Deer Quick Facts: Axis Deer Fallow Deer Mule Deer Sika Deer White-tailed Deer Wapiti or Elk
White Tail Deer
A Hunter's Guide to Aging and Judging Live White-Tailed Deer in the Southeast
Mississippi State University Extension Service
Antlers — The Stuff of Dreams by Ken Gee For most white-tailed deer hunters, antlers are what make the world go 'round. Since these head ornaments are so alluring, I thought we'd take a closer look at what they are and how they develop.
Can White-tailed Deer be Aged by their Teeth? by Ken Gee A generation of wildlife biologists has been taught a method of aging white-tailed deer using teeth wear and eruption patterns from the lower jaw.
How Do You Measure the Success of Your Deer Season? by Grant Huggins The Boone and Crockett score of your biggest buck? The pounds of venison you put in the freezer? The number of deer you harvested? The number of days you spent hunting? There are probably as many answers as there are hunters.
Passing the Buck by Grant Huggins Every time hunters pull the trigger or decide not to, they are making a management decision affecting the future of the herd they are hunting. In deer management circles, "passing the buck" has a positive, rather than a negative, connotation.
Mule Deer
Mule Deer Foundation - Ensuring the conservation of mule deer, black tailed deer and their habitats.
Texas Mule Deer - Texas Wildlife Association article on Mule Deer.
Waterfowl
Ducks at a Distance Identifying waterfowl gives many hours of enjoyment to millions of people. This guide will help you recognize birds on the wing - it emphasizes their fall and winter plumage patterns as well as size, shape, and flight characteristics. It does not include local names. Recognizing the species of ducks and geese can be rewarding to birdwatchers and hunters - and the ducks.
Dabbling Ducks
Diving Ducks, Sea Ducks, Geese and Swans
Exotics
Axis Deer - The Axis Deer, and how they're impacting parts of the USA.
Texotics - Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. The booming exotics business has led to a population explosion of species such as sika and axis deer.
Handbook of Texas; Exotics - The term exotic is commonly applied in Texas to foreign big game acquired by private landowners and released within fenced enclosures or allowed to range free.
Nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus; Blackbuck, Antilope cervicapra;
TPWD Exotics Publications:
- Exotics in Texas (PDF 167.5 KB)
- Exotic Mammals Competing with the Natives (PDF 94.3 KB)
Turkey
- Learn About Turkey (PDF 356.5 KB)
- Rio Grande Turkey Habitat Management (PDF 1.9 MB)
- The Eastern Wild Turkey in Texas (PDF 810.6 KB)
- Habitat Management for Turkeys in Northeast Texas (PDF 100.9 KB)
- Texas Turkey Talk
National Wild Turkey Federation - The NWTF is a grassroots, nonprofit organization with 545,000 members in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.
Predators
Quick Facts: Coyote, Gray Wolf, Red Wolf, Swift or Kit Fox, Red Fox, Common Gray Fox
Predator Guards for Nest Boxes by Mike Porter Predator guards for nest boxes minimize predation of eggs, nestlings, and adult birds at the boxes. Predation is a major cause of mortality among cavity nesting birds.
Quail & Upland Birds
- Effects of Quail Management on Nongame Species (PDF 20.8 KB)
- Scaled Quail in Texas: Their Biology and Management (PDF 817.1 KB)
- Where Have All the Quail Gone? (PDF 926 KB)
- Bobwhite Quail in Texas (PDF 412.2 KB)
- Bobwhite Facts and Fantasies (PDF 362.9 KB)
- Guidelines for Bobwhite Habitat Management in the Cross Timbers and Prairies (PDF 222.1 KB)
Quail Forever - America's Leader in Quail Conservation
Quail Species - Quail Forever - Different Quail Species
Dove
Know Your Doves - Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.
Dove Species - Dove Species Found in North America
Dove Field Preparation - There's More Than One Way To Skin a Cat
Tim White, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Hogs & Javelina
Learn About Javelina - Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.
Feral Hogs - Texas Parks & Wildlife
Stay Healthy on Your Hunt - This brochure produced by federal agencies aimed at helping to prevent human brucellosis infections from wild hog hunting.
History and Distribution of Feral Hogs - National Cooperative Extension Resource
Varmits
Varminter.com - Varmint Hunting online magazine
Non-game Animals TPWD - Overview of non-game animals from the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Alligator
Quick Facts: American Alligator American Crocodile
Mammals of Texas - Online edition; In The Mammals of Texas, Drs. William B. Davis and David J. Schmidly bring together over 70 years of experience in the study of Texas mammals. A completely revised and updated version of William B. Davis's classic text, which was first published in 1947, The Mammals of Texas is a perennial favorite, going through four reprints and revisions during the past 47 years.