Seasons – July 2023
From the Plateau Land & Wildlife Management Team
Starting July 3 and ending Aug. 11, those of us in the northern hemisphere will experience a period of particularly hot and humid weather we refer to as the “Dog Days” of summer, which is based on an ancient belief about Sirius, the dog star.
While our first inclination may be to hole up with air conditioning, there are lots of management activities that you can do on your property during this timeframe to benefit your wildlife.
In this issue of Seasons, you’ll find articles, blogs and reminders about management of white-tailed deer, safeguarding your wildlife management valuation, conserving endangered species, reminders for summer management activities, news for Texas landowners, and more!
We hope you enjoy the read and everything this summer has to offer, and if there’s any way Plateau can help you protect, enhance or better enjoy your land, just give us a call. We’ll be here when you need us.
Until next Seasons,
The Plateau Team
Table of Contents
Counting Deer
Refiles and Annual Reports: Which Do You Need to Protect Your Property
Post Oak Savannah Workshops Offer Guidance for Private Landowners
Catch Us on the Road
We’re Growing! Join the Plateau Team!
Corina Rodriguez joins Braun and Gresham’s Estate Planning Team
News for Texas Landowners
Counting Deer
By Sarah Kahlich, AWB, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Plateau Land and Wildlife
Sitting in the deer stand, waiting patiently for any deer that may want to kindly venture my direction, my mind starts to wander, as it easily does when I am not actively engaged. How many bucks and does are on this property? How many should be harvested this year? Is the population healthy and sustainable in this habitat? Endless questions zip through my mind, I should have brought a pencil and paper with me. These are probably common questions among deer hunters as they sit in a blind waiting to harvest a deer. The mind jumps to another thought, ‘I should have conducted a deer survey on my property.’
All these questions are good ones and should be going through your mind. Maintaining a healthy deer herd does not happen by chance but through proper management. If you decide to have a deer survey conducted before deer season, whether it is a camera survey or a spotlight survey, do you really know what the results mean when they come back to you? It seems straight forward, I have 15 bucks and 30 does, but when you look deeper into the survey you will find out these numbers are not as simple as you might have thought.
Considerations for Conducting Deer Surveys
It would be ideal to be able to count every single animal on your property during your survey, but like a survey of humans in the United States, not everyone participates or can be found to contribute to the results. Deer surveys are very similar in that they are samples, or an estimate, of the population. It is not a complete count and is subject to some error. Keep in mind: It is nearly impossible to obtain a complete count of deer, even when contained in a high fence. Deer cannot be rounded up in a corral like cattle and counted. Instead of relying solely on one year’s survey, it is best to rely on multiple consecutive years of survey data, called a trend. Trends are more important than the actual numbers for one year.
Trends allow you to see what your deer population has been doing in the past, if your numbers are decreasing each year and you have not harvested deer, it could be from low fawn recruitment, which could be caused by drought conditions, predation, or other reasons. High doe populations might mean you should focus more on culling does instead of bucks.
Herd Composition & Ratios
Herd composition numbers are as important as total numbers as they can greatly influence harvest recommendations. Doe:Buck ratios (sex ratios) tell us how much of the harvest should be composed of females and how many males. This number also tells us what animals may be replaced by births. A doe:buck ratio of 2:1 (2 does for every buck)is a desirable ratio, permitting good fawn production while keeping growth manageable. As the ratio increases, the number of harvestable bucks decreases and population growth can quickly get out of hand. If the ratio was 10:1 the population is skewed heavily towards females, requiring a higher doe harvest. You should almost always harvest as many, or more, does than bucks, but the actual harvest rates should be based on ratios from your surveys.
A second important ratio is Fawn:Doe, this number indicates the health of the herd, in terms of reproduction. During drought periods reproduction numbers will be low because females become stressed by the decrease in quality forbs and browse. When the conditions are favorable (timely rains, plenty of forage) white-tailed deer females tend to give birth to twins. Most survey techniques underestimate fawns. They do not show up on cameras as often as adults and they may remain hidden during spotlight surveys. This makes the fawn:doe ratio appear lower than what it may actually be. Biologists may use an assumed ratio based on history and current conditions to calculate harvest recommendations.
Sex ratios and fawn crops are best determined from incidental observations. Bucks, does, and fawn observations collected during daylight hours while driving or sitting in blinds are an important supplement to spotlight or remote camera surveys as they help more accurately depict these ratios. Assumed ratios may be used if ratios are far too low or high and do not seem realistic for the property. If very low fawn ratios are used, it could result in not harvesting enough deer. The following year the deer population might appear to have exploded. Doing this repeatedly can result in deer overpopulation that exhausts available forage, leading to the need to harvest even more deer to help keep the population at acceptable numbers. In the Edwards Plateau and many other parts of Texas west of I-35, under-harvesting is a much greater concern than overharvesting as deer populations are more likely to be too high rather than too low.
How Can Plateau Help?
Plateau offers multiple services to help landowners survey deer populations on their land. Each of these services qualify as a Census Activity for your Annual Wildlife Management report.
- Spotlight Surveys: These are the familiar and “traditional” surveys for counting deer. The concept is simple – drive around at night with a spotlight and count all the deer you see – but there is more to it than that. The most common version is a strip-transect method, which just means you drive a set route and calculate how much land you can see from the vehicle, typically in 1/10th mile increments. If the survey route is set up properly, this method requires minimal training and can easily be conducted by landowners. A newer technique, called distance sampling, can be used on a driving spotlight survey as well. This version requires much more training and experience, but in the right situation it is a better choice for estimating populations.
- Camera Surveys:Inexpensive technology has made trail cameras, aka camera traps, widely available and popular for monitoring wildlife activity. Deployed properly, these cameras can also be used to estimate populations of deer. This method attempts to make an actual census (complete count) of bucks in an area and uses the ratio of males to females and fawns to females to estimate the rest of the population. The pictures make it easier to determine the age structure and quality of bucks. Because this survey requires 1 camera/150 acres of land, it is well suited to smaller properties (<500 acres), where spotlight surveys are often impractical. There is no limit to the size of the property for this method, it just takes a lot more cameras, and a lot more pictures to sort through, on larger properties. The set up and execution is fairly simple, though analyzing the pictures takes some training.
- Distance Sampling Surveys: Ideal for properties over 1,000 acres, a Plateau biologist will conduct a survey of resident species to analyze the unique ecological and habitat characteristics of your land, populations present, and how habitat can be enhanced or improved. Plateau Distance Sampling Surveys provide a detailed summary of animal distribution with estimates of density, sex ratio and if done in the late summer, fawn production for the year. This technique can provide better estimates for very large properties, and those where exotics may be present. Plateau will provide a full report of types and number of species identified, and a map of survey stations for inclusion in your annual report.
Deer Survey Results
The most important thing to keep in mind when conducting a camera survey or a spotlight survey, whether you are doing it yourself or using Plateau, is that the results are not a complete count of the deer on your property, only an estimate. Research shows that we (biologists included) miss seeing a lot of deer during spotlight surveys. Some deer are excellent at avoiding detection when you conduct a survey, especially fawns. Since camera surveys are an attempt at a complete count, we recommend turning off feeders that will not be used for the survey at least 1-2 weeks prior to a camera survey so deer can become accustomed to using the feeders designated for the camera survey. Exotics on your property can deter white-tailed deer from utilizing a feeder as well.
If your survey reports seem low compared to the number of bucks, does, and fawns you have seen on your property, it is not uncommon and does not warrant a huge concern in any given year. Utilizing multiple methods increases your observations and can be used to increase the reliability of the survey and the resulting recommendations. To accomplish this, record observations when you are driving or walking around your property during the daylight, possibly conducting dedicated daylight drive surveys through your property. Look at the vegetation on your property – checking browse on desirable vegetation is an excellent indicator of the deer population. If you are seeing heavy browse pressure on all the new growth, chances are there are too many deer. Keep harvest records; the condition of deer being harvested says a lot about what is happening in your deer herd. Recording weights, antler size, and body conditions are important, but each deer should be aged to at least three categories – young (0.5-1.5), middle-aged (2.5-3.5), and mature (4.5+). Tooth-wear aging doesn’t do a great job of nailing down the actual age in years, but it can let you put deer into these three categories.
In Summary
While it would be ideal to be able to count every single animal on your property, it is virtually impossible. A survey is only an estimate, not a complete count, and can be higher or lower than the real population. Because of this, it is best to base your decisions on trends from multiple, consecutive years of survey data. All survey information is most useful as trend data. Keeping yearly survey information will help make your trend data more robust, which will help in determining the impact of your current management practices. Utilize more than one survey method – the more data you collect the better your harvest recommendations will be. Not every deer will show up on camera. Just like you may see signs of hogs on your property, not seeing any on your camera or during your spotlight survey does not mean they are not there. Surveys are estimates and are subject to some error, but when conducted annually, they provide useful information for setting your desired harvest and monitoring your deer herd.
Happy Hunting!
If you have questions or would like to learn more about Deer Surveys, please contact us at (512) 894-3479 or [email protected]
Refiles and Annual Reports: Which Do You Need to Protect Your Property
By Kameron Bain, Landowner Account Manager
This past filing season, our team saw even more Central Appraisal Districts (CADs) requesting either an annual report, a five year updated wildlife management plan, or both. With this increase in the number of requests, we noticed many landowners that are confused on the difference, and we wanted to provide some clarity.
Refiling Your Wildlife Management Plan
The Wildlife Management Plan includes detailed information about your property and suggested ideas for future wildlife management activities. It is something for you to follow over the next five years, as well as inform the CAD of what you plan to do to comply with Wildlife Management requirements.
Most Counties will request you update your wildlife management plan every five years, but there are other reasons you are required to update, regardless of this time frame. To maintain your favorable tax status, it is important to be aware of actions that could impact your valuation.
If you have made or plan to make any of the following changes to your property in 2023, you must update/refile your plan and submit a new application.
1) Change in Legal Ownership Name: If your property has had a change in legal ownership name, meaning the property title has been transferred from one person or entity to another, you will need to re-file your plan. For example, the ownership remains the same but there is a name change, John Smith to John Smith Family Trust, a new application must be filed.
2) Change in Acreage: If your property has changed in size, whether that be from selling a portion of your land, subdividing, or the purchase of additional acreage, you will need to re-file your plan.
3) County Requests a Re-File: If your Central Appraisal District has requested an updated plan or application, it is very important you meet all dates and requirements to avoid losing your favorable tax status. Remember, the CAD can request a refile at anytime.
If you have made or plan to make any of these changes this year, you will need to re-file your wildlife management plan with the CAD by April 30, 2024.
Annual Reports
What is an Annual Report? It is different than a management plan. While a Wildlife Management Plan shows the Central Appraisal Districts what you plan to do in wildlife management in the next five years, and is required to gain a Wildlife Management Valuation, Annual Reports are a compilation of documentation of completed activities. Central Appraisal Districts request Annual Reports to verify the implementation of your Wildlife Management Plan so you can keep your valuation.
Most Central Appraisal Districts will send out an Annual Report request for landowners in Wildlife Management either annually, once every two years, once every three years, or at random. Requests will be issued as soon as September, with most reports due between January and April 30. However, Central Appraisal Districts can request an Annual Report at any time throughout the year. Remember, the Annual Report may be the only evidence they look at to determine whether or not your property is meeting the requirements of a wildlife management tax valuation, so maintaining accurate documentation of your activities is crucial. Don’t forget — CADs can ask for Annual Reports up to 5 years back, so it’s best to complete one every year.
You can safeguard your Wildlife Management valuation by having Plateau complete your 2023 Annual Report. The purchase of a Plateau Annual Report includes the completion of the required TPWD form prepared by a Plateau biologist, a compilation of all documentation you provide or Plateau collected while preforming activities on your property, and a thorough review by our experienced team of wildlife professionals ensuring you are in compliance. You’ll also gain access to exclusive client webinars to help you prepare for Annual Report requests, periodic documentation reminders and timely wildlife management activity suggestions, and links to our activity log-sheets with tips and best practices on record keeping. Plus, a dedicated Annual Report biologist will mail, track and confirm delivery of your Annual Report to the Central Appraisal District(s). You can relax and know that your report will be submitted on time and with all of the correct paperwork.
If you’d like more information, or if you need assistance to update/refile your plan or purchase an Annual Report, contact your Landowner Account Manager.
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Post Oak Savannah Workshops offer guidance for Private Landowners
By PLW Staff
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is hosting “Wildlife & Woodlands – Post Oak Savannah Landowner Workshops” landowner within the Post Oak Savannah in Milam and Burleson, Leon, and Robertson Counties in July and August. This is a unique opportunity to hear from TPWD’s Conservation Initiatives Specialist, Elizabeth Bates and our State Herpetologist, Paul Krump as they discuss management techniques and offer guidance for private landowners interested in conservation efforts and habitat enhancements. Anyone interested in learning about habitat management in the Post Oak Savanna is sure to benefit.
Conservation Programs and Incentives for Landowners
Once found throughout the east central region of Texas, the Houston Toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) now hangs on the brink of extinction due to Texas’ rapid urbanization, habitat loss, introduction of non-native species, and the suppression of natural fire regimes. Known as a habitat-specialist, only nine Texas counties from Bastrop to Leon still contain some of the specialized habitat that the Houston toad once thrived in. In 1970, the Houston toad became one of the first amphibians to be placed on the USFWS Endangered Species list. Today, official estimates are that just 3,000–4,000 adult Houston toads are left in the world.
Beyond protecting such a unique and extraordinary piece of Texas wildlife, why would a landowner want to volunteer for the “red tape” involved with protecting a federally endangered species? Programs like Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Safe Harbor Agreement and the Wildlife Management Tax Valuation offer incentives to private landowners who wish to manage for the toads specifically, or for the habitat that could benefit both toads and other native Texas wildlife.
Have questions about Wildlife Management for Houston Toads? Please contact Nick Fisher at [email protected] or (512) 894-3479.
Catch Us on the Road
Join us on on the road this summer! Plateau Representatives are partnering with organizations around the state to cover information on a broad number of common issues facing Texas landowners! Our experts will be on hand and ready to discuss how a Wildlife Management valuation, more commonly referred to as “Wildlife Exemption”, can simplify owning land in Texas.
- July 13 — Texas Wildlife Association Convention
San Antonio, Texas - July 24 – 28 — Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas Professional Development Conference
Dallas, Texas - July 28 — Leon County Wildlife & Woodlands Post Oak Savannah Landowner Workshop
Normangee, Texas - August 4 — Milam/Burleson County Wildlife & Woodlands Post Oak Savannah Landowner Workshop
Caldwell, Texas - August 11 — Robertson County Wildlife & Woodlands Post Oak Savannah Landowner Workshop
Wheelock, Texas - August 20 – 22 — Texas Association of Assessing Officers Conference
Grapevine, Texas - August 25 — Texas AgriLife Extension Multi-County White-tailed Deer Symposium
La Vernia, Texas - September 21 — Texas Wildlife Association Small Acreage, Big Opportunity Workshop
New Braunfels, Texas - September 25 — Texas AgriLife Extension Owning Your Piece of Texas
Rosenberg, Texas - September 26 — Texas AgriLife Extension Owning Your Piece of Texas
Emory, Texas
Stay tuned to learn about additional upcoming events!
Back to TopBack to TopOur Team is Growing! Join Us!
Regional Manager and former Wildlife Technician Nick Fisher captured this photo of a brown Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) while in the field!Plateau Land & Wildlife Management has been helping rural landowners protect and enhance their rural land since 1997. Plateau was born out of a law that was passed in 1995 by the Texas Legislature that made it possible for folks with an ag valuation to maintain their same property tax savings while managing for native habitat and wildlife, instead of livestock, crops, timber or any other open-space management requirements. Plateau stepped up to help hundreds of landowners across Texas make this transition to wildlife management valuation, and along the way, realized that there were many folks who needed more than just a Wildlife Management Plan to get their wildlife valuation in place.
Today, our team of certified wildlife biologists, registered property tax consultants, and professional field technicians set us apart from other companies that have since sprung up from the passage of this law. No other company has a greater depth or breadth of knowledge in wildlife law or provides a wider variety of land and wildlife-related products and services.
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Corina Rodriguez joins Braun and Gresham’s Estate Planning Team
Attorney and Counselor Corina “Cory” Rodriguez has expanded her practice to include estate planning. Her passion for working with Texas landowners stems from her family’s ranching heritage, and degree in Ag Economics from Texas A&M and law degree from UT Austin.
Cory is the ideal attorney for young families who are crafting their first estate plan, landowners considering ownership structures to limit liability, and conservation-minded clients wanting to preserve land for future generations. She takes a holistic approach when addressing landowners’ needs by reviewing the state of their real estate interests, addressing any concerns at hand, and advising on how to protect their assets.
Has it been more than a few years since your estate plan was last updated? It may be time for a thorough review. Please contact estate planning paralegal, Darcy Collins, at (512) 894-5426 or [email protected] to schedule a consultation. Or, consider giving this contact information to a loved one who may need assistance.
For more about Braun and Gresham, visit https://braungresham.com.
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News for Texas Landowners
A Texas Family Passed Up Millions to Turn Their Ranch Into a Nature Preserve
Article by Will Bostwick for Texas Monthly
What: 515 acres of new state park land, and further protections for a pristine Hill Country stream. Who: The Urbanczyk family, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and a host of other conservation-minded individuals and organizations. Why it’s so great: Ronnie and Terry Urbanczyk were out for a Hill Country drive one Sunday afternoon about thirty years ago when they spotted a piece of land for sale. Through gaps in the live oaks lining the highway, they could see an expanse of wooded grasslands that dropped down into a valley feeding the Guadalupe River to the north. The Urbanczyks lived in a nearby subdivision, but they’d always felt the pull of a more rural existence. “We fell in love with the ranch,”
Article by Forrest Wilder for Texas Monthly
For the hundred-year anniversary of the Texas state parks system, lawmakers have come up with a generous gift. In late May, Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation authorizing a billion-dollar fund to buy land for new parks and expand existing ones. The measure still needs voter approval, but given the popularity of the state’s 87 parks, Texans have permission to begin imagining what natural wonders can be added to the public-lands portfolio. Double the size of the super-popular Enchanted Rock State Natural Area? A new destination park in the wilderness of West Texas? A little slice of Piney Woods heaven in East Texas? Miles and miles of riverfront paradise an hour’s drive from San Antonio or Houston or Dallas–Fort Worth?
Article by KCENTV
The state is trying to seize back the property using eminent domain after Shawn Todd purchased the park last month. Todd still plans to fight for the development. The Freestone County Courthouse was filled with Texans on Thursday, July 6 as Shawn Todd, CEO of Todd Interests, hosted a press conference for the first time to refute claims regarding the future of the beloved Fairfield Lake State Park. His main message dove into why the situation is hurtful to property owners. The story starts years ago as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) operated on leased land for decades. Todd decided to purchase the 5,000 acres of land and water for over $100 million earlier this year with the park’s previous owner, Vistra. Afterward, TPWD made Todd an offer.
Article by Matt Williams for Beaumont Enterprise
It’s still about two months away from the Sept. 1 opener of another Texas dove season, but Owen Fitzsimmons and his staff have been in a hunting mode since mid-May. Fitzsimmons is the point man for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s webless migratory bird program. As the title implies, he oversees all migratory birds in Texas that do not have webbed feet. Cranes, rails, gallinules, snipe and woodcock get plenty of attention, but doves always get the most love.
Dove season is a huge deal in these parts. Even in a poor year, Texas dove hunting is way better than other states, thanks to abundant populations of birds and a wealth of places to hunt them on private and public lands.
Texas Parks and Wildlife to Add and Expand State Parks With Voter-Approved Dedicated Funding
Article by The Texan
Drawn hunts throughout Texas available from TPWD
Press Release from TPWD
AUSTIN – New hunting opportunities and scenery are available to hunters this fall through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) drawn hunt permits program. The program, which issues permits for drawn hunts on both public and private lands throughout Texas, is now accepting applications for a shot at almost 10,000 permits in more than 60 high quality hunt categories.
Among the offerings available through the Texas Public Hunt System are hunts for white-tailed and mule deer, pronghorn, turkey, alligator and dove and guided packages for exotic species and bighorn sheep. There were 278,000 applications last year.
New plan provides shared vision for preserving the Texas Hill Country
Article by KSAT
DRIPPING SPRINGS – A report released this month by the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network is shining a spotlight on the need for investing in conservation as Central Texas grows. The Hill Country Land, Water, Sky and Natural Infrastructure Plan will provide a data-driven vision for conservation efforts for the region’s most important and defining natural resources. “The Hill Country Land, Water, Sky and Natural Infrastructure Plan provides a shared vision for the Hill Country as well as a set of tools to plan and scale up investment in conservation within the region,” said Katherine Romans, current co-chair of the Network and Executive Director of the Hill Country Alliance.
The Texas Hill Country encompasses 18 counties, from Austin to San Antonio and as far west as Uvalde.
Article by Rose Cahalan for Texas Monthly
Invasive species are on the rise across the U.S., but they just seem more extreme in Texas. Other states have mild threats, such as California’s graceful mute swan or New York’s stylish spotted lanternfly. We’ve got crazy ants that chew through the insulation on electrical wiring, feral hogsthat stomp lawns into mud pits, and zebra mussels that slice open swimmers’ feet. The latest animal to expand its territory in Texas is a poisonous, slimy, and sort-of-immortal creature that may well be lurking in your garden at this very moment. Let’s get to know your new nightmare, the hammerhead worm! The aptly named invertebrate is easily identified by its creepy, spade-shaped noggin. “It doesn’t look like anything else we’ve seen….”
Texas must invest billions to secure long-term water resources, report shows
Article by ABC13
The Texas Water Development Board is a state entity whose mission is to make sure we have enough water for a very long time. The board says it’ll require an $80 billion investment by 2070 to make sure that happens, and that number doesn’t account for inflation. Michael Turco, who’s the general manager of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, says we need to act now. “Increasing and improving our infrastructure is important for our demand today,” Turco said. “And the demand that’s coming tomorrow.”
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