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Mastering the Basics:
A Primer on Managing for Wildlife

By Jim Mullen

In today’s market, the No. 1 reason many people purchase rural land is to “manage” for wildlife. Buyers may own a hobby herd of cows or a few horses, but primarily they want to improve wildlife populations, either for hunting or simply for the outdoor experience.

I’ve found that landowners generally want to take an active role in managing their wildlife. Rewards for this effort may include bigger deer, more quail or greater diversity in the songbird population. They become good stewards of the land and thus stewards of “their” wildlife. In fact, most deer-hunting fanatics I have worked with over the years have stopped hunting, preferring instead to observe “their” deer and leave the harvest to others.

Managing for Wildlife: The Basics
Wildlife management consists of four parts: vegetative cover, food, water and population density. All four elements are critical to maximizing wild populations and should be addressed before you close on your new property purchase.

Planning should include aerial photos, soil maps, vegetation surveys, testing of water for potability and dependability, and, of course, a count of existing populations.

Think hard before you try to introduce wildlife into areas where that species is not present. If your primary purpose in buying a tract is to manage for turkey, but there are none on the place, there is a reason for their absence and you must learn what it is. If it is something that can be remedied easily at a reasonable cost, then the project is feasible. However, if the species is not there because of habitat fragmentation, poor soils or lack of suitable cover, you might rethink the idea.

Let’s assume you have deer, turkey, hummingbirds or whatever on your new property in sustainable numbers. Your first rule should be, “do not mess it up!” The animals have been reproducing and maintaining without your help, so your management plan should not negatively impact what you already have.

Vegetative Cover
Vegetative cover is what most people think of as “habitat.” It is the combination of woody and herbaceous plants that produce food and provide a home for the wild species. This home should be thick enough to give animals a sense of security — safe from predation, the elements and humans.

Cover of adequate density should be distributed in such a manner that the animals can move from their home base or bedding area to feeding areas without undue stress. Adequate density depends on the species:

1. Deer require the most vegetative cover, preferring 50 percent brushy cover and 50 percent open space, as a general rule.
2. Quail do well with 20 percent vegetative cover, as long as the cover is thick and close to the ground with a mix of taller woody plants.
3. Turkeys actually prefer open ground as long as there are tall trees in the area, and cover close to the ground for nesting. Be careful to remove woody cover slowly; it is much harder to restore woody plants than it is to remove them, particularly in the diverse mix that is best for wildlife.

Food
When you mention wildlife management, most people think of food first. A major industry exists solely to produce a great variety of feeders for all species — game and nongame. Landowners like feeders, pure and simple, often preferring them to food plots. They like putting feeders out and watching the game come to them, as it satisfies their need to “help” the animals.

Stationary Feeders
Again, I caution you to think before you act. Stationary feeders concentrate wild populations, thereby increasing predation and use of native foods near the feeders, and sometimes serving as a vector for disease. If you use feeders, make sure they are dependable, clean and properly spaced throughout your property in areas of good cover. In general, deer require one feeder for every 150 acres, quail need one feeder per 25 acres, and turkey should have one feeder for every 500 acres. Wildlife will share a feeder, but it is always better to either provide numerous feeders or broadcast the feed throughout the habitat.

Food Plots
My preferred method for supplementing the diet of wildlife is to plant food plots. These small fields need not be elaborate; in fact, the better plots are often scruffy. You can plant them with commercial seed, including the many varieties marketed specifically for wildlife, but you also can manage them for native forbs simply by disking them at the appropriate time of year. Native forbs and weeds are already adapted to the local soils and climate and will do better than most commercial seed. Moreover, your wildlife will know these plants and will not have to adapt to a new food. An exception to this rule would be cool-season forages for deer. Because Mother Nature essentially shuts down in the cooler months, you can help your deer and turkey by planting an oats/wheat/rye patch or two.

If you elect to plant commercial seed, remember that wildlife may prefer that food to what is naturally available. In turn, you may need to erect an exclosure fence around the food plot, so that the plants can become established and later will have time to recover from grazing. Follow dealers’ recommendations for planting rates, and take the time to till and plant the seed properly.

Food plots are used more if they are small and located close to good cover. I prefer a long, narrow food plot that winds through the brush, offering the game easy access. Senderos — cleared lanes or paths through the brush — make great food plots and see more use than big open fields. Try to vary the vegetative state of your food plot, even a small one. I prefer to have one-third fallow with last years’ dead plants, one-third in new growth, and one-third ready to plant. Try also for a spring/fall planting schedule, so the plots are not all bare ground for nine months of the year. To ensure a better yield, check soil fertility and pH levels before planting.

Water
Water is critical for wildlife in the Southwest, less so in the South. Water accessibility, however, is a concern for every wildlife manager. Cattle will happily drink from a trough in the middle of a 200-acre coastal field, but unless you’re managing for pronghorn antelope, which don’t mind open spaces, your wildlife will only benefit from supplemental water if they can access it with a sense of security.

Supplemental water is available in three forms for wildlife: (1) surface-impoundments of rainwater, (2) water wells and, in the arid Southwest, (3) wildlife “guzzlers,” which are devices that capture rainwater, store it and dole it out in small troughs. Supplemental water should be clean, dependable and easily accessible in good cover. While deer will travel a great distance for water, I prefer to provide water every half mile, as isolated watering sources will concentrate game, like feeders do. Distributing water via poly pipe and PVC pipe is more cost-effective than a new impoundment or a new well and the power to run it.

Think also about how the wildlife will actually drink from the water source. While a trough works fine for mature deer, it may be too tall for fawns and prove to be a death trap for quail. Plan on using low troughs or, better yet, letting the water drip out onto the ground. I’ve found that a small mud hole is used by all wildlife and, of course, provides hours of entertainment for feral hogs. If you do have feral hogs, be sure to armor your water supply; give the hogs free access to water, but protect the piping and valves.

Population Density
Last, but certainly not least, any management plan should address density. If you provide adequate cover, supplemental food and supplemental water, what is likely to happen? Your wildlife populations will increase, either through increased reproduction and survival of the young, or through recruitment from adjoining properties, if you have a low fence. When word gets out that your ranch has free grub, stand by for some tourists that plan to stay and/or for the resulting baby boom. Learn the indicators of overpopulation: reduced body weights, poor reproduction, overuse of native forage, overuse of supplemental feed or just an increase in incidental sightings (animals everywhere you look). Plan to remove surplus animals either through harvesting or by reducing the amounts or timing of supplementation. Once the grub is gone, the in-laws will leave.

In the final analogy, remember that the interaction of your efforts with factors beyond your control can actually harm your wildlife. Thus, it is best to move slowly and cautiously when attempting to “manage” a wild population.