Conservation Report Card

We've owned the farm for 20 years now.  My objective has been to improve the habitat for wildlife while simultaneously encouraging timber that has value and that produces mast (deer food).  So the question is, how have we been doing?  

I recently saw this article and it got me thinking about these things. It's a good read and leads to many of the things that I have been doing for habitat management.  NDA What Do Deer Eat?

Over the years I have; a.) controlled an invasive species (tree of heaven), b.) planted food plots (7 plots of 1-2 acres each), c.) did some crop tree release, d.) did some hinge cutting and canopy opening in small areas, e.) planted 3,000 pine seedlings for thermal cover and screens, f.) planted a 3 acre warm season grass prairie plot for security cover, g.) planted various mast producing trees (most of which died), h.) built a pond for water security.

Seems like a lot but as I went for my walk this weekend, I was filling in my report card on how much of the property was useful for wildlife.  As pointed out in the article, what matters to deer is the ground up to about 6' in elevation.  If you look at the photo above of our woods, it is a very nice wooded grove but there is nothing there for deer.

If you look at this photo, it is "the edge".  This is prime time for the deer.  From the ground to 6' of elevation is absolutely packed with bushes, shrubs, and forbs.  This is the kind of natural habitat that provides both security cover and food for deer.

On the right side of that photo, you can see the fescue.  The old pasture is all fescue which is a cold season grass that squeezes out most of the other weeds (forbs).  So there are two deficiencies in our  property for deer habitat: a.) the tight canopy woods where little sunlight gets to the ground and b.) the open field old pasture of fescue.  The deer don't use the fescue - those grass fields might as well be a desert.

I was actually on a walk looking for shed antlers.  The best place to look for them is in this gnarly thick cover which, on our property, is mostly on the edge.

I fought my way thru that stuff trying to follow game trails.  But it didn't take long until I was in the high tight canopy woods.  There have been a fair number of trees lost to recent wind storms.  That will open the canopy for awhile.

Here I am at one property corner - once again a field edge with some cover.

More wind damage.

Some trees down across my atv trails - we're going to need a lot of clean up.  Happens every spring.

More trees down.

Atv trails blocked.

Look at this section of woods.  The floor is absolutely clear.  Nothing for deer here.

It seems that every big beech is hollow in the middle.

More deer desert - nothing on the forest floor.

This is an area where I felled some trees for crop tree release.  I took out less desirable trees to give the more desirable ones more light and water.

The stumps from the removed trees sprouted and the deer browsed off every one of the new sprouts.

Below is a section of tight canopy leading up to a clearing that I made in the woods.  The edge of the clearing gets enough sunlight for the greenbrier to grow (the edge).  Every one of those greenbrier pricker bushes has the tender new sprouts browsed off by the deer.

So I got the old John Deer out with the disk and tried to do some "strip disking" in the fescue out in the field.  It's a little odd that most of the time I am fighting the weeds but here I am trying to stimulate their growth.

I also got some of my food plots disked up in preparation for spring planting.

The tractor wasn't running great but I babied it along to also get the pumpkin patch turned.

I could change implements on the Kubota.  Eventually I will hit those same plots with the tiller.

Anyway, my conclusion is that what I have done so far is fine but large sections of the property are still not useful for deer. It is probably about time to do some timbering which will create some successional cover.  And I need to do more with opening the canopy and disking/killing the fescue to encourage natural forbs and browse.  I don't plan to do more food plots.  Just need to do more to encourage the natural forb/browse base.

Limping back in on the John Deere - not sure what it's issue is.

I do very little supplemental feeding but I did buy one bag of cracked corn.  They need a boost right before green up.  And it's been cold at night (20's).

I also put out one of these feed blocks.

This was last week doing maintenance on the warm season grass - the prairie plot.

I encounter trash on every walk.  Last week it was convenient when I also encountered a trash bag.

Last week heading out with the 375.  It's a heavy gun and I need to figure out a good sling to carry it.

It's been a long winter.  Much of the browse is depleted. 

Even the bird feeders attract attention at this time of year.

A lot of attention.

Deer in the clover picking it to the ground.

An some still interested in the licking branches.

It's surprising to still see bucks with antlers.

The coyotes are ever present.

Foxes.

I had three wonderful daylight photos of bobcats.  I thought that I dragged and dropped them but I somehow lost them.  These aren't quite as good.

An an owl for a bonus this week.

Daisy and I accidentally flushed a big group of turkeys like this.  They were flying everywhere.

Some nice Toms.