Range & Wildlife

We look forward to sharing the rewards of consistent wildlife management with you now and for years to come. Different management techniques are utilized to improve natural nutritional resources here at Calcasieu. Our team continually strives to produce the best quality deer, as well as turkey, quail and dove habitats possible. In addition, there are other naturally occurring species to be found on the land, including Texas Tortoise, Texas Horned Lizard, Rattlesnake, Grooved Billed Ani, Vermilion Flycatchers, Green Jays, Roadrunners and Javelina, to name several. To further enhance the recreational opportunities outside of hunting season, we are developing several fish tanks around the ranch. Read on to find out more about our wildlife management program.

Growing Big Bucks

When Calcasieu obtained this lease in 1993 and flew the first helicopter census, one buck was seen on the north 12,000 acres. As you "make the round" through the pasture in the mornings and evenings, you will see that we have come a long way toward improving our deer herd, which now numbers over 800. In terms of habitat, the ranch has all of the ingredients to become one of the best ranches in the state of Texas. There are approximately 35 different species of brush throughout the ranch providing a diverse habitat and balance of nutrition for deer and many other wildlife species that inhabit our area.

Different management techniques are utilized to improve natural nutritional resources here. A bulldozer pulling a Lawson Aerator (roller chopper) manipulates the naturally occurring habitat. By clearing and chopping dense brush we can increase the number of young sprouts (regrowth), which are more nutritious and palatable than mature brush. Discing disturbs the soil and greatly increases the growth of fibrous that deer cherish. Of course we are always careful to maintain some large blocks of brush to ensure good cover and hiding places.

In addition to naturally produced food sources, we have 60 Lamco feeders that provide nutritional supplement. Feed consumption varies with rainfall, with the highest consumption occurring during the driest periods of time, late summer and late winter. We are also participating in a research project with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and five other cooperating ranches to dateline the affects of supplemental feed on deer populations.

We have planted several food plots to provide additional nutrition during the periods of highest demand and lowest availability. We currently have two 10-acre Lablab fields and nine oat patches. Lablab is a legume similar to soybeans or cowpeas; however, unlike these crops, it is drought tolerant and can thrive during the notoriously severe South Texas summers. These fields require intense dry land farming, the goal being to provide deer with critical green forage of approximately 24% protein during typically stressed times of the year. Lablab is available to the deer from about April or May until the first frost of winter (December or January). The oat patches range from 5 to 13 acres and provide a fairly nutritious winter food source that can survive the few but inevitable freezes that occur during the late winter. As many can attest, these often prove to be excellent hunting sites!

In addition to food, water is of key importance. With this in mind, thirteen 300-gallon water troughs have been strategically placed so that no deer has to venture more than about a half mile for water.