Texas A&M Forest Service: 42% of wildfires occur during major hunting season months

Texas A&M Forest Service reminds Texans to be careful with activities that may cause a wildfire this hunting season.

Hunter in camouflage kneels in brush looking out over an open field. — Hunting season has arrived, and with that comes an increased risk of wildfires across the state. (Photo courtesy of Texas A&M Forest Service)

The general season for white-tailed deer hunting opened Nov. 5 for all but the two westernmost counties in Texas.

From 2017 to 2021, Texas A&M Forest Service responded to 3,682 wildfires that burned 1.4 million acres. During that time, 42% of wildfires occurred during the major hunting season months of September through January.

“Texas A&M Forest Service wants all hunters to be safe this season,” said Karen Stafford, Texas A&M Forest Service State Wildfire Prevention Program leader. “We all have a role to play in protecting our state from wildfires, so remember to do your part and don’t let a wildfire start.”

Nine out of 10 wildfires in Texas are human-caused, and 65% of wildfires that occur during hunting season are caused by debris burning and equipment use, which includes parking in dry grass and dragging trailer chains.

Tips to avoid wildfires

Recent rainfall has helped increase the amount of moisture in vegetation across the Texas landscape and reduced wildfire activity.

But even when wildfire activity is low, the possibility of an ignition is a concern. It only takes one spark to start a wildfire, and hunters are encouraged to be cautious outdoors.

Some tips to help avoid starting a wildfire while hunting and camping this fall include:

Avoid driving over and parking on dry grass. The heat from your vehicle can easily ignite the grass.
Always check with local officials for burn bans or other outdoor burning restrictions. Each county in Texas sets and lifts their own burn bans. Make sure you know your county’s burn ban status and if it restricts open flames and other heat-causing activities such as using charcoal. View the latest burn ban map here: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/burnbans/.
Never leave a cooking fire or campfire unattended, and always make sure it is completely out by drowning it, stirring it and feeling to ensure that it is out cold before you leave.
When taking a trailer out on your adventures, make sure that the tires are properly inflated, chains will not contact the road and that any loose metal will not continually hit anything else, all which can cause sparks.
Always be ready to put out a fire should one start. Have a shovel and water with you in camp and have a fire extinguisher with you at all times.

For additional information about preventing wildfires this hunting season, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/HuntingFireSafety/.

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The post “Hunters urged to practice wildfire safety” first appeared on AgriLife Today.

Writer: Adam Russell, 903-834-6191, adam.russell@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: John Tomecek, 325-650-3520, john.tomecek@ag.tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION – Dove season 2019 should provide a good opening weekend starting Sept. 1, but birds’ access to food and water will be a major factor in harvest success, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Texas dove season begins Sept. 1. Check local regulations to ensure compliance with Texas state law regarding these migratory game birds. (Courtesy photo)

John Tomecek, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Thrall, said hunters with access to areas where the birds have food sources, water and roosts should have an advantage over areas without.

Tomecek said drought conditions around the state will concentrate dove near resources as they migrate south. So if you want a successful hunt, go where dove can find food, water and shelter.

“Birds can spread out when there is plenty of water and food sources everywhere, but dry, hot weather over the last few months will limit where they will be found,” he said. “Having water sources like ponds or troughs to hunt over, especially in western parts of the state, should improve success.”

Dove food sources

Agriculture crops such as sesame, sunflowers and sorghum are attractive food sources to dove. Providing food sources for dove can improve hunter success, but it can also be illegal if state laws are not followed, Tomecek said.

AgriLife Extension has publications regarding legal supplemental feeding for dove. “Normal Agricultural Operations and Dove Hunting: How to Legally Provide Food Sources and Improve Hunting Opportunities,” co-authored by Tomecek can be downloaded for free at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Bookstore.

Know what’s legal

Broadcasting seed or grains before and during dove season in an attempt to attract birds is illegal, he said. But broadcasting in the normal act of planting winter forages is legal when standard practices of seed drilling or broadcasting on prepared beds followed by light disking or dragging is incorporated.

When it comes to dove, landowners and managers are allowed to grow seed- and grain-bearing crops such as sesame or sorghum for the sole purpose of attracting dove and can manipulate stands in any way throughout the season to provide a food source for birds, Tomecek said.

However, he said, it is important to note that in areas where waterfowl harvest also occurs, grains may be planted and grown, but must be harvested for commercial production. “Restrictions on Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting,” can also be downloaded for free from the AgriLife Extension Bookstore.

“The best way to explain it is that if you put seed or grain on the ground this time of year from a sack, it’s likely illegal,” he said. “If you planted it and it is maturing during hunting season, you can manipulate it in any way to hunt over it throughout the season.”

Advice for crop shredding

Tomecek recommends grain-bearing crops intended for dove not be shredded all at once.

“Divide the coverage area by the number of weeks of the season and shred a percentage each week to keep food on the ground,” he said. “Mourning dove need the grain or seed to be on the ground since they cannot perch and eat at the same time.”

White-winged dove are capable of lighting and picking grains and seeds from food sources, he said. They are a larger dove species that has continued to expand its range farther north.

“Overall, we are hoping for a good dove season,” he said. “Bird numbers will depend on location, but it’s really about getting out to the field with friends and family or taking someone who has never been dove hunting before. It’s a tradition that makes lasting memories.”

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