TX Drought "Killing Deer Like Flies"; Quail @ Record Lows; Multispecies Reproductive Failure

[hatrack]

HOUSTON — In a 30-mile area of the Texas Panhandle, biologists found 76 white-tailed deer — but zero babies. Not far away, they located only three quail on a stretch of road where they would see 15 in a normal year. In South Texas, a biologist reports a lack of water on some ranches is "killing deer like flies" and says he discovered more than 20 dead adult deer on one ranch. And this is only the first glimpse at the harm one of the worst droughts in Texas history is causing to the state's wildlife.

The Associated Press obtained preliminary data from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that comes from statewide wildlife surveys the agency performs annually of deer, prong-horned antelope, quail, turkey and other animals. The data has not yet been compiled into a statewide overview, but so far confirms scientists' suspicions that the drought has hampered wildlife reproduction.

"It's having a major impact on a lot of the critters," said Trey Barron, a regulatory biologist in Amarillo for the parks and wildlife department. "If the drought continues for much longer, we will start seeing impacts on the adult population."

EDIT

Quail are generally resilient, Perez said, and reproduce quickly. The species has recovered from previous droughts, including the historic dry spell that swept through the state in the 1950s and has been the benchmark since then for drought and water issues. Perez notes, however, that quail no longer have as many wide-open spaces to call home as they did in the mid-20th century. Now, a drought can completely wipe out the bird in some places, such as around Dallas and Houston where the population has been declining for decades.

EDIT

http://www.northjersey.com/news/national/101311_Texas_drought_hampers_wildlife_reproduction.html

[LiberalFighter]

1. Will Texas increase the hunting limits?

[NickB79]

2. But where will the AGW-denying GOP'ers go hunt now?

Oh, the humanity!