Habitat Improvement

[roosterdown]

We've had great luck with a native prairie mix; big bluestem & indian grass up to 8 feet tall. Holds deer very well, serves as a daytime bedding area. Farm is in the middle of the Driftless region; right now we probably have taken 12 acres of tillable and converted to Prairie; hoping to do another 20 acres over the next few years. Plus some food plots, etc.

Had planted thousands of trees and native shrubs but only a small percentage of those made it.

 

[Long Cut]

 

[sahunter06]

Year round process never ends. Durano clover and chicory getting worked over on my farm. Winter wheat and native grasses are tall enough to provide cover for fawning.

 

[LostArra]

I just quit brush hogging so much. Deer and turkeys seem to love the cover especially this time of year with the new poults hatched and fawns coming soon.

I also quit cutting and spraying a small patch of poison ivy. Deer are in there eating almost every day.

 

[Long Cut]

I just quit brush hogging so much. Deer and turkeys seem to love the cover especially this time of year with the new poults hatched and fawns coming soon.

I also quit cutting and spraying a small patch of poison ivy. Deer are in there eating almost every day.

Routine bush hogging is what’s decimated the quail and turkey habitat down here. There’s no cover anymore for these animals. You go from open park woods to manicured cut fields and guys wonder where the quail and turkeys went.....

 

[william schmaltz]

Neat thread. I walked my Dad's place in ND with him back in April while I was visiting. He doesn't hunt, but he does love trees. He plants hundreds each year. Walked over and mapped out a place on the far end of one pasture that he is going to start planting cover for me. I just order everything for him to pick up. Had this idea for over 5 years now and regret not starting sooner. Figure 20-30 trees/shrubs over the next decade will make for some great hunting for my kids in 20 years. Between preference points and planting habitat, hunting sure is turning into a long-term play.....

 

[OFFSHORE]

I have been in the fire business since 2000 for southeastern state agencies and private land owners, and I could not agree more with the benefits of controlled burning if it is done properly. I like to alternate between growing season and dormant season burns pending what the objective is for the tact of land. The new growth and nutrients that fire puts back into the wildlife community is top notch. This past Feb./Mar. we aerial burned close to 20,000 acers across four tracts of land. Cleaning up the forest floor by removing leaf litter and duff promotes so much natural forage for wildlife. . .I've actually seen deer walk over corn piles and feed on through on the various new sprouts of forbs and browse. We need to keep people educated to prescribed burning with the benefits and also the dangers if not done correctly. North Florida had a few prescribed get loose and destroy homes and lives. . .be mindful, be safe, and keep it in the lines!!!

 

[ghenson82]

We're in an on-going battle with cedar in the Hill Country of Central Texas. Its amazing to watch the native grasses & forbes come back where a big water-robbing cedar once was.

 

[Boarmaster]

The timber company we lease from in AL has been thinning ( select cutting) and clear cutting areas with in our lease. That always means more browse , new edges and eventually bedding areas as the replanted pines grow. Any cutting always brings more a more diverse and rapidly changing whitetail woods. I’m itching to up there in early October and check it out.

 

[Deleted member 8-15-23]

been doing it since 1975 on my farm. 1) Planted 13,000 spruce for thermal bedding, 2) dug 7 natural waterholes that fill off slopes, 3) planted 80 apple trees, soft mass, 4) visual blocks from public roads with spruce rows, 5) 1 tree stand/10 acres for wind direction, 6) timber thinning, 7) winter coyote killing. 8) Bear thinning. results are 48 book deer in 48 years.

 

[Deleted member 8-15-23]

Dpsm control is crucial. No natural regen? Start stacking doe.

 

[LostArra]

My No Brush hogging method paid off today. I watched a doe drop a fawn about 50 yards behind my house. After a 10 minute lick bath mom left the fawn in some tall grass in the shade. I know it's dumb but I went upstairs and watched the fawn's ears thru my spotting scope with a loaded rifle handy in case a coyote showed up.

 

[jgilber5]

Worked in prairie resto for awhile. Convinced my parents to turn the old hayfield into some good habitat. Put in a huge giant miscanthus buffer to give wildlife some privacy from the road, planted a ryegrass pollinator mix on the uplands, and boosted the wetlands a bit. Already seeing doe beds everywhere, and some turkeys nesting on the fringes!

 

[wind gypsy]

Worked in prairie resto for awhile. Convinced my parents to turn the old hayfield into some good habitat. Put in a huge giant miscanthus buffer to give wildlife some privacy from the road, planted a ryegrass pollinator mix on the uplands, and boosted the wetlands a bit. Already seeing doe beds everywhere, and some turkeys nesting on the fringes!

Are you in MN and how has the miscanthus handled winter? seems like much of MN is borderline too cold for it.

 

[jgilber5]

Yep in MN west of the cities, Miscanthus is on year one but so far so good. I'd say over 70% of the rhizomes made it through the winter. Waited until late may to plant so maybe that helped a bit.

Are you in MN and how has the miscanthus handled winter? seems like much of MN is borderline too cold for it.

 

[wind gypsy]

Yep in MN west of the cities, Miscanthus is on year one but so far so good. I'd say over 70% of the rhizomes made it through the winter. Waited until late may to plant so maybe that helped a bit.

That's good. Last year was an ideal winter for survival with constant deep snow cover insulating the ground. I'm probably going to test plant some a little south of mille lacs next year. Where did you buy from?

 

[jgilber5]

That's good. Last year was an ideal winter for survival with constant deep snow cover insulating the ground. I'm probably going to test plant some a little south of mille lacs next year. Where did you buy from?

Wall Hanger Food Plots out of Paynesville. I bet you'll be able to get it to grow. When I was younger we had a 40 west of Onamia and I feel like we had some there.

 

[jgilber5]

It hates competition though so you have to be diligent with chemicals unfortunately

 

[wind gypsy]

It hates competition though so you have to be diligent with chemicals unfortunately

Yeah, I'd need to get everything nuked this fall before hand for sure and keep the residuals rolling next spring.

 

[jgilber5]

Yeah, I'd need to get everything nuked this fall before hand for sure and keep the residuals rolling next spring.

Yeah definitely get ahead of it well before hand. We really struggled to keep the ragweed down and think we'd be a bit further along had we treated the fall prior.