To enter the White Tail contest you can sign up here https://ccwma.org/payment-center/ . Remember for online entries, if you are not paying dues for one of the WMAs you do not need to select a WMA for the contest, if you harvest a buck the scorer will mark on the data sheet which WMA it was from. For online entry select the number of hunters to enter and then enter the same number of names below. If you enter by mail you can include all the names you would like to enter and payment at $20 per person. Keep in mind there are deadlines on entry, get it in ASAP so you don’t forget and there will be entry forms at the fall meetings.
To add to it, if you check a buck in that doesn’t place you could win $100 gift card just for checking it in and being entered in the contest.
The herd comp counts were due the first week of September and dues plus the MLD fee need to be paid ASAP if you haven’t already. Mark Lange will be issuing tags in the next week or so only to properties that have completed everything. So if you have counts they need to be turned in to Jerry Rogers via email at Jerry.Rogers@mcdermott.com very soon and dues need to be paid to your leadership or online at ccwma.org under payment center. The MLD via needs to be paid at https://lma.tpwd.state.tx.us/ by logging in and clicking the shopping cart on the upper right. Currently we have roughly half of the properties signed up in MLD that have returned herd comp counts, it’s a requirement to get tags so if you want tags you need to send in counts.
The ORWMA Fall Meeting (AKA the Doe Permit Meeting) will be held Saturday, September 10 th at 9 am at the Community Center. Colorado County Wildlife Biologist, Mark Lange will be present to go over new rules and regulations. In order to print out doe tags, landowners must be registered on the Texas Parks & Wildlife LMA data base. A $30 fee must be paid online to the State of Texas by October 1 st and $25 ORWMA dues must be paid by September 30 th .
The September ORWMA Board Meeting will be held Immediately following the Fall Meeting. (The ORIA Board Meeting is Sunday September 11 th at 2 pm). Among the topics for discussion will be election of ORWMA Board members that will be held at the October Board Meeting. Currently, 2 positions are up for election for a term of 2 years.
A) President (Currently Earl Fly)
Provides the administrative leadership, sets the Board Meeting Agenda and presides over Board meetings.
Maintains the by-laws and interprets by-law questions for the association. B) Communications Chairperson (Currently Angie Peters)
Will post events/news on the ORWMA website and ORWMA Facebook page.
Will ensure that advertising events and notices of events are emailed to Landowners through the ORWMA g-mail account.
Will prepare calendar of events/news to be turned in to ORIA for quarterly newsletter.
Will help to maintain ORWMA Bulletin Boards at North & South gates.
In addition, the President is also a member of the Colorado County Wildlife Management Association (CCWMA) Leadership Team. In this role the President helps in the planning and execution of the CCWMA Spring Banquet. The President also takes part in the CCWMA Scholarship selection process.
Also, up for discussion at the board meeting, will be the November Youth Hunt. We are looking for cash donations, landowners to volunteer deer stands, and volunteers to help with the event.
Hope to see you Saturday Earl Fly President Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the spotlight surveys, not only to those who rode in the trucks and counted deer, but to those who bought all the goodies, such as chips, dips, cheese, crackers, sausage, cookies, cakes, pies, wine, etc. The list goes on. We had a great time visiting with old friends and new neighbors. Hopefully, we can do it again next year.
Next up, the Herd Composition forms need to be turned in to Jerry Rogers by the first week of September. The forms can be emailed to Jerry at jerry.rogers@mcdermott.com, or mailed or dropped off at his mailbox at 1128 Starridge Road. Please remember to total the columns at the bottom of the form. Jerry will then submit our information to Mark Lange.
The Oakridge WMA Fall Meeting (AKA doe permit meeting) with Mark Lange will be held September 10th at 9 am at the Community Center. The September ORWMA Board meeting will be held immediately following the doe permit meeting. Among the topics will be discussion to elect the ORWMA President and Communications Chairperson at the October Board Meeting. If interested in serving as ORWMA President or Communications Chairperson, I will send out the roles and responsibilities as defined in the ORWMA Bylaws. Also, up for discussion will be the upcoming Youth Hunt scheduled for November 18-20. We are looking for landowners who want to volunteer their deer stands (must be registered on LMA). We are also looking for cash donations to help fund the event as well as volunteers to help with the event. This includes setting up, as well as cooks and servers.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the spotlight surveys. Hope to see you September 10th.
Earl Fly
President Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association
Mark your calendars! Listed below are upcoming ORWMA Events 17-Aug 8:30 PM Wednesday Spotlighting 20-Aug 8:30 PM Saturday Spotlighting & Social 24-Aug 8:30 PM Wednesday Spotlighting 27-Aug 8:30 PM Saturday Spotlighting & Social 31-Aug 8:30 PM Wednesday Spotlighting 10-Sep 9:00 AM Oakridge WMA Fall Meeting (AKA doe permit meeting) with Mark Lange 10-Sep ORWMA Board meeting immediately following doe permit meeting October TBD ORWMA Board meeting to elect President and Communications Chairperson (more details to follow) 18-Nov 3:00 PM Youth Hunt sponsored by ORWMA & TYHP 19-Nov Youth Hunt Continues, the whole Ranch is invited to supper Saturday night (more details to follow) 20-Nov 12:00 PM Youth Hunt concludes
Some quick notes. For Doe permits $30 payment must be made by September 30 th on the LMA website. ORWMA dues of $25 must also be paid by September 30th. And Herd Composition Forms need to be turned in.
If interested in serving as ORWMA President or Communications Chairperson, I will send out at later date the roles and responsibilities as defined in the ORWMA Bylaws.
For the Youth Hunt in November, we are looking for landowners who want to volunteer their deer stands (must be registered on LMA). We are also looking for cash donations to help fund the event as well as volunteers to help with the event. This includes setting up, as well as cooks and servers.
I will be sending out updates as we get closer to these events. I just wanted everyone to be able mark their calendars. Earl Fly President Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association.
Spotlight surveys will be held every Saturday & Wednesday night in August. The Saturday night surveys we want to make into a social event like we did in the past. This will be a good time to meet your neighbors or just chit chat with friends. You can bring cheese & crackers, chips & dip, or whatever you want. The spot lighters will meet at the Community Center at 8:30 pm and head out at dark. If you want to ride one of the trucks you can let Jerry Rogers (jerry.rogers@mcdermott.com), Angie Konvicka (ruaucajun2@yahoo.com), or Vernon Wallace (vwallace@satyainc.com) know. Hope to see you there.
Herd Composition Counts- Form is attached. In the instructions you will see Mark would like a minimum of 30 observations meaning 30 deer seen NOT 30 trips to count deer. This can be any deer seen in the general area of the property you are hunting, they do not have to be on your property. These numbers are critical in the process of determining a harvest rate for the year. Try to make an effort to get the best numbers you can get, even if it’s from your vehicle in the AC. Return the form to Jerry Rogers at jerry.rogers@mcdermott.com or his mailbox at 1128 Starridge Road the FIRST week of September, by mid- September it is too late. Returning the forms by the first week of September is required in order to get doe permits,
As Bob Dylan might say, “You don’t need a weatherman to know it’s hot and dry”. (Oops, I’m showing my age). It is so hot and dry the trees are dropping their leaves and I’m seeing tons of tiny acorns that have also fallen. I don’t think there are going to be any acorns for the deer to eat this fall. That should be good for the hunters since the deer should be coming to the feeders. The armadillos are digging for water and the deer are hungry now. Protein is best to feed now if you are able.
Spotlight surveys will be held every Saturday & Wednesday night in August. The Saturday night surveys we want to make into a social event like we did in the past. This will be a good time to meet your neighbors or just chit chat with friends. You can bring cheese & crackers, chips & dip, or whatever you want. The spot lighters will meet at the Community Center at 8:30 pm and head out at dark. If you want to ride one of the trucks you can let Jerry Rogers (jerry.rogers@mcdermott.com), Angie Konvicka (rucajun2@yahoo.com), or Vernon Wallace (vwallace@satyainc.com) know.
Herd Composition Sheets will be mailed out in the near future. If you want doe permits, you MUST fill this out and turn in to Jerry Rogers by September 1st. Speaking of doe permits, you should also know that you must be registered on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Land Management Access (LMA) website https://lma.tpwd.state.tx.us). The deadline for doing this was June 30th. You need to have paid your $30 fee to the State of Texas on the LMA website. And your ORWMA dues ($25) must be current. ORWMA dues can be mailed to:
ORWMA
1904B Oakridge Rd
Weimar TX 78962
Or we now have the option of paying our $25 dues on the CCWMA website.
https://ccwma.org/payment-center/.
You can also enter the CCWMA Big Buck contest on the same website. The deadline for paying the
$30 to the State and your ORWMA dues is September 30th. If you have done this, you will be able to print your own doe tags. If you did not register, then you can only hunt with the tags from your license, which means bucks only and does on the 4 county wide doe days in November.
This year’s Fall Meeting (formerly known as the Doe Permit Meeting) will be held September 10th at 9 am at the Community Center. Mark Lange the Wildlife Biologist will be present to explain the new rules and regulations.
The September ORWMA Board Meeting will be held at the Community Center immediately following the above mentioned Fall Meeting. All Landowners are invited to attend. If you are interested in serving on the ORWMA Board, Elections will be held at the October ORWMA Board Meeting (date to be announced TBA).
Also, this year ORWMA is again planning to host a Texas Youth Hunt in November. The Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) was formed with the Texas Wildlife Association and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1996 to provide opportunities for youth to participate in hunting activities safely, legally, and ethically, while learning about the role landowners and hunters play in wildlife conservation. If you want to volunteer a deer stand or help in any way, drop us a line at the e-mail below. Or come to one of the board meetings. We are still in the early planning stages, so we will be sending out further communications as we firm things up.
ORWMA met yesterday and Yolanda Gonzalez was appointed as the new event chairperson. We thank Lisa Kelly for her past service.
Deer season preparation will start next month. There will be spotlighting every Wednesday and Saturday evenings in August. We also HAVE TO FILL OUT AND TURN IN DEER COMPOSITION worksheets or Mark Lange said no permits for you! More detailed information on both to follow so don’t panic. Earl is getting this all together.
Volunteers from Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association (ORWMA) showed up Saturday April 9, 2022, to pick up litter on County Road 215. On the 3.1 miles from the North Gate to County Road 215, about 8 bags of trash were picked up. Thanks to everyone who participated.
Well, 2022 is here and as we begin a new year, I would like to take a moment to let everyone what is happening. As you may or may not know, ORWMA no longer issues doe permits. This is now done through the State on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Landowner Management Assistance (LMA) website. In the past, ORWMA charged a $30 participation fee to issue permits. This fee is now paid directly to the State of Texas and ORWMA receives nothing.
All Oakridge Ranch property owners are considered inactive members of ORWMA when they buy property in Oakridge Ranch. To be considered an active member and be part of the Managed Land Deer Program (MLDP) sponsored by TPWD you must pay your ORWMA dues, register your property on the LMA website, and pay your $30 participation fee to the State of Texas. It is the goal of ORWMA that all Oakridge property owners become active members and active participants in all ORWMA activities so that our area of the Oak Prairie region of Texas may continue to thrive under our leadership and stewardship of this land
Besides the MLD program, ORWMA hosts various wildlife/habitat related seminars during the year, social events such as the annual Fish Fry, picks up trash on County Road 215 (you may have seen the sign on the way into the Ranch) and hosts the Texas Youth Hunt.
ORWMA is also a member of CCWMA (Colorado County Wildlife Management Association) and contributes to the annual spring banquet, which raises money for scholarships for Colorado County youth. To date, CCWMA has awarded over $130,000 in scholarships.
Dues for ORWMA members are payable January 1st of each year. Dues will be going up to $25 this year. With the loss of revenue from the doe permit fees, we find ourselves having to reevaluate our situation. ORWMA cannot continue to exist in our current form unless everyone pays their dues. ORWMA cannot survive on just dues alone but also depends on the generous donations from our members. Dues can be dropped in the ORWMA mailbox or mailed to:
