Although browse plants are the staple of the white-tailed deer, too much brush can hamper your overall deer management program, particularly when it’s invasive cedar (ashe juniper) or nuisance regrowth such as mesquite. These woody plants are not targeted by deer and often times create problems with overly-dense canopy cover, preventing more beneficial forbs and browse from establishing. And too much brush decreases water infiltration.
However, with brush control comes brush control options: biological, chemical, and mechanical. The use of mechanical equipment to control woody plants will typically result in the initial growth of forbs and annual grasses and the resprouting of many woody species. As a result, woody species targeted for control may have to be stump-sprayed to prevent regrowth. Find out more about the life history of the plant you intend to control prior to investing valuable time and money.
The abundance and diversity of forbs and annuals found post-control results from soil disturbance. Soil disturbance exposes the natural seed bank found in the soil, increasing the quantity, quality, and distribution of plants beneficial to wildlife. For white-tailed deer and most game birds this is a very good thing! However, if hydraulic shears are used for brush removal the amount of ground disurbance will be minimized, but so will erosion issues. This is a good idea on sloped areas with erodible soils.
However, without periodic follow-up treatments of prescribed fire, additional mechanical manipulations, costly herbicides, and/or without proper livestock grazing management, these “cleared” sites will eventually become dense stands of regrowth brush and trees on again, especially if the plant you are trying to control is a root sprouter/resprouter.
Resprouting is good for when we are talking about high-quality deer browse foods, but for plants such as noxious mesquite or redberry cedar, it is not. In these situations, resprouting plants need to be revisited with a proper herbicide application.
Lastly, mowing areas of herbaceous plants with low-density woody plants is another form of mechanical treatment that could have merit depending upon the objectives. However, mowing should be postponed until after the peak of the nesting and fawning period (end of July) of ground-nesting birds and deer.
Estimating the number of deer on your property is premium information for any deer manager. However, regardless of the type of census survey you use, some type of bias does exist. With this in mind, all surveys provide population trend data and some provide more precise data than others.
Today, we are going to talk about some of the pros and cons of performing aerial surveys for deer. In most cases when conducting aerial surveys for deer, helicopter will be used over airplanes (fixed-wing). With that said, helicopter and fixed-wing surveys allow the landowner and deer manager to determine the following: Continue reading “Pros and Cons of Aerial Surveys for Deer”
Description: Cedar elm is a medium to large-sized tree with drooping branches that forms a narrow to rounded crown. Cedar elm grows on moist soils in bottomland, upland, and even limestone sites. Cedar elm loves moist areas but tolerates dry, upland sites well. It’s one of the toughest trees out there. The stems may have corky wings, but do not confuse cedar elm with winged elm.
Unlike winged elm, cedar elm leaves are thicker. In fact, this tree has the smallest leaves of the elms and is one of the few with fruit, called samaras. The fruits mature each year in the fall. In addition, the top part of cedar elm leaves have a sand paper-type roughness. In the fall, leaves will turn orangish and yellow-gold in color.
White-tailed deer are fond of all elm species, especially cedar elm. Where moderate to high deer populations exists, this browse plant will typically show heavy use. Consider this tree a staple of the whitetail’s diet in areas where cedar elm is found. Deer eat cedar elm readily. Managers can measure browse use each year to track deer numbers in an area.
Each year, hunters and deer managers want to know, “What is the best thing to plant for white-tailed deer food plots in the spring?” Good question, but there really is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer to this question when it comes to plots for white-tailed deer.
Soils vary from property to property as well as from one area of a property to the other (in most cases). Rainfall and temperatures vary by region, part of the country. There are several additional questions that must first be addressed before good candidate species for a whitetail food plot can be identified:
Obviously, there are a number of variables that determine which plant species can be used for food plot forage on piece of land in a given area. Although there is no completely stock answer to the above questions, there are some “common” plants that are more likely to work in your area.
Specifically, this article will discuss common plant species that can be planted to spring food plots for deer, although some of the species mentioned may not be available to or used by deer until later in the summer and/or fall.
Sorghum for Spring Plots
Grain sorghum, milo, or sometimes even referred to as maize, can make a great and simple spring/summer food plot for deer. Sorghum is a solid choice for food plots where high whitetail densities prevent most other grain crops from making it through the summer. The plant itself is not consumed at all during the summer, but the seed heads are well-used during the late-summer and fall.
The fact that a sorghum plant is not consumed by deer all but guarantees an annual crop. Sorghum is a more resilient plant than corn and will compete well with weeds — and still produce heads! It does not require a lot of water, so it grows well even during fairly dry summers. And since sorghum is basically a large grass, it is easy to plant. Simply prepare the ground by disking, broadcast the seeds, and roll or drag to ensure good seed-soil contact.
However, there is a downside to grain sorghum. Once deer become familiar with milo, deer in areas with moderate to high densities will eat the heads to the stem just as the seeds reach the “dough stage.” This is the point when the seeds take shape but have yet to dry out. It would be of more benefit to deer if the seeds were consumed later in the fall, but if they use eat them, then you still provided supplemental forage.
Another drawback of grain sorghum is the seed is less desirable by deer than corn as a source of winter carbohydrates. Thus, in areas with lower deer densities, don’t expect the deer to come running. If you have a larger chunk of property or a large number of deer, consider planting some percentage of your food plots in grain sorghum. If you are only going to plant a small area up to a few acres, evaluate alternative plant species for maximum benefit.
Corn: Spring Planting for Hunting, Food Plot
In areas that have deeper soils and receive enough rainfall to support it, it’s hard to beat corn. But one drawback right off the bat — it is not cheap — because it needs a lot of fertilizer for it to perform well. Corn is attractive to white-tailed deer, especially so during the winter when high-energy carbohydrates are critical.
A good corn plot for fall deer hunting can only be achieved if the corn is planted into a food plot during the spring season. And depending on where your hunting property is located, corn may not be the best choice.
When corn is the only agricultural food available, or in areas with large numbers of deer, animals will begin to eat the green stalks and leaves during the summer! This stunts plant growth, deer make this a habit, and in some cases by late summer there may not be a stalk capable of producing an ear.
Not such a good deal if you are counting on hunting over your plot loaded down with ears of corn, but if the goal is to provide supplemental nutrition for deer during the summer stress period then you will definitely do that. Again, it depends on the location and the other foods available to deer.
Corn consumed during the summer is not the best deer food. At this time of year, corn is high in sugary carbohydrates and low in protein. In short, if you have moderate to low deer numbers and the proper soil and rainfall, corn is a strong winter attractor, provides much-need carbs during the hardest time of the year, and can improve your late season deer hunting.
Soybeans for Whitetail Deer
Soybeans make great spring and summer food plots! Soybeans are also fairly easy to establish and are as drought tolerant as grain sorghum. The plant is very good at extracting minerals from the soil that are in turn used by deer. There is little you can plant that draws bucks during the summer like soybeans.
Although the beans themself provide plenty of protein, the leafy portions of the plant are also coveted by deer. During the summer, deer will only eat the leaves. However, if you have a high number of deer in your area the plants may be totally consumed before summer rolls around. Soybean plants are vulnerable when young and if a deer bites off the plant during the two-leaf stage, it will not grow back.
With that said, older soybean plants are resilient and can take a good amount of feeding pressure and still produce seed pods. Of course, once seed pods dry down, white-tailed deer will herd to soybean food plots during the fall and winter.
Deer and Spring Plots
When it comes to spring food plots for deer it does not get anymore basic than sorghum, corn and soybeans. All of these plants will perform well across the whitetail’s range. In addition, the seeds of all 3 are easy to purchase and plant, with sorghum being the easiest and probably the least attractive overall (at least initially until they become accustomed to it).
Before diving head-first into a new food plot project, whether it be 1/2 acre or 12 acres, evaluate the deer herd on the property as well as the property itself. Determine if the additional spring food provided by the plot will help achieve your objectives or if there are first aspects of the herd or habitat that should be address first.
Daylight observations are an ideal way to survey a white-tailed deer herd to determine the herd composition (sex ratios), reproductive success (% fawn crop), and the body condition of deer in a given area. Collecting daylight observations is an easy way to survey the deer herd on your property and data are easy to collect, often incidentally to other activities. Data collected during daylight observations should include sex (buck or doe), age (adult or fawn), and antler quality (number of points, spread, and anything else you can ascertain).
The best time to conduct daylight observation surveys is towards the end of summer and into early fall. In general from mid-August to mid-September is ideal because bucks have identifiable antlers, does are active and moving readily, and the majority of the fawn crop should be old enough to be active, be seen, and be recorded. In addition, this is a great time to collect daylight data because most hunters and land managers are out getting geared up for the upcoming hunting season. All you have to do is work up a data sheet or carry a notepad, carry a trusty set of binoculars and/or a spotting scope, and record animals observed while in the field. Continue reading “Daylight Observation Surveys to Determine Deer Herd Composition”
