all these years): “Discuss the classification scheme for phreatophytes and give examples.”

Say what? From somewhere I recalled that a phreatophyte was a “water-loving” plant, but I’d never seen any reference to a classification scheme. So, I postulated that such a scheme would include “facultative,” those that are luxuriant water users if water is sufficient such as mequite as well as “obligatory” species, those that must always have a high water table such as salt cedar.

Question No. 7 was the doozie, asking (seemingly simply): “What is a plant?” I rambled on for four pages on everything I could possibly recall about plant taxonomy, physiology and ecology. What could he possibly be looking for with such a question?

A week later I received my test grades and comments from the committee. I think I had (somewhat) “Wowed” Dr. Beasom as he’d written “good” on all but question No. 7—on that one he scribbled, “incomplete answer.”

Why, the nerve of the guy, I remember thinking. After four pages just how “incomplete” could I have been?

As a post-script to this section, I was awarded the Sam Beasom Conservation Leader Award by TWA in 1997 (two years following Dr. Beasom’s death). As I traveled from San Angelo to San Antonio that day to receive the award, it hit me that if one is a student of anything, then every answer is incomplete. Sadly, l never had an opportunity to confirm my reasoning with Dr. Beasom, but I believe that was his subliminal motive.

(Look for A Quail Odyssey–Part II in the February issue of Texas Wildlife.)

Photo by Steve Nelle Both passive and aggressive forms of management are commonly used by landowners with good results.

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE HABITAT MANAGEMENT Article by STEVE NELLE

I

n the far-away world of psychology, passive-aggressive describes a type of covertly hostile behavior that is expressed passively rather than being openly antagonistic.

But in the world of land management, passive-aggressive means something completely different and describes the varying degrees of intensity with which we carry out management. Both passive and aggressive forms of management are utilized in wildlife management as well as range, forest and wetland management.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? With passive management, inputs and expenses are lower, results are slower and risk is reduced. With more aggressive forms of management, inputs and costs are higher, results usually happen faster, and risk is increased.

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Passive management does not mean a hands-off attitude to management, but it does mean a more light-handed approach that allows things to happen more naturally rather than forcing them to happen. Aggressive management does not mean harsh or abusive treatment of the land, but it does require more assertive manipulation.

These different management approaches may often match the personality of the owner or manager. Some people seem to be hardwired to be more active and controlling, while others are by nature more laid back. Either tendency can work well to manage land and one approach is not necessarily better than the other.

Sometimes, not doing something is the best and most sensible form of management. In some cases, the only thing that may be needed is to cease doing the things that are counterproductive.

Stop overgrazing; stop plowing steep fields; stop planting

On this tract of un-grazed land, periodic fire is used to maintain the desired balance of grass and woody cover.

Photo by Steve Nelle

invasive grasses. In other cases, the passive approach is not enough and the manager must actively intervene to accomplish what is needed or desired.

Either form of management can be detrimental just as each form can be beneficial.

Aggressive management without the necessary skill, knowledge and restraint can end up a wreck. Passive management carried to the extreme of doing nothing can also end up in dismal failure. Both require skill, dedication, thoughtfulness and both are at their best when the owner has the conservation ethics to properly guide and constantly adjust management.

Some people see a biblical mandate for the more aggressive forms of management. From the first chapter of Genesis are God’s instructions: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it and have dominion over… every living thing.” Others understand this mandate to mean responsible and active stewardship of the natural world not necessarily subjugation. Regardless of perspective, it is helpful to consider that both aggressive and passive forms of management can be used successfully.

Photo by Steve Nelle

PA S S I V E -AG G R E S S I V E H A B I TAT M A N AG E M E N T

Riparian areas respond well to light-handed less aggressive management including intermittent grazing.

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PA S S I V E -AG G R E S S I V E H A B I TAT M A N AG E M E N T

ROTATIONAL GRAZING Grazing management can be very passive or very intensive or anywhere in between. The passive forms of rotation often involve a herd that is moved among two to four pastures thus giving each pasture a rest period every year.

A more intensive rotation may involve a single herd moved among six to eight pastures, or as many as 60 or more. As the number of pastures increases, greater benefits are possible. But the investment in fencing and water and the managerial skill required are important considerations.

After years of continuous grazing, any form of rotation that is properly stocked will provide improved habitat. Regardless of the degree of intensity, the main thing to remember is that grazing management must be flexible and adaptive to changing conditions.

Rotations should not be viewed as rigid systems with pre-determined move dates based on a calendar or calculator.

As with many aspects of land management, rotational grazing is more of an art than a science.

GRASSLAND RESTORATION In many situations, nature will improve the plant cover and plant diversity without much active intervention on our part.

Photo courtesy 7Cross Ranch

RANGE AND PASTURE FORAGE Livestock producers commonly utilize two different types of land and two levels of management to provide forage. Rangeland operators utilize the natural mix of native grasses in a less intensive form of management. Each pasture is different and unique and each is treated differently.

Operators who have tame pasture utilize high producing monocultures of exotic grasses such as coastal Bermuda grass for forage. On pastureland, weeds are aggressively sprayed and grass is fertilized to increase forage output. Some operators also irrigate their pastureland to boost production.

It takes far fewer acres of tame pasture to run a cow than it does native rangeland, but the costs per acre are high and the management intensity is high. Both are good ways to provide forage and each has their strengths and drawbacks.

Many operators choose to use both kinds of forage in a complementary manner.

The high-producing pastureland is used heavily during the spring and summer in order to allow the native rangeland to rest. While passively managed native rangeland provides much better wildlife habitat, aggressively managed pastureland can be used to provide more efficient forage production and to allow better management of rangeland habitat.

Passive grassland restoration occurs naturally when livestock are properly managed.

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Photo by Steve Nelle

PA S S I V E -AG G R E S S I V E H A B I TAT M A N AG E M E N T

This landowner has employed aggressive brush control, re-seeding and fire to create and manage the habitat.

Ecologists call this process succession—the gradual natural recovery and improvement in plant composition.

Consider a ranch that has been continuously grazed for many years at a moderate or heavy stocking rate. The livestock have selectively high-graded the better grasses thus allowing the lesser grasses and undesirable weeds to dominate. However, within clumps of pricklypear, algerita or other protected areas patches of the better grasses can still be found.

If the manager rests these pastures from grazing or employs improved grazing practices, the better grasses and forbs will slowly begin to spread and will gradually overtake some of the low value grasses. This is a passive form of restoration that is used on millions of acres and is the primary basis for habitat improvement.

This kind of natural regeneration works well on most ranches, but it is a slow process. For those who want faster results and are willing and able to invest the money and accept the risk, re-seeding is another way to get improved grass and forb cover,

RULES OF THUMB FOR PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT • Use the least aggressive means possible to obtain the desired results.

• Consider the costs, risks and side effects before using aggressive management forms.

• Be patient when using passive management.

• What works well for one person may not work well for others. Don’t be a copycat manager.

• Have realistic expectations with either management form.

• Consider whether you have the necessary skills and commitment for aggressive management.

• Setbacks and failures will occur with either management form. Learn from them.

• No matter the level of intensity, take the time to enjoy and appreciate the land.

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PA S S I V E -AG G R E S S I V E H A B I TAT M A N AG E M E N T

Spot spraying of small brush is a passive way to prevent it from becoming a major problem in the future.

Photo courtesy NRCS

BRUSH MANAGEMENT Controlling and managing brush is a major part of many ranching and wildlife operations. Many forms of brush manipulation are used to create and maintain the desired balance in keeping with the landowner's objectives.

Each method has its proper place and no method fits everywhere.

The most passive form of brush management (but which still requires considerable effort) is preventing a serious brush problem from happening. The diligent control of small mesquite, cedar, pricklypear or other brush will keep them from ever getting to the point where a major aggressive effort is needed. It is easier said than done but this approach has been adopted by many ranchers.

Spot treatment with herbicide is one effective way of doing this although

Photo courtesy NRCS

usually within a few years. In some cases, the natural seed source of the more desired species has long ago been depleted and the only way to restore the desired plant diversity is to reintroduce the better grasses and forbs by the more aggressive practice of re-seeding.

Roller chopping is an aggressive habitat management practice that provides strong benefit but at considerable expense.

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Photo by Steve Nelle

PA S S I V E -AG G R E S S I V E H A B I TAT M A N AG E M E N T

Deer management employs a combination of intensive and non-intensive methods depending on the goals and desires of landowners and hunters.

selective grubbing with a small skid steer machine is also feasible. Prescribed burning can be another form of passive brush management especially for small blueberry cedar, cactus and seedling mesquite. The old adage is relevant for passive brush control: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

At the other end of the spectrum are the aggressive types of brush management. Often, these intensive mechanical operations are needed where brush has been allowed to get excessively thick across large areas over a long period of time. The initial cost for these major brush control efforts is commonly $200 to $400 per acre. And just as soon as the thick brush is gone, new brush quickly begins to re-encroach requiring diligent follow-up treatment.

“Brush control is a process, not a project,” said Rory Burroughs, a ranch manager and TWA member.

Often times both passive and aggressive means are needed.

DEER HERD MANAGEMENT Landowners employ different management intensities to manipulate a deer herd. With passive management, season lease hunters may be given considerable control on what they harvest.

Success varies with the amount of skill and dedication of the hunters, and the owner often takes a minimal role in

management. Passive management is usually low fenced and few practices are used to boost the herd's quality. Hunter enjoyment is usually high under this laid-back form of management with little emphasis on growing trophy bucks.

Aggressive herd management can be low fenced or high fenced but greater attention is given to achieve a desired deer density, herd composition and age structure. Managers strongly encourage hunters to harvest a prescribed number of does and bucks based on annual surveys and to refrain from harvesting young and middle-aged bucks.

The results can be impressive, but the required effort creates added pressure on both the manager and the hunters.

Aggressive management may employ supplemental feeding or food plots to enhance nutrition and may include various forms of culling under the belief that it will improve herd genetics.

In more extreme cases, aggressive deer herd management treats the deer herd similar to domestic livestock. With

these aggressive forms of management, lease costs are much higher and the likelihood of harvesting large bucks is also much higher.

In wildlife management, there is a temptation and tendency to employ similar kinds of aggressive management which are used in production agriculture.

However, many landowners and hunters alike recognize that there is a point at which too much intensity of management is undesirable and too artificial, reducing wildlife's aesthetic value. Each landowner and hunter has his own threshold of what is too much.

Being a passive-aggressive land manager is smart business and smart stewardship. Knowing when to be more passive and when to be more aggressive is the secret, and the most successful managers have learned when and how hard to push on the gas and when to let off. Like many other aspects of land management, it requires skill and wisdom that is honed and refined by years of experience.

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THE EFFECTS OF THE RUT

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THE EFFECTS OF THE RUT Article and photos by NATE SKINNER

F

or white-tailed deer hunters, “the rut” is the pinnacle of fall and winter hunting seasons, as it brings about some of the most exhilarating encounters that can be experienced in the outdoors. It represents a crucial time that occurs annually throughout the life of a white-tailed deer, the effects of which could determine how long the animal will live.

The rut can be defined as a timeframe in which the does within a deer herd come into heat or estrus. It is often characterized by specific behaviors exhibited by bucks such as fighting, chasing does and spending more time on their feet rather than bedded down.

Although the process is a result of female whitetails becoming receptive towards breeding, the rut's focus is on the white-tailed buck.

The rut's effects on a buck can be significant. He becomes intensely focused on the primal urge to breed, putting his needs for food, water and rest on the back burner. As a result, white-tailed bucks often undergo immense weight loss and stress throughout the rut's duration, making the post-rut recovery period extremely important to their immediate future.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department White-tailed Deer Program Leader Alan Cain, the rut's timing varies across the state's geographic regions.

“Over thousands of years, white-tailed deer have evolved to take advantage of the conditions in the geographic region in which they live,” Cain said.

“For example, the rut typically occurs earlier in the fall in northern areas of the state, when bucks are usually in good shape. If it didn’t occur until late

winter when more food sources had succumbed to cold weather or freezes, leaving bucks with poor body conditions, there would likely be much higher mortality rates among bucks during their breeding season, and the rut would be unsuccessful.”

Cain said that the rut's timing of the rut can also depend on genetics.

“Breeding studies have shown that particular populations of does come into estrus at certain times, and that these characteristics are passed on from generation to generation,” Cain said. “That’s another reason why we see different time windows of the rut in different geographic areas.”

Cain said that breeding chronology studies show that the rut's peak occurs about the same time every year for any given geographic region.

“For example, the peak breeding dates in the Pineywoods include Nov. 22 for the northern portion of the region, and Nov. 12 for the region’s southern portion,” Cain said. “The peak breeding dates will vary in other regions of the state.

Hunters may observe various forms of rut activity throughout the season outside of these dates, as whitetail bucks are ready to breed from the time that they reach hard antlers until the time that they shed them.”

One of the major reasons why the rut causes weight loss, stress and an overall decrease in the white-tailed buck’s body condition is that during this time period they spend significantly more time on the move, looking for receptive does.

“Research shows that during the rut, bucks may cover 2.5 to 8 miles of terrain in a single day,” Cain said. “That’s not to say that the deer are moving that far out, away from their home range."

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THE EFFECTS OF THE RUT

Studies show that mature bucks tend to know particular areas where does congregate, and they will continually cover these areas looking for does. So, they may put on many miles each day during the rut, but it is likely happening within the same amount of acreage, similar to humans running around the block in their neighborhoods.

"They’re [bucks] constantly wandering around, back and forth, trying to find a hot doe,” Cain said.

According to Cain it is not uncommon for a buck to lose 20 to 30 percent of its body weight between the pre-rut and post-rut period.

“There’s been some research conducted that shows that 80 percent of non-hunting related mortalities in whitetail bucks occurs during the post-rut period between December and March each year,” Cain said. “This is due to

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the significant decline that bucks undergo during the rut, from spending more time on their feet and less time resting and eating.”

Because bucks are focused on finding does and passing on their genetics during the rut rather than their own nutrition, those that enter into the breeding season in prime body condition have a better chance of survival and of being more successful breeders.

“A buck that’s in good shape will be able to put on more miles and won’t have to stop as frequently to feed during the rut,” Cain said. “This will give him a better opportunity of breeding more does, and will increase his odds of recovering much faster during the post rut period.”

From a management perspective, this makes it extremely important for landowners and ranch mangers to employ sound,

THE EFFECTS OF THE RUT

year-round habitat management practices to help ensure that bucks enter into the breeding season with the best body condition possible.

“As far as the post-rut period is concerned, anything that can be done to increase the amount of available food sources on the landscape is key,” Cain said. “This includes winter food plots and implementing a supplemental feeding program as early as January, when the post-rut period begins. These strategies will ultimately decrease the mortality rate among whitetail bucks as a result of the rut.”

It’s also crucial to have food sources readily available for them during the post-rut period to aid in their recovery.

TWA Life Member Ty Bartoskewitz, ranch manager for the MT7 Ranch in Stephens County, said that ensuring whitetail bucks are able to recover from the effects of the rut is truly a year-round process.

“The post-rut portion of the year is crucial to the future of our deer herd, and it’s not something that we just focus on during the time that it occurs,” Bartoskewitz said. “We manage for the effects that the rut has on our bucks, 12 months out of the year.”

Bartoskewitz said that employing good livestock strategies on the ranch, which includes rotational grazing practices that result in pastures that are under-grazed, rather than overgrazed, plays a crucial role in their habitat management plan for white-tailed deer.

“This allows us to continually provide available forage that deer don’t have to compete for,” Bartoskewitz said.

Keeping the deer herd population and available habitat in balance is another key ingredient to success on the MT7.

“Managing the herd in a way that is conducive for the amount of land that we have that is suitable for whitetails to flourish ensures that bucks are able to

PEAK BREEDING DATES Hunters can find the peak breeding dates for each Texas region at: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/ hunt/planning/rut_whitetailed_deer/.

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reach their full potential and enter into the breeding season in the best shape possible,” Bartoskewitz said. “This also ensures that they will survive the impacts of the rut.”

Bartoskewitz said that overall good range management involving managing brush and other vegetation schemes is also important.

“If you don’t include proper livestock strategies, deer herd management and good range management on a property, and only plan to provide supplemental feed to bucks during the post-rut period, you’re likely not going to see a difference in the way the deer recover from the effects of the rut,” Bartoskewitz said.

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A supplemental feeding program plays an important role in white-tailed deer management on the MT7.

“Because we are located in the northern portion of the state, we have a dormant period as far as vegetation growth is concerned that coincides with the breeding season,” Bartoskewitz said.

“For this reason, we provide year-round protein to our deer; that way it is always available to them, regardless of what is growing on the landscape.”

Robert Sanders manages the Boggy Slough Conservation Area (BSCA) in Houston and Trinity counties, which is owned by the Temple Foundation. The ranch borders about 18 miles of the Neches River in East Texas.

THE EFFECTS OF THE RUT

Sanders said that food plots play a key role in helping bucks recover from the effects of the rut on the BSCA. “In years in which acorn crops are sparse, food plots provide an important source of nutrition for our recovering deer during the post rut period,” Sanders said.

Timber harvests and controlled burns are also important management practices employed by Sanders.

“Anything that we can do to promote new growth of natural weeds and forbs is key,” Sanders said. “The presence of natural food sources across the landscape help bucks maintain good body conditions which ultimately helps them survive the effects of the rut.”

Sanders said that doe harvests each year have been crucial to management success as well.

“Controlling the buck to doe ratio has been an integral part of our success over the years,” Sanders said. “If there are too many does, bucks will become more run down as there will be more does coming

into heat for them to breed, increasing the length of the rut and its impacts.”

Chris Huey, ranch manager and wildlife biologist for the Chaparrosa Ranch in Zavala County said that managing for the rut's effects never stops.

“When a buck sheds his antlers, you are already preparing for the next hunting season and the next rut,” Huey said. “The management process is never-ending.”

Huey incorporates food plots on the Chaparrosa, but he plants them later than most folks do.

“I don’t plant our food plots until late November, because I am not concerned about hunting over them,” Huey said. “My focus is having the food plots available for the deer during the post-rut period. They play an integral role in helping our bucks recover from the rut. Most folks plant in hopes of hunting, but I plant in hopes of feeding.”

Huey said that because he is managing a vast amount of open brush, free-range acreage, one of the most important

aspects of his management process is controlling the deer numbers.

“Right now, our buck to doe ratio is about 1.1 bucks to 1 doe, so we actually have more bucks than does on the property,” Huey said. “That actually helps our bucks recover from the rut faster, because it shortens the length of the rut and reduces the number of does available for bucks to breed. We have had a ton of success by simply controlling our doe numbers.”

Huey said that controlling the deer herd also reduces the competition between deer over food sources, which allows them to maintain optimum body conditions more often. This in turn helps bucks survive the rut's effects each year.

It’s no secret that the rut represents an exciting time of year. Landowners, hunters, and ranch managers who implement good management practices year-round will continue to enjoy the thrill of the rut for many years to come.

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The Wink Sink is perhaps the most famous human-caused Texas sinkhole.

SINKHOLES Article and photos by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

O

nce airborne from the Monahans Municipal Airport, the Permian Basin's flatness Permian Basin is apparent. In casual conversation with local businessman David Cutbirth, I'd mentioned sinkholes and within minutes, we were in his private plane flying over the caliche hardscrabble where oilfield roads and power lines scatter in all directions.

From the ground, the country looked busy with the daily machinations of the oil production industry. From the air, the size and scope of the industry was overwhelming; pumpjack pads were everywhere.

We flew north towards the town of Wink as the West Texas scrub eased past beneath us.

“There it is,” said David. Pointing out his front right windshield, I followed his gesture to see an immense hole in

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the ground. It was the Wink Sink, perhaps the most famous, human-caused Texas sinkhole.

It formed in 1980 near, as its name implies, the West Texas town of Wink. On June 3, residents woke to find a 370-foot-wide, 110-foot-deep hole had formed 2 1/2 miles north of town.

Geologists suspect the sinkhole resulted from historic oil production practices in the Permian Basin; pumping subsurface saltwater presumably left a void. In May 2002, a second sinkhole opened nearby. The new sinkhole, at 900 feet wide and more than 300 feet deep, dwarfed the first one.

Sinkholes are enigmatic. They aren't that common, but they aren't rare either. Part geologic anomaly and part mysterious apparition, sinkholes may be a lot more common than people think.

SINKHOLES

Unlike a smoking caldera or voluminous mountains, sinkholes don't capture the romantic imagination in the popular press. Unless one of the chasms opens up and swallows homes or modern infrastructure, their appearance mostly goes unheralded.

Sinkholes occur over much of the United States. In states like Florida, sinkholes often make the news because of the damage they impart when they form in populated areas. In Texas, however, most sinkholes go unnoticed. In areas where they are likely to form, people may pass right by them and never know they exist.

A PERFECT MIX OF GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY Standing at the depression's precipice, I strained to peek over the edge while maintaining my balance.

"How deep is it?” I asked my longtime friend TPWD Wildlife Biologist Dana Wright. She leaned over next to me and in an easygoing West Texas fashion opined, “At least two lariat ropes.”

“Sixty feet.” I pondered while imagining what it was like the instant the earth cleaved and swallowed the hunk of red dirt and cactus. I couldn't quite grasp whether the hole formed all at once or over time. Either way, it was spectacular.

My friendship with Wright goes back to the early 1990s when we both moved to Childress. Like me, she loves natural oddities and is a great scout whenever she finds something new. There in Cottle County, we stood at the edge of a vast vertical sinkhole she discovered on a patch of ranchland.

A sinkhole is a natural depression that's formed when subsurface limestone, salt or gypsum is slowly eroded by groundwater. As surface water infiltrates the soil, it percolates

downward and moves deeper into the soil. Over time, the water eats away at the rock layer until voids, or caves, form in the rock.

As these voids grow, ultimately the spaces between the rocks become too big to provide support and the weight of the earth on top of the rock causes the chamber to collapse.

Natural sinkholes most commonly form in Texas' karst regions. Karst is an area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams and caverns. In Texas, high concentrations of karst rock occur in the soluble limestone areas of the Hill Country and the gypsum-rich Rolling Plains of northwest Texas.

It is possible, however, for unnatural sinkholes to form. In urban areas, water main breaks can erode the subsoil and cause the earth above to cleave.

Sinkholes are also formed when groundwater or oil is removed from the subsurface, leaving a void in the ground. Because of excessive water extraction and unstable soil in Mexico City, a sinkhole opened in the summer of 2007 and killed one man.

While the huge sinkholes that seem to instantaneously swallow the earth around them get most of the media attention, most of the depressions form more slowly. Geary Schindel, Edwards Aquifer Authority chief technical officer, said that scientists classify natural sinkholes based on their means of formation.

“The most common that occur in Texas are formed from a couple of processes,” Schindel said. “They form when the overlying soil collapses or is washed into a cave—this is usually a gradual process or more rarely a catastrophic event. They also form through the dissolving of bedrock with water entering a closed depression.”

A newly forming sinkhole in a cotton field in Hall County.

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SINKHOLES

Visitors gather around Devil’s Sinkhole near Rocksprings to watch bats emerge.

Schindel explained they can form when the roof of a cave collapses, although that type of formation is relatively rare.

Schindel is a man who knows his sinkholes. As part of his job with the water authority, he’s studied caves and sinkholes for the past 30 years and has traveled to 35 states and five countries.

An old sinkhole creates micro-habitat in Childress County.

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NATURAL CONDUITS A few years back, helicopter pilot and entrepreneur Dusty Whitaker and I flew to Lakeview to photograph a naturally occurring sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the late 1990s along the edge of a Hall County cotton field. The cotton field isn't too far from the Red River and is rich in salt layers just below the soil surface. Though neither one of us knew where the sinkhole was located, we easily spotted it as we cruised in a helicopter 500 feet above the cotton fields.

Like the Wink Sink, the Lakeview sinkhole is significant. At more than 400 feet wide, the circular sinkhole enveloped nearly 3 acres when it collapsed.

Water glistening in the depression made the depression easy to spot. In this semi-arid climate, it was apparent that groundwater—not surface runoff—filled the hole. Although nearly at capacity, striation marks were easily spotted in the dirt, signifying where the dirt sloughed off into the hole. Nearby, a partial sinkhole created a depression where trees have since sprouted.

As we flew away from the sink, it struck me how the sinkhole served as a direct conduit to the underground aquifer.

“Most of the recharge occurring in the Edwards Aquifer occurs in the beds of streams. These streambeds contain conduits into the aquifer, but most of them are not apparent, as they have been

SINKHOLES

An immense sinkhole that appeared overnight in the late 1990s in a cotton field near Lakeview in Hall County.

covered by stream cobbles and gravels. However, these would technically be buried sinkholes,” Schindel explained.

As beneficial as sinkholes are to aquifers, there are potentially negative impacts on underground water as well. According to Schindel, sinkholes are under the constant threat of contamination by outside influences.

“Since they are often considered nuisances and unproductive land by some, they have commonly been used for disposal of household trash and appliances, agricultural products such as herbicide and pesticide containers, old cars and dead animals,” he said. “Considering they provide a direct link to the groundwater system, they also are a likely source of contamination.”

A UNIQUE WILDLIFE HABITAT On my tour of Texas sinkholes, I felt it important to see the most prominent natural sinkhole in all of the state—the Devil's Sinkhole. Therefore, I took my family to witness the nightly bat flight and see the sinkhole firsthand.

At the Devil's Sinkhole Visitors Center in Rocksprings, we boarded a bus painted in a bat motif to take a tour of the TPWDmanaged property. On the way out, a tour guide gave us a brief rundown on the sinkhole's history including its discovery by a local rancher in the late 1800s.

We arrived at the property well before sunset and had a chance to explore the area around the sinkhole. The landscape was typical of the Edwards Plateau—plenty of junipers, prairie grasses and cactus. Heavy rocks rimmed the sinkhole, and as I walked onto the observation deck, I was amazed at how deep the hole plunged straight down.

The sinkhole was 351 feet deep, although I could see only about 200 feet down. The smell of moist cave air and bat guano belched up from the sinkhole's depths.

Understandably, the sinkhole is a source of local lore, and it almost became a source of wealth also. Guano miners tried to

harvest the abundance of bat droppings that were once a valuable source of fertilizer as well as an ingredient in gunpowder. Mining the guano proved too difficult and the effort was abandoned.

Right at sunset, I noticed the first flicker of bat wings emerging from the sinkhole. A few minutes later, thousands exited and streamed to the agricultural fields to the southeast.

In only about a half-hour, more than 3 million bats emerged from the sinkhole's depths.

Sinkholes are important as wildlife habitats as they provide a unique environment that can support life for important plants and wildlife. Bats can consume up to 30 tons of beetles and moths per night, many of which are agriculture pests.

Other types of wildlife live in the Devil's Sinkhole as well.

About 3,000 Cave Swallows nest in the hole, as well as a myriad of beetles and insects that feed on dead bats and guano. At the bottom of the sinkhole, a small subterranean lake formed and became home to a small shrimp-like creature known as the Devil's Sinkhole amphipod (Stygobromus hadenoecus). It lives only in this one spot and nowhere else on earth.

The bat flights at night attract many predators as well, some that even roost inside the sinkhole, like the Great Horned Owl. Sinkholes all over Texas, both big and small, provide habitat for skunks, raccoons, snakes, salamanders and a host of other creatures. Ferns and other plant life can thrive in sinkholes as well. Archaeological records show that the Bering Sinkhole in Kerr County was used as a cemetery by people 5,500 years ago.

In the early summer of 2020, I returned to the area around the Lakeview sinkhole; this time from the ground. As I drove on the county roads near the Lakeview sink, I noticed two more sinkholes nearby.

While they probably won't grow to the size of the big sinkhole, their presence alters the way the farmer cultivates his land. It seems that no matter how much man manipulates his surroundings, he never is in complete control—especially in sinkhole country.

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OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Silent Night Article by SALLIE LEWIS

I

t’s easy to forget what silence sounds like when you’ve spent most of your life in a big city. Over the years, I have called everywhere from Austin to Washington, D.C., and Florence, Italy home. While each of these places presented its own life lessons, the gift of silence was never among them.

In February 2020, just before lock-down, I decided to take a year-long sabbatical in the Texas Hill Country. I’ll never forget leaving my hometown of San Antonio and driving west on I-10 to the outskirts of Fredericksburg.

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It was a freezing afternoon when I finished unpacking and stepped outside onto my west-facing patio. As dusk descended over the fields of green and the round, orange sun slipped behind the horizon, it cast glimmers of gold onto a bed of broken clouds.

Even more profound than this spectacular setting was the silence that surrounded me. It was a haunting quiet, magnified by the absence of company, music or television. For the first time ever, I felt completely alone.

As the weeks passed and winter turned to spring, I began to acclimate to life in the country. To my surprise, the quiet environs that had once been unnerving slowly became a comfort. With time, I learned that the liminal spaces of silence were a gift, teaching me how to truly listen – both to my inner voice and to Mother Nature.

That year, I began to hear a whole new world. With ears perked, I heard deer walking soft-footed through the tall grass beyond my house and bees drinking nectar from newlybloomed wildflowers. There were cicadas singing, cattle lowing, and summer breezes sifting through the Sycamores.

I found a strange sense of companionship in the noises that surrounded me, from the crackling of a wood-burning fire to the chorus of crickets at dusk, and the tinkering of rain on a thin tin roof.

As seasons changed, so too did my appreciation for nature's music. In summer, I spent long afternoons beneath the shade of a tree, watching hummingbirds fly like fighter jets, stopping only to refuel from the feeders overhead. By winter, I learned that snow makes a magical sound as it sifts through the canopy of an old live oak.

Over time, I learned to identify the honk of a goose, the call of a turkey and the bellow of a bullfrog. I came to know the coo of a dove, the whistle of a tree duck, and the differing sounds of an axis and a white-tailed deer. By embracing the silence and the stillness, I learned a whole new lexicon and felt a deeper communion with Mother Nature.

I often reflect back on my first night in the Hill Country.

Much has happened between now and then, and today I split my time between my hometown of San Antonio and my adopted hometown of Fredericksburg. With each return to the country, I prepare myself for new lessons and layers of life gifted through the quiet.

Recently, I stumbled on this quote, “The earth has music for those who listen.” How true that is, and how thankful I am for every note.

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