The white-tailed deer has a certain requirement for cover. Cover provides a sense of security from disturbance and protection from inclement weather and predators. The amount and kind of cover vary somewhat throughout the country.

A stand of herbaceous plants may provide adequate cover for deer in open, grassland country, even though deer prefer woody cover (trees and shrubs). The best cover for a large species such as white-tailed deer is a pattern or mosaic of woody brush and trees interspersed within open areas at an approximate 2/1 ratio of open area to woody cover. Clumps or strips of brush should be wide enough so that a person cannot see through them from one side to the other during the winter months when deciduous species are bare of leaves. Cover strips should be as continuous as possible to provide travel lanes. A habitat that provides several different types and arrays of cover benefits more species of wildlife than a habitat that has limited types, amounts, and distribution of cover.

Management of vegetation, whether it be deciduous woodlands, coniferous woodlands, mesquite woods, or open grasslands, requires long-term planning. Any vegetation manipulation practice will have an impact on resident wildlife species, either good or bad, depending on the type of treatment used, the degree of use, and location. Before implementing vegetation control techniques, determine what the long-term effects will be for deer and other wildlife species that occur in the area and minimize the negative impacts. Consider the location and size of sensitive wildlife habitats that provide important nesting or roosting sites, feeding areas, desirable wildlife food producing plants, cover, water, and space needs.

Wildlife can be displaced by disturbance from an area without adequate escape or security cover. The amount and distribution of cover on adjacent lands need to be taken into consideration when assessing the cover needs of wide-ranging wildlife species such as deer and turkey. A small ranch would need a larger amount of security cover on a percentage basis than would a larger ranch where the vastness of the area provides security. The need for security cover is not as great for a deer herd that is enclosed by a high fence since the fence prevents deer from moving to areas with denser cover to avoid disturbances.

Typically, increased predator control is allowed on high-fenced properties as well. However, having suitable cover available for an enclosed deer herd to retreat into when disturbed is highly recommended, and may keep the animals calmer and less stressed, and ultimately more productive.

Brush management is the selective removal or suppression of target woody species, including exotic species, to allow the increased production of desirable trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs for forage and cover. This practice includes retaining the proper kind, amount, and distribution of woody cover for selected wildlife species.

Brush management planning must consider deer and other wildlife cover requirements, soil types, slope angle and direction, soil loss and erosion factors, and subsequent planning to control reinvasion. This practice also includes the retention of snags to provide cover and nesting sites for cavity nesting animals. It can also include the planting of native tree and shrub species to provide food, corridors and/or shelter where these habitat components are limited.

First and foremost, the emphasis of brush management should be in areas with the best soils?it is here you will find the greatest potential for increased production of preferred species of herbaceous and woody plants. Woody cover should be retained in areas of shallow soils and/or steep and rocky terrain where vegetation removal and soil disturbance would enhance soil erosion and where the response of preferred plants would be minimal.

Denser cover should also be retained along drainages and other natural breaks in the terrain. These blocks of cover can serve as travelways and as “refuges” that wildlife can retreat into for security when disturbed and for protection from inclement weather.

In Texas, the control of plant species such as ashe juniper, eastern red cedar, mesquite, prickly pear, and oak species that invade a variety of rangeland sites is often warranted. When these species dominate an area, they diminish plant diversity and the quality of habitat for most wildlife species. Vegetation manipulation may be in the form of prescribed burning, mechanical, biological, or chemical control of trees, brush, or weeds. Most of these practices will require the use of specialized equipment or machinery for plowing, discing, bulldozing, spraying, or other vegetation or soil manipulation procedures. The cost effectiveness of the different control measures must be considered prior to initiation of control measures.

Prescribed burning under a predetermined set of guidelines and plans is the most cost-effective habitat management tool that can be used to enhance plant diversity by stimulating the production of a variety of forb and grass species. It is also effective in controlling low-growing woody plants and maintaining them at the low heights most beneficial to wildlife. Livestock as well as wildlife can benefit from a properly planned and conducted prescribed burn. However, there are legal constraints and liabilities in the use of fire. The land manager should be well-trained and knowledgeable on the proper use of fire before attempting a prescribed burn.

A written burn plan should be developed that specifies the environmental conditions under which burns should be conducted. A long-range burn plan for a ranch should indicate the number of acres that are planned to be burned annually and the general burning cycle. A 5-7 year burning cycle, where an area is burned once approximately every 5-7 years, is generally recommended for north and central Texas. The burning cycle in your area will vary with the plant community, soil type, and rainfall in your area.

Mechanical equipment can also be used to control woody plants, and can be highly effective on smaller, targeted sites. The use of mechanical equipment to control woody plants will typically result in an initial growth of forbs and annual grasses and the resprouting of many woody species.? Soil disturbance associated with mechanical controls releases the natural seed bank found in the soil, increasing the quantity, quality, and distribution of plants beneficial to wildlife. However, without periodic follow-up treatments of fire, herbicides, or additional mechanical manipulations, and/or without proper livestock grazing management, these sites will eventually again become dense stands of regrowth brush and trees.

Mowing (shredding) areas of herbaceous plants and/or low-density woody plants is another form of mechanical treatment. Mowing should be postponed until after the peak of the nesting/young-rearing period of local ground-nesting birds and mammals. One-third of open areas can be mowed per year, preferably in strips or mosaic types of patterns, to create “edge” and structural diversity.

Biological control can also be implemented to control brush in certain situations.? Biological control is the use of heavy grazing pressure by livestock such as goats to control or suppress woody plants and sheep to control herbaceous weeds. Long-term heavy grazing pressure by goats, which prefer woody browse but will also consume forbs, will eliminate all leaves from woody plants up to a height of four feet.

The creation of this “browse line” and the resulting park-like appearance of the woody plant community will have negative effects on the?deer that also depend on the low-growing foliage of woody plants for both forage and cover. Heavy grazing pressure by sheep, which prefer forbs, will reduce or eliminate forbs that are also beneficial to deer. Under certain management goals, short-term biological control of woody plants and forbs can be a legitimate practice if done correctly.? However, it is not normally a recommended wildlife habitat management practice.

Finally, chemicals can also be used to control the growth of woody plants. The use of chemical herbicides can have a significant negative impact on many plant communities and may suppress or eliminate plants other than the target species. From a wildlife habitat management perspective, the use of herbicides is one of the least desirable methods of vegetation control. If herbicides are used, selective applications, rather than broad-scale applications, are recommended to avoid the elimination of plants that are important to wildlife. When used, herbicides should be applied in strict accordance with label directions.

Ashe Juniper (Cedar) has invaded large areas of central Texas and it dominates many range sites with shallow limestone soils. The suppression of fire and long-term overgrazing by livestock has contributed to the spread and invasion of this evergreen woody species. If not managed, cedar will eventually form a closed canopy that prevents sunlight from reaching the ground.

This limitation of sunlight then suppressed the growth of grasses, valuable forbs, and desirable woody plants. The massive shallow root system of cedar allows it to successfully compete with more desirable plants for available soil moisture. The foliage of cedar intercepts rainfall and prevents moisture from reaching the ground. Soil erosion is enhanced under cedar stands due to the limited amounts of herbaceous plants.

Cedar has minimal food value to both livestock and wildlife. Its foliage is not preferred by browsing species. Deer only utilize it to a small extent, typically during the late winter when the availability of other foods is low. The fruit (berries) that it sporadically produces are eaten by some bird species and occasionally by deer, but they are not normally important components of wildlife diets.

The most common species of cedar in central Texas, ashe juniper or blueberry cedar, does not resprout from roots as do most other woody species, if all above-ground green material is removed or killed. Redberry juniper does occur in some areas, especially the more western portions of the region. Redberry juniper has the ability to resprout from roots and is therefore more difficult to control. A landowner should learn how to identify the species occurring on his land so the most appropriate control methods can be used.

Cedar can be controlled with a variety of control methods including mechanical (dozing, chaining, grubbing, hydraulic shears), fire, herbicides, biological, and hand cutting. Selective, single-stem removal (hand cutting, grubbing, hydraulic shears) of cedar where it is growing in stands mixed with other desirable woody plants is preferred over broad-scale removal to prevent damage to the desirable species. When it is removed from these areas, care must be taken to avoid reducing the amount of cover in the stands below minimum levels needed for wildlife. Because of its evergreen growth form, cedar can add structural density to stands of deciduous woody plants during the winter months. Where it is growing in dense stands and broad-scale “mass removal” (dozing, chaining) is a viable option, care should be taken to minimize removing or damaging excessive amounts of preferred woody species.

Properly applied fire (prescribed burning) can be used to economically kill small blueberry cedars up to about 3-4 feet tall. Other control methods are necessary to initially remove larger cedars that are not effected by fire. Prescribed burns at no more than 5 to 6 year intervals can be used to maintain control of cedar seedlings that are continuously being established throughout central Texas from undigested seeds that are widely dispersed by birds and other animals. Fire will kill cedar saplings less than 1 1/2 inches in basal diameter if it is held for 6 or more seconds at the base of the tree. Fire will also kill all trees in which it removes all green growth.

The biological control of cedar with goats is not recommended because excessive browsing on other more preferred species of woody plants will precede utilization of the cedar, resulting in the degradation of wildlife habitat. Control of cedar with certain specific herbicides can be effective on low densities of cedars less than three feet tall.

Cedar does have some value as wildlife escape and thermal cover, especially in areas where other forms of woody cover are lacking or in short supply. The amount of cover on open “prairie” habitats of central Texas may be less than needed to provide a minimum amount of security for wildlife. Although some species of wildlife may prefer and utilize open habitats, others are hesitant to venture very far from escape cover. While it may not be the most desirable, cedar is one of an apparently limited number of woody species that can grow on certain soil types of central Texas. It is recommended that small stands and strips of cedar be retained and encouraged at 200-300 yard intervals in habitats lacking sufficient woody cover. These blocks and strips of cedar can provide structural diversity, travel lanes and security cover that is beneficial to many species. The distribution and density of cedar can be controlled over time to prevent it from forming dense stands.

The best cover for white-tailed deer is a pattern or mosaic of woody brush and trees interspersed within open areas at an approximate 60% open area to 40% woody cover.  Clumps or strips of brush should be wide enough so that an observer cannot see through them from one side to the other during the winter months when deciduous species are bare of leaves.  This gives whitetail the security they desire and keep in mind that cover strips should be as continuous as possible to provide travel lanes throughout the property.

Deer can easily be displaced by disturbance from an area without adequate escape or security cover.  The amount and distribution of cover on neighboring lands also needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the cover needs of a wide-ranging species such as whitetail deer.  For example, a small ranch would need a larger amount of security cover on a percentage basis than would a larger ranch where the vastness of the area provides security.

Remember, promoting ideal cover requirements for deer to retreat into when disturbed may keep the animals calmer, less stressed, on your property, and ultimately more productive.

Managing the habitat for proper nutrition should be the primary management goal.  Supplemental feeding and/or planting of food plots are not a substitute for good habitat management.  These practices should only be considered as "supplements" to the native habitat, not as "cure-alls" for low quality and/or poorly managed habitats.

To be most beneficial, supplemental feeding in particular needs to be integrated into an overall deer population and habitat management program that maintains the range in good condition. Feeding programs which provide sufficient additional nutrients to be of value to deer are expensive and take a long term commitment.

Although corn is commonly used as a supplemental feed, it is one of the poorest types of deer feed available and it should not be used as the only source of supplemental feed. Its low protein level (7-10%) is not adequate for the development of bone and muscle, especially at times when the protein levels of native forages is also low. The preferred method is to use a 16% to 20% protein pelleted commercial feed, fed free choice, from feeders distributed at the rate of at least one feeder per 300 acres located within or adjacent to adequate escape cover. (more…)

Range and habitat enhancment may be necessary on properties that have received high livestock grazing pressure in the past or have been degraded by other means. Many herbaceous broadleaf plants, known as forbs (but commonly referred to as weeds and wildflowers), are beneficial to wildlife for forage and/or seed production.

Commonly seen as unwanted plant species by farmers or cattle ranchers, the leaves of many forbs provide excellent forage and the seeds are highly sought by doves, quail, and turkey.

Encourage “weed” and wildflower species by the selective application of chemical, biological (eg. grazing management) and/or mechanical means. Native herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs) that provide food and cover for wildlife should be established where they are limited in the habitat. Plant species selected and methods for establishment should be applicable to the soil type and the area of the country your property is located. Non-native species are generally not recommended, but if required for a specific purpose, non-native species should not exceed approximately 25 percent of a seeding mix.

Seeding mixtures that provide maximum native plant diversity are highly recommended. The conversion of improved grass pastures (such as bermudagrass, kleingrass, buffelgrass), old fields, and croplands back to native vegetation is a desirable practice that will benefit wildlife in many ways. Increased nesting and fawning cover, in addition to increased food availability, will help wildlife on your property. Overseeding these areas with locally adapted legumes (eg. clovers, vetches, peas) may assist with the conversion process while increasing plant diversity and providing supplemental wildlife foods.

Periodic disturbance of the ground through shallow tillage (discing) encourages habitat diversity by stimulating the production of native grasses and forbs and can be used to create bare ground feeding habitat required by some species of wildlife. Discing in the fall will encourage cool season forbs while discing during mid-late spring will encourage more warm season forbs.

Remember, wildlife habitat is not about being a pretty, park-like stand of trees or a beautifully mowed lawn. You can manicure your lawn around your buildings, but wildlife like diversity and areas most people wouldn’t view as beautiful. But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Wildlife habitat can be greatly enhanced through proper grazing management. Of course, deferred-rotational grazing of livestock (we are talking cattle here) is the best grazing system for wildlife, but some factors must be considered. Since rotational grazing requires mutliple pastures, livestock confined to individual pastures in a deferred-rotation grazing system, each pasture needs to have at least one source of water available when livestock are in that pasture.

Creeks may provide adequate water during most of the year, but water from seasonal streams may become limited or inaccessible during extended dry periods. Also, concentrated livestock activity around creek waterholes can cause excessive damage to the plants and soils in the area. Earthen stock tanks and/or water piped to troughs from a well may provide better, more reliable, sources of water. One water source can serve several pastures if properly located.

For example, one water trough could serve two pastures if straddled by a cross-fence, or a trough in a separately fenced “waterlot” constructed at the juncture of several cross-fences could serve numerous pastures. Also, permanently or seasonally protect the vegetation and soils in riparian areas (low areas on either side of stream courses) from damage such as can be caused by excessive, long-term livestock trampling.

Riparian area protection and enhancement can include providing livestock with alternate watering sites, deferring livestock grazing in pastures with riparian areas during critical periods of the year, total exclusion of livestock from pastures with riparian areas, and separately fencing riparian areas to exclude livestock or provide short duration grazing.

A deferred-rotation grazing system will fail to produce the desired results of maintaining a healthy and diverse plant community if the range is overstocked with animals, both domestic and wild. The appropriate livestock stocking rate for a specific ranch is dependent on that ranch’s herbaceous plant productivity and past grazing history. The stocking rate can vary from year to year, and seasonally within a year, depending on environmental factors. The impact of grazing animals should be closely monitored and the number of livestock on a ranch may need to be frequently adjusted to account for the variations in a ranch’s grazing capacity.

A good rule-of-thumb livestock stocking rate for native rangelands in much of east-central and north-central Texas is 1 animal unit (a.u.) per 15-20 acres. Recommended stocking rates decrease in a westward progression across the regions in association with decreases in the average annual rainfall. Stocking rates in central portions of Texas is 1 animal unit for about 25-35 acres, while it is 1 animal unit to 40-50 acres is more realistic for the further west.

The combined total of all animals on the range, including all classes of livestock as well as deer, must be considered when determining stocking rates. Weaned calves up to yearlings are classified as 0.6 animal units, steers and heifers up to 2 years old are considered 1 animal unit, mature cows are 1 animal unit, and bulls over 2 years of age are classified as 1.3 animal units.

With regards to deer management, sheep and goat operations are not recommended. It is commonplace for many “ranchers” to carry more livestock than the range can actually support. This is evident in herds of cows when individual animals look to be in below average condition. This can also be seen on rangelands that are comprised mostly of “weeds.” The reason over grazed pastures soon become fields of weeds is because over grazing occurs at the individual plant level, not at the pasture level. This may sound confusing, but hang in there.

Grasses are adapted for grazing pressure, but they are not foolproof. In the past, grasses did not adapt under continuous grazing pressure. Buffalo were the primary grazers over much of the United States and they migrated with weather patterns and seasons. As a result, a grass plant would therefore be grazed upon and then moving herds would move on to to fresh grass. Now, put a fence around an area of rangeland, add cows, and you have a contiuous grazing scheme. Bad move for grass, bad move for wildlife.

After a grass plant is grazed, much if not all of its leaves are removed, and therefore, the energy converting mojo of the plant is removed. Thus, the plant relies on energy reserves stored in the roots to refoliate and keep growing. No problem…unless your pasture is overstocked. With continuous grazing pressure, individual grass plants are repetitively grazed, never refoliate, and eventually energy reserves in the plant run out. The end result is a dead plant. This can happen over years of weakening the plant or over a much shorter time, depending upon the stocking rate.

Now, since we all know that cows prefer grass over weeds, the pasture soon becomes a field of weeds as individual grass plants die out and weeds benefit from the lack of competition. All this from continual grazing. By cross-fencing your ranch into mutliple pastures, you can rotate cattle through many pastures and give plants time to recover and regenerate through deferral periods.

Although deer do not consume very much grass (less than 9% of diet and only on young, new growth), they do require it for fawning cover and tall grass can also provide bedding and screening cover. Grazing your ranch is not a bad idea, but make sure you do it properly and it can be a great benefit to your overall deer management and cattle ranching program.

A ranch must be divided into at least two pastures before even the least complex two pasture/one herd deferred-rotation grazing system can be implemented.   If not cross-fenced, the land manager would need to have access to other areas where livestock could be moved to during the prescribed rest periods.  Electric fencing is a lower cost and less labor-intensive alternative to barbed wire for dividing a ranch into multiple pastures. (more…)