Mike Porter News
Mourning Dove Abundance Can Be Managed
Mourning dove is the most abundant dove species, the most abundant game bird and one of the most abundant songbirds in southern Oklahoma and north Texas. Many people enjoy watching, feeding, photographing and hunting mourning dove. Yet, it is surprising how few landowners and land managers manage for dove.
Conserving roost sites helps maintain Rio Grande turkey
Fall and winter roost habitat may be the most critical and limited Rio Grande turkey habitat. Wild turkeys roost in relatively tall, mature trees with large crowns, spreading horizontal branches, and relatively few woody plants and tall herbaceous plants under their canopies.
Drip torches facilitate effective prescribed burns
If I could have only four tools to conduct prescribed burns or fight wildfires, they would be matches, a drip torch, an accurate weather forecast and a power sprayer with a water tank transported by a vehicle.
Depth, watershed considerations guide pond design
Two characteristics that should be considered before constructing a new pond are depth and watershed.
Spike buck culling seldom provides benefits
It depends, but in most situations with white-tailed deer, the answer is no. Here's why.
Aquatic Vegetation in Ponds
Whether aquatic vegetation causes problems or not depends on the goals for the pond, the types of vegetation present, and the amounts of vegetation present. For most pond goals, it is very desirable to have some aquatic vegetation present.
What Is White-Tailed Deer Habitat?
Quality deer habitat includes a mixture of trees, shrubs, vines, forbs, grasses and other plants such as fungi and sedges. Certain plants within each of these categories benefit deer more than others.
Learn to Recognize Venomous Snakes
Of the 46 species of snakes native to Oklahoma, only seven are venomous to humans. If you learn to identify the seven venomous species, then you will recognize other Oklahoma snakes as not dangerous, even though you may not be able to identify the species.
Filamentous Algae
Filamentous algae are a common concern among pond owners. Sometimes referred to as pond scum or incorrectly as moss, filamentous algae include hundreds of species; many are true algae, while several are cyanobacteria.
Panel-Type Parallel-Bar Fish Barriers
A parallel-bar barrier is probably the best option to prevent adult fish passage through spillways. Parallel-bar barriers are especially important for ponds stocked with grass carp.
How to Conduct a Prescribed Burn
Burning, grazing, and rest are generally the most powerful tools for managing local wildlife habitats. It may seem simple to light a match, stock some cattle, or erect a fence, but accomplishing specific habitat management goals with these tools requires considerable study and management. This article addresses some fundamentals of prescribed burning.
Green Fireguards
A green fireguard can be a useful alternative to a bare soil fireguard or other types of fireguards. A green fireguard is managed to promote green vegetation and to minimize mulch.
Duck abundance depends on impoundment traits
Characteristics and management of a pond or marsh influence its ability to attract migratory ducks.
Box Type Parallel Bar Barrier
It functions as a trash guard that prevents large debris from flowing into and plugging a pond's overflow pipe. It deters beavers from plugging the overflow pipe. Such a barrier prevents grass carp larger than eight inches and adult game fish from leaving a pond through the overflow pipe.
Few spiders pose serious health risks to people
Of the approximately 3,500 species of spiders identified in the U.S. and Canada, no more than 21 species pose serious health risks to people.
Controlling Aquatic Vegetation with Grass Carp
In many situations, the use of grass carp is an economical, long lasting, and effective option. However, grass carp are not appropriate for every pond. Whether grass carp should be stocked in a pond or not, depends on the goals for the pond.
A Secchi Disk is Used to Measure Water Clarity
Standardized measurement of water clarity helps monitor changes that can affect production of fish and aquatic plants, and a Secchi disk is a simple, standard tool used to measure clarity.
Management increases chance for trophy bucks
Most deer hunters, including me, are fascinated with large antlers. We generally want to see or harvest bucks with large antlers. "Trophy buck" is commonly used to describe a buck with large antlers; however, trophy buck means different things to different people.
Nature manages native plant communities
Several things drive native plant communities: sunlight, soils, water, herbivory, fire and rest. We could learn a few things by paying attention.
Hog sounder size should determine trap choice
Trapping probably is the most effective feral hog control technique available to most land managers.
One Buck Limit
Isn't it time for white-tailed deer hunters to progress to the next level? I believe deer hunters can evolve and progress like most largemouth bass fishermen evolved and progressed.
Move coarse, volatile fuels away from firebreaks
Coarse and volatile fuels cause problems when located too close to firebreaks during prescribed burns. Coarse fuels are woody materials that burn for a relatively long time, such as brush piles, snags, logs or stumps.
Food Choice Plays Key Role in Attracting Migratory Ducks
An understanding of duck food preferences is important when managing impoundments and wetlands to attract migratory ducks. Dabbling ducks and wood ducks are the focus of most duck hunters and duck habitat managers in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas.
White-tailed deer managers should focus on three concepts
Limited progress occurs when managers of free-ranging deer focus on superficial issues.
White-tailed Deer Antler Score: A Pictorial Presentation
From a hunting and economic perspective, white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, is the most important wildlife species in the eastern half of the U.S. More landowners and hunters in this region...
Seine Sampling a Pond
This article was revised in 2005.
Seine sampling a pond is a relatively easy way to learn quite a bit about fish, amphibian and invertebrate populations in a pond. Anyone willing to get wet and learn...
Eastern Bluebird Nest Boxes
The eastern bluebird is perhaps one of the better known songbirds in Oklahoma. The male has a bright blue back, reddish chest and white belly. The female is somewhat duller in appearance. The...
Livestock Water Access Point in Pond Fence
Diagram of a pond fence with a livestock water access point.
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Equipment and Labor Needs for Prescribed Burning
Equipment and labor needs for prescribed burning are misunderstood by some people. The equipment and labor truly needed for a prescribed burn depend upon the burn plan and the burn site. The most...
The Eight Point Rule
This article was revised in 2007.
The eight point rule is the primary harvest strategy of some managers trying to increase buck antler size. Managers using the eight point rule allow harvest of bucks...
Sealing Leaky Ponds
This article was revised in 2006.
Sealing leaky ponds is a challenge confronting some pond managers. In many situations, leaky ponds can be prevented by simply examining the local soil survey book...
Crappie
This article was revised in 2006.
Crappie are an excellent tasting sunfish that are sometimes stocked into ponds. Two species of crappie occur in Oklahoma and Texas. White crappie usually have six...
Pros and Cons of Burning
This article was revised in 2006.
Fire can be a wonderfully useful and flexible land management tool. So why don't more people use it? Why do so many people think fire is generally bad? Probably...
Florida Largemouth Bass in Small Impoundments
Many pond owners in Oklahoma are interested in Florida largemouth bass because they tend to grow larger than northern largemouth bass (Figure 1). During the 1970s and early 1980s, fisheries...
Grass Carp Is an Option to Control Aquatic Plants
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is native to eastern Asia and has been introduced to North America for controlling aquatic plants in impoundments. With unlimited food, it can grow relatively...
How to Properly Stock and Manage Channel Catfish
Channel catfish is one of the three most commonly stocked fish species in Southern Great Plains (largemouth bass and bluegill are the others). Properly managed channel catfish provides an enjoyable sport fishery with relatively predictable results.
Seine Surveys Provide Insights About Fish Populations
A seine survey is a relatively easy way to learn about fish populations in impoundments and streams and to help improvement management decisions.
How to Manage Fields for Attracting Mourning Dove
How to grow and manage crop seeds or native/naturalized seeds in fields to attract mourning dove and similar game bird species for hunting.
3 Ways to Attract More Ducks to Your Pond
To attract more ducks to your pond, manage for clearer water, less disturbance and more duck food.
Think Before Putting Fish, Plants, Water and More in a Pond
Inappropriate organisms, or the microscopic hitchhikers on them, intentionally released in associated water or on equipment can create havoc in a pond, such as harming desired fish populations, introducing diseases or establishing invasive species.
Grilled: Another Way to Cook Fish
Some like it fried, but Noble Research Institute senior wildlife and fisheries consultant Mike Porter prefers several fish — freshwater and saltwater — grilled to perfection using this recipe.
Adequate Plant Cover Is Necessary for Good Water Quality
Good plant cover helps stabilize the soil and prevent soil from polluting water.
Pros and Cons of Burning
Fire is an important natural ecological process in many ecosystems. In this article we'll look at the pros and cons of using prescribed fire for land stewardship.
Top 5 Considerations for Increasing Wildlife Diversity
Ranchers should focus their land management decisions on the following five considerations to produce the most diverse wildlife populations.
Ecological Stewardship: Using Herbivory, Fire and Rest to Manage Soil and Plant Communities
Herbivory, fire and rest are natural processes that drive landscape-level plant community changes. We use these powerful processes to steward landscapes.
Want to Optimize the Energy Flow on Your Ranch? Maintain Abundant Plant Leaves
The leaf is the primary part of a plant that captures sunlight for photosynthesis. For an optimum energy flow, we want abundant leaves.
How to Select Land to Optimize Your Wildlife Goals
This article addresses some considerations that a prospective purchaser should consider when selecting a property for wildlife goals.
Exclosures for Preventing Beaver Damage
Exclosures provide an effective means to prevent beavers from plugging pond overflow pipes and cutting individual trees.
Floating Polyethylene Pipe for Livestock Water Access at a Fenced Pond
Diagram of a polyethylene pipe floating livestock water access point.
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Funnel Trap Fish Survey
Funnel trapping provides useful information about fish species present in a pond and likely provides the best option for pond managers to evaluate the presence and abundance of small catfish such as bullheads.
Hook and Line Fish Sampling
This article was revised in 2005.
Hook and line fish sampling combined with summer seine sampling can tell a pond manager quite a bit about the fishery in a pond (seine sampling is described in a...
Pond Fencing
Pond fencing helps reduce erosion and improve water quality where livestock create bare banks and trails along a pond. A pond fence should protect all of a dam, the initial portion of a spillway, a portion of the incoming waterway(s), and most if not all of the shoreline.
Rock Weirs and Flumes Can Prevent Erosion
Rock weirs and flumes are effective options for preventing gully or ditch formation and for stopping the growth of existing gullies or ditches.
Rotenone Can Remove Undesirable Fish From a Pond
Humans have been using rotenone for centuries to harvest fish and manipulate fish communities.