In the Brush Country periodic drought is not uncommon, but with a present drought all South Texas occupants, suffer the consequences.

Story and photography by Bob Zaiglin

As a six-year-old buck visited a water trough near ranch headquarters every day throughout the hot summer months, its inherent fear of man waned.  Even vehicles and the occasional presence of man became less alarming, especially after the isolated stock tank it once depended upon dried up due to the intense heat, excessive evaporation, and more importantly, dearth of rainfall.

Once a stout, muscled animal, the buck was now streamlined and forced to consume less than desirable vegetation as regeneration at the terminal ends of its favorite brush species became virtually non-existent.  Unbeknownst to the deer, the region it inhabited in South Texas was under siege by extended drought, and its survival depended on its ability to locate food, cover, and water.

Drought, particularly over an extended period of time, is debilitating to wildlife.  Periodic drought is not uncommon in the brush country, but the present drought continues to linger around, and all South Texas occupants, including man, are suffering the consequences.

In reality, drought is so common throughout South Texas that people have grown inured to the lack of rainfall, that is until their own water supply is affected, which is presently the case in Corpus Christi.

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