Management Calendar — November/December 2013

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 of 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. White-tailed deer fetal scales can be obtained from the Quality Deer Management Association. 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 to 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 (during the rut), 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 easy way to assess the status and success of your deer management program.

Implement “hinge cutting” to create quality habitat while improving timber stands

Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) is the general practice of removing lesser quality or undesirable trees within a forest to reduce their competition with desirable trees. An example may be a situation where a quality oak tree is surrounded by lots of young or mid-aged red maple trees. As you can imagine, the ground below is layered with fallen leaves and because sunlight is not reaching the ground, little vegetation exists – which is poor wildlife habitat. Removing the red maples would increase sunlight, water, and nutrients for the oak allowing it to grow more vigorously (this is known as “releasing” the oak) and due to increased sunlight plants would begin to grow on the forest floor. Hinge cutting is simply a variation of the normal TSI technique. Rather than completely cutting down undesirable trees, trees are cut only halfway through. They fall, or “hinge” over, and create instant cover but do not die, so they continue to produce leaves and vertical shoots. If they are desirable browse species, a new food source is created. Hinge cutting is a good way to provide food for browsing animals such as deer, provide thicket cover for quail and rabbits, nesting cover for turkeys, and release the best quality saplings/trees for optimal growth, all at the same time. Hinge cutting is an excellent way to create both food and cover within large areas of park-like oaks without cover, near wildlife food plots, or along transitions between different habitats such as along edges of fields. If planned well, hinge cut areas can be strategically located to create thickets (bedding and loafing cover for deer) in a way that will influence deer movement and enhance hunting success.

Methods used to hinge cut vary depending on how large the undesirable trees are. Hinge cut trees at waist height. For small-diameter stems, the simplest way is to hold the sapling in one hand, bend, and whack the bend with a machete. Two or three shallow cuts side by side will allow a better bend than one deep cut. A hand saw or a chainsaw is easier for larger stems.

After the cuts, force the sapling down until it is parallel to the ground.

Strip disk areas to promote natural, desirable habitat for wildlife.

Strip disking is simply one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective management practices to implement to create 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 up the ground 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.

Perform preventative maintenance and calibrate sprayers in preparation for burning and early summer uses

Although you probably won’t use them for a couple of months, late winter is a good time to over-haul sprayers. By over-haul 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 use it 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.

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-late 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 US 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.

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

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 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.

Build wood duck boxes

Wood ducks are cavity nesters, meaning they construct their nests in hollow trees near water. Since nesting trees can be limited, providing artificial nest boxes can attract more wood ducks to your property and help increase local populations. Because it is sometimes hard to find time to do “side projects”, building wood duck boxes while hanging out at camp during hunting season is a great time to do this. Because “green” cypress wood is very wet/heavy, building the boxes ahead of time allows the wood/boxes to dry before installing them, making the task much easier. Building, erecting and annually maintaining wood duck boxes can be a relatively easy way for the entire family to be involved in wildlife management that is both fun and rewarding. See Wildlife Trends Journal Volume 13, Issue 3 for blueprints of a one-board design for building a wood duck box.

Wood ducks will begin searching for a suitable nest site as early as February. Therefore, install new boxes during winter so they can be used during the upcoming spring nesting season. Existing wood duck boxes should be cleaned out each year before nesting begins to remove old nesting material, squirrel nest and egg shells, then filled with 4-6 inches of fresh wood shavings or chips (preferably cypress or cedar) which are available from many pet stores, chip mills, lumber mills, cabinet shops, etc.

Build deer feeders

Similar to building wood duck boxes, building deer feeders is a great project to tackle during “down time” while spending the weekend at your camp during hunting season. December/January is a great time to build feeders in preparation to putting them out in the late winter or this spring. One of my favorite designs is a trough style wooden box feeder with a tin roof covering the feeding tray which has a hardware cloth bottom. This design and instructions on how to build it was featured in Wildlife Trends Volume 1. Issue 3 and is available on the website, www.wildlifetrends.com.

Provide supplemental feed for deer.

Late winter can be a nutritionally stressful period for deer. They have endured the rigors of breeding season and natural food sources can be limited. Providing supplemental feed during this time can boost energy and nutrition. This recommendation/activity is directed towards landowners or managers who have done a good job managing their natural habitat, food plots, and deer herd conditions. That is, before thinking about starting a supplemental feeding program for deer on your property, you need to take care of the “important” things first. In other words, you cannot hang shutters if you do not have a house – and you will not grow big bucks and a healthy herd with supplemental feed alone. It is a supplement to other management strategies and activities. However, when done in combination with other core management practices, supplemental feeding can be valuable for deer. Be sure to check your local game laws before providing feed on your property. Many states do not allow the use of feed during hunting season. Ideally, providing supplemental feed throughout the year is best, but supplemental feed will be most used and most valuable for deer in late winter and summer. These periods are when natural food availability is at its lowest. So if you have a limited budget and cannot or do not want to feed throughout the year, provide it during the periods deer need it most.

Assess progress and create a plan for improvements in 2014

With the 2013-14 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 to help 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. 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 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.