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The Problem with Pronghorns
By Russell A. Graves
Of all the Texas big game species, none is more emblematic of the wide open west than the pronghorn. Swift and fleet footed, the pronghorn covers distances faster than any other land mammal on the continent. Over the past decade or so, the pronghorn of West Texas and the Marfa Plateau couldn’t outrun enigmatic problems that plague the species.
A Unique Species
Pronghorns are a biological enigma. While they are popularly called “goats” or antelopes, in reality, the species is unique and has no direct relatives in the animal kingdom. In fact, it is not even a true antelope. Instead, the species maintains its own ecological niche by being the only surviving North American member of its family, Antilocapridae.
About three feet high at the shoulders and 90 to 150 pounds in weight, the pronghorn is also North America’s fastest land animal. They can sustain speeds of more than 50 miles per hour in short bursts and can cruise for miles at a time at half that speed – a fast enough pace to leave predating coyotes and bobcats behind.
Both the males and females sport true horns that consist of flat bone covered in a keratinous sheath that is shed and regrown each year. While both sexes have horns, the males are characterized by a black swatch of hair that rings the upper throat.
To read more pick up a copy of the November 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call us at 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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