Increased numbers of bobwhite quail and the best white-tailed deer hunting season in decades on one Throckmorton County ranch is the byproduct of last year’s beneficial rainfall and the improved wildlife habitat that resulted from it.

Glen Webb of Albany told the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network his family’s ranch has experienced a remarkable transformation after suffering in the grips of drought for several years.

“I believe we registered over 42 inches of rain in calendar year 2015 in Throckmorton County. It’s amazing when you receive that type of blessing what happens with your wildlife and pastures,” Webb said. “The biggest consequence I can see on the ground is the resurgence of quail. The revenue that it’s generating in Throckmorton and Shackelford counties is a wonderful thing.”

Webb said the most recent white-tailed deer hunting season on the ranch also reflected the improved habitat conditions in the Big Country.

“It was the best year I think we’ve ever had for our hunters. We were harvesting mature, age-class white-tailed deer that our hunters were extremely proud of and I was extremely proud of,” he said. “I’m describing low-fence, native white-tailed deer, and we were harvesting 200-pound dress-weight deer that were so healthy. It was all a result of the rain.”

Webb said it will be interesting to see in the months ahead if the prolonged drought impacted the area’s deer population by reducing a particular age class. If so, there would likely be a decline in the number of mature animals available in upcoming hunting seasons.