How the Drought Changes Hunting

[markc]

These 2 pics are from today in the spot I have hunted wood ducks each winter. Last winter was dry and now the area that should hold lots of water in the woods is nothing but a dry jungle of tangled mess.
 

 

 
No real rain in the forcast any time soon.  No ducks this year.

[Dee]

Same in North Central Texas. Weeds are all that are growin, and they ain't growin so good. Farmers this year bailed their wheat straw, AND their corn shucks, and are makin a killin sellin them to cattlemen, cause there ain't no grass, or good hay.
You can find hogs in wallos, if you can find isolated pockets of water, but their few, and far between.

[markc]

Dee, there are some really beat down trails leading to my feeder there in Waller Co, but the nearest water source is pretty good distance.  I am finding hog wallows along the ever receding edge of the pond.   It was interesting to note the distance between the wallows giving evidence of how far the water level has dropped. The hogs began wallowing along the pond edge when the weather turned warm. Now the freshest wallows are 4' or so away from the abandoned ones.   The Weather Chanel is taking a look at a tropical weather form moving towards Cuba and those islands.  So far the forcasted tracks at least provide some hope of it coming towards the Gulf.  Is it too much to ask for a slow moving rain maker, that does not bring much wind with it?  High winds right now could be disastrous to trees.

[Dee]

Climatologists say some of the this drought in Texas is going to be permanent, and some areas will become desert, due to changing weather patterns. I listened to a couple on Fox News some weeks ago that were talking about it. Also La Nina, is supposed to be cranking up stronger, and that will keep us dry. Who knows.

[markc]

Earlier this week the weather man said that temperatures will begin to cool off normally, but that it would be January 2012 before we have received enough water to remove the current deficit.  Somehow I am doubtful that some of Texas will become permanent desert, but then again it certainly could happen.

[Mohawk]

The report I read was that La Nina will back off in early fall, leaving the Pacific in a neutral pattern, giving us normal rain amounts. But, La Nina will return in the spring and hang around for a while. Here on our place in Marble Falls the grass is so dry it just cracks under you foot. The deer are beginning to nibble on Cedar leaves and bark. That is bad!! We continue to feed and water the wildlife but can only do so much. This is also the first year I have had deer eat Timothy Hay. I left some out that I feed my rabbit with and it was eatin quickly. Probably going to be a horrible year for acorns. Oak trees don't tap into aquifer or deep ground water like many species. They rely entirely on rain and surface introduced moisture. The local fire department even volunteered to water the famous Texas "Treaty Oak" last month.