How many do habitat improvement?

[The Night Stalker]

I mentioned this on the funnel thread.  I was wondering how many try to improve their wildlife habitat. I have planted trees, did a bunch of hinge cutting. The deer really take to the hay field  as it grows up. Next year I plan on planting Egyptian wheat as a barrier around a portion of that field to offer them some seclusion.  I placed some horse panels next to the stream and let it grow up and planted persimmons and strawberry bushes,  wild plums.  I also did bird houses and rabbit habitat with pallets and cut pine.

[VictoryHunter]

You have a good program. Most people will make a nice food plot and the call it quits. That doesn't quite cut it though as "habitat improvement". You are planting natural foods, and creating cover which will in turn hold deer on your property instead of making a destination for them.

[Shawn Leonard]

I try and wish I had more time. I do fertilize some oaks and fruit trees. I also trim brush and stack for brush piles for the bunnies. I have also done some woodduck boxes. I would love to own a small tractor which is coming 35-40 horse and that I would really go to town!! Shawn

[Brianlocal3]

Pre young children it was my pastime. Everything from pruning old orchard stands into fruition, to yearly controlled burns of the undergrowth and a very aggressive invasive removal effort.
One of my favorites is the pallet builds for rabbits and other small critters too.

Good on ya!!

[The Night Stalker]

I tried to fertilize the white oaks but we had a bunch of rain this summer.  I really want to try some dunston chestnuts. They produce every year and they were the #1 mast producer for whitetail before the blight.  I was going to get some of the blight resistant ones from the American Chestnut Foundation but I did not have a good place for them . Now, with all the hinge cutting and the sun coming through the canopy, I might try some.

[Brianlocal3]

I have been looking into planting hazelnut trees myself. A) I LOVE EM B) animals love em. Seem win when to me

[ChuckC]

I have been doing quite a bit, planting various oaks, hazels, several types of fruit trees for soft mast, numerous chestnut trees,  opening the overstory, building bunny brush piles with the slash, creating openings and planting different food plots, adding organics to the poor soil I have in MI.

I am trying to arrange for my shallow pond to be dug, but am running into issues with the state for permissions.

Lots of work, but I enjoy it.

ChuckC

[Ryan Rothhaar]

As a new landowner (87 acres) I am getting started and have LOTS of plans starting to percolate in the noggin.

All I did this year was about 1 acre of no brainer hinge cutting in an obvious place.  I want to hunt it for a year and see what the current deer movement is before I jump in full force.

The big things accomplished this year were getting 17 acres rented out to a farmer and converted from low value fescue pasture to ag crops (beans this year), that hinge project, and 2 food plots totaling about 0.75 acres (in the middle of full force drought right now, so the seeds are laying there waiting for a rain and being gobbled up by turkeys   :(  ).

I have about 8 acres more open, that I did not have hayed this year, and it turns out that it is all a dandy stand of native big bluestem prairie grass         A portion will be converted to ag (maybe 5 acres) eventually.  I have lots of early successional habitat (which is mainly regrowth shingle oak and cedar thickets) and plenty more hinge cutting for sanctuary planned, so cover won't be the problem long term, food will.

Its fun so far, barring some unwanted visits by the locals, but a better lock on the cabin and some fencing should help that.  Not as bad as it might be.  Planning on fixing the 4 ft woven wire fence along all the road frontage with a HOT HOT HOT barbed wire strand on the top.  Did I mention HOT? (Don't touch that top wire     )

R

[beaunaro]

I spend way too much time on habitat improvement, but I love the changes  in the landscape (and the venison).
I've got 3 locations in WI, totaling just over 300 acres. It does tend to keep a guy busy. Been doing it over 12 years and it pays off for the wildlife.
Here's my short list.
80,000 evergreen seedlings, 1000 oaks and tubes for same, ash and walnut plantings, fruit trees, fertilizing, spraying, and pruning, 10 acres of various size food plots, brush piles, timber stand improvements, releasing old orchards, 5 wildlife ponds, 20 acres of native  warm season grasses, popple clear cuts, shrubs and other plantings, hinge cutting, mock scrapes and rubs, bedding area construction, select hardwood cutting, grape vines, raspberries, blueberries,pears, forest trail clover and alfalfa plantings, built several storage buildings, ground blinds and countless tree stands,.... there never seems to be an end to the projects.
Mowing, burning, spraying, tilling, toting water, planting, fertilizing, liming, raking, digging, transplanting, thinning.
It's work I love to do, and my grandson helps a lot too. Very rewarding as well.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend getting someone like Tony LaPratt, the Doughertys, Don Higgins, or numerous knowledgeable others to visit your land and make suggestions, give you a layout, etc. Might cost a few bucks but worth it to learn to do things properly. Tony helped me a lot.

If not, at least talk to others, read from QDMA,and other publications before you get too far into it.Every project needs a good blueprint.

Invest in lots of bug spray, diesel fuel, sun lotion and Ibuprofen, and get out there.

Best of luck!
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com

[beaunaro]

I spend way too much time on habitat improvement, but I love the changes  in the landscape (and the venison).
I've got 3 locations in WI, totaling just over 300 acres. It does tend to keep a guy busy. Been doing it over 12 years and it pays off for the wildlife.
Here's my short list.
80,000 evergreen seedlings, 1000 oaks and tubes for same, ash and walnut plantings, fruit trees, fertilizing, spraying, and pruning, 10 acres of various size food plots, brush piles, timber stand improvements, releasing old orchards, 5 wildlife ponds, 20 acres of native  warm season grasses, popple clear cuts, shrubs and other plantings, hinge cutting, mock scrapes and rubs, bedding area construction, select hardwood cutting, grape vines, raspberries, blueberries,pears, forest trail clover and alfalfa plantings, built several storage buildings, ground blinds and countless tree stands,.... there never seems to be an end to the projects.
Mowing, burning, spraying, tilling, toting water, planting, fertilizing, liming, raking, digging, transplanting, thinning.
It's work I love to do, and my grandson helps a lot too. Very rewarding as well.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend getting someone like Tony LaPratt, the Doughertys, Don Higgins, or numerous knowledgeable others to visit your land and make suggestions, give you a layout, etc. Might cost a few bucks but worth it to learn to do things properly. Tony helped me a lot.

If not, at least talk to others, read from QDMA,and other publications before you get too far into it.Every project needs a good blueprint.

Invest in lots of bug spray, diesel fuel, sun lotion and Ibuprofen, and get out there.

Best of luck!
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com

[Fattony77]

I hunt all public land, so what I do to help improve the habitat is to try to always come out with more trash than I brought in. People are SO bad about dumping trash and littering here! I know this probably ins't what you're wanting the thread to be about, but it's just a tip that my uncle taught me, to help keep our public lands the beautiful places they should be.
-Tony

[NEB]

We have been doing a fair amount on our leased property.  However, half of it was clear cut (900 acres) this year and I just learned a half hour ago that they sprayed it two weeks ago.  I am glad that I have not spent any time scouting this area over the summer, because deer will not eat dead browse.

[CRS]

Our property already has 110 acres of cropland that the renter rotates from high protein alfalfa, corn, and barley.  Food is not an issue.

I have slowly been working on planting cottonwoods, cedars, harbin pears, spruce and plums.  

The biggest issue is security cover as our property is mostly geographical cover by nature.

The plan this fall is to get another security cover plot fenced as you have to protect from the cattle.  Then plant more cedars.

I have been collecting acorns from my yard and planting them in the draws and cuts.  I have planted 1000's of those.

I really want to get some chestnuts started for a food source by the security cover.

As for public land I hunt, I always carry extra trash out.

It truly is a labor of love.

[Rigs]

Originally posted by Fattony77:
I hunt all public land, so what I do to help improve the habitat is to try to always come out with more trash than I brought in. People are SO bad about dumping trash and littering here! I know this probably ins't what you're wanting the thread to be about, but it's just a tip that my uncle taught me, to help keep our public lands the beautiful places they should be.
-Tony

I do the same thing here in Montana Tony.  My wife and I have taught our children to leave the country better than you found it as well.

Happy hunting,
Jason

[Mojostick]

We've been doing habitat improvement on my land for 20 years. Habitat improvement is so fun and rewarding that I enjoy it as much as the hunt itself.
It not only benefits deer, but all wildlife, from turkey to grouse to rabbits to predators alike.

[The Night Stalker]

I only have 37 acres but is surrounded by other mountain land.  I try to offer them some security and a little food why they are hiding from the rifles.  I actually have to many so I need to control my doe population.
In the spring, I feed them some record rack with a mixture of some other things. I bought a cement mixer and I feed them out of two mineral feeders. That way I know they are getting the right stuff why they are waiting for green up.

[beaunaro]

Thumbs up to those who carry other's trash out!
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com

[beaunaro]

Thumbs up to those who carry other's trash out!
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com