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Desert Deer
By Russell A. Graves
West of the 100th meridian, where the sky domes over wide open plains, desert mule deer roam the draws, wheat field and mountain crags over a range that encompasses almost half of Texas. For many, mule deer are an enigma. Since whitetail deer largely dominate the collective consciousness of most Texans, when they think of deer, mule deer are a bit of a curiosity for most.
Even though I live in the midst of mule deer country, seeing them is still a treat. I grew up in northeast Texas where, like most of the state, whitetail are the dominant deer. So to see the curious-looking species is a treat.
I first saw a mule deer 18 years ago near the Pease River on the Matador Wildlife Management Area north of Paducah. The Matador is a sprawling, 28,000-acre patch of Rolling Plains rangelands that lie in the broken badlands and broad prairies of Northwest Texas and at the eastern periphery of the mule deer’s range in Texas.
When I first saw the buck, I couldn’t decide on his species. His gray color was a clue, but I’ve seen whitetails that are gray. His antlers were no help in the identification either. Books often mention branched main beams, but this buck’s antlers didn’t have the tell-tale dichotomy commonly exhibited by mule deer. The buck I saw was a standard eight-point with short brow points and longer- than-expected G2s. Curiously, the main-frame eight-point seems to be a phenotypical constant in many Texas Rolling Plains mule deer. Often mistaken as a hybrid of whitetail and mule deer, many mule deer—even the purebred variety—don’t exhibit branched antlers.
The trait, especially in Northwest Texas, seems to be one that’s found range-wide because most of the hundreds of mule deer bucks I have seen since that first buck do not have branched main beams, save for the two or three dozen exceptionally large bucks.
While his ears were longer that those of whitetails that I’d seen, that wasn’t the identifying clincher. Instead, as he retreated, he stotted into the sage scrub. That’s when I knew what he was.
A whitetail might have run or bounded away, but a mule deer stots. Stotting helps muleys retreat on rough and rocky ground. With each leap, all four feet hit the ground simultaneously for maximum stability. The retreating buck also gave me a chance to see another attribute that helped identify the buck as a mule deer—the white rump patch and black-tipped tail.
To read more pick up a copy of the January 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Equine
AQHA Horse of the Year
By Krista Lucas Wynn
Each year, when the professional rodeo season wraps on Sept. 30, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announce the Nutrena Horse of the Year, presented by the American Quarter Horse Association, in each event. This is a prestigious award, voted on by the members of the associations. To be named Horse of the Year by fellow competitors is a high honor only a few achieve.
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.
Farm & Ranch
Managing Show Cattle Through The Winter
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
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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Grazing North Texas- Snow On The Mountain
By Tony Dean
Snow on the Mountain is an annual forb that is part of our landscape almost every year.
It is adapted to most of Texas and grows north to Montana and Minnesota and south to Mexico.
Although is seems to be most adapted to clay soils, this plant can be found on a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions.
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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