Clever Design Of Woodlands Habitat Will Play A Vital Role In Deer Property Management By Preventing Uncontrolled Roaming Across Demarcated Boundaries

By Author: Westervelt Wildlife Services
Total Articles: 43
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Although food plots are extremely important for the provision of food in deer property management, some landowners or managers have a singular focus on that. Serious thought should be given to the complete picture. Management of the entire piece of land, after assessing what would be best for the herd and the rest of the inhabitants of the entire ecosystem should be a serious consideration.
Deer need serious food all year round and become very competitive with regards to scarce food resources, and food plots are often a brilliant solutionto this problem, however the habitat in which deer operate should be diverse and not only a feeding lot. This diversity should include bedding areas, shady patches, watering holes, corridors to travel through, safe zones, and accessibility to seasonal food, creating a variety in their diet. The carrying capacity of the land should be taken into account in the deer property management program.
When leasing hunting land from a timber company, utility company or any other corporate landowner, the probability of an in-house contracted wildlife biologist as part of the land management ...
... team is great. This is a great asset and will add value to the outcome of any well-designed plan.
These biologists are easy to access and are employed by the game and fish agency in every state. Expert advice is offered at no cost whatsoever and a wildlife management plan can easily be devised for the unique needs of the land in question. In addition, each state has wildlife management planning assistance available via the USDA Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) or the Cooperative Extension Service, where a district conservation officer will gladly assist.
Many species of deer are found in Alabama and surrounds and numbers are ever increasing, hence the need for scientific management plans for deer as well as their habitat. Deer live in woodland, farmland and moorland. They form an important part of the hunting industry that contributes to the economy of the area, bringing in hunters and tourists.
These animals are aesthetically pleasing to look at and to be admired, but without being managed, they roam and cause serious damage to woodlands, gardens, crops, parks, nature reserves, as well as disturbing the habitat when overpopulated.
Although zoning is not compulsory, it may be necessary in the overall strategy to demarcate specific areas for timber production, conservation, intensive management, an area for lower impact management systems, public areas and areas for private amenities.
Outdated theories of clearing the woodlands and over-hunting reduced deer in the short term, but it also caused recolonization of species. Man has exterminated wolves, which helped with controlling deer population, and new breeds of deer and antelope have been introduced. This calls for serious management of deer colonies and their habitat.
By knowing the environment well, it makes it easier to manage. Planning is of the utmost importance and although deer management programs are written for a maximum of 5 years, the land management and planning will be set up for 20 years.
The location of woodlands should be clearly marked on maps that indicates key locations such as estate boundaries, roads close by, nearest town or village, as well as future planned developments.
With a long-term plan in place, the vision for the woodland in future should be stipulated, and each step should move toward the end goal. To gain maximum income from woodland whilst providing a viable habitat for deer is a valuable goal to strive for. Enhancing biodiversity is also extremely important, for it will increase the number of subspecies cohabitating with the deer herds.
Woodlands should be placed in overall context and it is vital to build up a history of how the implementation of the management plan has performed against the set goals. When collecting information and data, it could provide a useful starting point for making management decisions. This ongoing time-consuming process does not yield all the information instantaneously.
Outside factors that will definitely, influence deer property management is the proximity of urban areas to hunting or farming land. Dog walkers could have a disturbing influence on the herd. Management decisions will be impacted by how well all adjacent areas are managed too.
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For more information, please contact us at https://westerveltwildlife.com.