RANCHING Wildlife
A Look at Texas Deer Hunting in 2050 An essay by Dr. Richard Cain, Saint Jo, provided by the Texas Deer Association
D
EER MANAGEMENT IN THE MODERN WORLD IS MORE OF A religion or philosophy than traditional wildlife biology.
In simpler times the biology was fairly simple —
how to provide a resource for the greatest number of hunters and do it in a sustainable way. Today there are high-fence advocates vs. low-fence advocates; archers vs. rifl emen; trophy hunters vs. meat hunters; lease hunters vs. public lands hunters. There are deer breeders that sell ranch stocker deer
and others who want no part of breeder animals. Some believe that all wildlife resources belong to all
citizens. Other landowners, who control 97 percent of wildlife habitat while investing in the management of the wildlife resources, believe they are stewards of those resources and have the right to benefi t economically. All of these advocates truly believe they are in the
right, and each one actually has some biological merit to their beliefs. These disagreements are thus more like religious
or philosophical differences than scientifi c principles based on biology. However, when looking at the big picture, the infi ghting about modern deer management principles is like circling the wagons and then shoot- ing inside the circle. Let’s look outside the circle to where the true chal-
lenges or issues are for the future of deer management. Let’s look at why this infi ghting will be our downfall, when considering deer hunting over the next 35 years,
76 The Cattleman November 2014
if we don’t come to grips with it soon. Deer hunting practices in Texas in the fi rst 75 years
of the 20th century moved from subsistence gathering to a more recreational endeavor. This paralleled the changing demographics of Texas because the primar- ily rural lifestyles became more urbanized. Hunting camps, whether leases or private ranch
groups, became a more important way to connect with the country as the population shift to city jobs became predominant. The success of deer management programs, which
expanded huntable deer populations across the state, brought a concurrent interest in the economic benefi ts of hunting to rural landowners. I clearly remember the consulting biologists’ efforts
in the 1970s to educate ranchers about the concept of maximizing income potential by reducing livestock numbers and creating better wildlife habitat — thus improving overall ranch income from hunting leases. At that time, many ranchers resisted the concept of hunting leases. By the end of the century, income from wildlife
often exceeded that of livestock. The fi rst contract I remember being involved in as a wildlife consultant in 1973 was with a Trans Pecos rancher; upset be- cause part of his ranch was leased from University of Texas and the new 5-year lease added $.10 per acre for hunting ($.80 per acre was for livestock). That same lease in 2000 was for $1.00 per acre for
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