WHF

WHF Wildlife Habitat Federation http://whf-texas.org/members/invision Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:02:10 +0000 15 TPWD News Release: TPWD Taking Action on Bobwhite Quail Decline http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=136 AUSTIN -- The drought has taken a toll on all Texas wildlife resources, but among the hardest hit is the bobwhite quail. This iconic grassland game bird already faces mounting obstacles to recovery and state wildlife officials say the drought is exacerbating the problem.
Read the release: http://www.tpwd.stat.../?req=20111018a]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:02:10 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=136 White-tail Deer behavior http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=120
Have you ever wished you understood White-tail Deer behavior better, particularly bucks? Would you like to know more about managing the white-tail on your place? If so, come to the Cat Spring Wildlife Management Association and Wildlife Habitat Federation meeting in Cat Spring on Saturday, February 27, 2010.

But before going to the hall, in our morning segment at 10 AM you will see a prescribed burn demonstration (weather permitting). Some 2 miles west of Cat Spring at the corner of Newberg and Schwanbeck roads (1 mile south of the big tower on 1094) we will burn an excellent tract of native grasses and flowering plants. Historically Mother Nature has used burns to great effect to rejuvenate soils and plants. Later we humans took over the job in settled areas (sometimes). Come see how it is done -- many will find it thrilling as well as very informative. And we have a feeling that after the demo, members will be interested in seeing the property’s wildlife, eg, quail, dove, rabbits, and vegetation respond to the burn.

By 12 noon we will join up again at the Cat Spring Agriculture Hall, FM 1094 near FM 949, for a barbecue lunch. The suggested lunch donation is $10/person.

Starting at 1 PM a very special guest presenter Dr. Mark Connor, a nationally renowned expert on population ecology in White-tail deer, will provide a two-part presentation. An overview of deer management will be followed by a presentation on this intriguing animal’s behavior. Dr. Connor’s research findings and presentation will prove to be meaningful, of course, but we think you will be very surprised and entertained as well.
Call in your reservations to Bob Moore at (979) 992 3470 (ranch), (713) 825 6112 cell, or email rlm_cpa@abcglobal.net.

News Release -- Cat Spring Wildlife Management Association/Wildlife Habitat Federation
2/01/10
G. W. (Bill) Bone
(979) 478 7347
(979) 877 9574 cell
Email: gwbone@earth-comm.com]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:36:30 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=120 HABITAT MANAGEMENT RESOURCES FOR TEXAS LANDOWNERS http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=118
NEW Resource Website - hmrtexas.org

This web site was designed to provide landowners with information on all sources for technical and financial information on how to restore native grasslands. Too many web sites are too cumbersome to surf through for obtaining the information posted to extract this information. This independent site allows users to go to one site to shop for the most suitable government or non-government entity that best suits their needs.

Purpose: To help landowners and landmanagers restore and manage native prairie, savannah, and riparian (water) habitats for upland game birds. Users can navigate to natural resource professionals in state, federal and private entities. Landowners can choose links based on type of services provided and location.

This website directs the user to resources that can help landowners enhance habitat for:

Native Praries
Quail
Wild Turkey
Enhance habitat for pheasant
Enhance habitat
for Lesser Prairie Chicken]]> Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:39:19 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=118 NATIVE GRASSLAND RESTORATION GUIDE http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=117
Be one of the first to access this information. Jason Hardin and Jim Willis along with the assistance from several others authored this publication which will be published by TPWD when completed and will also be part of TPWD's Strategic Plan that addresses upland game birds.

Native grassland restoration is a long process (1-3 years) that requires PATIENCE on the part of the land manager. A lack of patience is a quick path to failure. Once the grassland is restored, proper maintenance of the restored area is required. Managers should define tiers of success as a part of their short and longterm goals and define management activities to maintain the restored site.

Re-establishing native grasses requires an adaptive management style. Pronounced changes brought upon by
deferments and herbicide treatments require more frequent actions. Finally, managers must adapt to
constantly changing techniques brought about technology and research.

[Note: Landowners should not employ these practices in lieu of working with trained and experienced professionals or without first
developing a set of restoration management plans and management goals.]

Attached Files

RestoringNativeGrasses_Condensed_D.pdf 2.04MB 4 downloads

]]> Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:20:25 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=117 WHF on Facebook http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=114 Facebook link]]> Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:40:18 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=114 Contribution Received - Quail Forever Gulf Coast Chapter 3066 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=112
WHF Management]]> Sun, 04 May 2008 20:12:46 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=112 Success on the Farm http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=104
Over the past years an occasional single or pair of quail were spotted along a fence row on the upper priaire, but never in the consantly-grazed bottomlands. We decided to remove the cattle two years ago and let the native grasses reestablish in order to improve wildlife habitat. We joined the Wildlife Habitat Foundation and the Cat Spring Wildlife Association last year. Last summer (2006), even during the drought, the bottomland grew a heavy stand of Virginia Wildrye. Shredded in the fall, large flocks of Eastern Meadowlark enjoyed the fallen seeds all winter. This spring (2007) the bottomland appears largely restored, with heavy stands of Rescue grass, followed by Western Wheatgrass and Purple Threeawn, and the now-emerging wildrye. Jason Hardin of the Audubon Texas Quail Initiative visited and recommended a management plan; this spring we are planting a mixture of Little Bluestem, Indiangrass and Side-Oats Gramma in the upper prairie to further enhance quail habitat.

Around Easter I was working in the barn one morning when I thought I heard a "bob-white" call. Listening intently, I did not hear it again and assumed I was mistaken, since we have never seen a quail in this location by our weekend house. The house and barn are in the edge of a woods overlooking the bottom grass flats. I was in the house around noon when my wife returned from a trip to town, calling me to come and look at what was in our driveway in the woods. There to my great surprise was a pair of quail, casually feeding and apparently unconcerned about me standing nearby taking photos. They walked into the woods, disappearing as they continued to feed. I presume they have a nest nearby. You can imagine the thrill in seeing these birds! Of course we hope these two will be the forerunners of a sustainable population of a covey or two on our property.

submitted by James Woodrick, May 6, 2007

Attached Images

]]> Mon, 07 May 2007 11:36:00 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=104 Bahiagrass Seed Heads - Its That Time! http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=91
Jason Hardin
361-877-2807
jhardin@audubon.org]]> Thu, 04 May 2006 19:02:15 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=91 March 2006 Burn http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=83
A day after the burn it was easy to see how much yaupon was killed and which of the lower limbs of the oak trees would lose their leaves from the fire. I spotted quail in the burned area on Sunday afternoon, after having burned on Saturday morning.

This is the third year in a row with a successful burn, and I am planning to expand the places I burn next year.]]> Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:58:28 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=83 Managing Yaupon With Fire And Herbicides In The Texas Post Oak Savannah http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=81 Range Lands

www.srmjournals.org]]> Sat, 25 Feb 2006 22:26:19 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=81 Restoring Native Grasslands - Article http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=78

grassland.pdf 146.81K 69 downloads]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:33:36 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=78 Meeting With Jason Hardin http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=62
CK]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:37:22 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=62 Fall Food Plots In - C. Kates http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=61
Hopefully, we will have favorable weather for the food plot to get established. If possible, I still plan to fertilize it later.

CK]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:34:50 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=61 Ready To Plant http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=60
Weather is too dry right now, I think. I will try to time the planting just before rain.

Most of these food plots were limed last fall, and I'll fertilize once the crop comes up.

Timing is everything. I'm later than planned due to flats on my tractor in consecutive weekends, and now will be out of town from time to time. City farmers are hit and miss, I guess.

CK
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This morning (6-11-05) I picked up my seed and planted about 8 acres. I'm not convinced this is the best time to plant, but I felt I had to go ahead and get the seeds in the ground now or it might be too late for this year.

I planted 4 acres of Iron & Clay cowpeas, 1.5 acres of purplehull peas, 1 acre of sunflowers, an acre of sorghum, and I planted some browntop millet along fire lanes and near one of the tanks.

I hope the seeds do not have enough moisture to germinate, yet. If they can lay in the soil until we do get some rain, I think that would be best.

I also had some fence built during the last two or three weeks, while I was out of town. The right of way for the fence will be beneficial for wildlife as it was cleared from dense stands of yaupon and post oak, and now it will be maintained in forbes.
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July 25th, 2005 - Inspected the food plots that I planted early in June. June was without rain, and the plots seemed to dry up - I think hogs and birds ate a lot of the seeds. However, a little rain began to fall in July. July 24 I inspected the plots and found: 1) none of the sunflowers came up, 2) very few of the purplehull peas came up, and those that did are looking weak and will have to fight with the goat weed to survive, 3) no sorghum came up, 4) iron and clay cowpeas seem to have waited for the rains and are coming up. They will have to deal with the goat weed, too, but seem to be many more of the cowpeas sprouting.

Already, lots of the cowpeas have been 'topped' by deer or other animals. I jumped two deer from one of the 2 acre food plots in the middle of the afternoon - they had been bedded down in the goat weed and peas.

Next year, I need to get the planting done by the end of May, and be sure I have recently plowed up the goat weed so it won't have a head start. This year I plowed the plots, then waited a long time before planting. That gave the goat weed too much of a head start on the peas. Also, next year I think I will plant only cowpeas and will be sure to get some fertilizer on them.

These plots could still work out to be useful. The deer are hitting the peas, so they apparently need the extra food, or at least enjoy it.

CK

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August 21st, 2005 - Crop Failure - I reviewed the food plots yesterday, and mostly have an excellent stand of goatweed. I have some sunflowers mixed in with goatweed in that food plot, but some others have been eaten down to within a foot of the ground. I have some peas under the goatweed in those plots, but most peas seem stunted and lots have been nipped off at a hight of about two inches. Maybe next season . . .

CK]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:33:36 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=60 Controlled Burn - C. Kates http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=59
CK]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:22:47 +0000 http://whf-texas.org/members/invision/index.php?showtopic=59