Land Management in Texas

[ATXhunter]

We recently started leasing my wife's family place and are wanting to restore/improve it for native wildlife especially the types we like to hunt. Its roughly 3500 acres in the Texas hill country and has limited livestock on it.

Wondering if there is a good resource for people wanting to talk about clearing cedar, food plots, prescribed burns, native tree planting etc. Just a little overwhelmed at all the options and not sure what to do or what's the most important.

Anyone have a recommendation?

Thanks in advance!

 

[come2elmo]

Your local NRCS office is a good place to start. My brother worked for them in Mason and Uvalde Tx after graduating from TAMU and regularly worked with land owners to evaluate their property and suggest what state and federal programs were available to help with cost sharing and land improvements. There are also land management consultants all over the place that will work with you as well for a fee. My bro did that for a while too and set up a plan for our place in Waco.

Limiting livestock is the key to everything you want to do or that the very least have a solid plan for rotating the grazing and ensure you stay within the carrying capacity of the land. All that brush may look flammable but you really have to have enough grass to carry the fire to make it useful.

Then it needs to rain...a lot. At the right times.

None of it is cheap though...and the federal and state money comes with some red tape.

It is fun though.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Water. How's the water situation.?
Water means wildlife.

 

[HaydenB]

Yes come2elmo is right. They have cost share programs for fencing to rotate cattle, planting native trees and grasses, running water lines for wildlife and cattle etc. Really good stuff IMO

 

[ATXhunter]

Water. How's the water situation.?
Water means wildlife.

There is water in every pasture but its located near the house. One pond as well and creek that they fill from time to time. Could probably stand to add more water but the ground is nearly solid rock in most places.

We're feeding protein for the deer but wondering how we can improve browse and food source without just unloading feed wagons.

Going to call the NRCS office on Monday and see what they can offer.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Stevek]

What county are you in? If it were me I would get ahold of Steve Nelle out of San Angelo, he is a retired NRCS Wildlife Specialist/Biologist.

 

[Red Letters]

The guy above puts out good management technics, the next guy sells high protein deer food both manage awesome low fence ranches in Texas.

Holden Pasture Deer Lease 2021-2022 Double Down Deer Feed

www.2coolfishing.com

 

[Northpark]

I will also jump on and say NRCS or depending on your pocketbook there are plenty of consultants out who can put together a land management plan for you.

 

[ATXhunter]

What county are you in? If it were me I would get ahold of Steve Nelle out of San Angelo, he is a retired NRCS Wildlife Specialist/Biologist.

We're in Kimble county outside of Junction.

 

[Stevek]

We're in Kimble county outside of Junction.

I would try to contact NRCS in San Angelo and find out how to get in touch with Steve Nelle. He is a wealth of information on habitat, prescribed burns, native vegetation, protein values of browse and forb, over-seeding pastures with native plants, habitat management, wildlife management, brush work, etc. I would also recommend that you get a manage plan in place as soon as you can. You need goals and a plan will give you direction to obtain those goals. Feeding protein has it benefits but doing so without a management plan in place to address other issue IMO is a waste of your money and your time. I have managed wildlife on ranches in Central and South Texas since 1989. I have seen where feeding and carrying to many deer only makes the problems that need addressing get worse. Many people put a band-aid on a gaping wound only to cause more issues. You are about to enter into a fun part of owning a ranch....improving it. Doing that comes with lots of heartaches and heartaches if you are not prepared for it. When done correctly it is very rewarding. What you do now will effect the land for the rest of your lives.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Look at Texas Hunting Forum. Lots of useful info there.

 

[ATXhunter]

Look at Texas Hunting Forum. Lots of useful info there.

Thanks, heading there now.

 

[wind gypsy]

I bought a whitetail property this summer and have been amazed at the resources available between NRCS, County Extension services from your local land grant university, County Soil and water conservation districts, and the state wildlife agencies. Had a forester out on my property yesterday teaching me about what I had and with state incentives it wont end up costing me a penny.

I've burned a lot of time over the past 6 months on the Habitat-talk forums. https://habitat-talk.com/index.php

There are a handful of good habitat podcasts out there, being in MN i tend to try to listen to the ones more northern based but the mississippi state university deer lab puts out a good one.

Dr Craig Harper's book foodplots and early successional plants is fantastic. https://nocsopublishing.com/

 

[S-3 ranch]

I would consider cedar removed, put food plots on hold till the cedar is mulched or grubbed up, it’s been super dry since last February snow for food plots ( which are super unreliable) , I would consider a good supplement, besides double down, how many units included exotic are you carrying on the ranch ? The freeze hurt the axis herd which isn’t a bad thing IMO