Cows and Quail Holistic Herding at Erosion Source Often I have been told by planned-grazing skeptics that what we do at Circle with cows is only possible because of unique terrain features, expensive fence and water systems not available to others, and even that Circle Ranch gets more rain than next-door-neighbor ranches! Planned grazing is succesful anywhere it
Elk Removals Are Elk Native to Texas? Yes. Are elk native to Texas? The answer to this question is “Yes”, and has implications that extend far beyond scientific curiosity. It has a direct impact on how the elk that currently live in Texas will be managed. by Dr. Richardson B. Gill, Christopher Gill, Reeda Peel, and Javier Vasquez
Bighorn Cows And Desert Bighorn Sheep The desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) is one of the four subspecies of desert bighorn sheep that occur in North America. The desert bighorn is named for the American naturalist, Edward William Nelson and is found in the desert Southwest and Northern Mexico. Experts today say that prior to
Mule Deer New Mule Deer Research in the Chihuahuan Desert This post contains a recently-published report on mule deer research in the Chihuahuan Desert. It was conducted by the Borderland Research Institute for Natural Resource Management (BRI). BRI is part of Sul Ross State University in Alpine. West Texas needs BRI, specifically dedicated to our regional wildlife and habitat for
Giant Sacaton Grazing the Impossible by "Cowboy Bob" Kinford Since my last post, we changed our grazing plan to include grazing Giant Sacaton, which most people think cattle will not eat. There is more about that here. Other than a problem with the water that had the cattle spread out, searching for water, the cattle have been generally staying
Archaeology Sacaton, Cows and Fire A characteristic of high-desert Southwestern grasslands are draws filled with Giant Sacaton (Sporoblus wrightii). These majestic grass plants cover millions of acres in far-West Texas and New Mexico. At Circle we have several sacaton draws. They encompass thousands of acres. “Circle Ranch is in Hudspeth County, Texas in the high-desert
Burro We and the Burro About a year and a half ago I was contacted by Marjorie Farabee, President of the Burro Protection League. Marjorie hesitantly asked me if I was aware that wild burros were being eradicated down at the Big Bend Ranch State Park: She thought I must support this, like most bighorn
Chronic Wasting Disease Cows and Desert Mule Deer This is the third in a series about how cattle can benefit wildlife and habitat. Our previous two articles addressed quail and pronghorn. Desert mule deer are native to several Western states, and are in decline in New Mexico and West Texas. Notwithstanding vast accumulated knowledge about them, no expert
Cows Grazing Giant Sacaton at Circle Ranch by "Cowboy Bob" Kinford Normally sacaton grass is burned off and grazed early in the year as cattle “refuse” to eat it when it gets taller. Just out of curiosity, I placed roughly half of the 420 cows into a sacaton draw. The results are pretty dramatic and show that cattle really like this
Brush Easier and Cheaper Holistic Planned Grazing: Low-Stress Loose-Herding at Circle Ranch Pt.1 A frequent complaint about planned grazing is that it is too costly, and hard to implement. This winter, Circle Ranch is running 450 mother cows and their calves. We are ‘loose herding’ rather than concentrating with electric fences. This method of planned grazing offers a cheaper and easier way of
Bio-Diversity Cows & Quail Cows and Quail was a successful presentation on the use of domestic animals to help wildlife and habitat. 39 ranchers managing 530,000 acres attended. Here is a summary of the event: Cows and Quail Program – 2012 from Pitchstone Waters Here is an excellent article on how to use cows
Bio-Diversity Explaining Pronghorn Decline: The Answer is Hidden in Plain Sight Pronghorn is an iconic American native species and, the only large game animal in the United States which evolved on this continent. In the days of the vast buffalo herds, pronghorn numbers possibly approached 50 million: they may have outnumbered bison! In those days these animals were found from Saskatchewan
Conservation Science and Range Scientists When we bought Circle Ranch in 1999 it had been continuously ranched since about 1881, using domestic livestock like horses, sheep, goats, and cattle. Our intention was not to graze. We had been taught by the range “experts” that if you love your land, you protect it from livestock; if
"Invasion Biology" Burros and Bio-Diversity: The Rest of the Story The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has slated wild burros for eradication at Big Bend Ranch State Park, as part of a general program to remove all “exotics” from all state-owned land it manages in far-West Texas, under the belief that burros and several other species:(1) do not “belong”
biography Christopher Gill Bio Please let me introduce myself. I am a pragmatic businessman and rancher with no agenda other than protecting private property rights, promoting ethical hunting, and the conservation and restoration of wild animals and their habitat. Conservation and ecological ethics demand each of us should speak up for the wild animals
Grazing Coexisting With Cattle On the grasslands of East Africa cattle are sometimes helped by wildlife, whereas at other times, wildlife compete with cattle: it’s all about timing. The articles below report on a simple experiment that tested whether wildlife and cattle actually compete for food. On the grasslands of Africa, like everywhere
Hunting Cattleization of Wild Deer Poses Unknown Risks The Texas Wildlife Association is, by far, the leading advocate and source of private property solutions to preserve wildlife and habitat, in the State of Texas. TWA has long opposed privatization of deer. “TWA supports public ownership of wildlife resources . . . and opposes efforts that result in conversion of Texas wild
Conservation Studies of Nomadic Grazers on the Serengeti While there is a growing body of comparative research between holistic planned grazing vs. conventional grazing of domestic animals like cattle, goats and sheep, there is a relative-lack of information on how nomadic herds interact with intact wild grasslands. This is logical: almost no wild grasslands are left to study!
Grazing Results of Planned Grazing on Ranges of Northern Rocky Mountains Here is an interesting article, with supporting tables, that demonstrates the results of planned grazing on 43 ranches in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho Without exception, the managers of these ranches find that their land is improving under planned grazing. By all physical measurements, including
Bears Predicting for the Return of West Texas Black Bears Black Bears were once so numerous in West Texas that is was possible to shoot several per day. As late as the 1930’s there were 200 black bear in the Davis Mountains alone. These animals were an integral part of an ecological system which supported far more animal numbers
Grazing Grazing in Nature's Image Planned grazing is both simple in concept, and one of the profound environmental insights of the 20th Century. While the physiological explanation of why it works is pretty simple, applying these principals is a lot harder than understanding them. Nature had these systems worked out a lot better than any
Animal Development Multi-Paddock Grazing Most range and wildlife scientists advise that the best way to graze, if one must graze, is “low-density set-stocking”: In plain English, a few cattle in the same place, all the time.For decades now, planned graziers have been showing that “grazing in nature’s image”: i.e., large numbers
American Lion Circle Ranch Indian Cave At Circle Ranch we have what may be the most important unexplored cave dwelling in far-West Texas: A large cave which occurs in one of our limestone escarpments. It is about 200-feet above the desert floor and 100 feet below the escarpment top. The cave measures roughly 80’ by 80’
Conservation Genuine Land Stewardship Reprinted in its entirety below is an excellent article by our friend, Steve Nelle, entitled Genuine Land Stewardship. Steve is a range and wildlife scientist who has enjoyed a long and successful career in the National Resources Conservation Service. Steve Nelle on Genuine Land Stewardship In this article Steve quotes
Elk Removals Young Elk and Ocotillo It is springtime at Circle Ranch, and even though there has been no rain since October and none expected until July, desert plants are blooming, lambs and fawns are appearing and young elk are starting new antler growth. This beautiful, young, free-ranging bull is standing behind a Giant Dagger, surrounded
