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| Photo by Gary Price, 77 Ranch |
The central thesis of
game management is this: game can be restored by the creative use of the same
tools which have heretofore destroyed it – ax, plow, cow, fire and gun…;
Management is their purposeful and continuing alignment. ~ Aldo Leopold, in
Game Management, 1933
This famous quote by Aldo Leopold still has a profound influence on wildlife management to this day. But, in order to improve wildlife habitat, we must understand how these tools are to be used. Cattle are one of the more widely used tools on rangelands across Texas, and also one of the most misused tools if not properly managed.
Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginiana) is the most widespread and popular quail species in Texas. Cattle production occurs across most of the bobwhite’s range, so it is important to understand how cattle affect quail habitat.
Cattle primarily eat grass, and native grasses such as
little bluestem, big bluestem and indiangrass provide excellent forage. Some native grasses, including these three mentioned, are
known as bunchgrasses since they grow in clumps, which serves as excellent nesting
habitat for quail to lay their eggs in. The problem is that cattle have a high
preference for these bunchgrasses and graze them down below 12-14 inches, which
is the minimum height recommended for quail nesting, and to ensure plant vigor.
The video below explains the best way to graze cattle and maintain good quail habitat.
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| This little bluestem plant was properly grazed as there is at least 12 inches of growth remaining. |
The video below explains the best way to graze cattle and maintain good quail habitat.
There are different grazing strategies that can be adopted to
benefit quail habitat. Whereas
continuous grazing is the practice of allowing cattle to constantly graze an
area or pasture, rotational grazing is the practice of moving cattle from
pasture to pasture after short periods of time.
The rotational grazing strategy
affords the plants time to rest and recover from being grazed, which leads to
healthier plants. This is the most
popular alternative to continuous grazing.
Patch-burn
grazing is a different strategy that has been gaining popularity and research
backing. Patch-burn grazing works by
burning a portion of a grassland to attract grazing animals. The concept behind this strategy is that the
new growth in burned areas has greater nutritional value, thus cattle may
select burned areas over non-burned areas.
As new patches are burned, cattle will move to those areas, giving the
older burned areas time to rest. Research
from Oklahoma State University found that producers employing this
technique were able to maintain their current levels of cattle production while
improving wildlife habitat, due to the increase in plant diversity
created. The video below explains how
this method has been used in Texas.
In addition, AgriLife Extension developed the smartphone app for Apple devices, “Stocking Rate Calculator for Grazing Livestock”, to quickly and easily make this determination. Utilizing a correct stocking rate is the first line of defense a rancher has when managing to benefit quail. Experts recommend only stocking up to 75% of the recommended stocking rate to have flexibility when drought starts to kick in.
Every property is unique and requires careful management of
the land. We urge landowners to work
with their County Extension Agents, Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologists, and
local NRCS Service Centers to help them develop sound management plans for their
property, which may include increasing quail habitat while still running
cattle.
Additional Resources
Smartphone Apps:
Northern Bobwhite Habitat Evaluation
Video:
Grazing
Management for QuailRiparian Restoration on Farms and Ranches in Texas
Thanks to Jeff Goodwin (NRCS) and Mark Tyson (AgriLife Extension) for their helpful reviews of this article.