Muleshoe wildlife refuge hosts variety of birds and beasts

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The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge features 6,440 acres and many resident species of wildlife, including mule deer.

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in southern Bailey County is a major stopping off point for water fowl migrating between Canada and Mexico.

Reason to go

Birds, birds and more birds.

The refuge is best known for hosting one of the largest concentrations of lesser sandhill cranes in North America. It is estimated that 15 percent of the lesser sandhill crane population depends upon the refuge between the fall and spring.

The best time to see large concentrations of sandhill cranes at the refuge is mid-December through mid-January.

They are most visible at dawn and at dusk as they leave the lakes during the day to feed in nearby fields.

Other wildlife found at the 6,440-acre refuge include wood warblers, meadowlarks, raptors, burrowing owls, blacktailed prairie dogs, jackrabbits, coyote, badger and deer.

Wildlife viewing tips

• Dawn and dusk are the best times to see wildlife.

Try sitting quietly in one good location.

Look for animal signs. Tracks, scat, feathers and nests left behind often tell interesting stories.

Use binoculars to scan the escarpment to the west for bobcats, mule deer and possibly a pronghorn.

Fast facts

• Established in 1935, the refuge is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

• In 2005, an estimated 250,000 sandhill cranes were at the refuge.

• Northeast of White Lake is a small area of white gypsum dunes, similar to those found at White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo.

• Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980, the refuge is one of the last shortgrass prairies in the southern High Plains.

• To mimic what used to occur naturally, the refuge uses cattle to graze the native grasses to keep them vibrant and diverse and conducts prescribed burns to remove dead plant material.

Did you know?

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge has one of the longest standing banding permits in the nation with thousands of ducks banded on the refuge in the last 50 years.

Visitors’ information

The refuge is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. There is no entrance fee.

Headquarters are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CDT) weekdays.

Directions

Take U.S. 70/84 to Muleshoe, turn south on Highway 214 (for about 20 miles). Go west on Caliche Road for 2.25 miles to refuge headquarters.

— Compiled by Rick White, correspondent