Wildlife Management Plan A1924, O. Mumme, Survey 344, Track 227, Acres

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1 Wildlife Management Plan A1924, O. Mumme, Survey 344, Track 227, Acres

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Wildlife Management Plan Edwards Plateau TABLE OF CONTENTS.2 TPWD WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT REPORT..Section 1 PLAN CHECKLIST.. Section 2 HABITAT MANAGEMENT PRACTIES...Section 3 HABITAT CONTROL Grazing Management Prescribed Burning Rang Management Brush Management Riparian Management & Enhancement Prescribed Control of Native, Exotic & Feral Species EROSION CONTROL PREDATOR CONTROL PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL WATER

3 PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD Food Plots Feeders & Mineral Supplementation Managing tame Pasture, Old Fields & Croplands PROVIDING SUPPLENTAL SHELTER Nest Boxes Brush Piles & Slash Retention Hay Meadow, Pasture & Cropland Management for Wildlife Census BUILDING PLANS Section 4 NESTING BOX BIG GAME GUZZLER

4 HABITAT CONTROL Grazing Management There will be no grazing from Excluding Livestock will prevent trampling, allowing for vegetation recovery and eliminate competition for food and cover. Prescribed Burning 10-15% burned per year over the next four years. Dates TBD during winter when burn ban is not in effect. Range Enhancement Establish native herbaceous plants that provide food and cover for wildlife of erosion control benefits. We strive not to use non-native species. Broadcast seeding of switch grass, Indian grass, side outs grama, little bluestem, and wildflowers acres. Many herbaceous broadleaf plants are beneficial to wildlife for forage and seed production. Brush Management Cedar clearing is our main focus. To this date we have acres hand cut. With 15 acres completely cleared of brush and cedar trees. We maintain the 15 acres with a brush hog and periodically trimming of trees. Our goal is to completely clear the remaining acres of cut cedars by mulching the cut trees. This has allowed new game trails and larger areas for feeding on native grass. Removing/trimming cedar trees have allowed native oak trees to flourish. Oak trees provide a great habitat for turkeys, song birds and a food source for deer.

5 Riparian Management and Enhancement Annually and seasonally protect the vegetation and soils in low areas either side of steam/seasonal spring. Establish vegetation, cedar, oak, pecan, hogplum, granjeno, Texas kidney wood, and eastern Gama grass. This will provide food, cover and travel corridors to reduce erosion. Prescribed Control of Native, Exotic and Feral Species Populations of exotics, feral animals, and wildlife should be strictly controlled to minimize negative impact on native wildlife and habitat. Use legal means to control the number of grazing and browsing animals. Remove or control exotic vegetation impacting native habitats. Species being controlled: Feral hogs, King Ranch Bluestem, and Bermuda grass. Method of control: herbicides, traps, and shooting.

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7 Pond Construction and Repair EROSION CONTROL Construction of a permanent water pond with the surface area of.25 acres for the purpose of prevention, stopping, or controlling erosion. This will increase habitat diversity and benefit all wildlife. PREDATOR CONTROL Manage predator populations to increase survival of target species. Key native predator species include cowbirds, grackles, coyotes, feral hogs, raccoons, and imported red fire ants. The purpose for control is to reduce nesting parasitism, avian disease, and habitat destruction. Feral hogs root up and destroy natural plants and grass used as food sources and shelter by native animals. Control methods will be mostly shooting. We have constructed a trap for feral hogs and have successfully trapped multiple hogs at a time.

8 PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL WATER Designing and implementing water systems that provide supplemental water for wildlife. We maintain two 150 gallon troughs with water by delivering water and topping off troughs. We have constructed one big game guzzler with one inch of rainfall can produce 37gallons of usable water. Average yearly rainfall in Hondo TX of 26.23in the guzzler is able to catch and contain 981 gallons per year.

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10 PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD Food Plots The establishment of locally adapted annual or perennial forages on suitable soils to provide supplemental foods and cover during critical periods of the year acre plots are planned. Feeders and Mineral Supplementation Dispensing supplemental foods from artificial devices to meet the dietary requirements of selected wildlife species. Target wildlife species are deer, turkey, and dove. Feed used is mixture of corn, protein, milo, cowpeas, and alfalfa. Method of dispensing is completed by three feeders on the property spin cast and free choice. These feeders supplement year round. Managing tame pasture, Old Fields and Croplands To increase the plant diversity, provide supplemental wildlife foods, and gradually convert the tame pastures to native vegetation by periodic disturbance.

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12 PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL SHELTER Nest Boxes The best shelter and cover for wildlife is provided by a well-managed habitat. Installation of artificial boxes provides nesting for selected species. We have constructed over 40 nest/bat boxes and have dispersed them throughout the property. Our goal in the upcoming years is to provide another 40 boxes to supplement habitat. Brush Piles and Slash Retention The placement of brush piles to provide additional wildlife cover in habitats where cover is a limited. Slash retention or leaving dead brush on the ground where it was cut or uprooted, to provide wildlife cover and protection for seedlings of desirable plant species. Hay Meadow, Pasture and Cropland Management for Wildlife Deferred mowing until after the peak of nesting/rearing period of ground nesting birds and mammals. Period of deferment June 1 st August 15 th. Mowing/shredding as needed along roads, and fields in mosaic patterns.

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14 CENSUS This activity provides an estimate of species numbers, population trends, population density, age structure, and sex ratio. Daylight deer herd and wildlife compositions count for deer, turkey, dove, and feral hog. Miscellaneous counts consist of bat departures, point counts, time/area counts. We have two game cameras that provide census counts in a specific area around supplemental food and water. These cameras provide us useful information on amount of food and water need to maintain a suitable habitat. They also offer information on predator control with accurate counts, date and time when these animals are feeding.