Habitat Management | Deer Hunting & Management

Brush Management Recommendations for White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer the need cover and big, mature bucks relish it, but having too much cover is not necessarily a good thing. Open areas are needed to grow beneficial forbs for deer — and deer prefer habitat with a lot of edge — so providing a variety open areas within wooded habitats are deer magnets. This article gives a few tips on things to keep in mind for your brush and deer management program.

In general, brush cleared from better soil types results in higher forage production and typically cost less. As such, before you go to clearing excess brush off or opening up forested lands on your property, do a little preliminary investigating to determine the soil types found on your property. Soil reports are published by the USDA for most counties in the United States and will save you both time and money.

The next step in your brush management plan should be to avoid steep slopes. Steep slopes are not only prone to erosion, but steeper slopes usually have thinner soils and do not respond readily to brush control practices. Use your resources for brush management on level, deeper soils that are more easily cleared, managed, and provide consistent deer forage. Continue reading “Brush Management Recommendations for White-tailed Deer”

Can I Manage for Livestock and White-tailed Deer?

One of the questions often asked is, “Can I manage for both livestock and wildlife on a profitable basis?” Well, the answer is “yes” and it’s easy to implement. One of the primary objectives of a sound deer management program is to assure that plants provide for leaving adequate food and cover for deer and other wildlife during a cattle operation.

Often times, brush management — rather brush clearing — is desirable because cattle eat grass. However, one thing to keep in mind is that deer do not eat much grass at all! But if brush clearing is desired, make sure that it is done properly so that deer are not adversely impacted. For example, deer like a open to wooded ratio of about 50:50, so make sure your property is represented with at least 50% brush or woody cover.

However, keep in mind that the west side of your property shouldn’t be the open half and the east side of your property the wooded half if you desire deer across your land! Since whitetail are primarily browsing ruminants, make sure woody patches are distributed throughout your property so that deer can utilize browse and forbs evenly. Make sure travel corridors are available so that deer can securely travel witin your property. Wildlife will only succeed where their basic requirements of food and cover are satisfied. Continue reading “Can I Manage for Livestock and White-tailed Deer?”

Different Fires Make for Different Habitat

Habitat (plant) response after a fire is influenced by the intensity of the fire, condition of plants at the time of burn, weather conditions, and grazing management decisions following the fire. However, fire effects differ depending upon rainfall, fuel quantity, and length of the growing season.

Several factors that determine a fire’s intensity are fuel quantity and continuity, air temperature, humidity, wind speed, soil moisture, and direction of the flame front movement relative to the wind direction. Keep all of these factors in mind when planning a safe and effective burn to improve your deer habitat.

Generally, the intensity of a fire increases with greater quantity and continuity of fuel, higher temperature and wind speed, and lower humidity and soil moisture. In addition, a fire set to move in the same direction as the wind (headfire) tends to be more intense than a flame moving against the wind (backfire).

Controlling the fire’s intesity through correct firing techniques under appropriate conditions is a key factor in achieving the desired responses from a prescribed burn.

An equally important factor to consider when planning a burn to accomplish specific objectives is the stage and type of growth of desirable and target species. For example, the growth stage of forbs at the time of the burn greatly affects the current and following year’s production. Forbs are prolific seed producers, but an untimely fire can destroy forb seed production and important white-tailed deer food.

Forb seedlings are highly susceptible to fire. Therfore, a late winter burn after many annuals have germinated reduces their population. Burns conducted in early to mid-winter with good soil moisture results in late winter annuals and allows rapid recovery of perennials, and is probably more beneficial for deer. However, I suggest burning some of your designated burn areas in early winter and some in late winter to keep a diversity of habitat.

Burning for Improved White-tailed Deer Habitat

Fire was a natural ecological factor on much of United States prior to European settlement. As a result, native vegetation is well adapted to burning. Fire effectively supresses most woody plants while encouraging grass and forb growth. However, for fire to benefit white-tailed deer it must be used in concert with sound range and wildlife management. Although fire is often feared by unknowing landowners, it is one of the most effective deer management tools ever. And it’s totally natural!

Prescribed burning, sometimes referred to as controlled burning, follows guidelines that establish the conditions and manner under which fire will be applied on a specific area to accomplish specific management objectives. Prescribed burning directly contrast with wild fires that can occur at any time fuels will burn, often under very hazardous (difficult to control) conditions.

The conditions selected for a prescribed burn, such as season, vegetational growth stage, and weather factors, must be conducive to safe and effective burning. Management objectives determine the fire characteristics needed to maximize benefits, minimize damage, and conduct a safe burn.

Timing of a burn, in addition to the frequency, will impact both short and long-term results and have varying effects on the habitat. The most commonly recognized management objectives that can be accomplished using prescribed burning for deer include:

1. Increased production of grass forage (for grazing and fawning cover) and deer browse.

2. Suppression of most brush (to keep within reach of deer) and cacti species.

3. Control of selected forbs and/or grass species.

4. Improved herbaceous composition.

5. Improved grazing distribution if livestock and wildlife.

6. Increased available forage and browse.

7. Improved forage quality and/or palatability.

8. Increased animal production.

9. Removal of excess mulch, debris, and other dead organic matter.

10. Improved nutrient cycling.

Prescribed Burning for the Management of White-tailed Deer

Prescribed Burning for Deer Management

Prescribed burning is very effective at maintaining highly-productive white-tailed deer habitat. It is one of the best management tools that we land managers have in our toolbox. However, many folks get real nervous whenever someone talks about burning their property. Over the past several decades, there has been a lot of negative press regarding wildfires and the “destruction” of wildlife habitat. Truth be known, (wild) fires are a natural part of the system. In fact, plants and animals are adapted to the periodic disturbance caused by fire.

Prescribed burns, however, are not and should not be wild. When setting up a prescribed burn, prescribed fire, controlled burn, or whatever you want to call it, the person responsible for the fire basically writes a prescription for the fire. This means that a host of conditions must be met in order to carry out the burn safely and effectively.

Planning a Prescribed Burn

Fire breaks, fuel loads, sustained wind direction, relative humidity, and safety equipment must all be address for a properly conducted prescribed burn. When all conditions of the burn are met, the prescription is completely achieved, and the area can be burned. When used correctly, fire is quite inexpensive on a per acre basis and it’s one of the best management practices for native plants and wildlife.

Burning habitat is a great management tool, but to really appreciate what the process accomplishes, it takes more in-depth research on the topic. However, I will let you know that burning an area provides an increase in the food value of regenerated plant growth. In addition, it keeps plants, primarily browse plants, at a manageable level for white-tailed deer.

Remember, deer can only use plant material they can reach, and this is only about 5-foot in height. If it’s higher than 5-foot, it’s out of a deer’s reach. Browse and forbs provide the bulk of a whitetail’s diet and burning helps both of these plant communities.

Habitat Management & Prescribed Burns

Just about every type of “brush” will root-sprout after a fire, except blueberry cedar which is good for blueberry cedar control (Ashe juniper). This is a key point to keep in mind. Once browse plants grow too high, much of the production is not within the reach of a deer. Burning an area and top-killing these plants will top-kill browse plants and promote root-sprouting, low-level regrowth, and more energy-packed forage.

Forbs in the area will also benefit from prescribed burning, but the time during which a burn is conducted can have varying impacts on both forbs and grasses. We will talk more about this later.