Langford Creek Lake - A lack of habitat management...

Across the state highway from where I live is Langford Creek Lake, a small city lake that has been mismanaged for at least the 7 years that I have lived here... both for people and for wildlife. From the pictures here you can see that the area surrounding the lake is a naturally diverse ecological area that has been stripped of much of it's native vegetation and supplanted with tall fescue over most of the landscape. I have expressed my opinion on tall fescue in earlier posts so I won't go into it here. Suffice it to say it's only functional use here is as erosional control, and there are other choices that would be much better wildlife habitat.

Looking Northwest

The fescue covers most of the acreage on the property aside from a strip of wooded area along the north-eastern side of the lake and a small wooded area in the northwestern corner. This fescue includes two softball fields, a couple of poorly kept soccer fields, an area surrounding an old tennis court, and across and below the dam to the other side of the lake. I'm not sure at this time how many acres there are on the property, but I would say 200 acres+, including the lake. A little more than half of the acreage is lake and the rest is split about equal between woods and grass.

The mayor of the city likes to keep things mowed as best she can with the fiscal problems she faces in today's economy. She says it costs $1500 every time the area is mowed, mainly due to the offset mower required to mow the steep dam.

She obtained a grant last year to have all the brush and trees removed from the above area and the dam (pictured below). Trees along the dam were quite tall and blocked the sun from much of the reed undergrowth, keeping it from growing very thick. There were trails along the dam's water edge where people had been fishing. It was a nice native habitat that provided shade for the fish, animals, and people using the area, but the tall trees blocked the view from the road along the top of the dam... so they had to be cut down. But they were not killed. The stumps were left cut off at ground level.

Looking Southwest

Today the shoots have grown back to about a 10' height. And since the sun shines all day on them now, the reeds are so thick you can't get to the water's edge (see picture). Wouldn't it have been better to have left the trees standing tall to shade the area and provide a natural habitat for the critters and shade for the fishermen... and saved the money wasted on an ill conceived project? Maybe just trimming the trees back so that the views would be preserved, at the same time shading the water's edge and preventing the thick growth of reeds.


Early successional growth the next season.



 As you can see the native vegetation will grow here if it is left alone to do it's thing, providing excellent habitat for wildlife. But it could certainly use some nudging in the right directions to utilize the landscape for the best benefit of wildlife.

And the people could still have their park and ball fields and tennis court... but with an excellent native habitat intertwined with nature trails instead of open fields of periodically mown tall fescue. My idea is to remove the tall fescue and develop, over time, a native habitat conducive to attracting all types of wildlife to the area. I won't go into all the steps here, but I thought about studying the area as I have time and subsequently posting my thoughts.

There was at one time, I'm told, deer and turkey in the area, along with other smaller birds and wildlife. But there is very little, if any, deer or turkey activity in the area at present. There is some waterfowl activity, but there could be much more. The total wildlife population would require considerable study, I'm sure, but the area certainly does not presently approach it's potential...

When I approached the mayor last year about the possibility of Edge Habitat providing the city with habitat management for the area surrounding the lake, I was told simply that there was no money for such things. She did take my card and said that she would talk to others about the issue, but I have never heard a word from it.

However, this week when I took these pictures, I spotted these trees and brush piles where someone had been trimming the brush from around the trees, and piling it (see pictures); removing what might be nesting cover. There was a guy there, who I had met before, who told me there was a mexican that had been cutting and piling the brush. Another one of the good mayor's beautification projects, I surmise. But there is no money for habitat restoration... I wonder if the mexican man is here legally? 

To me, the problem here is the same problem encountered on private land when discussing habitat management for wildlife. People think that it's a nice idea, but there is no money for it. But they want to keep it all neatly mowed so it looks nice, never thinking that they are robbing wildlife of their environment. It's a matter of priorities, don't you know... where the money goes...                                                                                                                                            

Utilizing woods roads for wildlife...

Following the previous post concerning the size of a habitat project, the shape of it isn't necessarily important either. Woods roads may wind throughout a piece of property offering excellent opportunities to improve habitat. And if edge is so important to wildlife, then woods roads offer considerable more edge to be utilized than do food plot fields.
Woods roads may include anything from long driveways (well traveled) to old skid roads to newly opened paths between tracts. Depending on how much traffic the road gets, measures can be taken utilizing different methods and plants to prevent erosion and stay away from such traditional erosion control plants like tall fescue and orchardgrass, which are not beneficial to wildlife.
Habitat improvements may include daylighting the roads to let in more light, feathering the edges to create cover and aid w/ the daylighting, planting food plots along or on road beds, or simply light disking (just before spring green-up) every other year to stimulate early successional growth from the existing seedbank.
Plants need to be shade tolerant plants like white clovers and wheat. The wheat (thickly planted) acts as erosion control as well as serving as excellent brood cover. Wheat also germinates quickly to prevent erosion allowing the clovers and other forbs and grasses to take hold.
It is still best to utilize all the steps needed to develop a quality food plot, i.e. soil testing, mowing, selective herbicides, etc. But if you can provide enough sunlight ( about 4 hrs/day) onto these roadbeds, they can be excellent sources of habitat improvement throughout the property w/o clearing land for food plots and sacrificing valuable timber.

How large the habitat project?

          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

These are a couple of shots of my field out back showing some of the native grasses and forbs (weeds) that are flourishing.

Recently, it was suggested to me that you could make a difference in habitat w/ as little as 10 acres. IMO, that is true, but it doesn't have to be that large either. In fact, IMO, even back yard projects can make a difference, especially when several people in a neighborhood work together on such things. But anything that you do to improve habitat makes the world a better place.
In fact, the field that I have been talking about here is merely a 3 acre field behind my house. I began the project last year and it will remain a continuing project. But I have already seen an increase in bird life that even my neighbors are noticing too.
This 3 acres is adjacent to a small cattle ranch that has very little, if any, large game other than too many coyotes. But it is connected by corridors of fencerows and creek beds to other habitat that does sustain large wildlife. Hopefully, in time, the larger animals will find a way to my little project and make themselves visible.
I never plan to hunt them here, as I have too many close neighbors on 3 sides. But having a small creek on my western border w/ the ranch acts as an excellent corridor from other areas. Most of the people here have 1-2 acre lots and they keep them pretty well mowed, so there is little other habitat or cover to attract much more than birds near them.
But the closer neighbors have noticed what I'm doing and some have asked about it. When I explain, I'm not too sure they can appreciate the idea; but maybe when some larger animals start showing up, they will change their thinking... But, then again, maybe they will see the results of my labors in other ways too... For now, at least I can enjoy it...

More turkeys this year?

I'm not sure if there are actually more turkeys in N. TX. this year or if I'm just getting better at locating them, but I think it's probably a bit of both. Whatever the case, in my scouting treks this year I have encountered more turkeys, both eastern and rio strains, than any other year in recent memory. And I have to ask myself why is that the case?
I know I've improved on my owl hoots in the pre-dawn because I'm getting gobblers answering me almost every time. But 4-6 at a time from a single owl hoot? And on almost every occasion lately? And out of numerous scouting trips this year since back in January, I can remember only one trip where I didn't see or hear any turkeys... And I suspect there are a lot of jakes out there doing a large part of the gobbling. But I have seen numerous longbeards as well.
But I have to give mother nature most of the credit for the successful turkey encounters this year. As I have mentioned here on other posts, this year has been an unusually wet year in N.TX. since last July. And the habitat is exploding in the areas where I frequently scout for wildlife. And when the habitat flourishes, so does the wildlife. I just wish I could get more landowners to realize that you can manage your land for cattle, timber, or crops... AND wildlife as well, w/ a little common sense and effort.
Of course, all these sightings and encounters won't necessarily compute into the bagging of birds once the season opens. But having had so many quality encounters already this year, I can't honestly say I would have the right to complain if I didn't get a shot this year. But anticipation is high for a successful year turkey hunting.
And I'm already suffering from early morning awakenings. It's an affliction that I have, don't you know... Depression, you say? Not hardly...

Choir practice has begun...

The bobcat mentioned in the comments put this guy up a tree.

As I do every year prior to the opening of turkey season, I went scouting yesterday AM for turkeys. It's an excuse I use to get out and wander the outdoors w/ my camera and turkey calling garb. I enjoy it every year as much, and sometimes more, than the actual turkey hunting; plus it's good exercise, and it gets me in shape for the season.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

I had been out last Thursday AM doing the same thing, but in another area I knew would hold turkeys. That AM I heard a few gobbles at a distance around daylight w/ one answering my owl hoot call, but only once.
Yesterday I was exploring a new area where I had seen a big longbeard come over the road back in January... and maybe a mile from where I had been last week. But the difference in a week was remarkable. Yesterday I had 2-3 gobblers sounding off from before daylight till flydown... and periodically after that until about 9 AM.
The closest roost was only about 200 yds from where I started calling before daylight, and he would answer my owl hoots every time I called. The others were too far off to pinpoint, but they joined together following flydown and moved ahead of me to the east... as I explored the new area in their direction. They would gobble every now and again and let me know where they were.
I didn't break out the turkey calls but once for fear of educating them before the season. But about 9 AM I thought I was close enough to maybe call them in for a picture, so I got hidden and answered one of their gobbles w/ my box call. This time I got answers from 3 gobblers, I think, and not too far away. So I waited a minute or so and hit it again... same thing... gobbles answering back, but further away. I tried one more time... same thing... so I shut up. They obviously were being led away by their hens, IMO.
This time of year I have seen small bunches of hens and jakes and maybe a couple of longbeards hanging together, but about to bust up as soon as the hens get receptive. The longbeards will run the jakes off pretty quick when the hens get receptive. And, having not actually seen these birds, there may not have been any jakes among them; but some of the gobbles that I heard didn't sound mature to me. But they could have been jakes that had already been run off and just following along nearby.
Anyway, I would say the breeding season for turkeys has officially begun in N. Texas. And it made for a glorious AM for this fat, old man. I truly enjoy the encounters as much or more than the bagging of the birds. As long as they will talk to me, I'm happy. But then, choir practice has always been more fun than singing in church... for me, at least...

After awhile this hen came to my call.

Too wet to plow...

Last fall I had to wait until mid-Nov. to spray the tall fescue in my field because of the wetter than normal conditions we had since late July. And even though my tractor had turf tires on it, it left some ruts in the wetter areas. But never did I think that come Feb. I would have an even wetter situation to manage.
Last year at this time I was disking to regenerate the seedbank; and, even though the blackland clay was sticky and hard to work, I was able to beat back the fescue and generate considerable native grasses, including both red and white clover.
However, all winter long the frequent moisture has never let the soil dry out. Being clay, it is vertically impermeable so the moisture is ever so slow to dissipate. In fact, it has been so wet here all winter that it is impossible to walk around out back w/o slipping around or getting stuck in the mud. Consequently, the native grasses have been slow to germinate, and the erosion has been increasing. Plus, I was unable to plow the dead fescue under to utilize it better as fertilizer.
These were unforeseen problems that, by all rights, would never have occurred had we not had such an unusually wet year. But w/ El Nino pushing the storm track more southerly than normal, we have the current situation. And it doesn't appear that the situation will improve any time soon.
On the positive side I am seeing some regeneration of small patches of bunch grasses, in places. But, until the warm weather and sunshine begin to be more consistent, the regrowth will be slow. I can only hope that it will dry out enough w/ the March winds to, at least, allow some light disking and early successional regrowth before any heavy spring rains begin.
So, if the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, maybe I'll be able to salvage something of my plan to replace the tall fescue w/ native grasses. But conditions have been much less than optimal here in this wetter than normal year.
Now watch it turn off hot and dry this summer, and the blackland get hard as a rock and crack wide open. Such is life on the blackland prairie...

11-13-09 WT on public land...

These are pictures of the mount of this deer that I just got back this weekend. Although they're not very good pictures they give a better idea of the size and character of this buck. 1-18-10

Here's some pictures of the cape of a deer I bagged on 11-13 in the Caddo National Grasslands about an hour west of where I live. This area uses prescribed fire as a management tool almost exclusively w/ great results.
This deer is a 140-class, 22 in. wide, 11 pt. estimated at 4.5 years old. He's a main frame 10 pt. w/ a crab claw on the rt. side. He chased a doe over me at about 10:30 that AM. Pretty solid evidence that good habitat and healthy herds can be obtained w/o high priced food plots or feeders.
I'm not saying that food plots are bad... just not altogether necessary. They provide food, but native grasses and forbs do as well w/o the high costs involved w/ food plots. Feeders? I'm not a fan of feeders because they concentrate game and propagate disease. They can be useful in late summer droughts or hard cold winters to help wildlife through tough times. Otherwise, their use is simply to make animals more easily visible...