Texas Game and Fish, Volume 13, Number 4, April 1955 Page: 24
32 p. : col. ill.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Hunters Harvest_
. Continued from page 13
and they're showing it. Lot of them
are little runty things exactly like
you'd expect from that kind of re-
verse breeding program.
"I try to help my deer build up
their herds the same way I try to
build up my cattle-with manage-
ment that lets nature take her best
course."
"Sure," he added, "I guess you'd
call it commercializing hunting. I
know that's what it is. But we may as
well face facts; that's another part of
this changing day and time.
"It's either commercialize, and do
it right, or not have anything left in
the way of deer. Some of the ranch-
ers are almost out of the deer busi-
ness now, largely because they've
cleared so much brush and over-
stocked with sheep and goats for a
long time."
He got up and walked over to the
fence and watched the half dozen
doe that were still picking around in
the alfalfa thrown them an hour
earlier. They were fat and sleek, and
one kept looking back as if she had
a fawn close by some place.
"I take care of them now," he
smiled. And as I get a little older-I
figure they'll take care of me."
DEAR LADY-
Whose husband loves to hunt .. .
Want to please that man in your life
with a most unusual gift for father's
day . . . and touch his heart because
you understand him so well? Then, get
him a copy of:
WHUNtE~ UTN H
~,ii s . 3 e '
By "The oldtimer"
Dr. Frederick H. Weston
writer of the popular
newspaper column
"South Texas Outdoors"
This book has more than 100 photo-
graphs and other valuable illustrations.
Gives clear directions for every phase
of hunting the whitetail in more than
23 fascinating chapters.
A wonderful gift for any man-for
any occasion-any time of the year.
Only $4.95, postage paid. Send Check
or Money Order for yours today. If an
autographed copy is desired, please print
the name of the receiver and the mes-
sage you want to convey.
Weston Outdoor Publications
230-A LOSOYA ST. SAN ANTONIO, TEX.Balance of Nature
Three Texans Scan the Range
those days, 300 head to the square a
mile was not uncommon. Grand- v
father remembers too that before t
his son could saddle a cow pony, l
the grasses had thinned and less
than half as many steers could be s
fattened on the same range. Today, c
standing beside a fence that confines f
35-50 head per section, comes the
realization that a family name and h
an historical brand were bought c
and paid for by the land that now b
supports as much mesquite, cactus, t
lechuguilla, bitter brush and a host
of noxious weeds, as it does range
forage. Grandfather's view is dis- t
quieting because his mind answers u
the questions that his son and grand- l
son would not ask of him. He never s
fully understood the meaning of t
biotic balance, although its absence
is the lesson of his lifetime.
The father's view tells him what
he thought could not be-that next l
year this range will hold only 30 a
head to the section. If only he could
have rested the range-but taxes,
bills, hoof-and-mouth disease, de-
pression, drought and a war have
forced him to urge the range to l
meet demands. 1
From spring to fall, he has seen s
the grass consumed down to its
roots, and then, as if in scorn, the
roots were trampled into the dust
by too many hooves in search of t
more grass. From boyhood to man-
hood, he has seen the spring recu-
peration become less each year while
more range has been left to the
land-greedy nonpalatable weeds. No
rest is yet in store for the weary
range. "This is not my fault," the
father rationalizes. If he recognized
biotic balance as a remedy, its ap-
plication was postponed in the face
of economic expedience. That times
will change is the hope of the father,
whose view today indicates that thus
far all he has given to the family
legacy is an alibi.
The son, just home from college,
knows that range can be classified
according to the quantity and qual-
ity of the plants growing on it. He
has learned from his training in
range management about how many
cattle can be maintained on a given. Continued from page 10
mount of forage. But to him the
irgin range is a paragraph in a
textbook or an old photograph; the
longhorn is legend. In his own
mind, too, is the awareness that
something more than nostalgia
causes the collective view of his
family to be less than satisfying. It
will take more than the "six gun-
ell for leather" attitude of the
attlemen of grandfather's day to
ring back the carrying capacity of
his range. Any improvement on
what he sees today is a step for-
ward. He is young and will accept
he challenge. However, unless he
nderstands the importance of bio-
ogical balance in the face of depres-
ion, disease, drought, war, high
axes, or rising standards of living,
he, too, will stand next to this fence
wenty-five years hence, and with
bleached eyebrows and wrinkled,
weather face, pass on to his son still
nother alibi.
Balance of Nature
Fishing Ruined
* Continued from page 10
ake for a short distance; then the
and rises and an almost mature
tand of second-growth sugar maple
with some hemlock and yellow birch
completes the botanical setting.
Three kinds of forests have given to
his spot a variety of wildlife and
a diversity of beauty.
The lake was also gifted with
Wisconsin's finest sporting fish: the
muskellunge. Twentieth century
man in his quest for pristine sur-
roundings could ask for little more.
Such a place would have stirred the
heart of Duluth or Radisson.
The man who holds title to this
land was aware of its beauty and
recreational value. He and his fam-
ily spent many pleasant hours there.
He was also generous in sharing his
prize with others. But somehow he
became uneasy about having always
received from his land without giv-
ing something tangible in return.
He decided to help the lake to pro-
duce more feed for the muskellunge
by creating weed beds suitable for
forage fish. A dealer in aquatic veg-
etation was consulted and in dueTEXAS GAME AND FISH
24
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas. Game and Fish Commission. Texas Game and Fish, Volume 13, Number 4, April 1955, periodical, April 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1588361/m1/26/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.