Golden eagle prey consists primarily of small mammals such as prairie dogs, rabbits and ground squirrels, but they will consume birds and reptiles when they can catch them. Large mammals are fair game too. Golden eagles sometimes attack large mammals. Mule deer and pronghorn of all ages have been observed being attacked or killed by eagles. In fact, documented kills of bighorn sheep, coyotes, bobcats, and foxes being killed exist. They also eat carrion.

Many ranchers are not fond of golden eagles. They occasionally kill calves, sheep, pigs and goats. Although attacks on animals that weigh more than about 35 pounds are uncommon, they are not unheard of. The photos below show an adult golden eagle attacking and killing a pronghorn antelope near Rawlins, Wyoming. It was assumed that the pronghorn was not healthy, and the photos are quite gruesome, but they do show the ability of the amazing ability and tenacity of the golden eagle.

As the photos show, golden eagles grab deer and pronghorn anywhere on the head, neck, or body, frequently grasping from the front or side. They kill adult animals with numerous talon stabs into the upper ribs and back. Their feet and talons are well adapted to closing around the backbone, with the talons puncturing large internal arteries, frequently the aorta in front of the kidneys.

The major cause of death is shock produced by massive internal hemorrhage from punctured arteries or collapse of the lungs when the rib cage is punctured. Young animals die from shock and loss of blood as they are eviscerated as golden eagles grab them and simply start eating. Where eagles prey on domestic animals, they usually take the young, but some eagles become persistent predators of livestock as large as 500 pounds. Nature is both cruel and amazing. The golden eagle because of regulations and sound wildlife management practices, but it’s easy to see how this species can have a huge impact livestock producers.

Christmas Day brought four inches of snow on the High Plains which encouraged geese to decoy better. Larger Canada geese are showing with frozen ponds in the northern states. Snow geese and Canadas are solid on roost ponds near Etter. Duck numbers continue to build in the Panhandle, with more mallards showing on playas. Many divers are hanging out on reservoirs and other deep water ponds. Feed lot ponds are good for gadwalls and wigeons. Recent snow runoff has put water in many dry playas. Outfitters have said hunter participation has been down. Prospects are good in the near term for Panhandle duck hunting action.

In Texas’s North Zone, duck hunters have taken good numbers of mallards in sloughs, creeks and river bottoms, especially with improved habitat conditions as of a result of recent rains, reported biologist Jared Laing. Colder weather and frozen waterways to the north have encouraged more mallards to cross the state line. Scouting has been crucial, said Laing, with birds moving about with more water on the ground. Canvasbacks and other divers have been steady on Lake O’Pines, Toledo Bend and Lake Fork.

The duck hunting in the backwaters of Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend and the Sulfur River have produced good mallard shoots as well. Gadwalls and wigeons have been taken in shallow coves of lakes and reservoirs. Wood ducks have been steady at first light in wet timber. Hunting remained steady around the zone boundaries of IH-10 where some areas received 2-4 inches during the holiday weekend. Freshwater impoundments have held pintails, wigeons, shovelers and green-winged teal. Prospects are good until the end of the season.

In Texas’ South Zone, the coast offers the most. It continues to produce steady duck shoots on the prairies, marshes and bays. Gadwalls, wigeons, shovelers and pintails have been steady near Eagle Lake, Garwood and Wharton. Most of the upper coast received two to four inches of rain over the holiday weekend. Sheet water has covered many dry rice fields which has encouraged ducks to work goose spreads. Bay hunters enjoyed steady shoots near Port O’Connor and Rockport. Solid shoots have come from the Lower Laguna Madre around Port Isabel and Port Mansfield.

Pintails, redheads, bluebills, gadwalls and wigeons have made up the bags. Hunters in Trinity Bay have struggled the past few weeks as ducks are here today and gone tomorrow. Marsh hunters in Orange County have seen good numbers of gadwalls and teal throughout the season. Snow goose hunting has been good with wind and a low ceiling. Absent have been large concentration of small Canadas that take up the slack for call-shy specklebellies. Sandhill crane numbers are steady. Most cranes have been harvested by goose hunters in white spreads. Duck and goose prospects are really good until the end of the season, especially for marsh hunters.

Duck Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits: The High Plains Mallard Management Unit runs Oct. 29-30, Nov. 4-Jan. 29, 2012. The North and South zones run Nov. 5-27 and Dec. 10-Jan. 29, 2012.

The daily bag limit shall be 6 ducks, to include no more than the following: 5 mallards (only 2 of which may be hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 scaup (lesser scaup and greater scaup in the aggregate), 2 redheads, 2 pintails, 1 canvasback, 1 dusky duck (mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck and their hybrids are closed the first five days of the duck hunting season in each zone). All other duck species: 6.

The purpose of the prescribed burn alliance will be to safely increase the use of prescribed burning, according Roel Lopez, the institute’s associate director. Lopez said prescribed burning, or the controlled application of fire to the naturally occurring buildup of fuels in a predetermined area, has been used for years to improve and manage forests and rangelands, improve wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires.

“This statewide alliance, comprised of 11 prescribed burn associations, is particularly important after the wildfire season Texas just had,” he said. “Texas reported over 30,000 wildfires with nearly 4 million acres burned. More than 2,000 homes and an additional 2,000 other types of structures were lost.”

“The alliance will promote education and training, and increase the practice of safe prescribed burn techniques,” said Larry Joe Doherty, the alliance’s new president. “Prescribed burning techniques safely applied can reduce the dangers of fuel buildups that lead to the terror of wildfires and its destructive forces. At the same time, we are honoring our duties as good land stewards through wildlife habitat management and and increasing agricultural production.”

Jim Kenton, alliance vice president, said the alliance will work collaboratively with private landowners, county governments, federal and state agencies, and natural resource organizations to foster the acceptance and use of prescribed burning in Texas. “Many of the devastating fires were especially dangerous because volatile fuels had been allowed to accumulate in forests and rangelands, becoming detrimental to habitat and the wildlife found there,” Kenton said.

Individual ranchers and range managers, federal and state agencies, The Nature Conservancy and wildlife associations have all used prescribed burns and a habitat management tool sporadically since the 1970s, according to alliance officials. In 1997, Texas’ first prescribed burn association, the Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burn Association, was established.

Before the newly formed alliance, the 11 prescribed burn associations, which are typically nonprofits owned and operated by more than 1,000 private landowners, worked mostly on their own, Doherty said. “Without uniformity in training and using privately purchased fire equipment, they assisted their neighbors in safely conducting prescribed burns,” he said.

Lopez said the institute, AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension received a funds through a Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant to help form the alliance. Funds also were used to design and develop a prescribed fire website to serve the burn associations and develop web-based training for individuals wanting to attain prescribed-burning certification.

Many private landowners understand the benefits of prescribed fire, but lack the experience or confidence to frequently apply prescribed burns,” Lopez said in reference to the need for training for this highly beneficial habitat management tool. The prescribed burn alliance is about making Texas lands safer, not about money making. If you are interested in wildlife and habitat management, learn more about the proper use of prescribed fire by contacting your local burn association or Texas’ burn alliance.

After January 1, 2012, however, elk will only be allowed to move after all surveillance requirements have been met. Surveillance requirements can be must met by one of two ways. First, breeders can qualify by enrolling in the CWD status program and testing all mortalities and achieving the necessary status. Or additionally, elk breeders can qualify by having a valid “not detected” CWD test on file prior to elk movement.

The number of valid CWD tests required are based on the number of elk being moved and whether they are captive or free ranging.

The TAHC implemented new elk herd requirements on January 1, 2010, to ensure a stronger surveillance system for CWD in elk. “The program is intended to help protect the exotic and native wildlife and the cervid industry of Texas from the possible introduction of CWD, by developing an effective surveillance system”, Dr. Dee Ellis, TAHC State Veterinarian, said.” “Enrollment and ultimately achieving status will allow producers to move elk without requiring additional mortality testing,” Dr. Ellis added. “I strongly encourage all elk producers to sign up today.”

CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy known to affect elk, moose, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer and mule deer. It has had an impact on whitetail, mule deer and elk hunting in other states. It is a fatal, degenerative brain wasting disease. The typical clinical signs of CWD are emaciation, behavioral changes and excessive salivation.

CWD has not been detected in captive or free-ranging deer or elk in Texas, but the occurrence of CWD in Colorado and other states is more common. Elk producers must continue to be mindful of the disease and take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of exotic livestock. In order to be eligible for moving elk, participation in the program is mandatory. Elk owners can enroll their herds in the CWD monitoring program by contacting their local TAHC office.

As eluded to earlier, chufa makes for great food plots for ducks. This species is an excellent food source for wintering waterfowl when flooded. Chufas flooded up to a depth of about eight inches are readily eaten by dabbling ducks, especially mallards. Diving ducks such as ring-necks, redheads, and canvasbacks, love chufas when they are flooded to depths over one foot. Chufa commonly occurs in bottomland hardwood understories and on exposed mudflats of seasonally flooded lakes.

Good chufa tuber production depends on at least a three-month flood-free period during the growing season. In areas of Louisiana where chufa is found, research showed that chufas supplied 57% of the diet of mallards, 67% of the diet of pintails, and averaged 67% of food items eaten by wigeon, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, ring-necked ducks, canvasbacks, and lesser scaup. Now that sounds like an effective, natural food plot.

So how can you establish chufa food plots on your property for wildlife and habitat management? Well, chufas grow best in moist soils but do not do well on sites that are extremely wet or flooded during the growing season. Duck ponds which can be drained and planted during summer and flooded during winter provide excellent habitat for waterfowl. Chufas can be planted from April through July and require 90 to 100 days to mature.

Seeds should be treated with some type of repellent such as Stanley Cro-Chex before planting to keep seed-eating mammals from digging them up. There are other commercial brands and types of repellents on the market, as well. Chufa food plots grow best in sandy loam soils but will grow even in hard clay. Consider chufa for food plots as a part of the wildlife habitat management activities on your property.