We have been MLD for five years or so. Have not always hit our numbers but, we are extremely "proud" of what has been accomplished. We fly the place every two years and a TX game biologist is present. We just got a reuest for a site visit in late march or April and will be making that happen - we don't have anything to hide. Curious if anyone else has had this request and what they may be looking for?

Yes, As I recall they are looking at the condition of the browse, what is available and what/how much is being eaten(who knew hackberry bushes were deer candy), water. Also what you are doing to improve the property for the wildlife. Clearing, planting etc...

They use that information to decide how many tags they are going to give you.

Are you conservation or harvest option? I’m harvest and have not had that request.

Ditto. Harvest Option doesn't require a habitat improvement plan, or surveys, so there's nothing they need to verify.

Your response surprises me as it shouldn't be viewed as an inspection, but what surprises me more is the fact that this is the first time a TPWD biologist has been on the ground.

I'm retired TPWD with 22 years and no longer under their gag order. I now run my own consulting business. I served as the Technical Guidance Biologist in the Panhandle responsible for meeting landowners and providing guidance in habitat and wildlife management. I only had about 15 MLD properties in 56 counties as much of our landowner contacts didn't focus solely on deer. The county biologists each have MLD properties as well. I had ongoing, working relationships with all my MLD properties at varying degrees based on the landowners needs and desires. Many of them are friends that I still keep up with.

A site visit is intended, or should be, for you and the biologist to see and discuss the particulars of how the habitat is looking, to identify issues that could limit your ability to reach your goals, and to plan out strategies to address those limitations, and ultimately to improve habitat for the wildlife that live on your place. That may involve evaluating plant species composition, evaluating livestock impacts, soil health, brush cover, plant diversity, forage quality, deer harvest data (ages, weights, antlers), evaluation of your habitat manipulation practices (mechanical or chemical treatments, Rx fire, etc), water distribution, browse use on key species, so on and son on. It's also an opportunity for the biologist to hear what your interests, abilities, capabilities, and hopes and dreams are for your place. This is important stuff because the biologists' goal should be how to help guide you toward achieving those dreams as they relate to the habitat and health of your property. How much they are involved is heavily dependent on your interest level and how much you reach out to them. They have enough to do to not waste time on folks who don't care about their habitat health and just want to shoot deer.

MLD started off as a wonderful program! It was a strategy designed to encourage landowners to reach out to those who were experts in the relationships and interactions of soil, water, plant, wildlife, and livestock. And if the landowner was willing to create high quality habitat, either through their own approach or influenced by the biologists, then that property could enjoy an extended season and bag limits greater than the county regulations and greater than other landowners who were not providing high quality habitat. That was a benefit to all wildlife, not just deer. It's a long awful story, but due to political influences the program has been eroded away to nothing but a kill-big-bucks program where anyone who can fill out a form online is enrolled regardless of any resulting habitat quality. And not mutually exclusive, but many of the TPWD field biologists, not all of course, are no longer experts in the relationships of soil, water, plant, wildlife, and livestock. Most of the Technical Guidance Biologists should know their stuff. Or, they may have changed that title to Senior Biologist.

All that to say, and not knowing the name of your biologist, but I would hope you would welcome him/her inquisitively on things they might see on your place that you could make better and how to go about doing that. The last thing you want to do is drive them around and show them your blinds, feeders, and food plots.

Good luck, I hope your place is fabulous, and sorry for the lengthy comment.

For me, I get out and start feeding my fawning areas around the 1st. of March. This in short time will give me an idea of does by camera across my lease. This count is not exact but will give ya an idea on a precount. I had 44 does and my first fawning area count as I remember was 39, I think. So..P&W does not count the way I do so I don't know what they could be counting. Looking for browse and acorn crop most likely and maybe droppings/acre....for the record. If ya haven't been using your permits and are not sure about herd counts may be concerning the Biologists and need verification for doe permits for your area. Seems unusual to me. I would ask my biologist.

ToT - thanks, what I was expecting and we have no issues (zero) with the request. For us, it's another "excuse" to get down there and enjoy the place while geting something done. Our MLD is on conservation and we have never done much in the way of brush control besides shredding of already open areas, pimraily senderos. It was quickly provided when we applied and we believe heavily influenced by the 27 some odd feed pens with most of them feeding corn, protein pellets & corn in addition to the 8-10 supplmental tank fed trough water sources on hand. Doe to buck ratio is near 1.5 to 1 and each year, we harvest bucks with field dressed weights up to 190-200 pounds. The guy coming out may be able to help us make the place even better.

Excellent!

TopOfTexas, I hope your uptick in post will continue. Your background can be very helpful to us on this forum that will listen. Your insight into this subject was enlightening, as was your other post on the drones. I look forward to more of your posts.

Agreed

Third!

Always enjoy hearing from more people in the know....we are sadly missing quite a few from years past that knew and have forgotten more about deer hunting than I will ever know.


Hud, keep us posted on anything the biologist says. Even though the ecosystem is different from where we both hunt, any improvements or ideas may be crossed to different areas. Your hunting work has shown results few of us could match, so I am always keen to hear any ideas from your place.

Heck, we have the TPWD biologist out every few years to go over our plans and progress and we're not MLD. If you're interested in improving your herd, why would you not take advantage of their expertise?

Ditto

ToT - two of these guys really need help and the 3rd can't be helped.

Hud, I doubt a member with only 4 posts can read your humor/sarcasm. If thats not what it is, then we need to meet at the OK Corral......

I agree. Thanks for joining the conversationTop of Texas.

Hudbone, it will be interesting to read your thoughts and comments about the visit.

I love the brutal honesty on THF. There is a ton of very useful information on here and lots of very interesting and awesome folks too.

Just my 2 cents.
Big Hutch

I appreciate the kind words and encouragement to participate.

I have done a fair amount of sporadic reading here in the Texas Hunting Forum. I enjoy the tongue-in-cheek.

Man i think free wins the day with his post.

Hud gets a close second. I wanna know if i am the lone one out who cant be helped

I am just honored to be put in the same breath as Free and BOBO by Hud


In all seriousness, if i have to ask the question above. I already know the answer

I need a lot of help...bring your gloves and your own lunch.

Hud has gloves……..

I will add that my brother had the state biologist out to look at his property while in the process of getting a wildlife exemption on the property. The biologist was very knowledgeable about the land, soil and plants. He gave us lots of ideas for creating cover for quail, turkey and deer. When we went for our application interview, the county auditor asked if the biologist (mentioned him specifically by name) had been on the property. When we said yes, he said do what he told you...approved. The other concern the county had was how much time we would be on the property. They didn't want to provide a tax exemption for a glorified deer lease, but to people who live in the county and spend money in the county.

Ag Tax Exemption is tied to the 108 momma cows on the property and not wildlife.

I’ve been Wildlife MLD for quite awhile. I keep receipts for feed, including deer corn, before and after pics when I plant food plots, pictures of my 4 stock tanks, etc. BTW, fishing holes are water for wildlife.

Pictures of cedars that I’ve cut and floated in the tanks/ponds to deter cormorants from eating my fish.

Corn, deer mineral blocks receipts. Damn pigs get the blocks but they are wildlife.

Game Cam pics of deer eating corn and minerals.

This document is important. Without the deduction the taxes would kill me.