Who's Doing Private Land Muley Habitat Work?

[teamsprock]

The cover for the mule deer is a mixed bag of timber, shrubs and cliffs.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Wyoming Game and Fish has done (and is planning more) a bunch of work on private lands across the state for deer. It's mostly brush mowings and riparian/river enhancements related to winter and/or transitional ranges, but stuff going into the ground for sure. If you dig around, you can find a Rokcast where a couple fellas from the outfit are talking about that.

Perhaps a little less work in WY where folks are targeting more "resident" deer, but plenty of approaches potentially available to landowners that wanted to pursue that, and lots of chances to get technical or financial assistance to do so.

 

[Rich M]

I think the point you hit on with ag fields is where private lands managers are falling short. There are big private ag fields in Wyoming I am glassing that don't have crap for bedding nearby - it's irrigated in the sage brush with no places for them to hide. Seeing low to no deer numbers on ag fields where there is zero hunting pressure is one of the driving forces behind this question.

Will they let you plant? There are some grasses that will provide bedding cover and not go nuts & take over landscape.

Flip side is you could plant brush/bushes that will also provide some kind of browse.

I shot my only muley off a crop field. Area was flat as a pancake griddle. Adjacent to blm land w grasses and brush. Not sure where this bunch of 20 or so deer bedded but they came in from a diff direction ever evening and always fled the same way across blm to public.

 

[Jaden Bales]

Will they let you plant? There are some grasses that will provide bedding cover and not go nuts & take over landscape.

Flip side is you could plant brush/bushes that will also provide some kind of browse.

I shot my only muley off a crop field. Area was flat as a pancake griddle. Adjacent to blm land w grasses and brush. Not sure where this bunch of 20 or so deer bedded but they came in from a diff direction ever evening and always fled the same way across blm to public.

Not sure how easy it is to get private landowners on board but I am leading up a project to replant bitterbrush with the BLM and a couple of conservation groups (Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Muley Fanatics) near my hometown of Lander because something wiped out a couple thousand acres of it about 5 years ago.

Toughest part of these projects is it's a 5-10 year time horizon before you ever see any results. Probably 10-20 years before you see a deer herd benefit. And that's just to keep what we have.

 

[Customweld]

Not sure how easy it is to get private landowners on board but I am leading up a project to replant bitterbrush with the BLM and a couple of conservation groups (Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Muley Fanatics) near my hometown of Lander because something wiped out a couple thousand acres of it about 5 years ago.

Toughest part of these projects is it's a 5-10 year time horizon before you ever see any results. Probably 10-20 years before you see a deer herd benefit. And that's just to keep what we have.

Those stands of bitterbrush take a long time to mature . I've watched a hillside that I helped plant 15 years ago, grow to be a nicely covered hill. Unfortunately it burned again last summer in the Paddock Fire.
Best of luck with your project, I hope it gets to grow!

 

[dgfavor]

My place is a mix of ag and native ground plus I have 90% water rights in local spring/dribble that is mainly used for livestock water and very near a roadway. I have always had decent mule deer and in the last 10-15 years more and more elk. A big difference I noticed was when I added guzzlers to the mix in 2008. Big bucks were and still are pretty transient, as noted it's pretty hard to keep a muley buck in a relatively small area, but the does/fawns and cows/calves now spend probably 4 months from birth time to winter migration on my place - neighbors call it the nursery. My neighbor who added guzzlers a few years after me noticed the same. I don't think it's so much the addition of water to the area because there has always been springs and livestock tanks available - problem was most of those were fairly close to busy roadways. My seat of the pants observation, since I/we added guzzlers up in secluded draws away from the roads, the roadkill thru my stretch seems to be much less.




I have tried to get into programs with the NRCS but haven't managed to break thru into the good ol boys club. (my perception) I've talked with FnG about their programs but they tell me there is really nothing further habitat wise they'd recommend. I put about 1/2 of my established ag land into a "CRP mix" as well on my own dollar but I still lease out a decent chunk that has been in a variety of dryland crops...some that really bring in the deer and elk...to the dismay of my leasee who is less thrilled with elk and deer than I am of course.
Me planting ~280 acres of a hycrest and intermediate crested wheatgrass mix:


Anyway, to answer the OP's question...I am a private landowner that has done things to try to improve mule deer/elk/wildlife habitat and believe I have seen some benefits to it.

We will usually shoot a buck or two per year - mostly kid first deer type stuff or typical buck for the tag. A 2024 buck:

For Sale...always open to offers

 

[Jaden Bales]

Those stands of bitterbrush take a long time to mature . I've watched a hillside that I helped plant 15 years ago, grow to be a nicely covered hill. Unfortunately it burned again last summer in the Paddock Fire.
Best of luck with your project, I hope it gets to grow!

That's always the struggle, no doubt! If you have some photos, I'd love to see the work you guys did (before the fire of course).

 

[Jaden Bales]

My place is a mix of ag and native ground plus I have 90% water rights in local spring/dribble that is mainly used for livestock water and very near a roadway. I have always had decent mule deer and in the last 10-15 years more and more elk. A big difference I noticed was when I added guzzlers to the mix in 2008. Big bucks were and still are pretty transient, as noted it's pretty hard to keep a muley buck in a relatively small area, but the does/fawns and cows/calves now spend probably 4 months from birth time to winter migration on my place - neighbors call it the nursery. My neighbor who added guzzlers a few years after me noticed the same. I don't think it's so much the addition of water to the area because there has always been springs and livestock tanks available - problem was most of those were fairly close to busy roadways. My seat of the pants observation, since I/we added guzzlers up in secluded draws away from the roads, the roadkill thru my stretch seems to be much less.
View attachment 833919

View attachment 833920

I have tried to get into programs with the NRCS but haven't managed to break thru into the good ol boys club. (my perception) I've talked with FnG about their programs but they tell me there is really nothing further habitat wise they'd recommend. I put about 1/2 of my established ag land into a "CRP mix" as well on my own dollar but I still lease out a decent chunk that has been in a variety of dryland crops...some that really bring in the deer and elk...to the dismay of my leasee who is less thrilled with elk and deer than I am of course.
Me planting ~280 acres of a hycrest and intermediate crested wheatgrass mix:
View attachment 833922

Anyway, to answer the OP's question...I am a private landowner that has done things to try to improve mule deer/elk/wildlife habitat and believe I have seen some benefits to it.

We will usually shoot a buck or two per year - mostly kid first deer type stuff or typical buck for the tag. A 2024 buck:

For Sale...always open to offers

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!

Super cool and good on you for putting work in for wildlife, sir. This is awesome. I'll check out the videos!

 

[Alpine4x4]

Where did you get those Guzzlers? That looks like a fantastic idea. I have an area up and away from the road and people that is flat enough for one. Our creek dries up by August here and the only available water is next to the main canyon road.

 

[dgfavor]

Where did you get those Guzzlers? That looks like a fantastic idea. I have an area up and away from the road and people that is flat enough for one. Our creek dries up by August here and the only available water is next to the main canyon road.

Wildlife Watering Systems, LLC

All life needs water. Wildlife guzzlers are the solution to the water needs.

wildlifewateringsystems.com

They start out every spring overflowing but usually I have to start refilling them myself about June. We just don't get enough rain - I could build more elaborate collection system but I like them kind of inconspicuous. I try to keep them pretty topped off - a herd of cows and calves will suck one down pretty fast. I put in a well with a Grundfos pump that can run off solar/wind/110. I just use a Honda generator and spend a couple hours going back and forth filling up/emptying/glassing/checking cams/etc.

 

[dgfavor]

I'll add that it doesn't have to be super complicated - I often just fill a small trough at my well and leave it with a cam on it - deer and elk are usually on it the same day much of the time when I check camera dates. This year I may put an additional 500gal galvanized stock tank at the guzzler where the elk like to just camp out and suck all the water.

 

[Sully_44]

This is an awesome freaking thread! I grew up on a 3000 acre ranch and think about this stuff all the time.

I have a thought that keeps running through my head as I’m reading these. It seems like for years and years sportsman have talked about improving winter habitat. I think more winter habitat is always better than less. With that being said, it seems that more recent studies show that the condition deer come into winter is much more important than what they have access to during the winter. That to me says that summer and transitional habitat is the most important focus to improve a deer herd’s health. That being said, I don’t think that giving up on improving winter habitat is the answer, but maybe readjusting what we focus on. The ranch I grew up on is a natural winter range for for lots of mule deer, so rather than trying to improve that winter habitat, I’ve been brainstorming what I can do to the place to increase habitat for resident deer. I remember 15-20 years ago there were much more resident deer than there is now and I think improving summer habitat on the ranch is the answer to best help the herd.

My thoughts are getting a summer feed seed mix into a few of the draws that provide good cover for the deer nearby, maybe alfalfa, sunflowers, and a couple other plants in the mix. The next step would be a couple guzzlers in those little draws. And then after that planting some tree lines closer to the fields to give the deer a sense of security closer to the best feed. Any thoughts?

 

[mtnrunner260]

This is an awesome freaking thread! I grew up on a 3000 acre ranch and think about this stuff all the time.

I have a thought that keeps running through my head as I’m reading these. It seems like for years and years sportsman have talked about improving winter habitat. I think more winter habitat is always better than less. With that being said, it seems that more recent studies show that the condition deer come into winter is much more important than what they have access to during the winter. That to me says that summer and transitional habitat is the most important focus to improve a deer herd’s health. That being said, I don’t think that giving up on improving winter habitat is the answer, but maybe readjusting what we focus on. The ranch I grew up on is a natural winter range for for lots of mule deer, so rather than trying to improve that winter habitat, I’ve been brainstorming what I can do to the place to increase habitat for resident deer. I remember 15-20 years ago there were much more resident deer than there is now and I think improving summer habitat on the ranch is the answer to best help the herd.

My thoughts are getting a summer feed seed mix into a few of the draws that provide good cover for the deer nearby, maybe alfalfa, sunflowers, and a couple other plants in the mix. The next step would be a couple guzzlers in those little draws. And then after that planting some tree lines closer to the fields to give the deer a sense of security closer to the best feed. Any thoughts?

Sully, a lot depends on your location and the what the current condition of the habitat, water and other resources are.
I'd be happy to offer my opinion if wanted.

 

[Sully_44]

Sully, a lot depends on your location and the what the current condition of the habitat, water and other resources are.
I'd be happy to offer my opinion if wanted.

Yeah! Let’s hear it!

 

[Jaden Bales]

This is an awesome freaking thread! I grew up on a 3000 acre ranch and think about this stuff all the time.

I have a thought that keeps running through my head as I’m reading these. It seems like for years and years sportsman have talked about improving winter habitat. I think more winter habitat is always better than less. With that being said, it seems that more recent studies show that the condition deer come into winter is much more important than what they have access to during the winter. That to me says that summer and transitional habitat is the most important focus to improve a deer herd’s health. That being said, I don’t think that giving up on improving winter habitat is the answer, but maybe readjusting what we focus on. The ranch I grew up on is a natural winter range for for lots of mule deer, so rather than trying to improve that winter habitat, I’ve been brainstorming what I can do to the place to increase habitat for resident deer. I remember 15-20 years ago there were much more resident deer than there is now and I think improving summer habitat on the ranch is the answer to best help the herd.

My thoughts are getting a summer feed seed mix into a few of the draws that provide good cover for the deer nearby, maybe alfalfa, sunflowers, and a couple other plants in the mix. The next step would be a couple guzzlers in those little draws. And then after that planting some tree lines closer to the fields to give the deer a sense of security closer to the best feed. Any thoughts?

I really like this idea! And I think that's exactly where I would want to put my efforts in that case. Migratory deer are really sexy right now, but the studies show that in the long run, they're doing much better than low country residents. Let's see if I can find this study...