NRCS Cooperator Recognized for Wildlife Conservation

John B. Brent, owner of the Anacahuita Ranch in Jim Hogg County, received the Land Stewardship award from the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society for excellence in wildlife conservation.

Brent purchased the ranch in 1999 from an absentee landowner during a severe drought that began in 1994. Brent’s first approach was to defer the land from livestock grazing since the drought and excessive stocking rates had taken a toll on the land. The native mix tallgrass community that the rangeland was capable of producing had shifted to weak annual grasses, undesirable weeds and brush.

Brent worked with Erasmo Montemayor, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) district conservationist, and the Monte Mucho Soil and Water Conservation District to develop a long-range conservation plan aimed at restoring the ranch back to mix tallgrass prairie with a healthy balance of open grasslands and brush composition to sustain a healthy population of white-tailed deer and bobwhite quail. Brent purchased the necessary equipment to make the range improvements. He also drilled a deep-water well at a central location on the ranch and installed PVC pipe to build or restore nine wildlife watering facilities. He restored the existing five windmills back to working condition to better distribute water throughout the ranch for wildlife and future cattle stocking.

Brent joined efforts with the Randado Wildlife Management Co-Op, which encompasses more than 35,000 acres of neighboring ranches that are managed to enhance wildlife habitats and produce trophy quality white-tailed deer. Brent and Montemayor conducted annual aerial surveys of the deer population and developed deer harvest recommendations based on their survey results.

The rainfall between 2002 and 2004 helped Brent begin to see the results of his hard work in improving the overall range health on the ranch, which boasted a beautiful stand of seacoast bluestem, tanglehead, switchgrass and a variety of other desirable perennial mix tallgrasses. He plans on using prescribed burning to maintain these open areas and the ecological health of the land. Today, Brent can plan on flushing 25-30 coveys of quail a day and hunt numerous trophy-class white-tailed bucks that call the Anacahuita Ranch home.

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Ann and John Brent of the Anacahuita Ranch proudly display their Land Stewardship Award.

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