Edge Habitat

A Common Man's View of the U.S. Debt...

2011-07-30T11:59:00.004-05:00

I don't usually post political opinions on here unless they are directly related to wildlife or habitat, and even then rarely... But what is now going on in Washington is decades overdue and still going nowhere. The House passed a bill last week that would satisfy the criteria required to put the U.S. debt on a track to responsibility when it passed the Cut, Cap, and Balance bill. Harry Reid

Natural Nitrogen Fixation...

2011-07-28T10:37:00.000-05:00

If you would note the piece that I posted here last August entitled, " How large the habitat project?", you might recall that the 3-acre parcel is behind my house and a continuing project of mine. Last year I had merely disked the ground to regenerate the natural seedbank and wound up w/ a field full of native grasses and clovers which greatly enhanced the bird population around my house. Most

Who says," You can't sneak up on a turkey?"

2011-06-30T17:02:00.003-05:00

After finishing a job near Wichita,KS, last month, I decided to try my luck for a Rio on some KS public land. I had been seeing turkeys strutting almost every day while I was in KS, so my fever was plenty high. Working out of state had cut my turkey hunting at home this year down to one unsuccessful close encounter, so I was vulnerable to any excuse that might come to mind. The extended stay

The Trip Home...

2011-03-13T12:05:00.024-05:00

Late last fall after finishing the job in Oregon, I was able to get some excellent pictures illustrating numerous edges in nature on my way home to Texas. I had to head south to Riverside, CA, to drop off some things that we had used in Oregon. Then, I headed east across AZ and NM, stopping overnight at my cousin's house in Tuscon. As I made my way across NM, I decided to take a slightly

Bighorns in the Columbia Basin...

2011-02-06T11:10:00.010-06:00

Back in September, just after Labor Day, I was traveling to the Portland, Oregon area to work for the next three months at my day job in order to pay some bills. I had lived in the Pacific Northwest for 15 years as a younger man, and my boss had asked me to run a couple of crews for him on a new contract. I was coming from Texas, and I had spent the last night in a motel in Pendleton. Arising

Living on the Edge... a day at the beach...

2011-01-31T18:05:00.045-06:00

I awoke for no good reason at 4:30 AM. Don't ask me why, except I think God had something to show me that day. In retrospect, I can't even tell you what day of the week it was or what day of the month it was. I remember it was in early October. But I was wide awake and could not go back to sleep. So I decided to go to the beach. I was working a job in Oregon, and I was staying at an extended

Albert Rasch Chronicles Interview...

2010-08-28T10:57:00.005-05:00

Some of you may have already seen this interview posted a couple of weeks ago on the Albert Rasch Chronicles. However, I thought it might give those who haven't seen it some insight into what Edge Habitat is all about and what we are trying to accomplish. Maybe there's a little chest thumping involved too, LOL, but I'm sure you will understand... The pictures and graphics did not copy and paste,

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

2010-08-20T01:14:00.017-05:00

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

Utilizing woods roads for wildlife...

2010-08-08T19:25:00.003-05:00

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

How large the habitat project?

2010-08-05T11:39:00.007-05:00

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

More turkeys this year?

2010-03-30T09:22:00.004-05:00

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

Choir practice has begun...

2010-03-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

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

Too wet to plow...

2010-02-22T13:59:00.005-06:00

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

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

2009-12-28T13:39:00.010-06:00

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/

Disking to regenerate the seedbank...

2009-05-05T10:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but I've been doing a lot of turkey hunting this year. I'm not getting any younger, and I figure I had better do it while I can.I just thought I would relate some things about an ongoing project I have on my own property. I'm in the process of trying to eliminate tall fescue and create a better habitat for birds, including quail and doves, utilizing

Does prescribed fire displace wildlife?

2009-04-01T18:05:00.004-05:00

I think not, and I'll offer you some first hand proof. And maybe I'll even brag a little bit too.This AM was the opening of spring turkey season in NE Texas where I live. Being a passionate participant in the activity, I was up early and headed for the Caddo WMA on the Caddo National Grasslands about an hour from my home. I had scouted the area a couple of weeks ago, and I knew the birds were

Switchgrass in large CRP fields and wildlife habitat...

2009-03-28T10:27:00.005-05:00

Not having seen a lot of tall grass prairie up close in my lifetime, I was overwhelmed the other day by some large CRP fields of head high switchgrass in N. TX. I had seen the large bunches scattered about in gulleys and crevasses before, but I was not familiar with it in such a large and thick environment. It was beautiful, and I'm sure it did a wonderful job as erosion control. But I question

Edge feathering is creating transition zones...

2009-03-01T05:34:00.005-06:00

When people talk about edge habitat and the edge effect, most people picture a field edge bordering a woodland area. Usually there's a fence there, but the edge is usually pretty abrupt. The field or pasture may be mowed regularly to keep it looking ever so neat. But this is not the best situation when it comes to wildlife.Wildlife prefers the gradual transition that nature provides as it

Strip discing? Makes sense to me...

2009-02-22T09:17:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I was spending some time watching some of my favorite shows on the Outdoor Channel including The Management Advantage and Get in the Game. In case you didn't already know, both are how-to shows that talk about land management and conservation issues a lot of the time.Coincidentally, yesterday they both were talking about strip discing, a method of generating wildlife habitat that is

Is the Greenway the best way?

2009-02-17T15:12:00.006-06:00

Last week I attended an orientation meeting for the local chapter of the Master Naturalist program administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife. This is a statewide program whereby members can complete a training program to become a Master Naturalist complete with all the advantages thereof.There was a sense at this meeting that the Greenway was the best way to manage the land and improve the

Now is the time...

2009-02-15T15:24:00.003-06:00

A few days ago I was talking to a local wildlife biologist about habitat improvement, and she made the comment that now was the time to get started. She didn't elaborate as to what she was specifically referring, but she could've been talking about a lot of things.Considering it usually takes 4-5 years to see an optimal effect from habitat management, the landowner/ lessor or lessee has a lot of

Why so much tall fescue?

2009-02-11T22:25:00.003-06:00

Having to battle tall fescue in order to bring back native early successional grasses can be a tough fight. Glyphosate (Roundup) will kill it, but it has such deep roots that it may take two applications to get rid of it. The best time to spray is late fall when senescence will allow the plants to best carry the herbicide down into the roots. But you still may need to spray again in the spring.

Properly amending the soil first...

2009-02-04T21:39:00.000-06:00

Recently I have talked with several people who have expressed their frustration with unsuccessful attempts at planting food plots for wildlife. Almost all have stated that the wildlife eats it as fast as it comes up.Upon asking more questions: 1) these folks failed to test their soil, 2) if they added any lime or fertilizer before planting, it was pure guesswork, 3) they chose a place to plant

WHIP funds from Farm Bill...

2009-02-02T08:45:00.000-06:00

WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program) funds may be available to landowners in a partnership arrangement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a division of the USDA. The NRCS may partner with as much as 75% funding for wildlife habitat improvement on some private lands. They may fund as much as 90% for certain critical habitat preservation.There are three types of private

About Edge Habitat...

2009-01-31T18:27:00.000-06:00

The existence of edge habitat marks the boundaries between ecosystems. The more edge effect that exists, the more biodiversity that exists. And the more the diversity, the better the habitat for wildlife.Edge Habitat is a conservation contractor recently formed to develop wildlife habitat for landowners. We specialize in developing food plots and early successional growth for hunting and