Providing supplemental shelter means actively creating or maintaining vegetation or artificial structures that provide shelter from the weather, nesting and breeding sites or “escape cover” from enemies. The best shelter for wildlife can be provided by a well-managed habitat. Some practices listed below provide types of shelter that may be unavailable in the habitat and that will help you qualify for wildlife valuation:

• installing nest boxes and bat boxes
• brush piles and slash retention
• managing fence lines
• managing hay meadow, pasture or cropland
• half-cutting trees and shrubs
• establishing woody plants and shrubs
• developing natural cavities and snags

Installing nest boxes and bat boxes in the proper numbers and locations to provide nests or dens for selected species when necessary should be consistent with the habitat needs of the target species.

Brush piles and slash retention can provide additional wildlife cover and protection in habitats where inadequate natural cover limits the growth of a selected species. Planned placement of brush piles and slash retention—leaving dead brush on the ground where it was cut or uprooted—also can protect seedlings of desirable plant species. In addition, stacking posts or limbs in tepees can provide cover for small game and other wildlife in open areas.

Fence line management, which maintains or allows trees, shrubs, forbs and grasses to grow around fence lines, can provide both food and cover. This practice should only be used where cover is insufficient in the habitat, i.e. cropland or tame pasture.

Hay meadow, pasture or cropland management can be useful tools in wildlife management. Owners should postpone mowing/swathing hay fields until after the peak of the nesting/young-rearing period of local ground-nesting birds and mammals.

Owners also should mow or shred one-third of open areas per year, preferably in strips or mosaic types of patterns, to create “edge” and structural diversity. Weeds are an important source of food for many wildlife species, and owners should, therefore, minimize weed control practices.

Owners should use no till/minimum till agricultural practices to leave waste grain and stubble on the soil surface until the next planting season to provide supplemental food or cover for wildlife, control erosion and improve soil tilth.

Providing shelter also can include roadside right-of-way management for ground-nesting birds, establishing perennial vegetation on circle irrigation corners, terraces, fencerows and field borders, establishing multi-row shelterbelts or renovating old shelterbelts, and protecting and managing old homesites, farmsteads and Conservation Reserve Program cover.

Half-cutting trees and shrubs — partially cutting branches of a live tree or shrub to encourage horizontal cover near the ground — provides supplemental cover in habitats where cover is lacking for a targeted wildlife species (See the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Bulletin 48).

Woody plant/shrub establishment — planting native seedlings to establish shrub thickets, shelterbelts or wind rowswind rows—should be organized by four rows of 120 feet for a 1/4 mile.

Natural cavity/snag development involves retaining and/or creating snags for cavity-dwelling species. Undesirable trees can be girdled or treated with herbicide and left standing. Large living trees should be protected and girdling should be minimal where trees are insufficient.

Census counts are periodic surveys and inventories to determine the number, composition or other relevant information about a wildlife population to measure if the current wildlife management practices are serving the targeted species.

Such surveys also help evaluate the management plan’s goals and practices. Specifically, this activity estimates species numbers, annual population trends, density or age structure using accepted survey techniques. Annual results should be recorded as evidence of completing this practice. The survey techniques and intensity listed below should be appropriate to the species counted:

• spotlight counting
• aerial counts
• daylight wildlife composition counts
• harvest data collection and record keeping
• browse utilization surveys
• census and monitoring endangered, threatened or protected wildlife
• census and monitoring of nongame wildlife species

Spotlight counting animals, typically white-tailed deer, at night along a predetermined route using a spotlight should follow accepted methodology, with a minimum of three counts conducted annually.

Aerial counts for white-tailed deer and other ungulates using a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter to survey animals also should follow accepted methodology for the region and be performed by a trained individual.

Daylight wildlife composition counts are driving counts used to census wildlife in daylight hours. Annual population trends on dove, quail, turkey and deer, as well as sex/age structure on deer, should be determined by sightings along a standardized transect of a minimum of five miles at least three times during a season.

Harvest data collection/record keeping means tracking annual production of wildlife, usually white-tailed deer. Age, weight and antler development from harvested deer, and the age and sex information from game birds and waterfowl should be obtained annually.

Browse utilization surveys annually examine deer browse plant species for evidence of deer use on each major vegetative site on the property. The surveys should be conducted in a way that can be repeated.

Census and monitoring of endangered, threatened or protected wildlife through periodic counts can improve management and increase knowledge of the local, regional or state status of the species.

Census and monitoring of nongame wildlife species also can improve management or increase knowledge of the local, regional or state status of the species. These practices can include developing checklists of wildlife diversity on the property and should be a part of a comprehensive wildlife management plan.

The availability of water year round is extremely important to wildlife and is often a limiting factor on many properties. Most often we think of stock ponds (or “tanks” in Texas) when we think of water sources. However, there are also many other ways to provide water to wildlife that can be equally beneficial.

Troughs, windmill overflow basins, wildlife guzzlers, and plastic drums are just a few ways to provide supplemental water for wildlife without excessive costs. It is imperative that these structures be monitored and kept filled for them to be effective.

Landowners in the state of Texas have had the opportunity to claim a wildlife tax exemption on their property. Property owners have been provided this opportunity due in part to the booming wildlife recreation industry in Texas. Many landowners in Texas realize more income from recreational enterprises than from traditional agricultural enterprises. The Wildlife Management Use exemption provides an opportunity for Texas landowners to actively manage wildlife on their land. At this time Oklahomans do not have this tax option. Maybe a look across the river will stir interest.

Although large property owners can benefit by receiving a tax break for their wildlife management activities, the Wildlife Management Use exemption should be good for small property owners as well. Often times, small property owners engaged in traditional agricultural practices are hindered in their ability to properly manage their resources due to the agricultural practice itself. A common problem small property owners face is the overstocking of livestock.

This is usually the result of trying to maintain a minimum number of cattle for a viable livestock operation. The Wildlife Management Use exemption may provide a tax option for these landowners (if they are interested in wildlife management) to properly manage their resources, maybe even without livestock. (more…)

Providing supplemental shelter: Nest boxes and brush piles are two simple yet practical ways to provide shelter and nesting sites to wildlife. Instead of burning all piles of cleared juniper, leave a few piles to create habitat and escape cover for small birds and mammals.

Nest boxes for bluebirds and wood ducks are also simple and easy ways to provide valuable nesting habitat. They are easy to build or can be purchased from various sources. They also are a great project for a high school environmental class or local agriculture group. The size of the entrance hole and proper placement of the nest boxes are the two most critical factors to their success.

Literature is available on proper construction and management of nest boxes. A system of monitoring and recording their use and success (reproduction) should be established.

Annual census of wildlife populations is a valuable tool for monitoring the stability, growth, and health of populations of many wildlife species. Conducting surveys on white-tailed deer populations is an important technique for proper management and harvest in Texas.

Other census techniques such as migratory songbird call counts, roadside quail surveys, time area counts for small mammals, and drift fences for reptiles and amphibians are just a few types of survey methods that may be used to estimate populations of other wildlife.

Determine the best census technique for the target wildlife species found on the property and keep good records.

Brush Management or brush “sculpturing”, as it is sometimes referred to, is an important way to improve wildlife habitat. For example, in Texas, Ashe juniper (cedar) and mesquite are invasive species that require management. Mature juniper, especially on land with a history of overgrazing and lack of natural wildfires, can literally take over the landscape. In and around these cedars it may become an “ecological desert.”

They shade out mid and under-story vegetation, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the ground and restrict the growth of other important plant species. A little work to remove some of this brush to create a “patchy” landscape will greatly benefit many species of wildlife. Remember, some cedar is beneficial because it is evergreen and provides year round cover for many wildlife species.

However, it must be kept in balance with other plants and trees. Diversity is the key.

First, it is important to learn about the ecology of wildlife species found in the area. All wildlife have a minimum size of area they need to live and reproduce. This is their home range. Some animals such as small reptiles and amphibians have small home ranges of only a few hundred yards.

Others, however, like white-tailed deer or wild turkeys, have home ranges of a square mile or more. Wildlife species to be considered for management are those in which a landowner’s property supports and encompasses their habitat and home range or at least a significant part of it.

Second, what species of wildlife are already living on and around the property to be managed and which would benefit most from some type of management. Finally, what type of wildlife management practices would be most economically and environmentally feasible to meet the goals and objectives of the landowner.