texas landowner magazine - issue viii summer 2015

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landassociation.org 1 landassociation.org 1 2015 ISSUE 8 C onservation WETLANDS World Leader Ducks Unlimited: in < < < < < Wildlife a E xemption NEXT < YEAR What to start doing NOW to Jump start your approach with these late summer and early fall activities Their impact to date and what it means for landowners Fencing WATERWAYS Livestock-Friendly < Exotic-safe and proven flood proof. FOR < YOUR Winner at LandAssociation.org photo chosen by YOUR vote feat. RecordBuck Ranch

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This is a free sample of Texas Landowner Magazine issue "Issue VIII Summer 2015" Download full version from: Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id994154925?mt=8&at=1l3v4mh Magazine Description: Texas Landowner Magazine is the official publication of the Texas Landowners Association, the Lonestar State's Leading Landowner Organization. This quarterly publication is Texan's #1 go-to source for all things related to property ownership. DIY ranch projects, food plot guides, wildlife management strategies, crop planting tips, latest industry news, reader-exclusive deals for outfitting your property —by staying "in the know" you'll gain more time to enjoy your property and less time sorting ... You can build your own iPad and Android app at http://presspadapp.com

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Page 1: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org 1landassociation.org 1landassociation.orglandassociation.orgllandassociation.orglandassociation.orgalandassociation.orglandassociation.orgnlandassociation.orglandassociation.orgdlandassociation.orglandassociation.orgalandassociation.orglandassociation.orgslandassociation.orglandassociation.orgslandassociation.orglandassociation.orgolandassociation.orglandassociation.orgclandassociation.orglandassociation.orgilandassociation.orglandassociation.orgalandassociation.orglandassociation.orgtlandassociation.orglandassociation.orgilandassociation.orglandassociation.orgolandassociation.orglandassociation.orgn.landassociation.orglandassociation.orgolandassociation.orglandassociation.orgrlandassociation.orgglandassociation.orgglandassociation.orglandassociation.orgrlandassociation.orgglandassociation.orgrlandassociation.org 1

2015 ISSUE 8

ConservationWETLANDS

World Leader

Ducks Unlimited:

in

< < < < <

Wildlife

a Exemption

NEXT < YEAR

What to startdoing NOW to

Jump start your approach with these late summer

and early fall activities

Their impact to date andwhat it means for landowners

Fencing WATERWAYSLivestock-Friendly < Exotic-safe

and proven flood proof.

FOR<YOUR

Winnerat LandAssociation.org

photo chosen by YOUR vote

feat. RecordBuck Ranch

Page 2: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org 5

In T

his

Issu

e

8.........Did you know? W hat to Look for Before Y ou Buy by Michael Morrow

16......Species Snapshot: Feral Hogs by Mark Tyson

20...... P artner for All Texans by Beverly Moseley

24......The Harvest Season by Craig Bowen

28...... by Ashley Morrow

32......Katch Kan: A Guide to Zero D rilling for Texas Landowners by David Nygaard

34......Featured Project: F lood-Proof Fencing for W aterways by Sara Noll & Joe “Quatro” S track IV

38......Economic Advantages of F1 B rahman Crossbred Cows by Levi A. Russell

40......Texas Treat: La King’s

by Michelle Rhoten

43......Who Manages Groundwater i n Texas by Robert E. Mace

46......Agency Highlight: Tex a s A&M Veterinary E mergency Team

b y Brandon Dominguez

48......TLA Store: NEW! TLA W hitetail Food Plot Mix

51......Featured Property: Triple S R anch by Michelle Rhoten

54......GOTEXAN by Ashley Morrow

57......Ducks Unlimited:

by Bob Locke

62......Featured Project: Day at Hockley Ranch by Michelle Rhoten, Blake H amilton, & Shelly Rice

69......Summer Recipes

73......Product Highlight: All

T imer by Ashley Morrow

74......Weekend at RecordBuck R anch in Honor of M emorial Day b y Michael Morrow

77......The Great Texas Flood by Bob Lusk

84......Made for a Texan by a T exan: Hemlock Heather b y Michelle Rhoten

88......Partner Highlight: All Out R anch Improvements, LLC

92......Texas Treasure: The Cattle R aisers Museum by Michelle Rhoten

96.....#TXTuesday

QuarterFeatured

Stories

P.34Feature d P roje ct

Page 3: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org32

Business Highlight

A gu id e TO Ze ro Spi ll Dr il li ngFO R Texas Landowners

Zer o Spill? Zer o Stain?

Katch Kan

Icapture and contain oilfi eld waste. In less demand-

to oilfi eld waste capture and containment may not be as rigorous and landowners may need to take extra steps to ensure that their land and rights are

When you are preparing to sign a lease with an oil and gas company or enter into a Surface Use Agree-ment (SUA) do you know your rights under Texas law? In Texas, the surface landowner is not the owner of the mineral rights in most cases. Mineral owners may be liable for damages to the surface if unreason-able or negligent use occurs, or if the mineral owner violates a con-

landowner to prove unreasonable or negligent use.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission, which serves as the lead agency for spills and discharg-

referred to as “mud”, may be Oil Based Mud (OBM) or Water Based Mud (WBM). WBM may be made

tain OBM, it is less common in Texas for operators

By David Nygaard,Katch Kan

Page 4: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org34

PROJEC TFEATURE D

FL OO D-PROO FWATE RWAYSforFE NCIN G

IT’S MAY 2014 and you’re acting o n an intui tion to check-in ar ound your property. All a round you, a blazing ,

Texas sun en velopes everything in i ts path with tri ple-digi t-temperatures. From the driver ’s seat in yo ur dust-covered rid e, the toll of the cur rent drought is all too plain to s ee. Your trees are dying f rom stress. Your herd has shrunk to a fractio n of its usual size. Y our creek beds a re dry, cracked and exposed.

FAST-FORW ARD to May 2015, one year

visits Texas and, upon arrival, opens

Rainstorms rectify your moisture-starved

stronger ones, torrential downpours ensue. Suddenly, this weather whiplash begins to seem more unpleasant.

It’s the wettest month on record in our state’s history. National Weather Service

rains amounted to over 35 trillion gallons, an amount that would cover the entire state in water eight inches deep.

Meanwhile, in your corner of Texas, storms cause tree limbs to fall into your waterways, blocking the exit of excess

water. As the rainfall intensity begins to exceed the capacity of

also causes sections of your fence line to collapse, posing a

livestock, cause them to escape or—even worse—fall victim to invading predators.

By: Sara Noll, Texas Landowners Association & Joe “Cuatro” Strack IV,J4 Fencing & Services

tips on:

Page 5: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org 35

SO UND FAMILIAR ? If so, you’re not alone. Each year, Texas leads

property damage. A landowner’s best defense is to plan ahead and inform themselves on proper waterway fencing techniques.

FOR D EER fencing and other wildlife barriers, “water gaps” are top-picks

among landowners in terms of protecting animals on their

from six-foot wide streams to wet-weather river bottoms over half a mile wide. Here are some factors to consider for water gap construction:

WATER DEPT H as this directly

factor in determining overall

taller the fence, the less stable it

should be constructed with the least vertical height that gives adequate stock control.

STREAM P OWER, thus the

damage a fence, increases with

located as far upslope from the lowest point of the stream channel as possible, in order to reduce damage.

WATER VELO CITY or speed of water in a stream. Commonly expressed in feet per second, this is the distance it travels during an

interval of time. Water velocity is regulated by gravity (steepness of the slope), friction (roughness of the bottom and banks), and water depth.

FL OO D FREQUENCY For example, fencing in low-lying areas

regular rainfall. Determining

know if the streams on their

irregularly every few years.

tip: “WORST-CASE SCENARIO” In addition to the above, it’s also important for a landowner to take a “worst-case scenario” approach when building a

design.

FACTORS forC ONS ID ER AT ION

Page 6: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org38

Economic Advantages of

By Levi A. RussellAssistant Professor and Extension EconomistTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Over the last 18 months, we’ve witnessed some pretty dra-

prices skyrocketed last year on rising beef demand and a lack of supply over the last few years. The number of beef cattle in the state rose 7% this year, in a single year! Thanks to favorable El Niño condi-

relief, with an increase in forage

near term.

are popping up, thanks to expec-

an Extension economist, the turn-around in the number of beef cat-

tle as well as strong demand for beef (in the face of higher prices) has me thinking more and more

while we know they’ll eventually move back toward their long-run averages, I think it’s going to take

So, given that there are some legit-

building, what can an economist

fi nancial analysis can be used to evaluate investment in capital as-

ed from those assets. This analysis can not only determine whether a given investment is likely, given the

determine whether one is likely to be more profi table than another.

es, we, I and two of my colleagues,

the Risk Management Specialist and our Livestock Specialist, ex-

vestment in F1 Brahman breeding cows versus straight-bred Bos tau-rus cows (Bt). Given the popularity of the F1 cow and other Bos indicus x Bos taurus breed types especially in humid climates like the South, we thought this comparison might be benefi cial to our regional pro-ducers.

To put together this analysis, we

highlight a few of our assump-

F1 cows were assumed to have 9

while Bt cows would only have 7.

of longevity of the Brahman F1 cow and is well documented in animal

F1 BRAHMAN CROSSBRED COWS

Page 7: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org38

Economic Advantages of

By Levi A. RussellAssistant Professor and Extension EconomistTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Over the last 18 months, we’ve witnessed some pretty dra-

prices skyrocketed last year on rising beef demand and a lack of supply over the last few years. The number of beef cattle in the state rose 7% this year, in a single year! Thanks to favorable El Niño condi-

relief, with an increase in forage

near term.

are popping up, thanks to expec-

an Extension economist, the turn-around in the number of beef cat-

tle as well as strong demand for beef (in the face of higher prices) has me thinking more and more

while we know they’ll eventually move back toward their long-run averages, I think it’s going to take

So, given that there are some legit-

building, what can an economist

fi nancial analysis can be used to evaluate investment in capital as-

ed from those assets. This analysis can not only determine whether a given investment is likely, given the

determine whether one is likely to be more profi table than another.

es, we, I and two of my colleagues,

the Risk Management Specialist and our Livestock Specialist, ex-

vestment in F1 Brahman breeding cows versus straight-bred Bos tau-rus cows (Bt). Given the popularity of the F1 cow and other Bos indicus x Bos taurus breed types especially in humid climates like the South, we thought this comparison might be benefi cial to our regional pro-ducers.

To put together this analysis, we

highlight a few of our assump-

F1 cows were assumed to have 9

while Bt cows would only have 7.

of longevity of the Brahman F1 cow and is well documented in animal

F1 BRAHMAN CROSSBRED COWS

landassociation.org62

O n June 15, around fi ve ym edam I MA kcolc’o

Texas Landowners hat, and set out east towards Hockley, TX. An hour and half later, I found myself pull-ing up to a dirt road leading down to

the ranch where I would assist our

in two management projects on the property. I didn’t have to travel far before I was greeted by a friendly face, Blake Hamilton, the president

a frequent contributor with Texas

us to highlight the many informa-

ing takes on. Blake shares the same

a mission to educate landowners and their families about the im-portance of land stewardship. He proudly accomplishes their goals

in providing knowledge and re-

and maintain his client’s manage-

ed TLA out to join him and Nature’s Eye Fishery department in execut-ing a successful pond management technique known as a Fish Shock-ing Survey, along with introducing

ley Ranch. Excitement set in for me to represent TLA and partner with the Nature’s eye Team to accom-plish these projects today.

we began with electro shocking the pond. Blake and I crossed the ranch

By: Michelle Rhoten,

Forestor & Wildlife Biologist,President of Nature’s Eye Bee Hive Project: Shelley Rice,Professional Bee Keeper, Catherine & Elizabeth Locke,Daughters of Hockley Ranch

a day at

HOCKLEY RANCH

FEATURED PROJECT

Page 8: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org 63

where we met up with his employees in the Fishery division, Tyler and Bran-don, who are both wild-life biologist.

Q: Where are we conduct-ing this test?

A: Hockley, Tx

Q:What’s the background on this private lake, has it been monitored before?

A: The lake has been mon-itored and managed by

gram, and supplemental feeding.

Q: What are the tools we are using to conduct the fi sh shocking survey?

A: Electrofi shing boat and a seine net.

Q: Does electro shocking hurt the pond or wildlife in any way?

A: It does not hurt the pond or wildlife if per-formed properly. Water

day and year was selected to perform the best sur-vey. Also the amount of energy used was regulat-ed so that the fi sh are not harmed. All fi sh surveyed were released and swam

Q: For the average land-owner who wants to learn techniques for pond man-

agement, what is the im-

fi sh shocking survey?

A:you the species present,

age length and weight of species, and overall lake health. The averages surveyed are compared to where the fi sh health should be based on the

It also gives you informa-

Q: How do you know if a lake needs shocking or not?

A: rived from the survey.

Q: What are the most im-portant things you’re look-ing to get out of today?

A: Overall lake health and current lake status (gathered from the data taken) in order to make enhancement recom-

Q: How does the water

A: Abnormal low water levels can create low oxy-gen levels which has to be tested to perform a qual-ity sample that will not harm the fi sh.

Q: As a fi shery biologist, what do you feel like you help landowners with on a day to day basis?

Electro Shocking Fish Survey

Page 9: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org 63

where we met up with his employees in the Fishery division, Tyler and Bran-don, who are both wild-life biologist.

Q: Where are we conduct-ing this test?

A: Hockley, Tx

Q:What’s the background on this private lake, has it been monitored before?

A: The lake has been mon-itored and managed by

gram, and supplemental feeding.

Q: What are the tools we are using to conduct the fi sh shocking survey?

A: Electrofi shing boat and a seine net.

Q: Does electro shocking hurt the pond or wildlife in any way?

A: It does not hurt the pond or wildlife if per-formed properly. Water

day and year was selected to perform the best sur-vey. Also the amount of energy used was regulat-ed so that the fi sh are not harmed. All fi sh surveyed were released and swam

Q: For the average land-owner who wants to learn techniques for pond man-

agement, what is the im-

fi sh shocking survey?

A:you the species present,

age length and weight of species, and overall lake health. The averages surveyed are compared to where the fi sh health should be based on the

It also gives you informa-

Q: How do you know if a lake needs shocking or not?

A: rived from the survey.

Q: What are the most im-portant things you’re look-ing to get out of today?

A: Overall lake health and current lake status (gathered from the data taken) in order to make enhancement recom-

Q: How does the water

A: Abnormal low water levels can create low oxy-gen levels which has to be tested to perform a qual-ity sample that will not harm the fi sh.

Q: As a fi shery biologist, what do you feel like you help landowners with on a day to day basis?

Electro Shocking Fish Survey

landassociation.org96

throckmorton

E

VIEWS FROM

TEXASLANDOWNERSASSOC IA TION

THELANDOWNE R

TXLANDOWNE R

ou r top thr ee

FOLLOW US and SHARE YOU R P ICS:

texas ?WHERE ARE YOU AT I N

AROUND

orange

kerrvill e

deca tur

Page 10: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org10

WANT TO READ MORE?

D-

BEC OME A TLA MEMBER

LANDASSOCIATION.ORG/JOIN T AY

landassociation.org11

53

“ K I D R O C K ”

Sometime around 2006, the Millegan family of George-town, TX decided to make a

purchase of 160 acres just outside of Belton. Johnny and Judy owned a hardware store at the time, but made a move on a small high-fenced

to tap in to it.

was not suitable for cattle grazing. Judy knew of a property in nearby Leander that raised elk, and set up an appointment to meet with the owner to discuss the opportunity to work toward breeding the large game animals.

Upon arrival, Judy discovered that the Leander rancher was more

breeder,” and that is the direction their conversation went—foregoing the elk altogether.She decided to tell her son Jason, an avid hunter, of this new idea for a

-pious amounts of research, Jason and his parents decided to work toward a

by calling registered deer breeders, gathering as much free knowledge that they could on the industry and

genetics and attending auctions to get a feel for pricing along with in-dustry customs.

labor to many of their established contacts, a step that proved invalu-able in testing the waters before

CROSS CANYON WH I T E T A I L S

that had previously been more than foreign to them.Finally, in the summer of 2007,

began the establishment of Cross

construction on their, now, 17 pens that total approximately 15 acres of

PROPERTY HIGH

By: Texas Landowners

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS, a common phrase heard across the nation. When referring to our feral hog problem, this couldn’t be any closer to the truth.

Texas is home to an estimated 2.6 million feral hogs, the largest num-ber of hogs in the nation, and it’s not getting any smaller. Part of the reasoning behind this is that they have very few natural predators and reproduce rapidly.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service estimates that feral hogs cause $500 million in damages statewide. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, the hunter that enjoys seeing hogs at the feeder, or the farmer that loses thousands of dollars to damages each year, without extensive man-agement, this problem will continue to get worse.

the most common are hunting, trapping, hunting with dogs, and hunting out of a helicopter. Some of these are very successful but costly, while others are less expensive but have little impact on the overall manage-ment of feral hogs.

FERAL HOG CONTROLM O D E R N I Z E D , M I L I -

PROUD TEXAS DEALER OF

By: Brad BeachOwnerAll Out Ranch Improvements

O u r fascination with trees arises from their beauty,

most captivating or impressive are always the biggest, tallest, and oldest. When you see an an-

the sky, it evokes a sense of awe and wonder. We can’t help but feel a deep respect bordering

for a living thing to grow into such a stately presence. Oddly enough, that same aspect of

landowners from wanting to plant them. One of the most common concerns we hear when we suggest planting trees is that they are such a long-term investment. Many landowners

into improvements that will produce results in

love to plant some trees for my kids and grand-kids, but what can we do to see some results in my lifetime?” Most people see tree planting as something done for the good of posterity. While that is certainly true, tree planting can make a

the right species in the right spot, and you can

habitat. A planting design and strategy should

things you can do to improve wildlife habitat. A tree can provide two of the three elements wildlife need to survive (food and shelter, with

By: Emily CourtneyForester/Wildlife BiologistNature’s Eye Consulting

strategic tree plant-ing:

Custom DesignYOUR own WOODS

There is a huge di erence between a goal and an expectation...

BY: DR. JAMES C. KROLL“DR. DEER”

YOU NEEDAPLAN Over the last four decades I have

been blessed to work and live with white-tailed deer in every state

and province from Mexico to Canada. Along the way, I have met some of the greatest folks—private landowners—who have dedicated their time, sweat and money to making their land a better place for wildlife. Unfortunately, however, many of these landowners

at not achieving their expectations for

for failure is not having a management plan and objectives. So, this article is aimed at informing you about how to establish goals for your wildlife man-agement program and developing a plan to accomplish these goals.

WHAT IS A GOAL

When asked, many landowners tell me their goal is to produce bigger bucks.

-veloped goal would be something like, “We want to produce 5 mature bucks

-ference lies in that a true goal is a target against which data can be collected and

-

in a successful whitetail management plan—or a wildlife management plan

or set of goals.

THE PLAN

Once you have established your goals, the next step is develop a set of objec-tives to achieve the goal. For example, if one of the goal is to have a deer herd with at least 25% mature (4.5 years or older) bucks, an objective would be to produce and protect enough bucks to allow this proportion of animals

As the holiday festivities come to an end, those of us who are used to spending time outdoors may

become a little bit stir-crazy! Even though the plants may be dormant, our management practices do not have to be. Here are some winter practices to consider for land and livestock improvement.

Brush Management

that can be done when the weather is not swel-tering: 1) cut stump treatment and 2) stem spray method. Both of these methods involve a mixture of triclopyr and diesel applied to either the freshly cut stump or stem of brush species.

Fecal and Forage Sampling

-itor diet quality and see if you need to adjust your supplemental feeding program (cnrit.tamu.edu/ganlab). Alternatively, if purchasing hay, conduct a

forage analysis (soiltesting.tamu.edu).

Measure Your Forage

pre-winter and post-winter assessments of your vegetation can help you determine the number of

forage at the beginning of the winter will indicate the amount of grass you have for the winter and determine if adjustments in your stocking rate need to be made or if you can expect to need hay.

Identify Problem Weeds EarlyIdentify areas where you experienced weed issues this year and/or where there is bare ground or you fed hay. Learn to identify the problem plant in its early stages of growth so treatment

By: Dr. Megan Clayton, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Range Specialist, Corpus Christi

P R A C T I C E S Y O U C A N D O T H I S W I N T E R

Texas Texas Landowners Association

$6.95 USA

Expert Food Plot Tips For

Legendary Trophies

YOUR Cattle?

MagazineISSUE NO. 5

FALL 2014

Want Your Shot at a

Record-Breaking Wallhanger?

Venture to UtopiaWhere the ProofIs In the Name:

Page 11: Texas Landowner Magazine - Issue VIII Summer 2015

landassociation.org11

53

“ K I D R O C K ”

Sometime around 2006, the Millegan family of George-town, TX decided to make a

purchase of 160 acres just outside of Belton. Johnny and Judy owned a hardware store at the time, but made a move on a small high-fenced

to tap in to it.

was not suitable for cattle grazing. Judy knew of a property in nearby Leander that raised elk, and set up an appointment to meet with the owner to discuss the opportunity to work toward breeding the large game animals.

Upon arrival, Judy discovered that the Leander rancher was more

breeder,” and that is the direction their conversation went—foregoing the elk altogether.She decided to tell her son Jason, an avid hunter, of this new idea for a

-pious amounts of research, Jason and his parents decided to work toward a

by calling registered deer breeders, gathering as much free knowledge that they could on the industry and

genetics and attending auctions to get a feel for pricing along with in-dustry customs.

labor to many of their established contacts, a step that proved invalu-able in testing the waters before

CROSS CANYON WH I T E T A I L S

that had previously been more than foreign to them.Finally, in the summer of 2007,

began the establishment of Cross

construction on their, now, 17 pens that total approximately 15 acres of

PROPERTY HIGH

By: Texas Landowners

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS, a common phrase heard across the nation. When referring to our feral hog problem, this couldn’t be any closer to the truth.

Texas is home to an estimated 2.6 million feral hogs, the largest num-ber of hogs in the nation, and it’s not getting any smaller. Part of the reasoning behind this is that they have very few natural predators and reproduce rapidly.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service estimates that feral hogs cause $500 million in damages statewide. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, the hunter that enjoys seeing hogs at the feeder, or the farmer that loses thousands of dollars to damages each year, without extensive man-agement, this problem will continue to get worse.

the most common are hunting, trapping, hunting with dogs, and hunting out of a helicopter. Some of these are very successful but costly, while others are less expensive but have little impact on the overall manage-ment of feral hogs.

FERAL HOG CONTROLM O D E R N I Z E D , M I L I -

PROUD TEXAS DEALER OF

By: Brad BeachOwnerAll Out Ranch Improvements

O u r fascination with trees arises from their beauty,

most captivating or impressive are always the biggest, tallest, and oldest. When you see an an-

the sky, it evokes a sense of awe and wonder. We can’t help but feel a deep respect bordering

for a living thing to grow into such a stately presence. Oddly enough, that same aspect of

landowners from wanting to plant them. One of the most common concerns we hear when we suggest planting trees is that they are such a long-term investment. Many landowners

into improvements that will produce results in

love to plant some trees for my kids and grand-kids, but what can we do to see some results in my lifetime?” Most people see tree planting as something done for the good of posterity. While that is certainly true, tree planting can make a

the right species in the right spot, and you can

habitat. A planting design and strategy should

things you can do to improve wildlife habitat. A tree can provide two of the three elements wildlife need to survive (food and shelter, with

By: Emily CourtneyForester/Wildlife BiologistNature’s Eye Consulting

strategic tree plant-ing:

Custom DesignYOUR own WOODS

There is a huge di erence between a goal and an expectation...

BY: DR. JAMES C. KROLL“DR. DEER”

YOU NEEDAPLAN Over the last four decades I have

been blessed to work and live with white-tailed deer in every state

and province from Mexico to Canada. Along the way, I have met some of the greatest folks—private landowners—who have dedicated their time, sweat and money to making their land a better place for wildlife. Unfortunately, however, many of these landowners

at not achieving their expectations for

for failure is not having a management plan and objectives. So, this article is aimed at informing you about how to establish goals for your wildlife man-agement program and developing a plan to accomplish these goals.

WHAT IS A GOAL

When asked, many landowners tell me their goal is to produce bigger bucks.

-veloped goal would be something like, “We want to produce 5 mature bucks

-ference lies in that a true goal is a target against which data can be collected and

-

in a successful whitetail management plan—or a wildlife management plan

or set of goals.

THE PLAN

Once you have established your goals, the next step is develop a set of objec-tives to achieve the goal. For example, if one of the goal is to have a deer herd with at least 25% mature (4.5 years or older) bucks, an objective would be to produce and protect enough bucks to allow this proportion of animals

As the holiday festivities come to an end, those of us who are used to spending time outdoors may

become a little bit stir-crazy! Even though the plants may be dormant, our management practices do not have to be. Here are some winter practices to consider for land and livestock improvement.

Brush Management

that can be done when the weather is not swel-tering: 1) cut stump treatment and 2) stem spray method. Both of these methods involve a mixture of triclopyr and diesel applied to either the freshly cut stump or stem of brush species.

Fecal and Forage Sampling

-itor diet quality and see if you need to adjust your supplemental feeding program (cnrit.tamu.edu/ganlab). Alternatively, if purchasing hay, conduct a

forage analysis (soiltesting.tamu.edu).

Measure Your Forage

pre-winter and post-winter assessments of your vegetation can help you determine the number of

forage at the beginning of the winter will indicate the amount of grass you have for the winter and determine if adjustments in your stocking rate need to be made or if you can expect to need hay.

Identify Problem Weeds EarlyIdentify areas where you experienced weed issues this year and/or where there is bare ground or you fed hay. Learn to identify the problem plant in its early stages of growth so treatment

By: Dr. Megan Clayton, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Range Specialist, Corpus Christi

P R A C T I C E S Y O U C A N D O T H I S W I N T E R

Texas Texas Landowners Association

$6.95 USA

Expert Food Plot Tips For

Legendary Trophies

YOUR Cattle?

MagazineISSUE NO. 5

FALL 2014

Want Your Shot at a

Record-Breaking Wallhanger?

Venture to UtopiaWhere the ProofIs In the Name: