I’m a little overdue on writing this review. Deep in the Heart, a wildlife documentary–narrated by Matthew McConaughey–first came out in 2022. It made a pretty big splash back then, and if you haven’t seen it yet, this is definitely a documentary you will want to watch. Just to cut to the chase, it is really fantastic!
Over the course of two hours, Deep in the Heart takes you on a guided tour of grand Texas landscapes and introduces you many of the state’s most important wildlife species.
Using stunningly beautiful video footage that complements the storytelling, Deep in the Heart begins in the high plains of the Texas panhandle. There McConaughey describes for us the poor state of Texas wildlife coming out of the late 1800s. Mostly due to overhunting, many keystone species had become extirpated from the state–or very nearly so.
But since then, important conservation laws have been implemented which improved the overall situation decidedly. over the years, and with the help of environmentalists, government officials, and business leaders, many Texas wildlife populations and habitats are on the mend. There is definitely more work to be done, and plenty of room for improvement, but the state seems to be trending in the right direction when it comes to valuing and protecting our nature resources.
The story of the Bison, and its brush with extinction, is touched on early in the film. In Texas, the southern Bison was rescued from extinction in just the nick of time by famous rancher Charles Goodnight. The descendants of the five Bison orphans he rescued are now members of the Official Bison Herd of Texas living in Caprock Canyon State Park.
Next, the great success story of the White-tailed Deer in Texas is told. One hundred years ago there were only a handful of deer still living in Texas, but now there is now a strong statewide herd of over 5 million individuals–all thanks to careful management by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the support of sportsmen from all across Texas.
Deep in the Heart next takes us to a pair of tiny habitats along the gulf coast near the southern tip of the state. These two locations are the last refuges of Ocelots–a small, spotted wildcat–in Texas. With an estimated population of just 80 individuals, there are not many of these little cats left in the country.
In cooperation with local landowners, the production crews were able to record fantastic and candid footage of Ocelots in this part of Texas. The videos they recorded–by themselves–are compelling enough to make it well worth watching this documentary.
As Deep in the Heart continues, it touches on the extremes of weather that can occur in Texas, and how the weather impacts our water supply. It describes the importance of water in relationship the the state’s aquifers, and how the raising and lowering of the water table affects some of the rare and unusual species of wildlife that live in these massive underground bodies of water.
Some of the more important Texas species are covered as the program continues. The segment on Mexican Free-tailed Bats and Bracken Cave is especially stunning.
The exciting return of Black Bears to Big Bend National Park is covered in detail, noting that the bears have been so successful that they are now expanding their range out side of Big Bend into other areas of the Trans-Pecos. And, though it is not mentioned in the documentary, a similar event maybe occurring in the eastern part of the state, as indicated by recent reports of Louisiana Blacks Bears crossing over into Texas.
Another denizen of the Big Bend area is the reclusive Mountain Lion. In Texas, Mountain Lions can typically only be found in the most remote canyons and areas of deep brush of west and south Texas. Deep in the Heart presents the unique perils these animals face in a way the emphasizes that the time may be right to reconsider our attitudes these big cats.
McConaughey correctly identifies Texas policies regarding Mountain Lions as being from a bygone era. In most states where Mountain Lions reside, there are laws in places that give the big cats protection, or that allow them to be scientifically managed. Not so in Texas. In the Lone Star state there are very few restrictions on the killing of Mountain Lions. Unrestricted trapping is allowed, without requirements to check the traps. Mountain Lions can be shot and killed wherever and whenever it is legal to discharge a firearm. There are no restrictions on age or gender. Kittens can be killed, and so can mother lions–even if doing so results in orphaned babies.
The story of the decimation and restoration Big Thicket and piney woods of East Texas comes next, and segways neatly into fascinating coverage of the enigmatic Alligator Gar and its unique breeding habits.
As Deep in the Heart begins to draw to a close, it first shifts its focus down to the gulf coast in order to illustrate the uniquely important habitats and wildlife that can be found there. It then reveals a place I was not previously aware of–a place described as described as the Texas Caribbean. Located on salt domes 100 miles off the coast at Galveston is the Flower Garden Bay National Marine Sanctuary–the northern most coral reef in United States waters.
The documentary concludes with gentle reminders of the environmental challenges that we will face over the next 30 years, as the population of Texas grows from the current 30 million residents to an expected 50 million.
Deep in the Heart is another documentary that is easy to recommend. The video footage is fantastic–sometime exceptionally beautiful and other times revealingly candid. Matthew McConaughey was an inspired choice as the narrator, with a voice that sounds about as Texas as it gets. My prediction is that you will thoroughly enjoy Deep in the Heart. If you have not seen it yet, seek it out. If you have seen it previously, now might be a good time to watch it again!
Deep in the Heart is available on a number of streaming services, including Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
