Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 89, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 22, 2012 Page: 7 of 24
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Thursday, November 22,2012
POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE
Page 7A
Hunting forecast improved for 2012 season
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Here's the lowdown
on whitetails and more,
straight from the experts.
By Steve Lightfoot
Hunting is as much a
conversation as it is an
activity. Storytelling around
a campfire at the end of the
day is an important part of
our hunting heritage, but
hunters also crave news.
If you don’t believe me,
observe what happens
whenever two or more of
them get together. Doesn’t
matter if it’s in a coffee
shop in El Campo, a
steakhouse in Fort Worth
or a feed store in Llano —
hunting will be discussed.
Arguably, no other
Texas hunters have more
conversations about hunting
than wildlife biologists
with the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department.
They are the experts.
They’re also in the woods
practically every day. They
see a lot of what’s going
on in the wild year-round.
It’s logical that the No.
1 question they get from
hunters is: “What's the
season looking like this
year?”
So, pull up a chair and
grab a cup of coffee. This
place is full of wildlife
biologists, and the talk is
all about hunting season.
White-tailed deer.
Deer
That scruffy-looking
character with the bushy
horseshoe mustache talking
to that large group, that’s
Alan Cain. He heads up
TPWD’s white-tailed deer
program. That’s why he’s
so popular. He oversees
Texas’ 3.3 million deer,
with a fan base of more
than 500,000 deer hunters.
A lot of folks want to hear
what he has to say.
Cain: The white-tailed
deer herd in Texas is doing
well and stable. Despite
one of the worst droughts
on record last year, the
deer population came
through with minimal
population impacts. Most
areas experienced a low
fawn crop last year, as to
be expected, but we had
very few reports of any
significant adult mortality
related to the drought.
Whenever a wildlife
biologist talks about
hunting prospects, weather
is the caveat. It’s the one
variable that land managers,
biologists and hunters have
no control over, yet it plays
a critical part of the hunting
equation.
Cain: Winter and spring
moisture was much better
compared to last year,
and most of the state has
received much-needed
rain this spring to boost
forage resources needed
for antler development and
fawn rearing. Far West
Texas, primarily mule
deer country, is still dry. I
expect this to be an average
to slightly above-average
season for antlers. South
Texas, known for trophy
bucks, should be in good
shape as we've had rain this
summer. The Texas Hill
Country, known for higher
deer populations, has also
received good rains this
summer, so hunters should
expect decent antler quality
and good body weights for
this region. 0
Another aspect of the
hunting equation wildlife
biologists are attuned to is
trend data. They're good at
turning statistics into news
hunters can use. Somebody
asks about South Texas
deer, and Cain defers to
David Veale, whose district
covers most of the Brush
Country. Veale tips his hat.
Veale: Deer age structure
is still going to be impacted
by the previous drought,
with low fawn crops in
2008,2009 and 2011. This
will affect the number of
bucks in the population
available for harvest in
many age classes, although
the large fawn crop of 2007
should carry over decent
numbers of mature bucks
where they managed to live
that long.
David Synatzske is
squinting and chomping
at the bit to get in his
two cents about South
Texas deer. He manages
the state’s crown jewels
of South Texas wildlife
management areas: the
Chaparral and the James
Daughtrey, and gets a lot of
inquiries from savvy public
hunters hoping to win the
drawing for a prized Chap
deer hunt through TPWD’s
Public Hunting Program.
Synatzske: Antler
development is expected
to be good on more mature
aged bucks but may be
somewhat lacking in
younger age classes unless
the drought ends soon.
Higher fawn crops are in
order from low production
evident during the 2011
drought.
From the side chats
and nodding heads, the
consensus among the state’s
biologists points to an
overall better deer hunting
season, thanks to timely
reprieves from the drought.
Spring rains rejuvenated
habitat conditions, provided
bucks with the nutrition
they needed for antler
growth and enabled does to
produce higher fawn crops.
Mike Krueger, district
biologist for the Edwards
Plateau, is an optimist and
a realist.
Krueger: What a
difference a year makes.
But it’s still too early to
say that the drought is over
- more rain is needed to
replenish diminished soil
moisture, surface water and
groundwater supplies.
Waterfowl hunting.
Waterfowl
Biologists speak different
languages, not just deer
talk. That red headed,
freckle-faced guy working
the duck call is Kevin
Kraai, TPWD’s waterfowl
program leader. He’s
fired up about this year’s
waterfowl season, mostly
because there’s actually
some water in Texas for
the ducks. From a wetlands
conservation perspective,
the drought came with an
upside.
Kraai: Assuming you
can follow up a drought
like last year with rain,
an event like that can
be very beneficial for
wetland conditions the
following year. Wetlands
need disturbance of one
kind or another, and
drought can act as one of
the best disturbances to
stimulate favorable plants
for waterfowl. I don’t
believe we could have
asked for a better scenario
for breeding mottled ducks
and waterfowl arriving this
fall ... we just need lots of
rain prior to their departure
from the north.
Duck hunters should
brace themselves for
what could be a good
season. The U S. Fish
and Wildlife Service’s
survey estimates 48.6
million breeding ducks,
a 7 percent increase over
last year and 43 percent
above the 1955-2010 long-
term average. This year’s
estimate is a record high
and is only the sixth time
in the survey’s history that
the total duck population
has exceeded 40 million.
As always, fall weather and
habitat conditions along
migration routes will have
a big impact on migration
chronology and local
hunting success.
Northern bobwhite
quail.
Turkey and quail
While the discussion
about deer and duck
hunting prospects is
generating a lot of nods
among the crowd, there’s
guarded optimism among
some in the room when the
conversation turns to turkey
and quail. The rebound
from drought, it appears,
may not come overnight.
Jason Hardin is the quiet
type, but when the state’s
turkey program biologist
has something to say, it’s
worth hearing.
Hardin: Most of the hens
in 2011, a lot of which
were juveniles following
an excellent hatch in
2010, did not attempt to
nest. Survival of hens was
actually above average
due to their lack of nesting
activity. With favorable
rains and a mild winter this
past spring, turkeys got
off to an early start. Most
hens nested. Predation
was on the high end, but
not outside of normal nest
predation for turkeys. There
should be a fair number of
jakes seen this fall and next
spring. Plus, we had such
a great hatch in 2010 that
there should also be a ton
of mature toms across the
landscape as well. There
have been few reports of
production in East Texas,
unfortunately.
In the Hill Country,
a brighter outlook is
in store. Krueger, the
district biologist, gives the
particulars.
Krueger: Ground nesting
birds - turkey and quail in
particular - were in much
better breeding condition
this year than 2011, when
we speculated that many
never did get into good
reproductive condition.
One negative is that there
was a lack of nesting
cover this year due to the
2011 drought, which may
have limited nest sites and
increased the effectiveness
of nest predators. A very
strong positive is that
there were lots of insects
this year to provide high-
protein sources of food
for the young birds that
successfully hatched. And
the large number of insects,
especially grasshoppers,
should have provided
enough alternative food
sources for nest predators
(skunks, foxes, raccoons)
to help reduce some nest
predation. I’ve personally
observed, and am hearing
reports from others, that
the production of turkey
poults is better than average
this year. Quail production
should have also been good
this year, but unfortunately,
there are very few areas of
the Edwards Plateau that
have enough quail to be of
significance.
In South Texas, the
Chaparral WMA is a good
index of how the quail are
faring. Synatzske weighs
in.
Synatzske: At least two
different age classes of
quail chicks and a good
turkey hatch have been
observed on the Chap. With
spring rains being scarce
the last decade in general,
the hatch is notable; now
if we can just get the
follow-up rains for insects
to provide chicks with a
chance to survive. Brood
stock of quail was lowt so
good hatches will help the
rebound process from the
drought, but the drought
seems to be persistently
hanging on.
Veale: Quail have had
good reproductive success
in many areas, but one
good year is not enough to
counteract four bad ones.
They are going to need
several good rainfall years
to begin growing their
populations back in many
areas. Turkey reproduction
has been good this year as
well, but again, previous
lack of rainfall impacts
the mature birds in the
population. The bottom
line: better than last year.
Javelina.
Other game
A hunter couldn’t ask for
more, but there’s a lot more
to hunt in Texas.
Squirrel hunting
opportunities for the 2012-
13 seasons in East Texas
should be fair to good,
primarily because enough
rain has fallen to generate
a fair acorn crop. Years
with good mast production
are typically followed by
years with good squirrel
reproduction. Sportsmen
desiring early fall hunting
opportunities will likely be
rewarded for their efforts.
Javelina populations
remain strong. They are
about the only species
that did not suffer in last
year’s drought. Javelinas
are plentiful throughout
the Trans-Pecos and are
a bonus on deer or other
game hunts. They can be
commonly hunted over
feeders or water, and can
also make for an exciting
spot-and-stalk hunt.
Don’t get me started on
those darn feral hogs. There
are plenty of them to hunt,
and most ranchers welcome
their removal.
If you don’t have a
place to hunt, let me tell
you about TPWD’s Public
Hunting Program. With the
$48 annual permit, you’ve
got access to prime hunting
throughout the state. You
can get started online at
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
huntwild/hunt/public.
We could go on and on
for hours talking about the
opportunities and prospects,
but it’s time to shut up and
go hunting.
— Mil fj r
g|§§-4^
First State Bank
“Your Friendly Hometown Bank"
Serving The Community Since 1910
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 89, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 22, 2012, newspaper, November 22, 2012; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658404/m1/7/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.