Category: Whitetail Habitat Management

New Video

This week Grant and Adam head east to work a hidden gem in the whitetails’ range. It’s a 90 acre parcel with lots of neighbors! Grant shares tips and ideas that will help this landowner attract and hold deer on his property.

Even the smallest of predators can cause serious trouble in the deer woods. Watch and learn how ticks can stress, infect, and even kill deer.

Plus, we will show you what has gotten us even more ready for deer season!

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Short Clip:

Better watch your back around here! Watch as Adam gets ZAPPED!

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New Weekly Video Blog: Better Fruit Trees, Better Hunting

This week Adam discusses how to make your deer seasons fruitful! Learn more about successful tree plots here!

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Tip of the Week:

Ensure your HotZone fence works, fuel up a weed eater and trim back the soybeans under the fence!

We all know the attractiveness of fruit trees for wildlife, but it becomes even more clear when they’re spending the night standing in the yard just to eat fruit! Earlier this week I placed a Reconyx camera next to a couple peach trees I suspected deer to be using. These two trees are bearing a lot of fruit and are a great reminder of the advantages to having tree plots!

• Deer love high quality fruit from a tree plot!
• Pruning is very important in improving the quality and life of a fruit tree.
• Tree plots can create a hunting hot spot.
• Selecting the appropriate species, finding the right location and maintaining the trees are all factors in great tree plots!

For love of the land and Glory to God,

Adam

Last week we discussed how the use of prescribed fire in the timber can increase the amount of native vegetation available to the wildlife. This week we dive deeper into what prescribed fire can offer. We use this tool to increase both poult and fawn survival rates. Native vegetation provides a canopy of cover that poults easily walk underneath. This shelters poults from the many predators from above. Removing the duff layer exposes small insects, bugs, and grubs. This allows poults to feed and move safely in these areas. Deer live their lives between ground level and the three foot mark. The vegetation in the burn unit is already several feet tall, making these areas much more attractive to fawns and mature deer. What was an area of limited productivity is now converted into habitat that will benefit many forms of wildlife in multiple ways.

GrowingDeer together,

Matt

New Video

This week we’ve rolled up the sleeves and gotten to work transforming our largest food plot! What was once a fragmented plot has now become an extremely huntable location. Watch to see how we strategically improve this food plot for better deer hunting this fall.

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Short Clip:

Deer behavior is a fascinating thing! Watch as the Reconyx caught these does grooming one another in a clover plot!

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New Weekly Video Blog: Creating Native Food Plots

This is why we use prescribed fire in our timber! Watch as Matt discusses the benefits of creating a native food plot with fire.

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Tip of the Week:

The trees are completely leafed out, that means it’s time to trim! Get into your Summit stands and prepare your shooting lanes for bow season!

When the conditions allow for a prescribed fire, we burn! During the late winter, we use prescribed fire in our timber areas. These fires burn slow and remove the duff layer on the forest floor. Throughout the spring, the sunlight hits the ground floor and germination of native early successional vegetation begins. This vegetation is ideal, full of nutrition and diversity. Prescribed fire during the right time of the year creates a native food plot in our timber! To get the most out of your land requires maximizing every acre!

GrowingDeer together,

Matt

First things first, we must understand that it all starts at ground level. Healthy soil contains essential nutrients and minerals. These elements are taken up by plants through their root systems. Plants transfer those nutrients and minerals to deer that consume them. Our Eagle Seed soybeans are transfer agents for those elements contained in the soil. Poor soil will limit the amount of genetic potential a deer can express. This is why we take soil samples each season to continue improving our soil, ultimately growing larger antlers and healthier deer.

GrowingDeer together,

Matt

Grab a pen and paper! This episode is loaded with information!

Watch and learn as the tips and techniques are shared by industry leaders and the GrowingDeer Team at our Spring Field Days event. We cover strategies for food plots, tree plots, bow hunting setups and habitat management practices. Plus the latest insider information on ammunition, broadheads, filming accessories and game calls.

Click here to register for our next Field Days Event: August 12th and 13th, 2016, here at The Proving Grounds! Come meet Grant and the GrowingDeer Team, tour The Proving Grounds, and talk everything whitetails! This event will get you pumped for deer season.

This Week’s Blog: Matt gives 5 Tips On How To Tag A Tom During The Late Morning

Tip of the Week:

Patience pays off: Don’t give up on a gobbler. He may work in silently to your location. Wait him out and take the shot!

Spring is a great time to improve the quality of native grass and forb bedding areas! We will show you how we use hot, fast moving head fires to improve this habitat type!

We’ll also share some tips about turkey hunting strategies! Check these out now so you’ll be ready to tag toms soon!

Recently we shared the first step in creating a staging area next to an existing food plot. Watch the second step of that process as we move closer to hanging some Summit stands and preparing for deer season!

Tip of the Week:

Get your food plot equipment ready!

Hook up your implements, grease fittings, and lubricate moving parts! Planting season is almost here.

Warning: This video contains information about prescribed fire which is a management tool for trained professionals using the appropriate tools for the situation.

Spring green up is on its way, so it’s time to drop a match. First we will show you the steps we take to ensure safety and success. Watch how our timber ground is improved for hunting and habitat. We increase the amount of native vegetation while reducing the tick habitat. It’s a win win for our deer management plan!

Deer co-ops make your hunting better. Get your neighbors together for food and fellowship. Then learn to manage that trigger finger! Watch footage from the recent Branson Deer Co-op meeting and see how neighbors working together can make everyone’s hunting better!

Register for the Spring Field Days here!

Tip of the Week:

Prescribed fire is a great tool for drawing turkeys.

Fresh food, bugs, and strutting zones.

What’s not to like?

** Avoid fire during nesting season!

Warning: This video contains information about prescribed fire which is a management tool for trained professionals using the appropriate tools for the situation.

This week we’re headed to a western Oklahoma property to review one of Grant’s habitat management plans. This property is looking good, but there’s a BIG problem. Adam, Matt and the Winchester are going to take a shot at a solution. Oh, man, there’s bacon everywhere. Watch this episode to see the results of removing 1,000s of pesky cedars on this Oklahoma property.

Attention Outdoor Enthusiasts! For an opportunity to see several different habitat and hunting techniques, join us April 1st and 2nd for our next Field Event! Come visit with Grant, Adam, Daniel, and Matt, along with several special guests, such as Clint Cary from Tactical Trapping Solutions and James Harrison, who just won his fifth Grand National Owl Calling Contest at the 2016 National Wild Turkey Federation Convention!

Tip of the Week:

Want to learn about trapping, turkey hunting, food plots, and more? Come to the Proving Grounds April 1 & 2. Click to register!