Category: Whitetail Habitat Management
The Most Important First Step for the Best Food Plots
For 15 years we’ve worked to improve the habitat and nutrition for white-tailed deer at The Proving Grounds. We named the farm The Proving Grounds because this may be one of the hardest places in North America to hunt and “grow” mature whitetails. We thought that if the tools, practices and strategies we use here for growing and hunting whitetails succeed, they can work anywhere there are white-tailed deer.
We’ve had proven success with getting scrawny Ozark deer to grow antlers and increase body weights that are above average in our area. These increases are simply a bi-product of healthy deer. By improving the native browse and adding high quality forage through food plots, we have enjoyed great hunting opportunities.
However, if the right quantity of nutrients isn’t in the dirt, the plants have no available nutrients to transfer to deer. Simply put, if deer don’t consume food produced from good dirt, they can’t reach their full potential.
Given this very simple, but important fact, if you’re planting food plots it is of great benefit to collect soil samples each year. The price of having a soil sample analyzed is one of the least expensive and most important tools I use as a deer manager.
The results of a soil sample include the soil’s pH, the amount of phosphorous, potassium and several other trace minerals (depending on the analysis requested). This information is then used to determine how much lime and fertilizer is needed to produce a quality crop based on the forage you wish to grow.
To get high quality forage and therefore give the deer a better opportunity to express their full potential, it’s critical to apply the appropriate quantity and quality of each element required for each crop. Make sure you note on the form submitted for each soil test, the exact crop or blend of crops to be grown in that plot. If you don’t, the lab will either not provide any recommendations or provide a generic recommendation. Omitting the specific crop that will be planted usually results in producing crops that aren’t as palatable or nutritious for deer.
I just received the soil test results from Waters Agricultural Laboratories for every food plot at The Proving Grounds. The soil management practices, cover crops and crop rotations used on those plots that have been established for several years indicate that the soil has significantly benefited from those practices. In fact, I have not had to put any fertilizer on my plots in four years because nutrients are held and recycled! Soil tests are a fabulous tool to make sure that your deer herd has quality nutrition available. Remember, if it’s not in the dirt, it can’t get to the deer.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
Planning, Practicing And Planting: 3 Things To Do Now To Prepare For Deer Hunting – Episode #405
New Video
Not all hunting and habitat management plans are developed in the field or the office! Watch as Daniel and Grant visit with landowners about wildlife management at the Bass Pro Fall Classic – in store! Then on to the bow range where they share tips to prepare for opening day of bow season. Also, with rain in the forecast, watch for an easy, quick way to plant a small food plot.
Short Clip:
Where do you aim when bow hunting? Find out why Grant aims at the lower third!
New Weekly Blog:
Internships are a great way to gain experience in the wildlife field. Meet the two new interns at The Proving Grounds in this week’s blog!
Tip of the Week:
Checking cameras in the field can be a great way to save time and check the aim of the camera.
One of the most important things to know before climbing into the stand! – Episode #402
New Video
Aging bucks during most hunting situations can be tough! That’s why we’re starting now. As Grant goes through our Reconyx images he shares tips on how to determine a buck’s age by physical characteristics. Some of these bucks are going on our 2017 hit list! Plus, Grant shares lots of habitat management tips for hunting land.
Short Clip:
As we prepare for deer season, we remember one of our favorite hunts from last season! It was November 4th and mature bucks were on their feet!
New Weekly Blog:
Hunting the wind correctly can be a hunter’s primary strategy for successfully harvesting deer, especially mature bucks! Find out how to hunt the wind and get a leg up for hunting this fall!
Tip of the Week:
Treestand safety applies to hunting, hanging and trimming stands! You should always be attached to a safety line or tied to the tree. If you are working in the tree while your buddies are on the ground, make sure they are aware and out of the way, in case something falls.
Going Native! – Episode #400
New Video
Improving the odds for nutritious, native vegetation can pay big benefits for the overall health and antler size for the deer herd on your property. Watch as Grant shares the results of a recent timber stand improvement test and how his findings are helping him encourage native grasses and forbs. Plus, see how we are perfecting our shooting form for opening day!
Short Clip:
Watch this recap of when Pro Staffer Heath Martin punched a 2016 tag in Kansas!
New Weekly Blog:
Predators can have a huge impact on deer numbers! Find out why wildlife managers need to help balance predators and remove them when given the chance!
Tip of the Week:
While hanging stands, always wear a safety harness and be tied to the tree before leaving the ground.
Deer Hunting And Management: The Effect Of The Changing Predator Base
Successful deer management to grow and hunt bucks in a free-range environment has taken a new twist over the last 10 years. Just following the play book for passing bucks and providing quality food, cover, and water may not yield the results you desire. Something has changed throughout much of the range of the white-tailed deer.
It’s the number of predators. When I was a boy during the 1960s and 70s, coyotes were shot on sight by farmers (almost every farmer I knew always had a rifle in his truck). Raccoon pelts were bringing $50 and anyone I knew that was any kind of hunter or outdoorsmen trapped and/or hunted raccoons as a source of additional income. Chicken hawks (any large hawk was called a chicken hawk) were also shot on sight. These actions didn’t cause any of these predators to go extinct.
In college I was taught to feel sorry for predators. My “book learning” taught the theory that predators were almost never an issue with game species. That might have been true then (although I had a hard time buying into the theory). I was also taught in college that all natural systems are very dynamic – always changing (I certainly have experienced and agree with that!).
Whatever the theories and realities were, the current impact of predators on deer, turkey, quail and other game species are real and measurable! I had a graduate student ten years ago study the impacts of coyote and bobcats on fawn recruitment (fawns surviving until hunting season) on a private property in northern Alabama. Briefly summarized, the results were stunning! He monitored fawn recruitment during year one, then had a trapper remove many coyotes and bobcats from the 2,000 acre property during the following fawning season. During the second fawning season there was a 150+% increase in fawns at the same property as a result of removing 20+ coyotes and 10 bobcats! It appeared the turkey and rabbit population also exploded!
Since that time, much more research has been conducted that supports predators are changing the dynamics of managing deer. Several of the researchers reported results of fawn mortality documented by the use of vaginal transmitters (VITS). This technology allowed researchers to capture does and insert a transmitter in their vagina. The VIT is pushed out of the birth canal when the fawn is born and alerts the researchers by changing the frequency/tone of signal. Researchers can often find the birth site and/or fawn within four hours or less after birth.
Dr. John Kilgo, a talented researcher for the Forest Service, has years of such data. He and his staff have documented that in recent years, 70% of the fawns were killed by predators at their research site (a 300 square mile area in South Carolina) during the first few months after birth! 62% of the total mortality was due to coyotes!! This is not a guess or a theory. At this level of predation, even without any hunting mortality, deer populations will decrease in number and quality (more on the stress of predation next week).
John and his staff swabed the kill site and used advanced techniques with genetic testing to confirm if the killer was a coyote, bobcat, domestic dog, etc. Using this technology, they can tell if it was a male or female predator and if it was the same predator that killed a fawn ¼ mile or 10 miles way. John’s research is fascinating!
He ended his abstract by stating “I predict that this pressure (coyotes) will require significant changes in how deer populations are managed in the Southeast in the future, because coyotes are here to stay.”
I agree with John, but know from my student’s work and my experience, that coyotes can be trapped and their impact on deer populations reduced. Trapping and calling coyotes are fun activities (GDTV 119). However, it requires time and effort. There is no easy method to significantly reduce coyote populations. Some managers will simply let their deer herds be significantly reduced by coyotes. I, and hopefully many others, will not sit by and watch deer populations be reduced significantly by predators. I will actively call and trap coyotes to keep their population in check so deer, turkey, and other game species can maintain a healthy population.
I enjoy hearing a coyote howl. However, I enjoy seeing and interacting with deer and turkeys more. When push comes to shove, I’ll be the deer’s best friend and the coyote’s worst enemy. How about you? Will you sit by and watch America’s favorite game species be reduced to the occasional rare sighting? Or will you join me in protecting the future of hunting?
The damage by coyotes and other predators to deer and other game species is not just direct mortality. Predators also can cause much stress to game species! Next week I’ll share strategies deer hunters/managers can use to fight this change and improve the odds of growing mature bucks on their hunting grounds. While you’re waiting on that blog to come out, watch some of the coyote action caught on video by our Reconyx trail cameras here.
Growing (and protecting) Deer together,
Grant
Tips For Making Poor Timber into Quality Habitat – Episode #398
New Video
Watch as the GrowingDeer Team works to convert poor timber into quality habitat! Learn tips to help select and remove trees for improving your timber! Plus, see our latest strategy for hunting a hit list buck this fall!
Short Clip:
High quality food sources like food plots can bring the deer in! Sit back and enjoy watching all these deer!
New Weekly Blog:
It’s often easier to grow mature bucks than it is to harvest mature bucks. Find out how to create and use bottlenecks to pattern and hunt mature bucks!
Tip of the Week:
Don’t let smelly scent build up in your truck this summer! Running an Ozone Go in the truck after working in the field is a great start to fall scent control!
Just for Whitetails: Save Those Food Plots! – Episode #397
New Video
We’re hunting! A notorious soybean predator is causing crop damage to a food plot. It’s a great challenge in more ways than one! Plus, see how the Hot Zone fence is keeping deer out of our precious crop and saving those soybeans for a late season hunt.
Short Clip:
Spring flooding at The Proving Grounds most likely wiped out many turkey nests. As a result, we are seeing an extended breeding season. Check out these June struts and gobbles!
New Weekly Blog:
Do you know your deer herd’s adult sex ratio? Knowing how many bucks there are for every doe can be an important management tool. Find out how deer sex ratios affect the rut, herd health and hunting!
Tip of the Week:
Many hunters will be hanging stands and trimming lanes soon. Before you head into the woods, make sure all the buckles work and the straps are in good condition. And never leave the ground without your safety harness on and attached to the tree.
Deer Season Prep: Creating New Food Plots – Episode #396
New Video
Grant and the interns design a new food plot! Watch to see the thoughts and steps to creating a food plot from scratch. It’s a strategy designed to produce quality food and hunting in rough timber. Plus, we share tips on how to capture great trail camera pictures of fawns, does, and of course, BUCKS!
Short Clip:
We love seeing ANTLERS! Enjoy our recent Reconyx videos of velvet bucks!
New Weekly Blog:
Quality cover and designated sanctuaries can result in a healthier deer herd and better hunting! Find out why cover is key for managing mature, huntable whitetails!
Tip of the Week:
Blind bale shooting, or shooting a close target with your eyes closed, is a great way to slow down and focus on shooting form!
Third Rule For Managing Deer And Growing Big Bucks
Third on my list of top recommendations for managing land to yield mature, huntable whitetails is the need for cover. Cover is specifically areas where deer are likely to feel more secure compared to surrounding areas.
In the Southern portion of the U.S. cover may be shade. In colder climates it might be native grass that serves to block the wind but allow the sun’s radiant energy to reach the deer. Cover may be areas where predator populations (such as coyotes) are reduced and the deer are less threatened / stressed.
Quality cover reduces stress levels of deer. This allows them to express more of their antler growth and fawn producing potential. Cover can be just as beneficial to a deer herd as quality nutrition, depending on the sources of stress. However, they are co-dependent. One without the other could lead to the deer herd not expressing its potential.
The best cover is not only a particular type of structure (shade, native grass, etc.), but also an area of reduced predation. Hunters are predators. Those areas set aside for cover should have limited human activity to ensure that deer feel safe from human predation. By making those cover areas a sanctuary (prohibit entry by humans during most of the year) it will maximize the reduction of stress. Sanctuaries combined with desirable cover are very beneficial to deer.
To benefit the deer herd where you hunt, don’t just think about ways to attract them and make the deer easier to see, but think about managing enough of the habitat to ensure each deer has a place they feel safe. This is not a totally unselfish act by hunters. Deer that feel secure are not as alert and are easier to hunt.
Create some sanctuaries! Make that “un-huntable” buck drop some of his defenses, lower his stress, and line him up in your sights next deer season!
Growing Deer together!
Grant
Tips For Food Plot Success! – Episode #392
New Video
Watch Grant share food plot tips to reduce soil temperature and moisture loss! It’s an all round recipe for food plot success!
Short Clip:
Check out this simple explanation on how to calibrate a no-till drill and why calibration should be done every year!
New Weekly Blog:
Antlers are growing and fawning season is here! Find out how to help deer express their full potential during this growing season!
Tip of the Week:
Don’t forget to take care of your tractor during planting season. Howes Power Kleaner helps lubricate injectors and pumps and improves engine performance.
