Updates From The Manor

You know you’ve been away a while when the deer think it’s OK just to cruise right on up the driveway.  Why jump a fence when the gate is open?

This little herd has been a regular visitor to the feeder, according to the game cams, and I often catch them at night in the pasture when I’m coming back from town.  I even watched them slink across the pasture a couple of evenings just as it was getting dark.  But I can’t say I’ve ever seen them just ramble on up the driveway in the mid-morning sunshine.  It kind of makes me happy to see them so obviously comfortable.  And no, I’m not mentally drawing little crosshairs on them… not every animal has to be a target.

But I am still a hunter, and I am glad to see that my whitetail population is doing well.  It does bode well for the freezer when season rolls around.

And while I’m a meat hunter, and just as happy to eat a doe as a buck, these photos from my game cam show some promising bucks.

 

Oh. It’s on.

This may well mean war!

News From Hillside Manor – Nothing New To Report

Well, that’s not completely true.

First of all, the turkeys have disappeared.  I heard a gobble way off in the distance the other morning, and that’s been just about it.  I tried a little calling, hoping I could at least get a hen to answer, but it was for naught.

That doesn’t mean the Marauder is sitting idle.  The area is lousy with invasive, eurasian collared doves.  According to the TX regulations, there’s no season and no limit.  I’ll be dining on dove before this week is out.

Speaking of shooting birds, Iggy is coming along great.  I’ve been taking him down to swim in the Nueces river, and after a fairly slow start, he’s really taken to it.  Of course being a black lab in this 90-degree heat, I expect he’s doing it as much for relief as for fun.  I know it felt good when I jumped in with him!

The weekend work was largely about maintenance.  Since I got the fences up, the neighbor’s goats can’t get in.  As a result, the yard and part of the pasture have grown up wild.  With the exception of a buffer zone for the fireflies, I’ve been mowing and trimming to get it back under control.  The elephants and lions no longer have any place to hide, and have evacuated to parts unknown.

Gimme a T for Texas… Again!

Here we go again!

Getting things all packed up this morning for another run to the Promised Land.  Iggy is getting into Road Dawg mode, and I’m getting into the “what have I forgotten” mindset.  By tonight, I’ll be so wound up I won’t be able to sleep.  Happens every time.

But then I’ll be on the road, and by Sunday night, I’ll be kicking back in Hillside Manor, breathing the fresh air and looking up at the stars (or the clouds, as it looks like thunderstorms Sunday evening).  I can’t wait!

I swear I’ll get into some kind of hunting on this trip.  I’ve figured out the issue with the Marauder (it was me, not the gun), so I really hope I can get into some turkeys.  I’ll probably also call around to see if I can’t find a hog or axis to shoot.  I haven’t done a real hunt in months, and I’m jonesing in a big way!

Anyway, next Hog Blog post will be coming to you on Central time!

Speaking Of Exotics – Does New Rule Threaten The Future Of Some Exotic Antelope?

Speaking of exotics… a new ruling by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has the exotics ranchers and hunters up in arms.  A ruling against the USFWS has removed the loophole that allowed unrestricted breeding and hunting of three endangered species… the scimitar-horned oryx, the dama gazelle, and the addax.

There have been several articles about the ruling, and they painted a pretty grim picture using comments such as “ban on hunting” and “threatens the survival of the species”.  The argument is that if the ranchers can no longer run hunts, then they won’t be able to afford to continue the management and breeding programs, and will let the herds die off until they’re gone.

That seemed pretty extreme, so I had to do a little digging to get the whole story.   This may get a little long, but I really think it’s worth reading.  If you don’t want to read what I’ve got to say, you can jump to the Federal Register to read the USFWS summary.

In 2005, the USFWS added three species of African antelope to the Endangered Species list.  These were the dama gazelle, the addax, and the scimitar-horned oryx.  At that point, the scimitar-horned oryx was declared extinct in the wild, and the others were in dire straits.

At the same time, ranchers in Texas had been working to establish solid, huntable populations of these species on their properties with significant success… particularly with the oryx.  According to the reports I’ve been reading, the oryx numbers went from a low of less than three-dozen in 1979 to a current population in the neighborhood of 11,000.  Addax went from two in ’79 to around 5000 today.  That’s not bad for an endangered animal.

Due to the success of these breeding and management programs, the USFWS allowed an exclusion under the ESA so that the ranchers could continue to run hunts on the endangered species, and to continue breeding programs.  Hunters would pay pretty high-dollar for the opportunity to shoot one of these animals, and that money, in turn went into feeding, habitat, and breeding costs.  To all appearances, the arrangement was working very well, and everyone seemed to be pretty happy about it.

Of course, “everyone” wasn’t all that happy.  The animal rights organizations challenged the ESA exclusion over and over, and finally managed to push a lawsuit against the USFWS to fruition.  The Service was forced to drop the exclusion, effective on April 4, 2012.

So, what does this mean to the ranchers, and more importantly, to these endangered antelope?

Well, first of all, let’s be absolutely clear.  Dropping the exclusion does NOT equate to an outright ban on hunting the species or on breeding programs.  There is a permitting process in place which enables the ranchers to continue to do what they’ve been doing.  There are questions around the permits, and complaints that the process is too cumbersome and time consuming.  Since I’m obviously not in a position to apply for the permit, I can’t validate those complaints.  I have, however, gone over to the USFWS website to review the process and the rules.

If I’m reading the application correctly, it will take about four months to get an approved permit.  The site says to allow 90 days for processing, and then the application must run for 30 days in the Federal Register prior to approval.  That means that if a rancher wants to do management hunts, he needs to plan well in advance.  At the very least, that’s an inconvenience.  Exotics hunts are often planned on short notice.

It gets a little trickier, though, because the rancher/breeder must provide a justification for the application (e.g. management or cull hunt), and the approval process includes the opportunity for a challenge.  The Friends of Animals organization has vowed to challenge every permit application, which potentially means that the approval timeline may get drawn out even more… or may even be rejected if the argument finds a sympathetic ear.  The potential for subjectivity in the application process would worry me, if I were one of the ranchers impacted by all of this.

As you would expect, the exotics ranchers are pretty angry about this.  Particularly in Texas, these folks are pretty independent and don’t take kindly to what they see as government intrusion into their private property rights.  For most of them, they consider these animals to be their property and not subject to intervention by government agencies.  There have been many threats of liquidating entire herds, turning them loose into the wild, or simply selling out and dropping their programs.

Nevertheless, a handful of the owners are trying to follow the new rules.  There are complaints, but since the new rule only became official yesterday (April 4), it’s hard to say whether the complaints are valid, or if the new system will really have a negative impact on the overall longevity of the breeding and management programs.

In my opinion, it’s highly unlikely that the new ruling will have an extreme, negative impact on the survival of the three species, but I can see where some ranchers will choose to stop raising the endangered antelope.  I can absolutely see where it’s going to be a thorn in the side of ranchers who are used to being able to manage the herds on their own terms, and the permitting process will probably get pretty onerous.  Things are going to change, there’s no doubt, but I don’t think it means the end of the species… or even the end of hunting opportunities (although I’d bet the prices are going to go up).

For more direct information, take a look at the USFWS website.  Among other good information, you can find a summary of the ruling, the Federal Register discussion of the ruling and its impacts, and links to the permit application, as well as a “cheat sheet” for completing the application.

By the way…

The hunt for these antelope isn’t just about trophies, although they are definitely unique and beautiful.  By all accounts, the meat from all three species is sensational.  Personally, I haven’t tried dama gazelle or addax, but I can vouch for the oryx.  I found it similar to elk, although I think the flavor is better (most likely due to the oryx’s diet).   The animal is about the same size as an elk as well, which means it provides a freezer-full of great-tasting protein!

Packing Up And Heading Back To CA… One More Time

OK, probably several more times before I’m all done.  But it’s that sad time, when I have to pack up all my crap and hit the road back to CA.  Work and other responsibilities call, and as much as I’m ready to drop the anchor and lay up in this harbor for good, I’ve got to tend to business.

Spring sprang while I was here, and some of it has already passed by.  In this climate, native plants tend to flower fast, taking advantage of water when they can get it.  One of the lingerers is this prairie verbena, which is pretty much my whole lawn when it rains.  Pretty little things.

The bird life has come on full strength here too, and I can see why the Hill Country is such a birders’ paradise.  I’ve seen flocks of sandhill cranes (way up there…heading north), all sorts of small birds, humming birds, cardinals (one of my favorites), and a handful of eurasian collared doves.

The collared doves are non-native invasives, and there’s no season or limit on them here in TX.  I’ll probably be eating some of them on future visits.  While most of them are the standard, large, noisy birds, there was this one visitor that popped in the other morning.  Not an albino, as there it wasn’t completely white… but more like a “smoke phase” turkey, very pale grey. 

It’s been a great trip this time, and with three full weeks (and two solid weekends) to get stuff done, I was able to accomplish a pretty good bit.  Managed to do some more juniper clearing (I guess I need to break down and call it cedar, like everyone else around here), burned off several big brush piles, and did some stuff around the house.  The pasture is about ready for the horses, although I’ll probably wait to bring them after the worst of the summer is over.

Still no hunting here.  I’d planned to get after turkeys, but had some issues with the Benjamin (my fault, mostly), and never got to it.  I have a guy who’s offered to let me come shoot an axis as well, but I need some place to store the meat.  The freezer is still in CA.  I may well be bringing that down on my next visit.

Anyway, next time I write, I’ll probably be back in the SF Bay Area.  Until then…

Sabinal Wild Hog Festival… We Came, We Saw, We Gazed In Wonderment

And laughed a lot!

The Sabinal Wild Hog Festival was everything I’d hoped it would be.  There were the booths, of course, with all sorts of food and crafts.  Unlike many of the CA festivals I’ve been to, things were actually priced at a level you could enjoy them.  The air was rich with the smells of grilling meats, fried stuff, and goat’s milk soaps (goat farming is huge down here).  So of course we took a little bit of that in, and then headed for the stadium to witness the hog catching contest.

Holy cow!  It was hilarious.  This is something I have to do, at least once!

This video is just a teaser.  When I get back to CA next week, I’ll try to piece together a longer one with real music and a more coherent theme.

 

Wild Hog Festival This Weekend!

Wow, almost let the day slip by without this short note.  I’d mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was looking forward to attending the Sabinal Wild Hog Festival this year, and guess what?  It’s this weekend!

I’m pretty sure we’ll only make a day of the event, and haven’t decided which day to go.  My brother isn’t going to be here, and I don’t think I can convince Iggy to jump in and help me wrestle a hog into a sack, so I’ll just observe the hog catching competition.  Maybe I’ll pick up some pointers for next year!  I’ll definitely try to get some video and lots of pictures.

So, for a warm-up, check out how fast these guys get their pig in a poke!

Busy Around The Manor

Man, it’s been non-stop around Hillside Manor this week.  Between the day job (that pays for all this) and working on the place, I haven’t really had a lot of time to get any posts out.

The bright side?  Most of the really big (expensive) stuff is done.  The porch is complete, which was the biggest of the projects.  I’m really glad I hired a local contractor to do this, as it came out a whole lot nicer than if I’d done it myself… not to mention it would have taken me a year to build this thing in the limited time I’ve had to spend down here.

Got the new floors in a while back, and will be replacing the PVC plumbing underneath with PEX pipe.  It’s supposed to be a much better material, and will handle freezing temps a lot better than the PVC (less leaking joints).  The next big thing will be to get at these interior walls.  That should be a handful, but it really needs to be done.  The place is in pretty good shape, but the walls are definitely showing their age.

It’s been a beautiful spring down here in the Hill Country.  Temps have been fairly moderate, and there’s been a little rain.  I’m not sure it’s been enough to truly break the drought, but you can sure see where it’s making a difference here.  The hills are looking pretty good, and losing that blasted look that it was showing back in the fall.  The rivers are starting to flow pretty well again, including the Nueces that runs right down the road from my place.  I know the tourist businesses are happy to see this.

Things are budding out now, and I’m able to start identifying the various plants and trees I’ve got on the place.  There’s a lot of oak, and good stands of Texas mountain laurel (a flowering tree with purple flowers that smell sort of like candy… really nice).  There’s also some native persimmon (not the big orange ones you see at the store).  If I can get enough of this juniper out of here, I think this place is really going to turn into something special… not just as my new home, but as a home for wildlife.

Speaking of wildlife, I’m still not seeing a ton of variety.  There’s no shortage of whitetail, especially since I’ve set up the feeder.  I’ve been working pretty hard on clearing out the area under the oaks, and hoping that this will open things up and attract the turkeys.  I did a hike up the ridge behind the house yesterday, and the hillside is cut up with deer trails.  Still no sign of hogs or axis deer, but everyone keeps assuring me that they’ll be here soon enough, and to be careful what I wish for.  All I know is that I haven’t been hunting in ages, and I’m jonesing for a shot opportunity right here on my own place.

But as we all know, put in the work first, and then you’ll reap the rewards.  I’m counting on that.

Back In Texas – Catching Up On The Game Cams

Well, it’s been two weeks since I last checked out the Moultries here on the Hillside Manor.  But I’m back now, and first thing this morning Iggy and I were out to pull the cards and see what came to visit while we were gone.  This time should have been a little different, since I didn’t really have any corn or anything to put out when we left in February.  I wondered if I’d still get visitors… and boy, did I!

The whitetail are still thick.  With the yard fenced now, keeping the goats at bay, the deer are having a field day on the greenery.  There must have been a half-dozen standing there when I rolled in Sunday night.  They’re all over the game cams too.  Nothing particularly outstanding, except a return visit from “Funkhorn”.

I keep waiting to see a bunch of hogs nosing around under the trees, but so far there’s been no sign.  Also continuously absent are the axis deer.  I saw a few down the road about a half-mile from the house, but still nothing here on the place.  I’m holding out hope, though, with the rain bringing up the greenery, my pasture is starting to green up real nice.  I’ve also knocked down a bunch of juniper (cedar), so there’s good open pasture with dense edges.

The surprise I did get was a nice one, though.  On my morning walk, I noticed several patches of scratching on the dirt.  A little further along the trail, I spotted the tell-tale, J-shaped scat of a tom turkey.  I hurried my walk to check the camera and, sure enough, it looks like right there at the end of February, I had a couple of visitors.

Turkey season opens in this part of Texas on March 17.  I can take up to four toms during the season, but I’m not wanting to be greedy… I just want one for now.  I just hope the guys working on my back fenceline haven’t scared them off.

Finally, though, the majority of the most expensive work is pretty much done.  The stone masons put the final touches on the rock wall under the porch this morning, and the carpenters have pretty much wrapped up.  The only things left are to install the ceiling fan and connect the wiring  for my lights and fixtures to the box.

I think the place is looking pretty danged good!

 

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