Management Calendar — November/December 2012

If the property you hunt is rolling, hilly, or near large fields or bodies of water, create a wind map of your property to help you have more successful deer hunts

A deer’s nose is its best defense. I have been fortunate to have worked with hunters who harvest trophy bucks every year. These are the guys you see in magazines standing under a barn wall full of mounted bucks. The common strategy that they all have is that they hunt the wind. That is, they only hunt areas when the wind is right. Although I often wear ScentLok and spray myself with odor neutralizers before heading to a stand, I am a firm believer that if a deer gets downwind, it is over (at lease in most cases). On properties that have hills or draws, wind will behave differently across the property. As wind hits ridges or treelines it is diverted and results in the wind changing directions at given points on the property. To create a wind map, simply record the true wind (wind direction without interference – wind the weatherman reports), then visit various spots on the property where deer stands are located and record the actual wind at these spots. You may be surprised that a true north wind can generate a south wind in some locations on a property. Something else to consider is large bodies of water such as a lake or river. In the morning, cool air in the woods is often drawn out to the warmer water area creating different wind currents than the true wind reported. The opposite can occur in the evening. These situations often occur under light wind conditions. Many hunters collect and record wind information over time, like while they are hunting, then compile what they have collected to create a wind map. Once generated, a wind map is a valuable tool that will help you have more successful hunts.

Favorable Winds for Food Plot Stands

= Best Wind for Stand
X = Do NOT hunt stand
(blank) = Margin Conditions

Creating a wind chart will help hunters make wise choices when selecting stands to hunt and will result in successful hunts.

If possible, collect fetal data from harvested whitetail does

If your breeding season or rut occurs before or around Thanksgiving, and your hunting season extends into late December or January, you should be able to find and measure fetuses. The age of the fetuses is determined by their length. A fetus scale is very helpful in determining the age of the fetuses. Once you know the age of the fetus and the date of the harvest, you can determine the day of conception. This information can provide much insight into your deer herd’s reproductive performance as well as the length and peak of the rut in your deer herd. This not only helps you determine when to put in for vacation next year, but the length of the breeding season will shed light on the adult sex ratio of the herd. A tighter sex ratio will result in a shorter, more intense rut due to increased competition for mates, while an unbalanced sex ratio will likely be represented by a long, weak rut due to less competition and the length of time it takes bucks to “service” the abundant doe population. This information, along with hunter observation data, is a great and free way to assess the status and success of your deer management program.

Calibrate sprayers in preparation for early summer uses

Although you probably won’t use them for a couple of months, late winter is a good time to overhaul sprayers. By overhaul I mean check all hoses, tubes, connections, filters, nozzles, etc. This is also a good time to calibrate sprayers so that everything is ready when early summer weeds become a problem in food plots. We commonly use the pistol nozzle of our sprayers to assist in prescribed burns. Be sure to check all parts and test the pistol nozzle, hoses, etc if you plan to use this winter during burning activities. Working on sprayers is a great mid-day activity while hanging out at the camp during a weekend of hunting.

Assess progress and create a plan for improvements in 2013

With the 2012-13 hunting season coming to an end, it’s time to revisit the wildlife management program on your property to assess whether or not your management strategies are working and helping you achieve desired goals. Doing so may reveal limiting factors that may be preventing you from reaching your management goals or maximizing your efforts. Addressing limiting factors and implementing improvements where needed will help you succeed in reaching goals. Unfortunately many landowners and hunting clubs keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Depending on the wildlife species you are managing for, late winter or early spring is generally a great time to assess habitat needs, review current management strategies and how wildlife or habitat has responded to these strategies, and devise a plan for addressing needs. While a general property assessment is easily done by a landowner, I recommend getting the assistance of a professional experienced wildlife biologist to help identify less obvious and often times overlooked strengths and weaknesses of your property or wildlife management program. I can’t tell you how many times I have been helping a client where I made what I thought was an obvious recommendation that they had never thought about or recognized as a limiting factor. My point is that it is always good to get another set of

Don’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Plan improvements now for 2013

eyes when assessing your property, particularly from someone that does not see the property often and/or someone that is an experienced wildlife/land manager. With the property wildlife management goals in mind, and from this assessment, you and/or your wildlife consultant can develop a list of several to many management activities that will address limiting factors identified. Depending on the property, this can be a relatively short list or a very long list of activities that need to be addressed. Many of you have heard me say this before, but consistent good hunting doesn’t happen by accident. It takes planning, hard work, patience and an understanding that Mother Nature is dynamic and things are constantly changing requiring adjustments in management strategies to reach desired results.

Prepare for last phase of duck season

If you have multiple duck ponds and hunt waterfowl through the season, strategic/staggered flooding schedules help maximize hunting opportunities by extending the food supply in ponds. That is, by not flooding some ponds or areas early in the season you essentially “save” these ponds and their associated food for later in the season. Thus, if you’ve “saved” ponds on your property for the late phase of duck season, mid-December is the time to initiate flooding of these areas. Maintaining water depths of 12″-18″ is ideal for puddle ducks such as wood ducks, mallards, gadwall, teal, etc.

Prepare dormant season prescribed burn plans and initiate burns as weather permits

Fire is a management strategy that is relatively cheap to implement and the results are very obvious for wildlife. If you have pines on your property, fire is an essential tool to improve wildlife habitat and should be on your annual task list. However, burn plans need to be well thought out and completed well ahead of time. With the exception of longleaf pine/coastal plain areas, most understory burning in the southeast is conducted during the winter dormant season. Acceptable relative humidity, temperature, fuel moisture, and steady, persistent winds often occur during this period. Cool season burns are generally conducted between December and spring green up. In the Deep South, try to conduct burns before March 15 to avoid destroying turkey nests. Cool season or winter burning is not only a good way to reduce fuel loads and control undesirable hardwoods in a pine stand (which reduces the chances of a wildfire that can be detrimental), but is also a great way to stimulate new understory plant growth which will result in quality food sources for wildlife. Fire rotations (interval of time between burning the same area again) vary depending on your goals and habitat types but are generally every 2-5 years to promote quality wildlife habitat. It is also a good idea to strategically plan your burns so that you always leave some areas unburned. How much area to burn will depend on your specific property and habitats. However, do not feel that you have to burn large areas (50-100 acres or more) to make a difference and create quality wildlife habitat. Relatively small burn areas in the 5-10 acre range are easily done in a couple of hours and will make a difference. Always check local burning laws and consult with an experienced burn manager before lighting a woodland fire. The U.S. Forest Service or your state Forestry Commission are great sources for obtaining more information regarding burning in your area. Check with the U.S. Forest Service for information regarding prescribed burning as well as examples of a burn plan. It is also a good idea to coordinate your burns with a professional land manager who has experience burning.

Assess and flag or mark wildlife clearcut areas, new food plots or plot expansions, new roads, and roadsides that will be widened

Because temperatures are cool (or cold) and the leaves are off trees where you can generally see better in the woods, winter is a great time to assess and mark areas where trees will be harvested or dozier work will be needed. Having the leaves off is certainly a big help because you can see what you are doing and visualize areas that you are flagging. Projects that may need to be marked or flagged include small bedding areas that will be created with chainsaws (you can run the chainsaw during the winter too while it is cooler), new food plot areas or expansions on existing plots, areas along roadsides that need attention next spring, etc. Besides flagging areas that will require heavy equipment and drier conditions, winter is also a good time to flag areas that will be planted in wildlife friendly orchards, supplemental hardwoods, areas to plant hedgerows for quail through fields, etc. Marking these areas in winter will not only be more pleasant for you and allow you to see what you are doing, but will ensure you are ready to tackle these projects when conditions are right. Also, flagging in winter gives you time to think more about the areas you have flagged out before the project is implemented. The last thing you want is to be flagging just ahead of a logging crew and having to make hasty decisions on where you want a new food plot to be created.

Strip disk areas to promote natural, desirable weeds for wildlife

Strip disking is simply one of those management practices I firmly believe in. It is one of the cheapest management strategies to implement and it works, often resulting in high quality food and cover for wildlife. Strip disking is as simple as it sounds. To strip disk, you merely drop the disk far enough into the soil to lightly break the surface of the ground. Lightly disking the ground will provide enough disturbance to stimulate the natural seed bank of wildlife friendly weeds the following spring and summer. Heavy disking like you were preparing a clean seedbed for planting a food plot is not needed. One pass is generally enough to stir the ground up and expose bare soils that will promote germination of desirable weeds. While not necessary, I often mow areas I plan to strip disk ahead of time. This makes disking more effective if vegetation is relatively thick or tall. It also knocks back/reduces competition of the undesirable or overgrown plants I am trying to replace. Strip disking at different times of the year will result in different plant communities. While disking can be conducted any time of year, it is normally done in spring or fall. Fall/winter disking normally results in a broadleaf plant response, while spring/summer disking will result in more native grasses. Altering the season in which you strip disk will add diversity to your property. Strip disking can be done in thinned pine plantations, relatively open mature pine stands, along the edges of food plots, or in open fields. Basically anywhere sunlight can reach the ground will work. To optimize the benefit of strip disking, avoid disking straight lines. A serpentine pattern that winds through the habitat will provide the most edge and diversity.

Tree planting activities – start planning, ordering supplies, and planting

Besides actually planting the trees, site preparation is important to reduce competing weeds to enhance tree seedling survival during the first growing season. Depending on the situation, an initial mowing may be needed to provide a clean working area and reduce weed competition. There are many species and varieties of soft (e.g., fruit trees) and hard mast (e.g., oaks) trees available that will benefit wildlife on your property. I generally like to plant a diversity of trees that will provide various food sources throughout the year. Supplemental tree plantings not only provide additional food resources for wildlife on your property but can provide exceptional enhancements to the aesthetics. Areas commonly planted in fruit trees include road intersections, roadside management areas, and in or along the edge of fields or food plots. The key is to plant them in areas that will receive sunlight. Some trees require cross-pollination to produce fruit so, if needed, be sure to plant them in small groups. I recommend contacting your tree supplier/nursery, such as the folks at The Wildlife Group, well ahead of planting time. They can help you determine which trees will grow and produce best on your property, help you develop a planting plan based on your goals, and ensure the trees and other supplies are ready when you are.