Texas

Where do you find game on the High Plains?

Ken Cearley, Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist at Canyon, said wildlife often can be found along draws, creeks, rivers or remnants of native prairie that still haven't been turned by the plow.

For pheasants, he recommends hunting crop stubble or the corners of irrigation circles. The pickings are apt to be slim elsewhere on the flat, open High Plains, which supports some of the most intensive agricultural production in the country.

"Consider this possibility, though," he said. "The High Plains of Texas is also home to at least 19,000 playa lakes which can be extremely productive when managed in a wildlife-friendly manner. These shallow, natural water-catching depressions average about 15 acres in size, with the largest approaching 800 acres or more.

"Playas cover about 2 percent of the land in the Texas Panhandle. Because playas fill, recede and ultimately go dry until the next good rain, they are ideal areas for waterfowl and other birds and animals."

Cearley said a playa's diverse plant community provides cover for ground-nesting birds such as pheasants. Their food production capabilities also carry the birds through seasons when there is no waste grain in nearby fields.

"Waterfowl are especially benefited by playas," he said. "The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates that 250,000 waterfowl may be produced across the playa lakes region of Texas during wet springs and summers. In the winter, as many as 300,000 Canada and snow geese can be found there. Mallards and pintails are also found in abundance.

"In the Central Flyway, only the Gulf Coast hosts more birds in the winter than does the playa lakes region of Texas. Cranes, shorebirds and other species of ducks use playas at various times of the year."

Cearley said managing playas for wildlife production can add dollars to the landowner's pocket. Enterprises and activities including wildlife observation, photography and hunting are all possible income producers.

"If the playa is currently in crop production, or lies within cropland, naturally the first step is to set it aside from farming," he said. "To protect it from the gradual accumulation of silt from field runoff, a buffer strip made up of a combination of native grasses and forbs should be planted on the perimeter. Fencing is recommended to control grazing access."

Cearley also recommends fencing off rangeland playas unless the pasture is small enough that the whole pasture can be managed around the playa's welfare.

"Grazing intensity and time of year affect vegetation response and therefore wildlife response," he said. "If a landowner is managing for shorebirds, jackrabbits and prairie dogs, intensive long-term grazing may be in order. But to favor plant diversity and therefore animal diversity, light to moderate grazing with no more than 25 percent of the current year's growth removed would be best."

Cearley said playas managed primarily for pheasant nesting habitat should be lightly grazed or deferred altogether. As a rule of thumb, he said protection from grazing during the growing season is best.

"Wildlife enthusiasts today account for significant financial contribution to local rural economies," Cearley said. "Properly managing playa lakes for wildlife isn't just good stewardship, it's also plain good business."

Date: 9/22/05

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