Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association
Weimar, Texas
See link for the many benefits of this spider!
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/dont-be-afraid-big-bad-wolf-spider.htm
These harmless spiders do great benefit and hunt and eat brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, cockroaches, crickets, beetles and silverfish. Please do not squish them!
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.
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.
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.
Earl Fly
President
Oakridge Ranch Wildlife Management Association
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.
Thanks!
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.
To All Oakridge Landowners,
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:
ORWMA
1904B Oakridge Rd
Weimar TX 78962
Thank you for your support.
Earl Fly
ORWMA President
Following the October 3 ORWMA Board Meeting the following results are announced:
Vice President – Steve Jaap reelected
Whitetail Deer Chairperson – Vernon Wallace
Secretary/Treasurer – Position unfilled
The term is for 2 years and will begin January 1, 2022.
Earl Fly
ORWMA President
The October ORWMA Board meeting will be held Sunday, October 3rd at 2 pm at the Community Center. Three Board positions will be up for election at the meeting. The positions are for Vice-President (currently held by Steve Jaap), Secretary/Treasurer (currently held by Angie Konvicka), and Whitetail Deer Chairperson (currently held by Jerry Rogers). The term is for two years with no term limits and will begin on January 1, 2022. Angie Konvicka will NOT be seeking reelection as she plans on finally enjoying retirement! Our communications chair, Angie Peters, can assist with the minutes and correspondence portion of the Secretary/Treasurer position which would leave the financials.
The duties of the above positions are listed below as taken from the ORWMA By-laws:
A) Vice-President
1. Will assume the President’s duties in the President’s absence.
2. Will perform other duties as requested by the President or Board of Directors
B) Secretary/Treasurer
1. Maintains all Association Records (including membership records.)
2. Records and distributes minutes of the Association Meetings at least 3 days prior to the next meeting for review and approval at the next meeting.
3. Handles Association Correspondence as requested.
4. Responsible for accounting of Association’s Funds.
5. Prepares the Monthly Treasurer’s Report for the Board of Directors
C) Whitetail Deer Chairperson
1. Will promote accurate census and harvest data records.
2. Will oversee the administration of Deer Checkers.
3. Will keep membership informed of changes to MLD program or other regulations or changes that affect ORWMA.
If you are interested in serving in one of these positions please email oakridgewildlifemanagement@gmail.com or come to one of the board meetings. Dates and times will be posted on the website and on the ORWMA Facebook page. Even though board meetings are generally held once a month, these positions will require much more than that.