Hill Country Wildlife - Texas Parks and Wildlife

04/02/2026

With Spring turkey season upon us here in the hill country, remember that all turkey harvests must be reported in the Texas Hunt & Fish app! This harvest information provides biologists with valuable insight into our turkey populations across the state!

04/01/2026

03/12/2026

Has spring sprung? These plants certainly think so!

Fun fact, an old wives tale says that when the hackberries bloom and the scissor-tail flycatchers return, it means spring is officially here!

Post your favorite spring blooms in the comments!

03/11/2026

As a land manager in the Texas Hill Country, there is one thing you typically never lack and that is cut brush! After completing a major or minor brush management project, landowners are often left wondering what to do with all that biomass. One way to repurpose brush is to create piles in strategic locations to provide escape and nesting cover for wildlife! In many areas of the Hill Country, deer are overpopulated and overutilize the understory component of their habitat. This leaves many ground dwelling mammals and songbirds without any place to escape predators or make a nest.

By placing cut brush on open rangelands or near forested areas you can supplement that cover element that may be lacking! Brush piles should be no bigger than a UTV and placed cut end up, almost like you are building a tee-pee. This will make sure that the pile is not too big or too dense to be useable by wildlife.

Side note, another perk of brush piles is they can almost act as plant nurseries! Songbirds and small mammals often deposit seeds from berries and nuts they have consumed and the brush skeletons protect the plants from being browsed by deer. Common species to be found growing in brush piles include flameleaf sumac, net leaf hackberry, and Texas redbud!

03/10/2026

Remote cameras are a fun way to monitor wildlife. Biologists captured this double-bearded female turkey on camera while monitoring trap sites. Less than 10% of female turkeys have beards so double-bearded hens even more rare.

02/27/2026

To finish off National Invasive Species Awareness Week, we will take a closer look at everyone's favorite villain: the feral hog. It is thought that Spanish explorers were the first to introduce feral pigs over 300 years ago. Then in the 1930s, European wild hogs, or "Russian boars", were introduced to Texas for sport hunting. They quickly began a free ranging population and expanded across the state.

Feral hogs cause extensive damage to wildlife habitat, plant communities, agriculture fields, and human property. Feral hogs commonly root into the ground which disturbs vegetation and soil that can disrupt plant succession and habitats. Feral hogs may also compete with some native animals for food resources.

The most common form of feral hog control is hunting and/or trapping. Feral hogs are the only animals in Texas that can be hunted without purchasing a hunting license (however, game laws must still be followed, i.e. no hunting from public roadways, etc.). There are many hog trap options available as well.

02/26/2026

Our next common invasive species is Johnson grass. This grass is native to Africa and Asia and was brought to the US in the early 1800s as a forage crop and began to spread by seed dispersal in agricultural machinery. It can now be found in almost every state in the US.

Johnson grass grows rapidly and is highly competitive with both native grasses and many agriculture crops. Healthy Johnson grass provides good forage for livestock; however, this grass can become toxic to many animals when exposed to frost, stressed by drought, or damaged by trampling.

This grass can be controlled through repeated, close mowing and repeated tilling every few weeks in the summer or winter. Intense tilling will suppress rhizome growth, but moderate tillage would not be enough. Intensive glyphosate application can also help control Johnson grass.

02/25/2026

For our next invasive species, we will take a closer look at the European Starling. These birds are native to Europe and were introduced to the US in the 1890s because of they were mentioned in some Shakespeare plays. They are now common in most of the US, especially in urban and suburban areas.

These birds have proven to be competitors with many of our native and protected birds such as blue birds, purple martins, woodpeckers, and other cavity nesting birds. Starlings often take over the nests of native birds, expelling the native occupants. In areas that have a large abundance of starlings, there is some concern about their overall effect on native bird populations.

The most preferred solution to getting rid of starlings on your property is to close or block off all openings larger than 1 inch to ensure that they cannot nest in your structures. Other methods could include frightening the birds away or using sticky repellents in areas that they may nest in. In rural areas where shooting is legal, European starlings can legally be harvested at any time and their eggs/nests can be destroyed. A hunting license is required, and hunting laws must be obeyed.

02/24/2026

Our first invasive species spotlight is the Chinaberry tree. This species was introduced to the US in the mid-1800s from Asia, primarily as an ornamental tree around homesites. Since its introduction, the species has spread throughout much of the southern US. This tree reproduced onsite primarily from root sprouts but can travel long distances via bird-dispersed seeds.

Chinaberry trees outcompete native vegetation due to its high resistance to insects and pathogens. Its leaf litter raises soil pH levels, altering the conditions for native plants and seed germination. It is a fast-growing tree and can also be noxious to some animals.

This tree can be controlled most effectively through chemical control by cut stump and basal bark application of triclopyr herbicides. Mechanical control methods such as grubbing can also be used to remove the root-crown. Cut trees left untreated will grow back with multiple stems from the single stump.

02/23/2026

This week is National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Invasive species are typically non-native organisms whose introduction is likely to cause a natural disruption to a local ecosystem. Invasive species typically grow and spread rapidly once introduced, often decreasing native biodiversity by threatening the survival of native species.

Invasive species are often introduced by humans for ornamental purposes, forage for livestock, and hunting stock, among other reasons. Some invasives can also be introduced accidentally from imported goods, on vehicles, and through human travel.

Anyone can make a difference in the prevention and control of invasive species to protect our native Texas landscape. This week, we will be highlighting a different invasive species every day to educate on its environmental effects and how we can control the species. Stay tuned for more info!

02/12/2026

Applications are now open for our 2026 wildlife internships! Gain hands on experience by joining our WMA biologists for a summer of learning about wildlife surveys, habitat management, and more!

APPLY at tpwd.texas.gov/jobs/internship.phtml
REGISTER FOR OUR INTERNSHIP FAIR at https://forms.office.com/g/iHr6hUba2r