Wildlife Fare Better than Livestock through Wildfires

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CANYON  Instinct kicks in for wildlife when fires threaten their existence and they flee, said Ken Cearley, Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist.

“The unknown factor with the recent fire in the Panhandle, however, is how well deer and antelope and other earthbound species can escape or find shelter from a fire moving at 50-plus miles per hour,” Cearley said.

Generally, he said, these animals can sense the fire coming and move out, escaping to some sheltering terrain or going deep into their burrows. The exception is ground-nesting birds during nesting season.

“Most wildlife have the instinct to flee from fire, which has historically played a major, natural role in the formation of short grass prairie here in the Panhandle,” he said. “The country, with adequate soil moisture, can bounce back quickly and provide grazing and browsing animals some forage pretty soon.”

For the most part, however, this area of Texas has very low soil moisture now, so bouncing back might take a little bit longer, Cearley said.

“It’s a devastating thing when an unplanned fire burns a huge amount of country at one time as far as grazing and property losses, but in the end, it can be beneficial in some ways,” he said.

In areas where invasive brush species grow, the fire can knock back or kill some of those unwanted plants, he said. The early brush regrowth can provide tender, high protein forage for deer, antelope and other browsers.

While unplanned fires put a kink in a lot of people’s operations, causing forage, livestock and fence losses, many range managers utilize fire for range improvement.

Because ground-nesting birds are not nesting right now, that kind of loss should be minimal, he said.

However, quail and pheasants do use grass for nesting cover, Cearley said, and the previous year’s grass generally provides them better cover. When so much country is burned off at one time, these birds must nest in this year’s growth, which might be limited if the drought continues.

Ground-nesting birds may be in a pinch, he said. April through June is nesting season for quail and pheasants. Without adequate nesting cover, they become easy prey for predators.

“We could have a problem in the quail production in that region this year if we don’t get some rain, because there will be little if any suitable nesting cover,” Cearley said.

Many turkey roosts likely have been destroyed too, he said. Fortunately, turkeys can move on to other areas. That’s not good news, though, for spring turkey hunters whose hunting spot has been burned.

However, Cearley said, the tender green regrowth which will eventually appear will draw turkey and other wildlife back to the area.

While things do look bleak for ranching operations wiped out by the fire, he said, the wildlife situation will fare better.

“This country will come back with a little rain in a way that will surprise people,” Cearley said. “Down the road, we’ll see some benefits as far as wildlife are concerned. Due to the blackened surface of the soil raising the soil temperature higher than unburned areas, you should begin to see green up within a few days if you have enough soil moisture or if we get some rain on it.”

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