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High Plains Ecoregion
Wildlife Management Plan for Terry County, Texas
Terry County spans the boundary between the High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands, with 42 documented species adapted to its flat and wind-swept landscape.
Intelligence Snapshot
Terry County Ecological Profile
TPWD's Yoakum Dunes WMA provides Terry County with a working demonstration of High Plains management practices across 889 square miles of short-grass prairie and playa lake systems. Today, much of the region has been converted to irrigated cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat, with remaining native rangeland fragmented by center-pivot irrigation circles and wind energy development. TPWD's Yoakum Dunes WMA serves as a working demonstration of management practices applicable to private lands in the region.
Wildlife management on the High Plains centers on playa lake conservation, CRP grassland management, and rangeland restoration. Playa lakes are the primary recharge mechanism for the Ogallala Aquifer and the single most important wildlife habitat feature in the region. Protecting playas from sedimentation caused by tillage on surrounding cropland, maintaining native grass buffers around playa margins, and managing water levels through careful grazing are essential practices. On CRP contracts converting to wildlife management valuation, landowners should maintain the established grass cover, introduce prescribed fire or patch burning to create structural diversity, and install wildlife-friendly fencing that allows pronghorn passage. Mesquite and prickly pear encroachment on native rangeland requires periodic mechanical treatment followed by targeted herbicide application.
Transitional Ecoregion
Terry County spans the boundary between the High Plains and Southwestern Tablelands. Species assemblages, soil types, and appropriate management intensities differ between these regions. A property in the High Plains portion of the county will require different practices than one in the Southwestern Tablelands zone.
Soil Conditions
Soils are deep, calcareous loams and clay loams of the Pullman, Sherm, and Amarillo series, formed in Ogallala Formation deposits and capable of high agricultural productivity under irrigation.
Fire Ecology
The High Plains historically burned at 5 to 10 year intervals, driven by lightning and maintained by vast, ungrazed grasslands. Prescribed fire remains valuable for managing CRP stands and preventing mesquite encroachment, though wind and low humidity require careful burn planning.
Spans 2 ecoregions: High Plains, Southwestern Tablelands
The lesser prairie chicken, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, is the flagship species of the High Plains. This grouse depends on native shinnery oak and mid-grass prairie for nesting and brood-rearing, and its populations have declined sharply due to habitat conversion and fragmentation from wind energy development. Pronghorn, the fastest land mammal in North America, requires large, open landscapes with minimal fencing. Mountain plover nests on bare, disturbed ground in short-grass prairie and fallow fields. Swift fox, burrowing owl, and ferruginous hawk round out a community of grassland specialists that benefit from maintaining large, connected tracts of native rangeland.
Terry County Species of Conservation Concern
The 42 species documented in Terry County reflect the High Plains's wind exposure and declining Ogallala Aquifer levels. The species present are specifically adapted to these conditions and represent the ecological baseline for the region. 1 federally listed species and 38 Species of Greatest Conservation Need have been documented in the county.
Primary Management Targets
lesser prairie-chicken, pronghorn, mule deer
Listed Species
Western distinct population segment is threatened. Requires large patches of mature riparian woodland (cottonwood, willow) with dense understory. Clearing riparian corridors wider than 300 feet may trigger consultation in designated critical habitat.
Depends on native shinnery oak and mid-grass prairie for nesting and brood-rearing in the western Rolling Plains and High Plains. Conversion of native rangeland, wind energy infrastructure, and fence collisions are primary threats. Wildlife-friendly fencing is recommended in occupied range.
Depends on harvester ant colonies for food. Fire ant suppression and native grassland restoration directly benefit this species. Listed as state threatened.
Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department RTEST Database; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Critical Habitat Designations
High Plains Wildlife Management Standards
Management in Terry County revolves around playa lake conservation, CRP grassland structure, and wildlife fencing that allows pronghorn passage. The High Plains's large-acreage requirements reflect the scale of the landscape: 30 to 50 minimum acres, 10% brush management, and annual census counts under 34 TAC Section 9.2002. Primary targets are lesser prairie-chicken, pronghorn, and mule deer. Management prescriptions emphasize maintaining large, connected tracts of native rangeland with minimal fencing.
These are the intensity thresholds your plan must meet for the High Plains ecoregion. Your county appraisal district will verify compliance against these minimums. A plan that does not address them risks denial of your wildlife management valuation. For a complete overview of the seven management pillars, see the management pillars guide.
This is a hard minimum. The appraisal district will verify that your plan prescribes brush management on at least this proportion of your acreage annually.
Food plots must provide nutritional supplementation for target species. The minimum size and density are set by ecoregion to reflect carrying capacity.
Feeder placement and protein content are auditable. The aflatoxin threshold (20 ppb) is a compliance requirement, not a suggestion.
Fire ant suppression directly supports native harvester ant populations, the primary food source for Texas horned lizard and other ground-foraging species.
Brown-headed cowbirds are brood parasites that reduce nesting success of songbirds. The minimum applies to properties where cowbird trapping is selected as a management activity.
The burn rotation percentage applies over the full plan period. Properties that cannot burn due to WUI constraints must document the limitation and substitute equivalent mechanical treatment.
Nest box density is based on territory size of target cavity-nesting species. Boxes must be monitored and maintained annually.
Source: TPWD 34 TAC Section 9.2002, Comprehensive Wildlife Management Planning Guidelines
Water Resources
5 Groundwater Conservation Districts regulate water resources in the county, with permitting requirements for new wells and production limits that affect agricultural and wildlife management water sources.
Conservation Infrastructure
TPWD manages Yoakum Dunes WMA in the county, where land managers can observe demonstrated management practices applicable to their own properties.
Infrastructure
The Railroad Commission documents 3,226 wells and 301 pipeline segments in Terry County, a moderate industrial presence alongside agricultural land use. 11 orphan wells are on the Railroad Commission's plugging priority list.
889 square miles of short-grass prairie above the Ogallala Aquifer. In Terry County, playa lake conservation is the most impactful practice.
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