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Too Much Prickly Pear?
#5243463
08/09/14 05:08 AM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 8,144
Homer Jay
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 8,144 |
Can cactus be so thick and so abundant that it discourages the presence of desirable wildlife?
(I mean WT deer, turkey, bobcats, grey fox, etc.)
"Like a slice of fried gold!"
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243480
08/09/14 05:17 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,600
Sneaky
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It can be, but it's not likely that yours is that thick. I thought the same about mine. A member here, who had managed ranges for years, came and looked at it, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. And it is pretty thick.
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243542
08/09/14 06:27 AM
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 29,024
Western
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I agree with Sneaky. Hunted a place West of Sterling city. PP was real thick and tall, if it wasn't a PP there, there was mesquite with small trails to cut through. Quail thick as I have ever seen them, good deer that where fairly well managed and all the varmints that come with it.
The LO did clear many acres in places/pastures for his cattle, but most all the wildlife where in the PP thickets mixed with mesquite and native grasses, or draws full of same..
If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is not for you..
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln Dennis
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243599
08/09/14 11:40 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,949
don k
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Rats and rattlesnakes like it.
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243749
08/09/14 02:25 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
Texas colt45
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Texas colt45
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657 |
great habitat for rattle snakes, plus it takes up space where grass might grow
Last edited by colt45; 08/09/14 02:26 PM.
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243933
08/09/14 05:56 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,600
Sneaky
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I like that it holds mice and snakes. I'm disappointed that after a year, I still haven't seen a rattler out there.
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5243960
08/09/14 06:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,273
blackcoal
THF Trophy Hunter
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The Greatest Enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.--Stephen Hawking
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5244205
08/09/14 09:45 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,614
Mfloski
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
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Posts: 1,614 |
I bet humans are more deterred by it than the wildlife! Lol
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5244321
08/09/14 10:59 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,514
SnakeWrangler
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Prescribed burn every 2–4 years as a means of control....works good on controlling it and cedar too. You will be amazed at how much grass you have after a couple of burns. Also helps reduce the risks of wildfire.
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Mfloski]
#5244824
08/10/14 05:09 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795
dogcatcher
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I bet humans are more deterred by it than the wildlife! Lol X2
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back. _____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Double Naught Spy]
#5245202
08/10/14 03:31 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
The prickly pear has long been a staple in deer diet. I was at a seminar 20 yrs ago where the guys from CKWRI talked about a study they did in the 80's on the Welder Cameron and Dobie. They found cactus to be 45% of the deer diet during the times of Jan-Feb and late summer(July-Sept) no matter what the range conditions were like. I watched 2 mature bucks eating pear in late October one year aftering having 9" of rain in Sept and October that year with a pretty we summer also. The pear in north Texas is not exactly the same as in South Texas. Deer moved from South Texas up to the North Texas/Hill Country areas will not eat that pear unless you burn it IME.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5245280
08/10/14 04:17 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,453
dfwroadkill
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I've watched deer eat it plenty here in North Tejas. I read where deer can get up to 80% of their water needs from cacti. I'm thinking that was out of A & M.
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5245625
08/10/14 08:50 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,005
HornSlayer
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Our rancher sprayed a product called "Tordon and Reclaim ". It is really good. Cleared up hundreds of acres in two seasons. Even found a couple ancient graves hidden by the cacti. They used helicopters to spray it.
Last edited by HornSlayer; 08/10/14 08:58 PM.
They make ammo specifically for hunting for a reason!
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: dfwroadkill]
#5250632
08/13/14 02:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 8,144
Homer Jay
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THF Trophy Hunter
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OP
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read where deer can get up to 80% of their water needs from cacti. I never even thought about that, thanks.
"Like a slice of fried gold!"
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5250647
08/13/14 02:21 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
read where deer can get up to 80% of their water needs from cacti. I never even thought about that, thanks. They also get water from browse and forb plants.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: Too Much Prickly Pear?
[Re: Homer Jay]
#5250654
08/13/14 02:25 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,532
redchevy
THF Celebrity
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Posts: 39,532 |
They eat it quite a bit around our place. When it was really dry a few years ago, we saw a doe that carried a broke off branch/couple patties with her. She would carry it to the feeder set it down eat and pick it back up when she left.
It's hell eatin em live
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