WM Pro - Wildlife Management Pro

O.H. Ivie Bass Fishing Sets Record!

My money was on Ivie or Lake Fork. However, it just had to be O.H. Ivie Reservoir! The lake has produced nine largemouth bass weighing 13-plus pounds that have been entered into the Toyota ShareLunker program this spring, and now the 500th bass entered into big bass program has been delivered from the same lake. All the fish were special fish to the anglers who caught them, but the ninth was a little more special: Sam Callaway of Corpus Christi will collect $500 a pound for his catch, a total of $6,670!

Callaway caught Toyota ShareLunker number 500 at 9:20 a.m. April 9 using a Zoom Magnum eight-inch lizard in watermelon/red. The 13.34 pound fish was immediately taken to an official ShareLunker weigh and holding station, Concho Park Marina, where it was held for pickup by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) ShareLunker program manager David Campbell. The fish, 20.5 inches in girth and 26.25 inches long, now swims in the Lunker Bunker at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Continue reading O.H. Ivie Bass Fishing Sets Record!

Texas Game Warden Injured by Alligator

Texas may not seem like suitable alligator habitat to those that don’t know much about our State, but Texas residents know that we have plenty of these large reptiles—over 250,000 to be exact. Alligators, not unlike other animals, can cause serious problems, especially because of their size, powerful jaws, and numerous teeth. Refugio County-based Game Warden Raul “Pinky” Gonzales found out the hard way. No wonder Texas has a well-regulated alligator hunting season in place for these prehistoric lizards.

Game Warden Gonzales is recovering this week from injuries suffered in a struggle with an 8-foot, 9-inch alligator. The incident began on Friday, April 2, when Gonzales responded to a call about an alligator on FM 136 just south of Woodsboro. He arrived to find the big ‘gator in the middle of the road. Attempting to relocate the animal, the warden got on top of it and began to tape its mouth. Although he has dealt with alligators for more than two decades and has never been injured, this time was different. The alligator swung its head and struck Gonzales squarely in the face, causing a severe cut to his upper lip, breaking a tooth, loosening another, and damaging his eyeglasses. Continue reading Texas Game Warden Injured by Alligator

Enroll Now for Texas Wildlife Conservation Camp

The Wildlife Conservation Camp focuses on exciting hands-on activities with presentations led by wildlife professionals from across Texas. The camp is open to high school students who have completed the 9th grade or higher. Subject matter includes wildlife and plant identification, wetland and coastal habitats, hunting as a management tool, species diversity, conservation ethics, wildlife capture and census techniques, wildlife tracking, predator-prey dynamics, white-tailed deer management, fishing, hunter safety, shooting skills and much more.

Campers especially enjoy the opportunity to interact with wildlife professionals and college students majoring in a variety of wildlife and conservation fields. Students considering careers in the natural sciences are strongly encouraged to attend! Continue reading Enroll Now for Texas Wildlife Conservation Camp

Clearing Muddy Water in Ponds

Water in a newly constructed pond is usually muddy, but water can also be muddy in old, well-established ponds too. In new ponds, water turbidity should clear up as a good sod cover grows on the exposed soil around the pond. However, several things may contribute to a new or an old pond’s muddy water, all of which can be cured through simple pond management techniques. These are erosion in the watershed, fine clays in the construction site, certain fish such as bullheads, livestock within the pond area, and the action of wind on the shorelines.

First, the cause of the problem should be determined. If removal of the cause is not effective, one of several chemicals may be tried. The broadcasting of 1,000 pounds of ground agricultural limestone (calcium carbonate), 740 pounds of hydrated lime, 1,000 pounds of agricultural gypsum, or 250 pounds of aluminum sulfate (commercial alum) per surface acre is effective in clearing many muddy ponds. These materials will help suspended solids to bond together, settle to the bottom, and clear muddy water. Continue reading Clearing Muddy Water in Ponds

Deer Overpopulation Causes Problems in Texas

Everyone loves white-tailed deer, right? Wrong. Deer cause millions of dollars in damage each year in the United States, so it should come as no surprise that some people downright despise them. Just ask some of the automobile insurers. The problem of deer overpopulation continues to plague one are of San Antoniono, Texas, known as Hollywood Park. But for every person that wants the deer removed, there is another that loves these wild animals. As such, there have been efforts to thin out the suburb’s deer population, but they have been met with opposition from everyone from animal-loving residents to state bureaucrats, city deer control expert Will Mangum told City Council on March 16.

“Some area ranchers were interested in taking our deer,” Mangum told council about the just completed deer season, “but none had received permits, because their paperwork came in too late.” He says it is far more complex than simply picking up Hollywood Park’s deer and depositing them onto a ranch.

“The ranchers first need to contact their wildlife biologist, who surveys the land and provides specific permits on how many bucks and how many does they can take. They then need to get a release site permit from the state. We’re powerless without the RSP.”

Continue reading Deer Overpopulation Causes Problems in Texas

Habitat Management Workshop

Interest in habitat management has increased in recent years thank to the environmental awareness of landowners across the State of Texas. Holistic Management Texas is inviting interested individuals to a field day at the Duncan Brothers’ Duncan Spade Ranch from 9am to 4pm on Saturday, April 10, 2010 ($30). In addition, a Drought Mitigation Workshop with Walt Davis will follow on April 11-12.

“The Spade Ranch was established in 1870 by my great-grandfather, Green C. Duncan, who came to Wharton County from Kentucky after serving in the Civil War. The main crops during the Ranch’s first 30 years were potatoes, cotton, sugar cane, and molasses. Currently, the Ranch is operated by Duncan Brothers, a partnership of five families, with a fifth generation member of one of the families serving as ranch manager – these are our primary decision-makers. Our two ranch employees and six tenant farmers can be included as decision-makers at another level, but they are also part of our resource base. Continue reading Habitat Management Workshop

Benefits of Brush Control for Wildlife Habitat Management

Habitat management is the keystone of successful wildlife management. This statement has never been more true in Central Texas, where brush control is critical for maintaining important natural processes and suitable habitat for endemic wildlife. On March 25th, directors from Pedernales, Gillespie County, Comal-Guadalupe, Kendall, Kerr County, and Bandera soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) attended a tour of the Honey Creek State Natural Area.

The Watershed Study in Honey Creek State Natural Area was established in 1999 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to evaluate the combined effects of using selective brush removal (Ashe Juniper) to increase water quantity while protecting water quality. Phillip Wright, Range Management Specialist, with NRCS led the tour. Tour participants were taken to four sites to view equipment used to gather data for the Watershed Study. At each site, information was presented on how the equipment works and the results it has produced from cedar removal. The tour wrapped up with a walk along Honey Creek to see the stream flow that the Brush Removal has created. Continue reading Benefits of Brush Control for Wildlife Habitat Management