Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

📷 Steve Webber

Textbook Upland Prairie Habitat for Deer, Quail and More

Upland prairie habitat is something land managers and biologists speak about quite a bit because of the importance of these habitats for wildlife. Upland prairies, especially in the western half of Oklahoma, should contain a good mix of native grasses and flowering plants along with native shrubs and legumes. Deer, turkey, quail and a host of other species greatly benefit when prairie habitats are diverse. 

📷 Kelly Adams

Farm Ponds and Channel Catfish Can Go Hand in Hand

Channel catfish are an ideal fish to stock in Oklahoma ponds for food and fun. Ponds stocked only with catfish and with food provided, will produce a higher yield of food for the table than bass-bluegill ponds. Catfish can withstand fairly heavy fishing pressure and often provide quality angling both in terms of size and number. Catfish need to be restocked periodically since they do not reproduce consistently in ponds.

📷 Kyle Johnson

How to Know if Your Pasture or Range is Overgrazed

Have you ever driven down a county road in mid to late summer and noticed a pasture covered in a carpet of small, broom-like yellow flowers? What about a pasture that has been grazed shorter than an HOA lawn is mowed? If so, you have most likely just witnessed a very overused or overgrazed pasture. Now, these are not the only indicators of an overgrazed pasture or range community, but these are often the easiest to notice. Unfortunately, by the time these effects show up the overuse has already occurred for some time. The effects begin at the soil level and can extend to your pocketbook.  

📷 Megan Childers/RPS 2023

Prescribed Burning for Ring-necked Pheasants

Managing for pheasants in Oklahoma doesn’t have to be an overly arduous task, in many instances a few simple adjustments to existing practices can ensure that you are leaving space and resources "for the birds."

Randy Sander/Readers' Photography Showcase 2020

Whistling-Ducks Expanding in Oklahoma

A unique duck has been slowly expanding into Oklahoma in recent decades, creating an exciting wildlife watching opportunity for many landowners near ponds and lakes. The black-bellied whistling-duck was first documented in the state in 1983 and the first nesting records were confirmed in 1999. Help track the growing population by sharing photographs and sighting details on free sites like eBird or iNaturalist, or with the Wildlife Department.