June 29, 2007

Photos and Graphics Click for larger images

Audio MP3(2.6 Mb) Audio Script

COLLEGE STATION – The number of people buying and managing rural property for wildlife recreation is increasing at an exponential rate – and so is the need for information on managing ponds or land, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

A new calendar, "Wildlife and Fish Management Calendar for Texas and the Southeast," may help meet that need.

The calendar, produced by Texas Cooperative Extension, is designed specifically to assist land and water managers to attract and maintain wildlife and fish resources, said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist and author.

The calendar offers management recommendations each month geared to specific wildlife and fish species. The calendar is not printed for a particular year, so a land manager could begin using it at any time. Space is provided for notes which will help compare management done over years.

"The idea was to pack the essential need-to-know management information and the timing of application of those techniques in a user-friendly calendar format" Higginbotham said.

Through one year's cycle, calendar users will become better at managing a variety of fish in ponds, deer, ducks, quail, mourning doves, squirrels and other wildlife species, he said.

No two species have exactly the same habitat requirements at exactly the same time because of direct competition, he noted. "The savvy wildlife manager will create a mosaic of interconnected habitats to target featured species they are interested in managing their habitats to produce."

The key is knowing what type of habitat each wildlife species favors and what can be done to create those favorable habitat conditions, Higginbotham said.

In March, the calendar reader is told, squirrels may need nest boxes placed 20 feet above the ground in trees that are at least 10 inches in diameter, if there are not enough mature cavity trees available. Quail, the calendar notes in June, need 50 or more clumps of prickly pear or bunch grass per 300-foot transect for abundance nesting cover. Pond owners are told in September not to start stocking fish unless the weather has cooled. And turkeys might benefit from supplemental feeding in December, according to the calendar.

"Anyone interested in improving wildlife and fish habitat on their property will benefit from this publication. Space on the calendar provides for notes which the landowner can refer back to and track progress toward management goals" Higginbotham said.

In addition to the 12-month calendar section, the publication has extra information in the back such as a fish management section that describes how to properly collect and interpret angler catch data, how to handle and release caught fish, and the top 10 mistakes pond owners make.

A deer management section depicts white-tail bucks from six months to 7-1/2 years old to help hunters and managers determine age – an important criteria when selecting bucks for harvest, Higginbotham said. This section also describes how to conduct a deer population census using spotlight counts and remote –sensing camera counts.

A partial listing of supplemental forages concludes the calendar with a breakdown of which wildlife species benefit from which plants.

The wildlife and fish management calendar is available for $7.95 plus tax and shipping from Texas Cooperative Extension Bookstore, http://tcebookstore.org/pubinfo.cfm?pubid=2422, or by calling toll free 888-900-2577. Orders of 50 or more are sold for $3.50 each plus tax and shipping.