Texas Wildlife- Talkin' Turkey- March 2022

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Talkin’ Turkey

MARCH 2022

Beat your own

path

As a local cooperative, we share our profits with the Texans we serve. Since 2006, we’ve returned almost $2 billion in combined cash and allocated equities to our members through our cooperative returns program. So, when you’re ready to secure a loan for that perfect rural playground, try a partnership that really pays.

NMLS493828 | 877.944.5500 | capitalfarmcredit.com

Together we’re better.

WE HAVE THE

UTILITY VEHICLES

YOU NEED

OUTDOOR OUTDOOR SUPERSTORE SUPERSTORE

2114 US-84 Goldthwaite, TX 76844

855.648.3341

hpolaris.com hcanam.com

TEXAS WILDLIFE

CEO COMMENTS JUSTIN DREIBELBIS

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.

I

n a state like Texas, we are truly blessed with a diversity of wildlife and habitat that can make it hard for a guy with shiny object syndrome like me to decide where to put his focus. I’m sometimes jealous of hunters who can put all their focus into getting really good at pursuing one species, often in one area. This allows them to hone their approach and equipment to a point where they can be extremely effective.

I, on the other hand, am intrigued by the unique qualities of many different Texas species. Planning a stalk on a pronghorn buck is so different from rattling in a whitetail buck and calling in a turkey gobbler in the spring is completely different than shooting doves around a livestock tank in September. Each hunt has its own unique flavor and each species has its own unique characteristics that make them so interesting to interact with.

Growing up in a family of deer hunters, it was just something we always did without thinking too much about it. Hunting brought our family together, we ate a lot of venison, and we enjoyed our time in the field.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why I continue to hunt and why hunting continues to occupy my thoughts even when I’m not in the field. Each hunter likely has a slightly different answer to this question, but I think I’ve got mine.

For me, it ultimately comes down to the places you see and the people you meet along the way. I’ve been fortunate in my hunting career to see some beautiful places and spend time in the field with some amazing people, each of whom I now call friends.

There is no other species that has afforded me more opportunity to see our beautiful country than the wild turkey. I have hunted turkeys with friends in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and West Virginia and have plans to visit several other states in the near future. Wild turkeys are found in every state in the lower 48, plus Hawaii, are relatively affordable to hunt, and can get my heart pumping harder than most of the big game they compete with for my time.

When you find a fellow turkey nerd, you are often instant friends. If you’ve had a mature gobbler come in fanned up, get so close that he stopped gobbling and started drumming, and it didn’t make your heart beat out of your chest, then you probably need to seek some medical attention. It is certainly a rush I look forward to every spring.

It’s a beautiful time of year here in Texas so get out in the field and introduce a new hunter to turkey hunting this season. It’s a great way to get them hooked.

Thanks for being a member of TWA.

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 2022 Texas Wildlife Association. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Texas Wildlife Association. Similarities between the name Texas Wildlife Association and those of advertisers or state agencies are coincidental, and do not indicate mutual affiliation, unless clearly noted. TWA reserves the right to refuse advertising.

4 TEXAS WILDLIFE

MARCH 2022

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

MARCH VOLUME 37

H

8 The (Turkey) Call of the Wild

NUMBER 11

H

2022

34 Borderlands News

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

Crowded Mountains

by DANIEL WILCOX, JUSTIN T. FRENCH, SHAWN S. GRAY, FROYLAN HERNANDEZ, CARLOS E. GONZALEZ and LOUIS A. HARVESON

18 Hunting Heritage Texas’ Monster Eight

by MATT WILLIAMS

38 Guns & Shooting Hand Cannons

22 Lessons From Leopold

by STAN SKINNER

Drama In Every Bush

by STEVE NELLE

40 Mitigating Urbanization

by MATT WYATT

24 Conservation Legacy

Trail Trekking With Nancy Nine-band

46 TYHP

by PEGGY MAXWELL

Silver Anniversary of the Nation's Gold Standard

26 Member Profile

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

Jonathan Letz

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

54 Outdoor Traditions Spring in Step

32 Pond Management

by SALLIE LEWIS

Getting a Head Start on Algae Management

by BRITTANY CHESSER and TODD SINK

Photo by Wyman Meinzer

Magazine Staff

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

On the Cover “Anything you can do, I can do better,” has been the clarion call to competition, probably for as long as humans have been competing with one another. Turkey hunters are no different. A natural extension of being a good turkey caller in the woods is turkey calling competitions and craftsmen making premier custom turkey calls, as Lorie Woodward details in her article beginning on Page 8.

MAGAZINE CORPS Justin Dreibelbis, Executive Editor Burt Rutherford, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor

Photo by Thomas (Bubba) Stinson and Rick Harding, courtesy of Wildlife in Focus.

Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor David Brimager, Advertising Director

MARCH 2022

Talkin’ Turkey

Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

5

TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

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

MARCH

MAY

JUNE

MARCH 12-13 Land, Water, & Wildlife Expeditions Mentor Training, Kyle, TX. For more information, visit bit.ly/lwwexpeditions

MAY 13 TYHP Huntmaster Training, Matador WMA. For more information call Chris Mitchell at 800-460-5494 or email cmitchell@texas-wildlife.org

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

MAY 14 TYHP Huntmaster Training 1-Day Field Course, Richmond, TX. For more information call Chris Mitchell at 800-460-5494 or email cmitchell@texas-wildlife.org

JULY

MARCH 18-19 TYHP Huntmaster Training, Mason Mountain WMA. For more information call Chris Mitchell at 800-460-5494 or email cmitchell@texas-wildlife.org

APRIL APRIL 23 TYHP Huntmaster Training, Pleasant Hill and Rocky Community Center, Hye, TX. For more information call Chris Mitchell at 800-460-5494 or email cmitchell@texas-wildlife.org

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

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

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.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

MARCH 2022

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.

“EYE OPENER” — KC Windham, Windham Cattle Company, Clyde, Texas

LandVisor™ advanced brush management reveals insights that let you gain more from your land.

“It was a game changer. I didn’t know the potential this ranch had. It opened up my eyes to what I needed to do to make this ranch a better ranch and to leave it better than I found it.”

— KC Windham When ranchers see the difference LandVisor™ can make in controlling mesquite, it’s a real eye opener. To see for yourself, request a free demo on your ranch.

™ Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. © 2021 Corteva. CR38-462-020 (12/21) BR CARP1RANG069

See for yourself.

Request a demo. landvisor.corteva.us

Photo by Jamie Linder courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

Turkeys have a wide array of vocalizations, especially hens. And they’re always talking with one another, generally softly. But during the spring, the gobblers put on their struttin’ colors and wake up the woods.

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

MARCH 2022

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD

N

orman "Norm" Wade started talking turkey (and chicken and cow) as a boy on his grandparents' farm outside of Mexia.

"My Pawpaw Fred [Wade] raised Black Angus cattle and called them to the feed sack using his natural voice," said Wade, an information technology professional based in Houston who is an avid bowhunter, member of the Bass Pro Shop Pro Seminar

Staff and co-chair of the Texas State Turkey Calling Contest sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). "It was the first time I'd seen somebody getting animals to do what they wanted by 'talking' to them."

Intrigued, Wade began watching and listening to the chickens and mimicking with his voice what he heard. Over time, they responded to his calls.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

9

Photo by Russell A. Graves

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

A box call, a shotgun and plenty of camo are all a hunter needs for spring turkey season. While decoys, blinds and hunting buddies add greatly to the experience, the heart-pounding thrill of a gobbler strutting in to your call is hard to beat.

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

MARCH 2022

"I was hooked," Wade said.

Then, he turned his attention to his grandparents' flock of domestic turkeys.

Watching, listening, and learning.

"Turkeys, domestic or wild, are almost constantly making noise as they go about their business," Wade said. "The sounds are soft and subtle to our ears, but it's their way of saying, 'It's all cool, man.'"

The eight-year-old had no idea that Texas was home to wild turkeys nor did he know that turkey calling contests existed.

He never imagined that one day, he'd "eat, sleep and breathe turkey hunting" and earn the title of Texas State Turkey Calling Champion-Hunter Division with the opportunity to represent the Lone Star State at the NWFT's Grand National Calling Championships.

"I just liked the challenge of it," Wade said. "We grew up in the country without any friends close by, so we made our own fun outside and were sort of like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn."

His paternal grandfather, determined to keep his rambunctious grandsons out of the trouble that seems to attract teenage boys, became an outdoorsman and taught them the lessons he learned.

They camped. They fished. And they hunted, starting with squirrels, rabbits and eventually white-tailed deer.

In the process, Pawpaw Fred immersed them in woodcraft. For instance, he taught them to make bows using peeled willow branches and craft arrows fletched with owl feathers and sporting arrowheads formed from Coca-Cola bottle caps. Eventually, their grandfather, the foreman at the local Coke distribution center, purchased the boys their first recurve bows and compound bows.

"It's always been about understanding the animals and being able to get as close as possible," Wade said.

During college in California, Wade's outdoor world expanded further. His aunt and uncle owned a ranch in the Mendocino Mountains, where he encountered mule deer, elk, mountain lions and his first bears. He hunted elk, pheasant and quail.

When a job brought him back to Texas in 1983, Wade found the turkey woods and his true outdoor passion—turkey

Photo by Darcy Daniels courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

hunting, using his natural voice in lieu of a commercial call to bring the birds to him.

One fortuitous Sunday afternoon in the mid-1990s, Wade attended a turkey calling seminar at the Bass Pro Shop in Katy led by Bob Linder.

"I kept thinking, 'Hey, I can do that,'" Wade said.

And apparently Lindner, who became a mentor and one of Wade's closest friends, agreed. He convinced Wade to enter his first competition at a Houston-area Bass Pro Shop in January 2010. Wade, unlike the vast majority of callers, used his natural voice.

"I never expected to win," Wade said.

But he did. And then in relatively short order, he won the Texas State Calling Championship in the Hunter Division, earning the right to compete at the next NWTF Grand National.

A family emergency prevented him from traveling to Nashville.

"The Grand Nationals are like going from playing high school football to the NFL," said Wade, noting that top finishers can earn prizes in excess of $250,000 and the opportunity for endorsements and sponsorships. "The Nationals are very competitive and very festive all at once."

Photo by Larry Ditto

Here are four aces that any turkey hunter would be thrilled to draw.

A gobbling, strutting, drumming tom turkey is the hunter’s objective, but it’s skill at mimicking hen calls that gets the job done.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

11

Photo by Jamie Linder

Turkey calling contests, especially at the national championship level, are about as far away from the turkey woods as you can get and as close to the turkey woods as you can get without actually being there. While a turkey calling contestant is on stage, the variety and accuracy of the vocalizations would draw even the most skeptical gobbler.

CALLING COMPETITIONS Although turkey calling contests have been going on since the 1940s, competitive turkey calling in Texas is still in its infancy.

"People across the nation, especially on the East Coast and in the Southeast, are born with calls in their mouths," Wade said.

"In Texas, where deer hunting has traditionally been king, we just haven't developed a strong competitive calling culture."

To illustrate his point, Wade noted that Texas has 2 million licensed hunters and hosted just under 50,000 turkey hunters during the 2020 spring season. At the 2021 Texas State Turkey Calling Championship in College Station in August, there were more out-of-state competitors than Texans entered. To qualify for the Grand Nationals, competitors must win a state calling championship. The state championships do not have to be earned in their home states.

That disparity with out-of-state competitors is something that Wade and his co-chair Larry Noble from College Station hope to change. The duo are exploring ways to increase prize money, scholarships and other enticements.

"Turkey calling is a powerful recruitment tool for turkey hunting," Wade said. "We need more turkey hunters because more turkey hunters means more turkey habitat. Save the habitat. Save the hunt."

Turkey calling is also a good way to introduce indoor kids to the outdoors. The equipment is inexpensive. Many tools are available online. Skills can be practiced in bedrooms and backyards as well as in the woods. And mentors are plentiful.

"If anyone is interested in turkey calling or turkey hunting, there's always somebody willing to teach them what they know," Noble said. "Turkey folks will give you the shirts off their backs."

While no two contests are exactly alike, they all follow a similar format. Youth competitors are divided into age groups, Photo by Larry Ditto

Photo by Jamie Linder

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

Photo by Jamie Linder

Turkey calling contestants use the same calls as hunters in the turkey woods. However, while hitting an imperfect note in the turkey woods isn’t a deal killer, contestants must be spot on to have a chance at winning.

Listen, learn and practice. That advice is sound for turkey hunters who want to become better at calling gobblers to the decoys as it is for turkey calling contestants purring for the big money.

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

MARCH 2022

Spring turkey hunting may well be the most thrilling, exciting, and rewarding hunting opportunity Texas can offer. Hearing and calling a tom on the lookout for hens, and trying to sit completely still as the toms strut their way in, is a remarkable outdoor experience.

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

TALKING LIKE A TURKEY IN THE WOODS

Photo courtesy of Slate and Glass

The most successful turkey hunters are those who understand turkey behavior.

“The challenge of turkey hunting is trying to manipulate a wild animal that has no interactions with humans into doing what you want,” said Norman “Norm” Wade, a long-time turkey hunter, former Texas State Turkey Calling Champion and Bass Pro Shop Pro Staff member. “You are talking to them in their language at their level and attempting to get them to come to you.”

The only way to do that consistently is to listen to the sounds that the turkeys are making at any given point during the day and know what those sounds mean in terms of turkey behavior.

According to Wade one of the most common mistakes that people make is calling too loudly too soon and too early.

“People like to hit the woods and just start calling as loud as they can, thinking they need it to cover distance,” Wade said. “That’s just like walking into a room unannounced and yelling. It startles everybody in the vicinity."

According to Wade, competitive turkey callers can have trouble transitioning to the hunting blind. The competitors are used to projecting, so that every note carries into every corner of a room. In the field, louder isn't necessarily better.

"I prefer the soft and subtle approach," Wade said.

For instance, as the sun is rising, the flock is beginning to stir on the roost. The tom that the hunter hears gobbling is

Many turkey hunters call too often and too loudly, according to two veteran Texas turkey hunters and calling contest competitors. In a turkey calling contest, the competitor wants to project to every corner in the room. In the turkey woods, the amount and decibel level of your calling depends on where the turkeys are and what they’re doing.

likely responding to the quiet vocalizations of the boss hen that is trying to wake up the entire flock so they can all fly down at once. Her job is keeping all the birds together because there is safety in numbers.

“Most people think you’re talking to the tom, but you’re really talking to the hen,” Wade said. “If she comes the toms will follow.”

A loud yelp in the quiet of the morning startles the birds.

It’s not natural. It means that something is wrong. And instead of bringing the birds toward the caller, it sends them in the opposite direction, he said.

Wade goes in with soft clucks and purrs like a content hen would use. The boss hen interprets that to mean that one of hers has already left the roost and needs to be collected, so she’ll bring the flock that direction.

“The tom is like a young man at the club—where the girls go, he’s going to follow,” Wade said. “His goal is to breed as many females as possible, so if there is one in the nearby area he’s going to go and try to pick her up and add her to his flock.”

When the boss hen starts talking to Wade, he’ll use his call to cut her off. In her experience, an aggressive response means the "back talking" hen is another dominant hen trying to claim the boss hen's territory and her flock. The boss hen shifts into protector mode and comes in fast looking for a fight. And the tom comes with her.

“The whole process is just fun and educational,” Wade said.

“Over a lifetime, you watch, learn and realize, ‘Oh, that’s how I can get them to do this.’”

In his decades of turkey hunting, he’s learned that birds under heavy hunting pressure will, as a flock, go quiet. A tom can exchange a gobble or two with a distant hen or hunter and immediately be able to pinpoint the location and may head that way without a lot of communication. Wade will continue to call softly as if everything is okay and she’s just feeding.

There are mornings that the turkeys for some reason have left the roost a little earlier than normal, so they’re at a different point in their feeding routine. Wade resists the urge to blast on the call and instead goes in soft and subtle. If within 20 or 30 minutes, it hasn’t resulted in a response, he’ll go louder. No response after another 20 to 30 minutes, he’ll go louder still.

Once a gobbler responds, and Wade has his attention, then Wade will drop the volume. Eventually, he may project his sound away from the tom to create the impression that the desirable hen is leaving, prompting the tom to come in faster.

“It’s just like a really good game of chess,” Wade said. “And I never know whether the bird or I will get the check mate.”

To tip the odds in his favor, Wade always sets up his blind, either a pop-up or just a brush pile, in front of the turkeys.

“It’s challenging enough to get them to come to you,” he said. “You sure don’t want to have to try to convince them to turn around. Figure out what they’re doing naturally—and use it to your advantage.”

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

13

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

Photo by Wyman Meinzer

and adult callers compete in friction and open divisions, as well as owl hooting and gobbling.

Each turkey calling division has a preselected call list of vocalizations such as the plain yelp of the hen, cutting of an excited hen and adult hen assembly call. With the exception of the two-person team competition at the Grand National Calling Championships, each competitor takes the stage alone and performs the prescribed number of vocalizations selected prior to the competition.

The contestants have a time limit; points are deducted for exceeding the limit. Callers in the friction division generally only use pot or slate-type calls or box calls, while open divisions usually feature mouth/diaphragm calls or other air-operated calls.

In turkey calling divisions, competitors are often given a set number of scenarios to perfect in advance. At the 2022 NWTF Grand National Calling Championships Senior Open Finals, one possible scenario is: Spring early season wake-up in a South Carolina cypress swamp. Mixed flock of mature hens, mature gobblers, young hens and young gobblers.

Contestants are required to create that scene using the specified vocalizations of turkeys, which in this case would be

A tom turkey in full spring regalia can be a breathtaking sight.

(Continued on page 16)

TALKING TURKEY X 2 As turkey hunting and turkey calling enthusiasts, Norman “Norm” Wade and Larry Noble, co-chairs of NWTF’s Texas State Turkey Calling Contest, are passionate about passing the tradition on to the next generation. Through their work with NWTF and other organizations, they’ve introduced countless youngsters to the world of turkeys including those in their own families. Most recently, Noble coached his eight-year-old grandson to the championship in the youth division at the 2021 state contest.

So we asked them a few questions about getting people started….

TWA: What’s the best call for a beginner?

LN: A box call. It’s a lot less frustrating. And the sound carries a good way, especially when it is cold.

NW: Box call, either a paddle or a button. Anybody can make a sound and that is all it takes to get started. Slate calls can be tricky to teach because everybody holds the striker differently just like they hold a pencil differently. And diaphragm calls can be hard for even experienced callers. Some people can’t ever use them without gagging.

TWA: What are the first vocalizations they should tackle?

NW: The easy clucks, purrs and yelps.

LN: The list for the poult (10 years and younger) competition includes: plain yelp of the hen, cutting of excited hen, adult hen assembly call, fly-down cackle, kee kee run, cluck and purr, yelp of excited hen and tree call. Those are good basic sounds for everyone.

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

MARCH 2022

TWA: What’s your best advice for an experienced caller who is teaching a novice?

LN: Keep practicing consistently but keep it fun. My grandson is eight years old. Last summer, after he decided he wanted to enter the contest, we practiced almost every day. But some days, he just wasn’t interested so we did something else.

I didn’t force him to practice because I didn’t want to make it seem like work.

NW: Be positive. At youth camps, we give kids a box call and hold a “competition.” I always tell the kids, “Hey, you got a sound out of it. Keep practicing because it’s only going to get better.”

TWA: What’s your best advice for a beginning turkey caller?

LN: Practice, practice, practice. And work with somebody who can listen to what you’re doing and give you some pointers on how to make it better. Then practice some more and get out there and do it—it ain't going to just jump over on you. It's a lot of hard, but fun work.

NW: Listen, listen, listen….to natural turkey sounds in the woods, on YouTube or recordings, or even in domestic flocks.

Watch, watch, watch…what turkeys do. Practice, practice, practice. Get feedback from other people.

Then, when you feel ready, try your sounds in the woods.

When you get a response from a turkey, memorize that sound and exactly what you did. Keep doing it. Remember the good and forget all the bad or you'll just psych yourself out before you get started.

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

TEXAS SPRING TURKEY OUTLOOK 2022 The ample rain and relatively mild temperatures across much of the state last summer created better than average nesting conditions for turkey hens.

“The cooler temperatures allowed turkey hens to stay on their nests longer,” said Jason Hardin, wild turkey program leader at TPWD. “When it’s extremely hot or dry, they tend to abandon their nests, which obviously impacts the hatch and next year’s population.”

With adequate winter moisture and an early spring greenup over the past few winters, Hardin anticipates a plentiful supply of two- to three-year-old gobblers throughout much of Texas’ traditional turkey range. Of course, a robust population doesn’t always equate to a full bag.

“Depending on conditions, the gobblers may all get ‘henned up’ and not respond to a call,” Hardin said. “Just because birds are there doesn’t mean hunters will bag them—and just because hunters aren’t bagging a lot of birds doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

In the summer of 2021, working with the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Technical Committee and the Southeast Wild Turkey Technical Committee, TPWD resumed its hen/ poult surveys. The survey, which has been on hiatus for the past 17 years, started again to help create a more complete picture of turkey numbers across the region.

“Because we’re all using the same survey methods, we get to compare apples to apples,” Hardin said. “And we’re sharing information across state lines and agencies to get more insight into the status of turkeys across the Southeast.”

The initial survey found that the Hill Country and the South Texas Sand Sheet, long known for high turkey density, still enjoy an embarrassment of riches. On the other hand, the population in the eastern Rolling Plains including Childress, Cottle and Collinsworth counties appears to be declining.

“Used to, farmers up there called to complain about turkeys eating their wheat and peanut crops, but now they’re calling and asking what has happened to the birds,” Hardin said.

To explore the perceived decline, TPWD personnel sampled 120 birds collected from Hardeman, Cottle, Collingsworth, and Childress counties in 2021 to check for disease. While they found evidence of REV and low path AI, the presence was within the expected norm.

“When you look for diseases in wild animals, you’ll find them,” Hardin said.

With disease ruled out, the department is currently calling for research proposals that explore habitat changes in the Rolling Plains to see if it is something at the landscape level that is prompting the change. For instance, in some areas farmers have begun growing cotton instead of wheat. There are also questions about the health of the old cottonwood stands in the lingering aftermath of the long-term drought that peaked in 2011. Those trees have served as primary roosts throughout the area.

RE-STOCKING IN EAST TEXAS Since 2014, TPWD has released 985 Eastern Wild Turkeys on 12 sites with a focus on the Neches River, Sulphur River, and Trinity River with priority areas located in Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cherokee, Franklin, Henderson, Rusk, Titus and Trinity counties. The effort, known as superstocking, is designed to saturate areas in contiguous tracts of prime habitat. The hope is that eventually the reintroduced flocks will reproduce, grow and eventually find one another to enhance genetic variability and increase continuity of the population.

At each site, TPWD reintroduces at least 80 birds at a ratio of three hens to one gobbler. The department hopes to stock Easterns at four additional sites this year.

“All we can do is put the birds on the ground,” Hardin said.

“They have to survive, nest and successfully rear poults. We’ll know in about another 10 years if it’s working.”

To help the birds succeed, TPWD also provides Pittman-Robertson funds to private landowners to improve habitat in and around the stocking sites through a partnership with NWTF and the Northeast Texas Conservation Delivery Network. In addition to Eastern Wild Turkeys, the department is reintroducing Rio Grande Wild Turkeys at priority sites along the Trinity River. This area is thought to be the far eastern edge of the Rio Grandes's traditional range.

NEW IN THE TURKEY WOODS Last fall, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission made three rule changes that affect spring turkey season.

First, all counties with a one-bird bag limit and spring-only turkey season now require mandatory harvest reports.

Second, Panola County’s spring Eastern Turkey season has been closed.

Third, the same North and South Zone boundary along Highway 90 is in effect for both spring and fall wild turkey seasons. Previously, the line shifted slightly in spring and fall.

This change went into effect in fall 2021.

“Hunters can—and should–check the online version of the Outdoor Annual for complete and updated regulations,” Hardin said.

Finally, turkey hunting is going high tech. Currently turkey hunters can use the Outdoor Annual app to hold proof of purchase of their hunting license on their phones. Beginning in the 2022-23 season, hunters will also be able to access a digital tagging system for species such as turkey that require tags. Physical tags will still be available.

“Digital tagging will not only be more convenient, but it will provide TPWD with more complete harvest data,” Hardin said. “Better data equals better management and decision making.”

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

15

THE (TURKEY) CALL OF THE WILD

Photo by Russell A. Graves

(Continued from page 14)

The beauty of wild turkey hunting is it’s a great experience to bring new hunters into the fold. The spring turkey woods are full of life and the weather can’t be beat…most of the time.

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

MARCH 2022

the cutting of an excited hen, a fly down cackle, a cluck and purr, and the yelp of an excited hen, as well as any other animals and birds that might be sharing the habitat. Some examples of "extras" include crow or owl calls.

"The goal is for people to close their eyes and think that there are turkeys in their natural habitat up on that stage," Wade said. "The woods come alive as these Grand Masters perform."

Regardless of the category, a panel of judges evaluates the performance. Each judge, using a numeric scoring system, tallies a total score for the contestant. The high and low scores are discarded, and the competitor with the highest cumulative total is declared the winner. In case of a tie, contestants will return to the stage for a "call-off," the rules of which have been determined ahead of time.

"Out in the woods, you can get a bird even with a mistake here or there—I've heard turkeys hit a bad note," said Noble, an avid turkey hunter and retired oil industry professional. "On the stage, you've got to get everything right every time if you want to be in the winner's circle. You've sure got to talk the talk."

Wade, who has garnered success both in the woods and in the spotlight, finds each setting challenging and satisfying.

When faced with the unfair question of which pursuit is the most fulfilling, he chose a third option.

"Calling a bird and getting it to come to you never gets old, but there's something about winning a contest, especially one of the major ones that brings together the best of the best, that is hard to describe. That feeling just goes on and on,” he answered.

"Honestly, though, my true passion is introducing youngsters to the woods, whether it's through calling, camping, fishing or hunting. People mentored and taught me, so now it's my turn. I want to teach young ones to be one with nature, to look around and understand what is really going on instead of just walking through it.

"Getting them involved is the only way that wild places and wild things will continue to exist."

Texas’ Monster Eight

Being at the Right Place at the Right Time Yielded an Unusual TBGA Buck Article by MATT WILLIAMS Photos courtesy of DAVID STROUD and TTHA

TWA Member David Stroud knew he had a monster buck the instant he had him in his sights. But it wasn’t until a taxidermist rough scored the buck and Boone and Crockett declared it the biggest eight-point buck harvested in Texas that it became official.

T

here was time when TWA Member David Stroud of Waco thought more points were better. That’s not the case anymore.

In December 2020, Stroud brought down a massive and unusual free ranging 4x4 in Uvalde County that is truly a buck for the ages. It’s hard to imagine a truly remarkable Texas white-tailed deer falling through the cracks for so long, but that’s exactly what happened with the whopper Stroud harvested 10 days before Christmas.

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

MARCH 2022

“It wasn’t a secret or anything, but I just didn’t run around telling a whole lot of people about it — that’s not the way I am,” Stroud said. “Obviously, the few people I did tell didn’t say much about it, either.”

But word finally leaked out and plenty of people had the opportunity to admire the buck courtesy of the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA) program. The buck captured first place in the low fence, typical white-tailed deer category for Region 4 for the 2020-2021 TBGA year and landed fourth place statewide.

TEXAS’ MONSTER EIGHT

One version of the story came during a phone call I had from one of Stroud’s long-time friends, Sean Willis of Huntington.

Willis is a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department wildlife biologist based in Lufkin.

Stroud contacted Willis shortly after a taxidermist rough scored the incredible rack on that pleasant afternoon last fall.

After hearing the measurements, Willis’ instructions to Stroud rang loud and clear.

“He told me not to take my eyes off those antlers for a second,” Stroud joked.

A MONSTER EIGHT Willis’ hint to keep the big rack close to the vest came because it is truly something special. In fact, as trophy whitetails go, Stroud’s buck may be about as close to harvesting a pink elephant or unicorn as you can get.

“It’s the buck of a hundred lifetimes,” Stroud said.

A slick eight pointer, the deer registers a gross Boone and Crockett score of 180 6/8. The official net score on the typical rack is 175 3/8 inches after deductions for lack of symmetry.

That’s well above the 170 minimum required for entry into the B&C All-Time record book in the typical category.

B&C Records Chairman Justin Spring said the official net score was adjusted upwards by 1/2 inch after a mathematical error was discovered in a review of the score sheet, which originally listed the buck at 174 7/8 net.

It takes a magnificent set of antlers to run up such a tally.

That’s especially true for a slick eight pointer.

Stroud’s buck has plenty going for it, including main beams longer than 28 inches, exceptionally tall tines and more than 40 inches of mass. The buck, believed to be 7 1/2 years old, has an inside spread of 17 3/8 inches.

According to Spring, record book eight pointers aren’t unheard of, but they certainly don’t come along very often.

“They are very rare,” he said. “This is an exceptional buck.

I can’t say for sure where it will rank nationally, but it’s definitely one of the top-scoring clean eight pointers ever harvested in North America that is in the record book.”

As Texas typical records go, the buck is the highest scoring free ranging eight pointer ever reported statewide. Only one other Texas 4x4 is listed in the most recent edition of B&C’s “Records of North American Whitetail Deer,” a 674-page hardback that chronicles North America’s biggest whitetails.

That buck was harvested in 1999 in Frio County by Thomas Burell. The net score on the Burell buck is 172 3/8.

A FAIRY TALE ENCOUNTER Good as Stroud’s buck is, the story behind how it all came together may be even better. Think fairy tale book.

Stroud, 67, is in the asphalt sales business. One of his customers owns a low-fence ranch spanning 40,000 acres in Uvalde County.

Stroud helps guide deer and turkey hunters there during hunting season. One of the perks is he is allowed to harvest a management buck each year.

Mature deer with eight or nine points are frequently considered management bucks and are culled on most managed properties to allow genetically superior bucks to populate the breeding herd.

The cull grade is a tad higher on this particular ranch.

Stroud said the property gets very little hunting pressure in the big scheme of things and it produces tall numbers of highquality bucks. All the hunts are by invitation only—just friends, family, and customers of the landowner.

“The place gets hunted hard for about one week out of the season and that’s about it,” Stroud said. “They harvest some really nice bucks, but there are a lot of the deer out there that die of old age. No doubt about it.”

Stroud was returning to the lodge with two hunters about noon on Dec. 16, 2020, when he rounded a corner in a pickup and saw two bucks standing at the end of a dead-end sendero, about 200 hundred yards away. One of the deer looked to be significantly larger than the other.

“He made the other one look like a dwarf,” he recalled.

Stroud stopped the truck and slipped quietly along the edge of the brush hoping to get a better look. When he peeped around the corner, the buck saw him and bolted into the brush.

Unaware that he’d just laid eyes on the biggest eight pointer in Texas, Stroud got permission from the landowner to go back to the area in hopes of getting a better look at the deer before his afternoon guide assignment. He grabbed a set of decorative antler sheds off a picnic table at the lodge on the way out.

“It wasn’t the best time of day to rattle, but I decided to try it anyway hoping I might get lucky,” he said. “I’m glad I did.”

Stroud’s massive and unusual eight-point buck was a hit during the 2020 Texas Big Game Awards tour. The buck captured first place in the low fence, typical white-tailed deer category in Region 4 for the 20202021 TBGA year and landed fourth place statewide.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

19

TEXAS’ MONSTER EIGHT

“He looked like cantaloupe in the middle of a plateful of grapes.” That’s how TWA Member David Stroud described his eight-point white-tailed buck when he saw it in the cooler with 26 other trophysized bucks.

It was about 2:30 p.m. when Stroud arrived back at the sendero. He climbed into an old box blind situated near a small opening surrounded by dense, lowcut brush.

Stroud clashed the antlers a few times before ducking inside the blind, hoping the sounds of a buck fight would entice the big deer to investigate.

Moments later, he got a text message from the ranch manager. His guide client had arrived and he needed to be back at camp in about 30 minutes.

With only 10 minutes left to hunt, Stroud reached for the rattlin’ horns one last time and pounded them together as hard as he could. That’s when something magical happened.

“Just as I lowered the horns that big son of a gun came striding out with his hair bristled up right in front of me,” he said.

“There was no questioning it. I could tell it was a really heavy eight pointer, maybe a 160-inch deer.”

Stroud easily made the 35-yard chip shot with his custom rifle, but admittedly had no idea how truly remarkable the buck was until later that night when he returned from the afternoon hunt.

That’s when he opened the door of the walk-in storage cooler filled with quality bucks harvested by the landowner’s friends over the past few days. It was a sight to behold.

“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “There were 26 other bucks on the floor scoring between 140 and 160, and then there was mine. He looked like cantaloupe in the middle of a plateful of grapes.”

Adding to the mystery of Texas’ new state record white-tailed eight pointer is the fact it occupied an area of the ranch that typically sees a significant amount of vehicle traffic by ranch employees, yet it had never been seen before by anyone.

“They run a bunch of game cameras, too, and nobody had a single picture of this buck,” Stroud said. “It was just sheer luck that I harvested him. I just happened to be right place at the right time.”

Editor’s Note—The original article first appeared in the November-December issue of Texas Trophy Hunters magazine.

Reprinted with permission.

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

MARCH 2022

Ranch financing throughout Texas and the

Not Just Your Bank, Your Partner.

Southwest is our specialty. That means you enjoy the highest level of coordination, communication and execution throughout your financing process with our Private Banking Team.

Roger Parker 210.209.8474 NMLS #794874

Joe Patterson 830.627.9335 NMLS #612376

Call our team and let us help you bring your deal to life.

Doing What We Promise

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

BY STEVE NELLE

Drama in Every Bush “Each plant species has its own drama. The stage is the farm. The farmer walks among the players in all his daily tasks, but he seldom sees the drama, because he does not understand their language. Neither do I, save for a few lines here and there. There is drama in every bush if you can see it. When enough men know this, we need fear no indifference to the welfare of bushes, birds, soil or trees.”

Aldo Leopold, 1939

S

ome of the necessary characteristics for successful conservationists are a keen sense of curiosity, observation, and self-study. Education through attentive observation is far more interesting and of even greater value than education from professors, books, and seminars.

The language of the land is written primarily in the plant life. Dr. Dale Rollins frequently asks landowners how “fluent” they are in their ability to read the land and their knowledge of plants. The truth is that many landowners, ranch managers and biologists know a great deal about the animals they raise but comparatively little about the plants that sustain them.

Whether you are a landowner, manager, hunter or birder, your ability to interpret and understand the land is largely tied to how well you know plants. As you gain a greater understanding of plants, you will develop deeper comprehension of soils, wildlife, livestock, and the whole tangled web of ecology.

Leopold pointed out that the farmers of his day generally lacked much botanical knowledge and had not yet learned to study the land. Most farmers and ranchers of that era were engaged in the everyday routine of raising crops and livestock and trying to make a living in hard times. Ecological curiosity and enlightenment were not priorities.

Even today, most landowners know five or 10 brush species and maybe a similar number of weeds and grasses. Much of our plant knowledge is focused on learning how to control a few problem species rather than trying to understand and manage the hundred beneficial species.

Too often we delegate the need for plant knowledge to the professional conservationists working for an agency or organization. But Leopold insisted that the private landowner is in the position to be the best conservationist of a tract of land.

Agency employees and professional conservationists have a role in assisting and educating but the leading role in conservation is always the landowner-caretaker who must decide what is best for his place and then must live with the decisions made.

Neither a university professor such as Leopold nor the professional conservation agent can see or understand the full drama of a farm or ranch. They may see bits and pieces and may be able to enlighten landowners and raise their awareness, but it is the landowners who must figure out the drama on their own places. As the drama is uncovered, the best direction of management becomes clearer.

Leopold discovered the drama of some of the plants and animals on his small weekend farm in Sand County, Wis., but he admitted that he had only a limited understanding. He did not live on the farm or make his living on the land. He knew that it requires years of careful daily observation to begin to unravel the interwoven drama on a piece of land.

The lesson is clear. The more we look, the more we will see and the better we will understand. For most people, a deeper understanding of their land will result in better stewardship.

Take time to walk the pasture, deer lease, woods or creek bottom and do it frequently and in all seasons. Take time to notice and study things that are not readily apparent. Ask yourself questions and then seek to find the answers. You are the best ecological detective your land will ever have—if you are curious, observant, and diligent.

Leopold concluded by saying that when people take the interest and effort to observe and learn the drama of the land, the result will be a greater degree of careful management. Conservation will not just be the topic of speeches and seminars—it will be the lifestyle and lifetime pursuit.

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

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

MARCH 2022

DLI

FE ASS O

C ON

T EX

TI

AS

IA

W

IL

V

EN

2022

TH

A N N UA L

V

S YE

EN

RT

TIO

N

THI

37TH ANNUAL CONVENTION

CO

N

JULY 14-17, 2022

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

ANNUAL PRIVATE LANDS SUMMIT • INFORMATIVE SEMINARS • MEET & GREETS • ENTERTAINMENT • FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!

FUN FOR EVERYONE!

COME SEE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!

EXCITING AUCTIONS WITH EXCLUSIVE HUNTS AND TRIPS!

TOP NOTCH TRADE SHOW!

TEXAS BIG GAME AWARDS STATEWIDE CELEBRATION

ANNUAL PRIVATE LANDS SUMMIT

BRING THE FAMILY! CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER ARE ADMITTED FREE!

Visit WWW.WILDLIFE2022.COM or call (800) 839-9453 for more information

d learn to rant the ertain and

Trail Trekking With Nancy Nine-Band

s t c a r e t n i and

Article by PEGGY MAXWELL Illustrations courtesy of TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

H

ey, TWA members. Tear out this Nancy Nine-band activity and head outside with your kids and grandkids to have some fun. And share with your friends.

HOWDY, Fellow Critters!

Color and cut out your customized Nancy Nine-band. Then pull on your boots, grab Nancy, a pen for the checklist above and head outside. Look up, look down and all around! Can you find all of the items listed? As you find each item, take pictures with Nancy included. Shoot us an email at TWA headquarters with two or three of your favorite pictures and tell us a little bit about how you and your family are helping conserve our beautiful Texas natural resources.

We will choose two lucky winners to be featured in a future Texas Wildlife edition.

Get Outside Young Stewards!

Send photos with summary to Peggy Maxwell Email: pmaxwell@texas-wildlife.org

Can You Find...? ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Something noisy An interesting cloud A spider web Animal tracks A seed or seed pod

ellow

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

MARCH 2022

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

An insect Something yellow A feather The moon 2 different shaped leaves

TRAIL TREKKING WITH NANCY NINE-BAND

NANCY NINE-BAND Nancy Nine-band is the mascot of TWA's youth publication Critter Connections. Nancy Nine-band has been helping kids connect, understand, and learn to love and respect all the animals and plants they meet outdoors.

Color, cut out, and attach Nancy Nine-band to a craft stick and take her on your next Trail Trekking Adventure.

✁

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

25

T WA M E M B E R P R O F I L E

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Jonathan Letz Leaving it Better

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Letz

Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD

Udo Letz (center) considered the hunters on the Cherry Creek Ranch not just friends, but sometimes family. This photo from the 1970s shows Udo enjoying the company of Sonny Molenaar (left) and Paul Stafford (right). Stafford has hunted the ranch since 1972 and has earned the moniker “Grandpa Paul” by the Letz grandkids.

T

WA Vice President Jonathan Letz is a master multi-tasker.

"I do a lot of different things, but I do them all because I enjoy them," said Jonathan, who lives near Comfort on the Cherry Creek Ranch which has been in his family since the 1930s. "My dad once told me, 'I don't care what you do for a career, but make sure that you enjoy it and you'll never have to go to work.'"

Upon graduating from the University of Texas in 1979 with a degree in business and in 1981 with another in petroleum land management, Jonathan went to work as a landman for Exxon, living in

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

Oklahoma City, Midland and Denver.

In 1988, he answered the Siren’s call of the Hill Country, where he'd spent his childhood holidays and summers.

"I started using Comfort as my permanent home address when I left Texas to attend prep school at Woodberry Forest School [in Northern Virginia]," said Jonathan, who was reared in Houston.

"It has just always felt like home."

Like the swallows that return to Capistrano, Jonathan's urge to return to Kerr County may have been coded in his DNA. Six generations have left their mark on the area since his first

MARCH 2022

German ancestors, the Ingenhuett, Flach and Letz families, arrived in the mid-1800s.

These days the entrepreneur not only co-owns and manages the ranch with his sister and brother-in-law, Paula and Freddie Russ, but owns and operates Southwest Turf and Irrigation, a full-service landscaping company, and co-owns and operates The Garden Haus, a retail nursery specializing in native Texas plants with his wife, Karen. The nursery is located at the former home of Karen's grandparents.

"I'm very fortunate that I'm surrounded by great people who share my vision, and we work together to accomplish what we need to," Jonathan said.

For most people, running three businesses and serving on the officer team of an influential statewide organization like TWA would be enough, but Jonathan isn't most people. He is also a Kerr County Commissioner, a position he has held for 25 years, as well as chair of the Plateau Water Planning Group— Region J, a position he has held for 23 years. And Jonathan serves on several community boards including the board of Grace Academy, a private school in Kerrville, where their 16-year-old son Gus is a sophomore; the couple's oldest son Sam, 17, is a senior at Tivy High School in Kerrville.

"It's [volunteer service] just something that I do—and have always done," said Jonathan, noting that he served on the Comfort School Board before he had children because community leaders requested it. "It's something that I feel in my heart is important. And I’m the type of person that if I'm involved, then I'm actively engaged and fully committed."

T WA M E M B E R P ROF I L E

THE LAND, THE LIVESTOCK, AND THE LEGACY In the 1930s, Jonathan’s grandfather, Udo Letz, purchased about 7,000 acres of a 14,000-acre ranch that was foreclosed on during the economic turmoil of the Great Depression. The ranch is in southeast Kerr County close to the Kendall County line.

Other members of the Ingenhuett and Flach families acquired portions of the same ranch, so neighbors were also family.

Riding around in the truck, working side by side on the ranch, and talking incessantly about wildlife, livestock, plants and the land, his grandfather “Pop” ingrained conservation principles and practices into Jonathan before the boy learned the word conservation.

"My grandfather left school in the eighth grade to go to work, but he was a voracious reader and one of the smartest men I ever knew," Jonathan said. "He did things for the land that nobody else was doing. Later, I learned those things were conservation.”

Udo, who ran the traditional Hill country mix of sheep, goats, and cattle, refrained from overgrazing in an era where most people kept their pastures grazed to the ground because they believed more animals meant more money. By the 1960s, concerned about the impact of sheep and goats on the landscape, Udo began running cattle only.

Today, the family maintains a 100-head cow-calf operation.

They rotate the herd through four pastures, keeping a constant eye on range conditions.

In the days of fence-to-fence clearing, Udo selectively cleared cedar. While he opened up the pastures to provide more grazing, he left scattered thickets to provide wildlife cover. The canyons remained in their natural state, creating undisturbed habitat for the white-tailed deer that he recognized as a valuable natural resource early on.

“He always relied on a livestock/wildlife balance,” Jonathan said. “He was never all or nothing—and neither are we. Balance and diversity are our goals.”

In addition to rotational grazing, the family relies on prescribed burning supplemented with mechanical control to manage brush. When conditions allow, they try to burn 500 700 acres per year with the goal of making a complete circuit through the ranch every 10 years. Mechanical control is used to further winnow small areas to get the preferred density.

“When I was about 13 or 14, Pop told me something I never forgot,” Jonathan said. “He said, ‘What we have to do is leave the land better than we found it.’ He did—and we’re trying.”

By all accounts, the generational efforts have paid off in abundant natural dividendss. In 2002, the Cherry Creek Ranch received TPWD’s Lone Star Land Steward Award. In 2013, the ranch earned the Wildlife Conservation Award (Region II) from the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Texas.

Photo by Paul Stafford

Every day is full. The hours fly by without Jonathan noticing.

"I'm doing something from the time I get up until the time I go to bed," Jonathan said. "Karen tells me it's usually 14 or 16 hours a day, but I honestly don't know. I enjoy it all, thoroughly, so it never really feels like I'm working."

Jonathan Letz and friend. Letz is TWA's vice president and one of the most energetic multi-taskers you’ll meet.

Because of its diverse mix of grasses, forbs, and trees (it is home to one of the easternmost bigtooth maple populations in the Hill Country), the ranch frequently hosts NRCS field days. The University of Texas and Texas A & M University have conducted a number of research projects on the ranch largely because of its great diversity.

THE WHITETAILS Udo began leasing the ranch for deer hunting in the late 1930s.

From the beginning, his hunters hailed from cities located off the Edwards Plateau such as Dallas, Amarillo, and Sugarland.

The elder Letz built hunting cabins on the ranch before he built his own house, where Jonathan and his family now live.

Not only did Udo identify and tap into this income stream before most of his peers, Udo designed a template for operating the lease program that the family still uses today. Instead of just selling access and giving the hunters the freedom and responsibility of managing the wildlife resources and associated

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

27

Photo by Paul Stafford

T WA M E M B E R P ROF I L E

Photo by Paul Stafford

TWA Vice President Jonathan Letz talks to the youngsters and their significant adults who gathered at the Cherry Creek Ranch last fall for a Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) hunt. Letz welcomed them to the ranch and explained the ethic of conservation and private land stewardship.

It takes a crew of motivated, dedicated volunteers to make a TYHP hunt successful. But TWA members have stepped up for 25 years and their efforts have introduced many hundreds of kids and adults to hunting, and the ethic of sportsmanship, conservation, and private land stewardship.

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

MARCH 2022

infrastructure, Udo created a model that resembles the hunting clubs popular in the Southeast. The big difference? The Letz family, not the hunters, handle governance and administration.

“We call all of the shots, so it protects our resources and gives us control of what happens on the ranch,” said Jonathan, noting they lease to 18 hunters annually, almost the same number his grandfather began with in 1937.

The family owns and maintains more than 30 blinds. The hunters can choose where they would like to hunt each day by signing up on a board that hangs in the mess hall; blinds are first come first served. The family provides all the feed and labor to service the corn feeders and protein feeders located throughout the ranch.

Cherry Creek Ranch, which has sections of both high and low fences, has been operated under the MLD program almost since its inception.

The family began working with thenTPWD Biologist Fielding Harwell, who helped them set up their deer management program.

"I remember Fielding telling Freddie and me 'You’ve got to be sure the deer have enough native groceries to be successful in deer management,'” Jonathan said.

In the early years, the family had more deer than the land could support, so they harvested about 160 annually. Today, thanks to a long-term disciplined effort, they take about 50 deer annually.

The hybrid-lease system works well.

Hunter turnover is relatively low. In fact, one of the hunters, Paul Stafford, has been hunting on Cherry Creek Ranch since 1972 when Udo was running the day-today operations.

"Paul is called ‘Grandpa Paul' by my sons and nephews," Jonathan said. "He is part of the family."

Most new members are referred by current members. If someone consistently creates problems or disrupts the harmony of the close-knit group, the person just isn’t invited back. Membership and renewal invitations are issued annually.

Personalities, cooperation, and trust are particularly important because the hunting cabins are within walking

T WA M E M B E R P ROF I L E

THE CHALLENGES The Hill Country is a microcosm of Texas, and the state’s conservation challenges stand in stark relief against the limestone outcrops and cedar brakes that characterize this fast-growing, rapidly developing, once-rural region.

From his vantage point, Jonathan sees water availability and land fragmentation as the region’s—and the state’s— overarching issues.

“Water is our biggest issue,” Jonathan said. “I don’t understand why people think they can stick their head in the sand and pretend this critical situation doesn’t exist.”

For instance, local studies in the western portion of Kerr County have shown that pumping from wells has a direct impact on the flow in the Guadalupe River.

“The more wells we drill, the more we impact the surface water,” Jonathan said. “By diminishing the flow in the river, those wells impact the water supply for thousands of people in Kerrville and beyond.”

The eastern portion of Kerr County lies over the Trinity Aquifer and presents a different conundrum. The Trinity recharges much more slowly than the karst aquifers such as the Edwards, so it is easy to over-tap it.

Successful management, regardless of the conditions, requires good information, local control, and a dose of reality.

“I’m a firm believer in private property rights and believe that people should be able to put in a housing development if they choose,” Jonathan said. “But, and this is a big but, they have to be realistic about what their development means for the water supply and the local groundwater district has to be realistic about what it can allow.”

At the ranch, they’ve been shielded from land fragmentation until recently.

Many of the neighboring properties have remained in large tracts, but that is beginning to change.

In addition to the commonly discussed issues associated with land fragmentation, Jonathan, through his work in the landscape company, has identified another.

“People are purchasing land, but they don’t understand what to do with land once they buy it,” Jonathan said. “They want to manicure it and make it park-like instead of managing it for productivity.”

Education helps. Every seminar, workshop and field day hosted by the likes of NRCS, Texas Agri-Life and TWA is important.

“People can’t do the right thing if they don’t know what it is,” Jonathan said.

THE EDUCATION, THE OUTREACH, AND THE ADVOCACY Jonathan “blames” Kirby Brown, former TWA CEO, for getting him involved in TWA. They served as co-chairmen of the committee responsible for creating the Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat

Photo by Paul Stafford

distance of the main house. Lives intersect. Jonathan, Karen, and the boys often visit and often eat with the hunters at the mess hall.

“Our hunters are part of the family,” Jonathan said. “It’s important that everyone gets along and respects one another.”

Jonathan understands the ranch’s rugged appeal as a hunting destination.

He took his first deer when he was six or seven years old, alongside Udo, using an open-sight .222. He has hunted the ranch every year since then. These days, though, he gets excited watching their sons hunt and often tasks them with harvesting a doe or management buck for the freezer.

“We eat a lot of venison,” Jonathan said.

Jonathan’s outdoor passion is wing shooting. His favorite days are spent in dove fields or pursuing wild quail.

For the past 36 years, the same group of college friends have been gathering for an annual dove hunt in Abilene during the opening week of the season. According to Jonathan, they are now including the third generation of hunters in the group; multi-generational family friendships have been forged and it’s one of the highlights of the year.

The opening week of deer season on the ranch is another special annual event. The extended Letz and Russ families and lease hunters gather to hunt, eat, laugh, and reconnect with each other and the land.

They anticipate the reunion all year long.

“It’s all about the people, but the land is our glue,” Jonathan said.

Quality, healthy habitat means quality, healthy animals. That’s an early lesson Jonathan Letz learned from his grandfather, Udo, who was practicing conservation on the Cherry Creek Ranch before conservation was cool.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

29

Photo by Paul Stafford

T WA M E M B E R P ROF I L E

The Cherry Creek Ranch is a textbook example of integrating livestock and wildlife in an overall management plan. Jonathan Letz stands among some of the Angus cows and calves that call Cherry Creek Ranch home.

Conservation Plan. The two knew one another from Brown’s time at TPWD but became close friends and trusted colleagues during the years-long process of crafting the SEP-HCP. When Brown suggested that Jonathan contribute his leadership to TWA, he also had to explain what TWA was and did.

At the time, the statewide organization wasn’t on Jonathan’s radar.

“I was attracted by TWA’s overall philosophy of balanced conservation,” Jonathan said. “It is pro-hunting, prolivestock and pro balancing the two. TWA is a collection of like-minded people who know how to manage land.”

Jonathan agreed to serve as a director but didn’t feel as if he was engaged enough. Soon he was serving on the executive committee where he came to fully understand and appreciate the necessity and impact of TWA’s

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

Conservation Legacy, Hunting Heritage, and advocacy programs.

“I am in legislative politics, so advocacy at the state level is where I found my first niche in TWA,” Jonathan said.

Even though his involvement had increased over time, Jonathan was surprised when he was asked to join the officer team. Before accepting the nomination, he discussed it with his wife.

She understands his passion for service.

“Karen said, ‘Sure, but I don’t know why you’re asking me. You’ve already decided to do it,’” he said laughing.

Recently, they co-hosted their first Texas Youth Hunting Program hunt on Cherry Creek Ranch. Jonathan believes in practicing what they preach. The weekend brought six fathers and six sons to the ranch. The parents all thanked them for the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with their children.

MARCH 2022

“There’s no better purpose than getting kids in nature and creating a place where parents and kids can connect,” Jonathan said. “And nobody does that better than TYHP.” He is equally enthusiastic about Conservation Legacy teaching school children where their water comes from and about what Texas wildlife needs to live and thrive. He believes in fighting to protect ethical hunting and wild things and wild places.

From his vantage point, TWA is worth his—and everyone else’s—time and effort.

“The hard part is getting our [TWA’s] message in front of people,” Jonathan said. “Once they hear it and understand what we’re about, they want to join or at least support it. Who doesn’t want to leave Texas better than they found it?”

GOOFY RANCH 2,355+ Ac. MaverickCounty

METATE CREEK RANCH 890+ Ac. AtascosaCounty

LEONA RIVER RANCH 5,000+ Ac. Frio County

DullnigRanches.com DullnigRanches@gmail.com 210.213.9700

SALES | AUCTIONS | FINANCE | APPRAISALS | MANAGEMENT CRAWFORD RANCH

3B GAME RANCH

ENTER THE

PROGRAM DEADLINE TO ENTER IS MARCH 1, ANNUALLY. For more information on how to enter, find a certified scorer and much more, please visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org

$13,500,000 | Carrizo Springs, TX The Crawford Ranch is a famed 3,015.149 acres in Dimmit County. A turnkey offering with a magnificent home, irrigation pivots, barns, guest homes, cattle pens, stables, and Nueces River frontage.

$3,750,000 | Aspermont, TX The 3B Game Ranch is an ideal turnkey operation, with frontage on both sides of the Salt Fork of the Brazos River. Set up for a family getaway, entertaining clients, company retreat, or any buyer looking for their own private getaway to enjoy.

VIEW MORE LISTINGS ONLINE AT

W W W. H A L L A N D H A L L . C O M WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

31

TEXAS WILDLIFE

POND MANAGEMENT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Getting a Head Start on Algae Management

Photo by Janet Barr

Article by BRITTANY CHESSER, Aquatic Vegetation Management Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service TODD SINK, Associate Professor and Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Filamentous algae mats covering a large pond area in late summer. To reduce the presence of these unsightly mats and to decrease the chances of a fish kill, filamentous algae should be treated early in the spring season once it begins to establish in shallow areas.

A

problem that seems to plague all pond owners at one point or another is filamentous algae, commonly referred to “pond scum” or “pond moss.” There are hundreds of freshwater filamentous algae species; however, most can be generally described as primitive plants, meaning they lack roots, stems, leaves or seeds, and many have a wool or cottonlike appearance.

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

During spring, filamentous algae will begin growing in shallow areas, almost like a carpet on the pond bottom. The growth will eventually cover any plants or other substrate that is present in the water column. Unfortunately, at this stage early in the year, the problem is typically overlooked.

Instead, during late spring and summer, pond owners may well become alarmed and seek management advice when these

MARCH 2022

filaments begin to die off and form surface mats when water temperatures rise. When this plant material breaks away from healthy growing filaments, gas from decomposition and photosynthesis becomes trapped in the filaments and causes them to float to the pond’s surface, creating an eyesore of large, bubbly mats.

Treating with an algaecide during summer months is risky and generally not recommended. That’s because decomposition in the water column comes at the expense of oxygen, and it becomes amplified at higher temperatures. At higher water temperatures, dissolved oxygen saturation is lowered. For example, maximum dissolved oxygen saturation at sea level at 50°F is 11.3 ppm, whereas it is only 7.5 ppm at 86°F. Many low dissolved oxygen fish kills are seen during July and August, with one of the leading causes being large amounts of aquatic vegetation dying off naturally or from chemical intervention. To reduce these unsightly mats and decrease the chances of a fish kill, filamentous algae should be treated early in the spring season once it begins to establish in shallow areas.

Excellent control can be achieved by using an algaecide containing a copperbased product (copper sulfate or chelated copper complexes) at labelled rates once the water temperature has stabilized above 60°F. These products are only effective on algal cells that they contact

POND MANAGEMENT

Photo courtesy of Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

directly, so they need to be sprayed uniformly across areas where filamentous algae are growing.

If there is a lesson to be learned, filamentous algae can quickly take over a pond, potentially causing irreversible damage. But treating early can reduce labor, treatment area, and chemical expense.

As always, the best type of management is proactive management. A pond owner can prevent algae growth by reducing water clarity through fertilization programs or pond dyes, limiting nutrients from entering the pond, and increasing aerobic bacteria through aeration.

Filamentous algae beginning to establish in shallow areas along the pond bottom and on rooted plants. The growth will eventually cover any plants or other substrate that is present in the water column.

For more photos, key characteristics, and management recommendations, please see: ht t p s://a q u a p l a nt .t a m u .e d u /p l a nti d e n t i f i c a t i o n /a l p h a b e t i c a l - i n d e x / filamentous-algae/ http://agrilife.org/fisheries2/files/2013/09/ Managing-and-Controlling-Algae-inPonds-Manual-format.pdf

THE LAND creates a LIFESTYLE which leaves a LEGACY.

Long Term Hunters Wanted!

• Rancho Rio Grande - Del Rio, TX MLD 3, $15/ac, Hwy 277 Frontage, water & electric

– 6,000 ac, Axis, Duck & Quail

Live Water: Rio Grande River, Tesquesquite Creek and a canal.

• Harwood - Brackettville, TX MLD 3, North of Hwy 90, main camp area

– 9,170 ac , Whitetail, Some Exotics

Specializing in: Farms, Ranches and Hunting Properties Throughout TEXAS! j Call Me Today i

Johnny Baker Realtor Associate

www.txland.com johntxland@gmail.com 713-829-9951

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

33

TEXAS WILDLIFE

B ORDERL ANDS NEWS BORDERLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY

Crowded Mountains

Managing Competition Between Desert Bighorn, Mule Deer, and Aoudad

Photo by Carlos “Lalo” Gonzalez

Article by DANIEL WILCOX, JUSTIN T. FRENCH, SHAWN S. GRAY, FROYLAN HERNANDEZ, CARLOS E. GONZALEZ and LOUIS A. HARVESON

Desert bighorn are specialists, highly adapted to living in steep terrain and high elevations. Their narrow niche makes them more succeptible to the effects of competition because they cannot shift their niches as easily as generalists can.

A

oudad are a wild sheep native to northern Africa, but have become a popular big game species in the Trans-Pecos.

Their propensity for rugged terrain, wariness, and relative affordability make a challenging sheep hunt accessible to many hunters, which has led to an explosion in their popularity. While limited data are

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

available, anecdotal accounts from guides and landowners suggest aoudad hunting is now a significant economic driver in the Trans-Pecos, if not one of the leading ones.

Aoudad are becoming culturally emblematic in the region as well, with images of aoudad skulls featured prominently in guide service logos, on hats, and on truck decals.

MARCH 2022

However, aoudad populations have exploded nearly as quickly as their popularity. Recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) surveys counted more than 5,000 animals in three adjacent mountain ranges in a single day. It is not uncommon to see herds numbering in the hundreds along state highways as you go through mountain passes, making the mountains look like brown waves. The sheer abundance of mouths to feed raises concern for the grazing and browsing impacts aoudad have on fragile mountain ecosystems, but their interactions with native desert bighorn and mule deer further complicate matters.

Both desert bighorn and mule deer populations declined in the TransPecos in the early 20th century. Early intervention and natural resilience led to mule deer recovery, but desert bighorn went extinct in the region by the mid-1960s. Fortunately, subsequent reintroduction, habitat improvement, and herd management efforts returned desert bighorn to historic population levels in the Trans-Pecos by the 1990s, representing a resounding conservation success.

Desert bighorn, mule deer, and aoudad share many similarities. All three are large, browsing ungulates, though desert bighorn and aoudad can also graze during lean habitat conditions. All three species occupy rugged terrain, though mule deer occupy low mountains and foothills while bighorn prefer high elevations.

Aoudad, on the other hand, are known to use both. Aoudad are also more gregarious than mule deer and hardier than desert bighorn. They are resistant to, but known to carry, diseases associated with desert bighorn die-offs, and reproduce much more quickly than the two natives. These similarities and advantages suggest that aoudad could compete with native species and likely outcompete them.

Competition among species is a complicated game where the outcome depends on numerous factors. In addition, there is almost no information on which to base management decisions regarding aoudad.

While their interactions withFigure native 1 ungulates in Spain are well-studied, results were context-dependent, contingent on the available habitat and the species with which they interacted. This means that results from other areas are unlikely to reflect conditions in the Trans-Pecos.

While one study suggests aoudad and mule deer may compete in the Texas Panhandle, stark differences between the Caprock and Trans-Pecos limit its usefulness to guide management in the Chihuahuan Desert.

To begin filling the gap, TPWD and Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) partnered in 2018 to study interactions between desert bighorn, aoudad, and mule deer in a co-occupied mountain range in the Trans-Pecos. Again, competition is a complicated game, but comparing how each species uses habitat was a logical starting place.

We did this by comparing each species' niche, which is simply the range of various conditions they can use successfully.

The niche is closely tied with familiar terms, such as generalist and specialist; generalists have broad niches, allowing them to use a wide range of conditions, while the opposite is true for specialists.

Photo by Ben Masters

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

Mule deer are generealists, meaning they can use a wide variety of resources successfully. This ability makes them more resilient to competition than specialist species because they can simply utilize a different part of their niche that competitors do not occupy.

Figure 1: Niches of desert bighorn (blue), mule deer (green), and aoudad (red). Each point corresponds to an individual animal, while its position reflects how they use resources on the landscape. We see that desert bighorn and aoudad have small, overlapping niches, while mule deer have a much larger niche with minimal overlap with the other two species.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

35

BORDERL ANDS NEWS

Species' niches, which drive competition, change depending on several factors.

This is, in fact, the underlying reason why studies in Spain or even the Texas Panhandle are difficult to use; they only show a snapshot of the niche under a particular set of circumstances.

Returning to aoudad’s small niche, the population we studied was relatively small due to active control measures by the landowner before our study. With fewer mouths to feed, individuals within a population experience less competition with each other and can use the best resources available to them. As the population grows, it is easier to use a lower quality resource than compete for the best ones.

This makes a population’s niche density-dependent, getting larger as individuals are forced to make tradeoffs to access resources. Ultimately, this suggests that the aoudad population we observed is small enough that these aoudad are not competing among themselves, and that

Photo by Olivia Gray

When two species’ niches overlap, they are likely to compete when resources are limited, which is often the case in the desert. This is because they have similar needs, but there is not enough of the resource to go around.

We saw that desert bighorn and aoudad had small but overlapping niches (Figure 1). On the other hand, mule deer had a broad niche that was mostly separated from the other two species.

This suggests that aoudad were likely to compete with desert bighorn but not with mule deer under the conditions we observed. These results are also consistent with what we know about desert bighorn and mule deer behavior; desert bighorn are specialists with a small niche, while mule deer are generalists with a broad one.

However, aoudad are commonly thought of as generalists while their niche suggests they are specialists.

But remember, competition is a complicated game.

Aoudad are widely considered generalists, as their success in a wide variety of habitats would indicate. However, at low density, aoudad appear to select a narrow range of habitat conditions, similar to a specialist. This suggests the aoudad we observed are not competing among themselves for their ideal resources.

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

MARCH 2022

the species can “act like” a specialist. As the population grows, we would expect their niche to broaden, looking more like that of a generalist.

As any of the three species’ niches changes, so does the competition among them. Competition can make niches shrink, expand, or move as each species tries to adapt to it. Understanding how these niches change as aoudad populations increase is the key to managing them.

Investigating niche processes will allow us to understand how desert bighorn, aoudad, and mule deer interact in more than snapshots, and will answer questions like “How do desert bighorn respond to competition with aoudad?” “Do aoudad compete with mule deer at higher densities?” “How many aoudad can a desert bighorn or mule deer population coexist with?”

Answers to these questions are the key to setting achievable goals in managing issues associated with aoudad. While many advocate for eradicating aoudad, removing them from the landscape is likely impossible. Their sheer abundance in certain areas, rapid reproductive rate, hardiness, and the rough terrain they occupy present insurmountable logistical challenges to such efforts.

Aoudad are also economically important to numerous landowners and stakeholders who also actively manage habitats for native desert bighorn and mule deer, further complicating appropriate management. Recognizing these realities, it is crucial to investigate how competition can be appropriately managed to ensure the persistence of natives alongside their new neighbors.

To that end, TPWD and BRI continue to investigate how these species interact.

We are currently researching how desert bighorn, aoudad, and mule deer are distributed on the landscape, how they share resources in time, and how similar their diets are throughout the year. We are also expanding the work presented here to examine how these species’ niches change with increasing aoudad abundance and, ultimately, provide useable management guidelines to conserve our native wildlife in a changing landscape.

TEXAS WILDLIFE

GUNS & SHOOTING

Hand Cannons Part One

Article and photos by STAN SKINNER

This .44 caliber, 4 ½-pound Colt Walker replica with its 9-inch barrel dwarfs a Model 1911A1 semiauto pistol chambered for .45 ACP.

W

hat is a “hand cannon?”

There is no precise definition of a hand cannon.

However, most shooters understand that it’s a hand-held firearm with so much power that it’s intimidating to shoot, leaving ordinary handguns in the proverbial dust.

In 1971, “Dirty Harry” Callahan declared the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum to be “the most powerful handgun in the world,” which clearly places it in the hand cannon category. Yet, earlier hand cannons existed as far back as the late 18th century.

These early hand cannons were flintlock and, later, percussion smoothbore “horse

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

pistols.” Although they were powerful, they had limited value for self-defense or other purposes.

Then, in 1846, a collaboration between firearms inventor Samuel Colt and a Texas Ranger captain named Samuel Hamilton Walker produced a hand cannon that would become a legend for its power.

They were manufactured for Colt in 1847

by Eli Whitney, Jr. in Connecticut.

One thousand were made for the U.S. military with another 100 for private distribution by Colt. The Walkers were issued to the U.S. Mounted Rifles and were used in the war with Mexico.

Captain Walker himself had received a pair of the Colt Walkers only a few days

MARCH 2022

before he was killed leading his troops into battle.

The huge Colt Walker weighs 4 ½ pounds with a 9-inch barrel. It can launch a .44 caliber ball at 1,350 feet per second (fps) with an effective range of 100 yards or more. Propelled by up to 60 grains of black powder, this nearly eclipsed the somewhat later .44-40 cartridge chambered in the 1873 Winchester and Colt Single Action Army revolvers.

The Colt Walker embodied a couple of other firsts. It was the first six-shooter as the earlier Paterson revolver held only five shots. The Walker also had the first fixed revolver trigger inside the trigger guard.

The Paterson’s trigger folded into its grip when uncocked.

On the minus side, owing to primitive 19th century metallurgy, a few Walker cylinders ruptured under the maximum 60-grain powder charge. As a result, Colt recommended scaling back to 50 grains, which still yields more than 1,000 fps.

The Walker’s loading lever also caused problems. Because it had no latch to lock it under the barrel where it belonged, the Walker’s mighty recoil often caused the lever to flop down, which prevented the cylinder from rotating until the lever could be tucked back into place.

A simple fix at the time involved a rawhide string tied around the barrel and lever to solve the problem. Later Colt cap and ball revolvers had an under-barrel latch that held the end of the loading lever securely.

If you desire to own an original Colt Walker, you’d better have deep pockets.

In 2008, a Walker that had been owned by a Mexican War veteran sold at

GUNS & SHOOTING

auction for $920,000. More recently, in 2018, the only known surviving example complete with its case was sold at auction for $1.84 million.

A more realistically priced option for someone who just wants to shoot a Colt Walker would be a replica made by a company such as Uberti of Italy or any of several other replica firearm manufacturers. Equally important, modern metallurgy and manufacturing methods make it unlikely you’d experience a ruptured cylinder with a replica as you might with an original.

Firearms historian Garry James owns this .577 Snider Howdah pistol, made in Calcutta, India, by R. B. Rodda and Company. A Howdah is a basket-like contraption on the back of an elephant used by British sportsmen when hunting tigers.

The cigar-sized .577 Snider cartridge fired from a Howdah pistol makes a powerful deterrent to any tiger that climbs into your Howdah.

Firing this .577 Snider Howdah pistol produced surprising accuracy and impressive recoil.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN INDIA Across the pond, the British Raj developed its own hand cannon in India for a distinctly different purpose. As the East India Company expanded Queen Victoria’s Raj, young British adventurers flocked to the Indian subcontinent.

In their idle moments they soon took up tiger hunting.

This was usually done from the back of an elephant in a basketlike contraption called a Howdah. Tigers were well known to become surly when molested, and they sometimes tried to leap into a Howdah to join an understandably agitated and upset sportsman.

This created a need for what became known as a Howdah pistol to deal with such matters. A typical Howdah pistol was a double-barreled breechloader operated by a pivoting underlever.

Fitted with a pair of very large caliber rifled barrels, a Howdah pistol usually was chambered for a self-contained cartridge such as the .577 Snider, a British Army rifle cartridge introduced in 1867.

Fired from a Martini Henry rifle, the .577 Snider launched a 480-grain bullet at 1,300 fps, generating about 1,680 foot-pounds of energy. However, the much shorter barrels of a Howdah pistol reduced these numbers considerably.

I had the opportunity to handle and fire an original .577 Snider Howdah pistol owned by firearms historian and collector Garry James. This well-crafted and engraved piece was made in Calcutta, India, by well-known arms maker R. B. Rodda & Company.

An under-lever fits closely around the trigger guard and pivots to the right, which tilts the two barrels down for loading. Double triggers trip a pair of beautifully sculpted outside hammers mounted on scroll-engraved sidelocks.

The dark walnut grip and fore stock have full coverage of fine checkering in a point pattern with an initial escutcheon on the grip’s wrist. As well as being a formidable hand cannon, this is a state-of-the-art example of gun making at the pinnacle of the British Raj. At the range, we placed some small cans about 10 yards downrange. I loaded two cigar-sized .577 cartridges and rotated the lever to close the breech. Aiming carefully, I fired a quick left and right and was pleased to see two cans bounce with the impact of 480 grains of lead.

Having experienced the accuracy and whopping recoil of this powerful pistol, I am confident that it would be entirely sufficient to discourage any tiger from sharing my Howdah.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

39

Photo by Rita Frey

M I T I GAT I N G U R B A N I Z AT I O N

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

MARCH 2022

MITIGATING URBANIZATION Article and phtos by MATT WYATT

U

Not only is Texas the second-most populous state in the country, but it ranks seventh in growth from 2020-21 with a 1.1 percent rate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In terms of raw numbers, Texas ranks No. 1 with more than 300,000 people added to the state’s population during that time.

The state’s cities swell, as well.

According to Consumer Affairs’ ranking of the most recent decennial census, nine of the U.S.’s top 15 growing cities by percentage are in the Lone Star State.

Urban wildlife biologists are among those at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the effects of this growth by striking a balance between urbanization and nature.

The job entails a little bit of everything.

Urban wildlife biologists provide technical guidance to local governments, Photo by Cullen Ondracek

rbanization can be a gray and gloomy word.

It signifies concrete and cars, the hustle and noise of city life. One might not associate it with words like “wildlife” or “habitat,” at least not positively.

“Whenever we throw around ‘urbanization,’ all we envision is traffic and tall buildings,” said Sam Kieschnick, a TPWD urban wildlife biologist based in Dallas.

Urbanization comes with certain connotations, but Kieschnick does not want us to despair. Many people are devoting their life’s work to mitigating the negative impacts of population growth by preserving greenspaces, protecting wildlife, and helping communities better interact with nature.

“There are definitely reasons for optimism in these urban areas,” he said.

Coastal prairie habitat, just like the blackland prairie to the north, is merely a remnant of its original size. One of the efforts underway at the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail in Pearland is coastal prairie restoration.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

41

M I T I GAT I N G U R B A N I Z AT I O N

Photo by Matt Wyatt

corporations, and private citizens alike. They influence public policy and planning, collect data on wildlife, and engage in public outreach to inform communities about the critters in their backyards. That could include issues from nesting Bald Eagles to predator sightings like coyotes, bobcats, mountains lions, and more.

Photo by Cullen Ondracek

Dallas urban biologist Brett Johnson stands in “one of the best grasslands left in Dallas” at Crawford Memorial Park. It’s a remnant of native blackland prairie, an ecosystem that now is functionally extinct.

Teaching kids about wildlife conservation and the effects of poaching is critically important and one of the education events that families visiting the Delores Fenwick Nature Center in Pearland can enjoy.

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

MARCH 2022

TPWD The public interaction aspect of the job is perhaps what truly separates urban biologists from their wildlife biologist counterparts. Kelly Conrad Simon, TPWD’s urban wildlife biologist for the Austin area, describes her job as a wildlife biologist with an added ingredient: people.

“We’re required to be jacks of all trades when it comes to things that are ecosystem-related and wildlife management-related. We need to know not only how wildlife and the land coexist, but we also need to understand how people interact with the environment,” Simon said.

Kieschnick added: “As urban biologists, we have to deal a lot with not just the public, but also with those public land managers like the city councils, the park boards, city managers. So, [it's] definitely challenging, but there’s a lot of hope and optimism in it, too.”

In a rural environment, a wildlife biologist might influence just one landowner on 5,000 acres. In a big city, 5,000 acres could easily mean thousands of people, each with differing opinions, agendas and needs. This presents unique challenges for urban wildlife biologists.

It takes a rare breed to do it. And these folks, few though they are (TPWD employs fewer than a dozen), play an important role in protecting wildlife, habitat, and greenspaces for the rest of us.

DALLAS-FORT WORTH In addition to TPWD, several Texas cities have recognized the need for urbanwildlife mitigation. Brett Johnson is the only urban wildlife biologist on the city of Dallas payroll, and just one of a handful working for a U.S. city.

very strict protocol to ensure humane handling—such things as a time limit on hogs in the trap after the gate closes and shutting down trapping when the weather gets too hot—targets pigs mainly where they are clustered on the south side of town.

The purpose of the pig trapping has little to do with human-pig interaction.

Pig attacks on humans are extremely rare. Instead, Johnson said it is a land management tool, removing an invasive species that destroys public and private property and can also spread disease and degrade water quality by wallowing.

Changing the mindset of the community by helping people understand why hog trapping is necessary, and that it is done humanely, is crucial in a major city like Dallas. At a recent trapping site at a local park, sign of rooting pigs was found within sight of a school, church, and residential neighborhood.

The success that Johnson is finding with Dallas’ feral hog trapping program stems from pioneering work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.

The war on feral hogs has been waged since they were first sighted on the refuge in the summer of 1999. Since then, populations have been actively controlled.

An ecosystem works best when all species have healthy habitat. At the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail in Pearland, visitors can see this dynamic in action.

Photo by Matt Wyatt

He doesn’t know what will happen from day to day, part of what he loves about the job.

“I refer to myself as a highly specialized generalist,” Johnson said. “It’s a wildlife biologist meets PR meets sociology.”

Some of the greatest challenges he faces is protecting habitat.

Only about 5,000 acres of blackland prairie remain intact across Texas. It is considered a functionally extinct ecosystem. About 200 acres remain in the Dallas parks system, a conglomeration of about 400 parks where Johnson does a lot of his work.

While standing in a 20-acre tract in Crawford Memorial Park on the southeast side of town, Johnson proclaimed the area as "one of the best grasslands left in Dallas."

Tucked away in this city park, a mixture of milkweed, little bluestem and hundreds of other native plant species sustain incredible biodiversity, hidden in plain sight in the middle of one of the largest cities in the country. Volunteers from the Texas Master Naturalist program, which multiplies the efforts of urban wildlife biologists with statewide chapters, help Johnson by removing invasive species, documenting plants, and ensuring the stewardship of this swath of remnant prairie.

The preservation of this prairie is essential for the creatures that depend on it.

“The prairie remnants are a critical component to our overall pollinator conservation efforts,” said Johnson.

The city has 16 recognized monarch waystations in the park system.

While work is ongoing to preserve the few remaining acres of blackland prairie, the Trinity River creates large scale habitat.

With it comes large scale challenges.

The Trinity River flows right through the heart of Dallas, and the Great Trinity Forest, at over 6,000 acres, is considered the largest urban forest in the U.S. Unfortunately, it also provides natural corridors for invasive feral hogs.

Johnson runs one of the biggest feral hog trapping programs in the country.

His operation, which uses trappers contracted by Dallas and adheres to a

Photo by Cullen Ondracek

M I T I GAT I N G U R B A N I Z AT I O N

A monarch waystation at Crawford Memorial Park in Dallas. Even in city settings, or perhaps especially in such settings, both plant and insect pollinator species need adequate habitat to thrive.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

43

M I T I GAT I N G U R B A N I Z AT I O N

“The battle wages on, but we have had successful skirmishes,” Nature Center Manager Rob Denkhaus said. Denkhaus is also an adjunct professor of environmental science at TCU. He refined a system that focuses on efficiency. Trapping entire sounders is key. Stragglers left outside can become educated about the trap and cause problems in the future.

The program is highly successful. The longest pig-less streak at the 3,600-acre refuge is 41 months. Remarkable for a property that has the West Fork of the Trinity flowing through it.

“The fact that here at the nature center, and North Texas in general, that we handled our wild pig problem well, that makes it easier to deal with other urban wildlife issues because you build a layer of trust and support,” Denkhaus said.

The refuge itself is a hidden treasure in DFW and a testament to the preservation of natural habitats. It’s an impressive mixture of prairies, forests, and wetlands. It’s even home to bison and a prairie dog town.

“We have everything North Texas is supposed to have and a few extras,” Denkhaus said.

PEARLAND Just outside of Houston, Pearland’s Delores Fenwick Nature Center is headquarters for natural resource manager Cullen Ondracek, who is working to “naturalize” this rather unnatural site, adjacent to a recycling center and a wastewater facility.

The 42-acre nature center is multifunctional. Inside, it serves as an educational tool for residents by hosting workshops and keeping native species in-house, including alligators. Outside,

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

MARCH 2022

Photo by Cullen Ondracek

A blue heron in the natural wetlands at the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail in Pearland.

two ponds, floating wetlands and a massive rookery provide plenty of waterfowl viewing opportunities. Bald Eagles can occasionally be seen here.

“The nature center is a great starting point for a lot of people,” Ondracek said.

And the nature center is only the beginning for Ondracek, who is doing meaningful habitat work in the U.S. city ranked eighth in growth percentage on the Consumer Affairs list.

Pearland is ahead of the curve in finding ways to counter urbanization. Like Dallas with its urban biologist in Johnson, Pearland is one of few cities to have a dedicated natural resource manager on staff. The desire is reflected even in the design of retention ponds, providing both waterfowl habitat and flood control. The dual function is significant, especially with flooding in the back of every Houston-area resident’s mind.

Retention ponds are typically designed to hold deep water with steep slopes that prevent aquatic vegetation from growing.

Pearland has a pair of ponds with gradual slopes designed with shallower water, ideal for waterfowl.

“It still has the ability to store stormwater but also provides wildlife habitat, recreation value for wildlife watching, and improved water quality, as the wetland vegetation can help filter the water before it enters the creek,” Ondracek said.

Perhaps the crown jewel of Pearland and Ondracek’s efforts can be found at the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail.

Typically, retention ponds are constructed with steep banks. At the Delores Fenwick Nature Center in Pearland, however, retention ponds are constructed with sloping banks like a natural wetlands. This makes the pond more attractive to waterfowl and other water birds.

Photo by Cullen Ondracek

M I T I GAT I N G U R B A N I Z AT I O N

Photo by Cullen Ondracek

The Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail in Pearland gives urban and suburban folks in the Houston area an opportunity to escape the noise and bustle of city life and learn a little about the natural world.

Paid staff can’t do it alone. Volunteers in the Pearland area help nature sites replace invasive trees with Texas natives.

About 15 miles from the heart of downtown Houston lies a slice of sanctuary. The drive to it reveals all the typical signs of urbanization: Traffic cones, workers, asphalt, planned neighborhood developments. But once you step foot on this 42-acre tract, that all melts from memory.

Here you can see white-tailed deer as you walk near Clear Creek, Wood Ducks flying over natural wetlands and an ambitious prairie restoration project. Like blackland prairie, coastal prairie habitat is a shell of its former self, existing at about 1 percent of its historical expanse.

The prairie restoration project on 10 acres at Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail seeks to restore a piece of natural history. Chinese tallow trees, an invasive species, were removed and native seeds were planted. Upland birds have started using it again.

“When people think of city parks, there’s kind of the impression of a few large trees and a mowed greenspace.

What I’m really trying to work on is getting more of these natural areas that are more representative of the habitat that would have been here naturally occurring, and that’s much more beneficial for wildlife, a greater diversity of plants,” Ondracek said.

What’s more, the parks and projects Ondracek works on will continue and increase in perpetuity thanks to Pearland’s parkland dedication ordinance, which requires new residential developments to set aside greenspace to offset the impact of new residents.

“There are so many different needs of the community. People want houses, shopping, and restaurants. But they also want access to nature. And that’s part of my job is trying to find some sort of a balance, doing these projects within our parks and trying to provide spaces,” Ondracek said.

While the work of Johnson in Dallas and Ondracek in Pearland is far-reaching and important, it is just a small sampling of efforts across Texas to mitigate the effects of urbanization. Their dedication is shared by many others. And because of that, there is plenty of reason for optimism when you hear the word “urbanization.”

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

45

The smiles say it all. Harvesting your first deer is exciting enough, but when it’s a nice buck, the experience becomes even more memorable.

TYHP

Silver Anniversary of the Nation's Gold Standard Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photos courtesy of TYHP

W

hen it comes to recruiting young people into the ranks of educated, safe and responsible hunters who value private land stewardship, the Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) is the nation's gold standard—and has been for 25 years.

"Our goal was to create a program that gets kids involved in hunting while emphasizing wildlife management and land stewardship," said Dr. Wallace Klussmann, professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, who has been dubbed

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

"the founder" of TYHP. "Obviously, engaging young people in the outdoors is important because they are the leaders of tomorrow."

By all objective measures, the founding visionaries and successive generations of volunteer leadership have hit their initial targets. Since its creation in 1996 through October 2021, the program has impacted more than 76,000 hunters, parents, and volunteers through the 3,518 hunts it has hosted.

During that time, 27,250 young hunters have been introduced to safe, ethical

MARCH 2022

hunting and come to understand the value of private land stewardship as more than 700 ranches have opened their gates and shared their wildlife resources. Many ranches hold youth hunts year after year.

"Texas has distinct advantages— lengthy seasons, liberal bag limits and passionate volunteers and landowners," TYHP Executive Director Chris Mitchell said. "Even though most of the land is privately owned, generous landowners let strangers come hunt on their farms and ranches because they care about the future of wildlife and hunting."

T Y H P S I LV E R A N N I V E R S A RY

A typical hunt begins Friday evening when the youth hunters and their significant adults arrive. (Each hunter is accompanied by one family member or guardian.) In short order, the participants undergo a safety and hunt orientation; a game laws, wildlife management and wildlife identification review; and firearm/ammo inspection.

The landowner also shares ranch rules and ranch history before the participants are dismissed to the shooting range where leaders ensure everyone can handle firearms proficiently and safely. While there, the leaders deliver some hands-on hunter education and wildlife activities.

The youth, their significant adult and a volunteer hunting guide take to the field Saturday morning and evening and again Sunday morning. Youth who successfully harvest game learn how to properly process the meat.

On Saturday night, stories and experiences are swapped around a campfire, further initiating the novices into the hunting community. After Sunday morning's hunt, the participants clean up all evidence of their stay, pack their bags, and take their meat and memories home.

"Our success is built on our large volunteer base and the support of the hunting community," said Mitchell, noting no upstart program can hope to operate on TYHP's scale just relying on paid agency or organization staff from a single organization. "Hunters like to pass along the knowledge they've acquired about the species they like to pursue and bring new people into the tradition to share their passion."

While the majority of TYHP hunts center on white-tailed deer, landowners across the state have made it possible for the young hunters to pursue a wide variety of wildlife in a wide variety of styles ranging from archery and spotand-stalk to hunting from stationary blinds. In addition to "everyday" species such as waterfowl, dove, feral hogs, and turkeys, TYHP participants can claim coveted spots for "exclusive" species such as javelinas, alligators, and pronghorns.

One of Mitchell's favorite TYHP stories centers on the program's first pronghorn hunt in the Panhandle. Unlike most

The first event on a TYHP hunt, before a youngster and their significant adult head out to the deer blind, is to acquaint the young hunters with firearm safety. It’s the top priority for HuntMasters helping out of TYHP hunts and lays a solid foundation for the path a young hunter and adult to follow as they become safe, ethical hunters.

The Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) has been introducing youngsters and their significant adult to hunting and the outdoors for 25 years, with tremendous success. And while white-tailed deer are the most common, youngsters have harvested plenty of exotics, as well.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

47

T Y H P S I LV E R A N N I V E R S A RY

hunts such as those for whitetails where all the hunters have the opportunity to bag their game on a single ranch, the first pronghorn hunt required 10 landowners to donate a permit to take one pronghorn per ranch. As conceived, TYHP hunters would be granted a doe permit, but at the organizational meeting conversations took an unexpected turn.

"As we were discussing logistics, one landowner said, 'Ah heck, let the kid shoot a buck'," Mitchell recalled. "Before it was over, we had nine buck permits and one doe permit. On the hunt, we converted on nine of 10 permits—and would have been 100 percent but one hunter passed on a buck."

He continued, "Our landowners are exceptionally generous. If they weren't, we wouldn't have a program."

Over time, TYHP's reach has extended beyond the Lone Star State as

program leaders have shared the TYHP model with interested agencies and organizations in other states. To date, TYHP has inspired similar education and recruitment programs in Oklahoma, Florida and most recently Tennessee.

Initial conversations have also taken place with leaders in Mexico.

"When we started TYHP, we knew it was an idea that's time had come," Klussmann said.

IN THE BEGINNING TYHP was a natural outgrowth of TWA’s interest in all things hunting.

The association, which now serves as an advocate for not only hunting and wildlife, but natural resources such as water and open space as well as landowner rights and conservation education, was founded to defend deer management and hunting.

"TYHP arose out of our campfire discussions about getting people involved in the things TWA was interested in," said David K. Langford, TWA executive vice president emeritus. "I don't ever recall a time when the notion of recruitment wasn't part of the discussion; it quickly turned to youth recruitment."

TWA leaders wanted to help bolster the declining number of hunting license sales. License sales, along with taxes on sporting goods, pay for the lion's share of conservation work that TPWD undertakes. When TWA pioneers began investigating existing youth hunting programs, they were surprised.

"We couldn't find anything that fit an education-and-mentor centric model that we had in mind," Langford said.

Once they realized that there was not a model worthy of replication, Klussmann along with other volunteers including

TYHP’S MISSION The Texas Youth Hunting Program was established to increase the number of youths participating in wildlife and hunting activities and to promote the hunting heritage in Texas.

It’s not just dads and sons who have left a weekend TYHP hunt with smiles and venison for the freezer.

Moms and daughters have been active participants in TYHP hunts and have helped swell the number of women hunters in Texas.

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

MARCH 2022

TYHP’s Goals • To preserve the hunting heritage in Texas for present and future generations.

• To promote the highest ethical standards in hunting.

• To give our youth an initial, positive, safe, educational, mentored hunting experience.

• To teach the basic skills, values, techniques and responsibilities of hunting.

• To instill in youth a basic understanding of practical conservation measures.

• To encourage wildlife habitat access, enhancement and management.

• To develop a closer bond between the youth and "their" adult.

For more information about participating in a TYHP hunt or hosting one, see www.tyhp.org, e-mail tyhp@texas-wildlife.org or call (210) 930-2177 or (800) 460-5494.

T Y H P S I LV E R A N N I V E R S A RY

Steve Lewis of San Antonio, cast a wider net and looked at successful youth programs in different disciplines. They identified many key elements, such as hands-on education and motivated adult volunteers, that became cornerstones of the TYHP model within the programs of 4-H. "When we talked with county agents, they overwhelmingly supported the idea of youth hunting, but made it clear that their hands were full with existing programs," Klussmann said. "We knew we needed to create a stand-alone program that was education based and diverse, but didn't take a lot of time from a single group of people."

One piece at the time, TYHP began taking shape. It was designed as a partnership between TWA and TPWD. Like many programs, TYHP suffered some growing pains in the beginning.

Several executive directors came and went. TWA leadership was in the midst of a talent search when Langford got a scratchy phone call in which a disembodied voice introduced himself as Jerry Warden, a retiring Army colonel, who was returning to San Antonio. He was en-route to Fort Sam Houston from Hawaii and wanted to interview for the job while he was in Texas.

"The rest as they say is history," Langford said. "Jerry took it and ran with it, creating the framework, volunteer base, the training materials, and everything else that became the foundation of the program."

As is said, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," especially as a team is learning as it goes. Brothers Louis and Walter Schreiner were early supporters and hosted one of the first TYHP hunts on the famed YO Ranch near Kerrville. By the brothers' estimate, they could accommodate 30 young people, and agreed to provide all the food, lodging, guides, and other necessities.

This was before an adult was required to attend with their youth.

When the Greyhound bus rolled into the ranch around 11 p.m., a blue norther had dropped Hill Country temperatures to 9° F. The students, who were from balmy Houston, got off the bus wearing

Time together in a deer blind are the golden hours where young and old can transcend generational speedbumps. Thanks to engaged TWA members, Huntmasters and others who volunteer their time and expertise, just such moments have happened for many youngsters and their significant adult who might otherwise have never learned about hunting, conservation and private land stewardship.

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

49

T Y H P S I LV E R A N N I V E R S A RY

shorts and t-shirts. There was not a coat or a pair of long pants in the bunch.

Charly McTee, legendary Texas outdoor writer who served as TWA general manager at the time, called Ray Murski, a stalwart TWA supporter from Dallas and woke him up. Between 11 p.m. and midnight, Murski acquired 30 sets of insulated boots, coveralls, gloves, as well as hats and sleeping bags—and had them delivered late the next morning, thereby saving the weekend.

"This story just shows how much we didn't know what the hell we were doing," said Langford, laughing. "We

just knew what we didn't want, instead we wanted to do something better… something that left kids and later adults better for the experience."

Early on, the TWA team realized that the parents and guardians were as inexperienced and ill-informed about hunting and the outdoors as the young people were. They quickly made it a requirement that an adult accompany each young hunter, thus doubling the program's educational impact.

"We wanted to create a safe, educational, mentored outdoor education program that kids could 'oh by the way'

bring their guns and significant adults to," Langford said.

Over time, the TYHP team of staffers and volunteers worked out the kinks.

When Warden retired in 2014 and handed the reins to Mitchell, who had been serving as the operations coordinator in preparation for taking on the executive director role, the model was strong and functional. Mitchell and his team have continued to tweak it so that it is more efficient.

Gone are days of registering over the phone. Paper spreadsheets have been replaced by websites, online forms, and digital paperwork. While still hands-on, Huntmaster training no longer requires an entire weekend of travel for volunteers.

Manuals that used to take days and big dollars to prepare have been streamlined and digitized.

Recently, TYHP has expanded its offerings to include adult mentored hunting. These hunts are targeted to people who, unlike youth, are at a stage in life where they can immediately join the ranks of the hunting community.

"Youth have so much more competing for their time these days, so we have to be there when they find us," Mitchell said. "If they miss us when they're 9-17, we need to be there when they get interested and are able to go independently."

While TYHP has touched lives and changed perspectives for 25 years, it is still as vital today as it was back in 1998.

Hunting license sales are still creeping downward. Groups still actively seek to stop hunting. Thanks to technology and urbanization, people continue to be more removed from the natural world.

"If we don't get young people engaged in conservation, wildlife will have no stewards and no defenders," Klussmann said. "TYHP is going to be important forever if we want to have wildlife on the land forever.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Texas LAND magazine as part of the ongoing conservation communication between LAND.com and TWA. It is reprinted with permission.

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

MARCH 2022

Texas Brigades 2022 Summer Camps Application Deadline: March 15th Texas Brigades Summer Camps are perfect for youth applicants who show interest in science, nature, hunting, and the outdoors! Apply by the deadline for a spot at one of nine camps this summer. Learn more and apply at www.texasbrigades.org/applications

• South Texas Ranch Brigade Duval County Ranch Freer, TX June 25-29, 2022

• Ranch Brigade Warren Ranch Santa Anna, TX July 18-22, 2022

• South Texas Buckskin Brigade G2 Ranch Pearsall, TX June 12-16, 2022

• Bass Brigade Warren Ranch Santa Anna, TX July 6-10, 2022

• North Texas Buckskin Brigade Warren Ranch Santa Anna, TX July 24-28, 2022

• South Texas Bobwhite Brigade Buck Horn Creek Ranch McCoy, TX June 18-22, 2022

• Waterfowl Brigade Pintail Hunting Club Garwood, TX July 13-17, 2022

• Coastal Brigade Sea Star Base Galveston, TX July 26-30, 2022

© D.K. Langford

• Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade The 1687 Foundation Rising Star, TX June 10-14, 2022

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE As members of the Texas Wildlife Association, we are asking our neighbors who are fellow conservationists, ranchers, and hunters to join our vital efforts. Your membership will help promote Texas’ hunting traditions and develop opportunities for new generations to know the pleasures of Texas outdoors. By joining, you will strengthen our work with legislators, educators and wildlife biologists to protect private lands and the many species of wildlife they support. The future of our wildlife populations depends on you.

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

Photo by Russell Graves

Join your neighbors today!

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

51

TEXAS WILDLIFE

P RO F E S S I O NA L S E RV I C E D I R ECTO RY

FA RM & R A NCH SA LES RANDY CADWALLADER V

OUR LEGACY IS IN THE LAND WWW.REPUBLICRANCHES.COM

888-726-2481

Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty - Dullnig Ranch Sales 210-860-0093 www.DullnigRanches.com 6606 N New Braunfels Ave. San Antonio, TX 78209 Exceptional marketing team offering unparalleled exposure for your property.

Representing both buyers & sellers in South & Central Texas.

www.KingLandWater.com 432-426-2024 Tammy & James King

Integrity. Trust. Expertise.

“YOUR OUTDOOR INSURANCE SOLUTION”

INSURING: Farm, Ranch, Hunting Ranches, Preserves, Lodges, Guides, Outfitters, Rod & Gun Clubs, Hunting Insurance, Gun & Archery Ranges, Business Owners, Outdoor Products & Manufacturing, General Liability, and more! www.outdoorinsuranceservices.com tel: (832) 497-5312 | info@outdoorinsuranceservices.com

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

MARCH 2022

TEXAS WILDLIFE

P RO F E S S I O NA L S E RV I C E D I R ECTO RY

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

Online

texas-wildlife.org

TEXAS

RANCH SALES, L.L.C.

GENE PALMIERI, Associate gpalmieri@texasranchsalesllc.com 210.844.8857

Twitter

@texaswildlife

Facebook®

search Texas Wildlife Association

Instagram

@TexasWildlifeAssociation

RENEW TODAY to receive your NEW

Membership Decal!

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

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

53

TEXAS WILDLIFE

OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Spring in Step Article and photo by SALLIE LEWIS

What says spring more beautifully than a meadow of flowers showing off their colors? Spring is, and always has been, the season of starting new, of looking forward to better days to come.

E

very year as winter wanes, the first breath of spring fills me with a familiar, childlike glee. March in particular has always felt celebratory, partly because it’s my birth month, but mostly because it’s the start of a new season, a reassuring time of rebirth, renewal, and hope. Like many of you, I relish the arrival of warmer temperatures, longer light-filled days, and watching the land reawaken after a cold, dark winter.

Admittedly, my appreciation for life’s shifting seasons sparked somewhat recently. Growing up in San Antonio, my family spent many weekends tucked into the folds of the Hill Country or on the salty shores of the Gulf Coast. For this reason, I like to think my love of the outdoors was planted in youth, though

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

it was only in adulthood that those seedlings came to bloom.

Moving to Fredericksburg at the start of the pandemic awakened me to Mother Nature in a way I’d never experienced before. I will never forget waking up to the light of the Paschal Moon last March.

It rose full and round, like a wafer in the sky, unfurling sheets of moonlight onto my bed.

This month, the full Worm Moon will rise on the 18th, and I can hardly wait.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name for this particular moon was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appeared in the spring soil, thus inviting birds to feed.

As it turned out, birdwatching became a passion during my Hill Country

MARCH 2022

immersion. In March 2020, I watched in wonder as Barn Swallows built their nests from beads of mud. As the weeks and months progressed, I saw those same nests fill with baby swallows. In the process of watching them eat, grow, and learn to fly, I became utterly enamored with them and their beautiful, uplifting birdsong.

Equally beautiful are the flowers that bloom in the Hill Country every spring.

Witnessing Mother Nature change from her winter wardrobe into her rainbow regalia is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

I could walk for hours, watching wildflowers sway in the breeze like swells in the sea. With guidebook in hand, I’ve come to know many by name, like prairie verbena, Texas lantana, Mexican hats and golden-eyes. Useful apps like PictureThis have enlightened me to the color and structure, uses and benefits of other plants, like silver leaf nightshades, white prickly poppies, antelope horns and blackfoot daisies. Most importantly, I’ve learned that sitting in silence, observing the world at a micro level, is a powerful form of meditation, a lesson in slow, savored living.

Much like the New Year, the start of every season presents new opportunities.

This spring, I plan to spend more time outside studying native grasses and flowers. I await cool spring mornings, waking to the sounds of wild turkeys and picking fresh strawberries at Jenschke Orchards. Soon, I’ll be filling my planters with fresh herbs and topping my feeders with nyjer seeds for the Goldfinches passing through.

No doubt, spring in Texas is a beautiful time. I’m curious, how do you plan to spend it?