We all need a place to lay our heads after a long day. The same goes for big, mature bucks. But not all private land has adequate bedding cover to hold deer during legal shooting hours. Fortunately, in many places — and for many budgets — that can be fixed...
Many deer hunters wonder about eastern red cedars. Do they make wildlife habitat better or worse? Across much of the eastern United States, there are massive stands of them. Do you leave those, or cut them down? Here’s what to know. A Case for Red Cedars Cedars can be assets...
Feral hogs have been around for long enough that just about everyone is aware of the destruction they cause. Invasive pigs wreck the land and edge out native wildlife, and the consensus is that total sounder removal is the best way to combat the invasion. But I can tell you...
Today’s deer hunters are more focused on managing their hunting properties than ever before. But habitat improvement isn’t always easy, and it rarely comes cheap. But there are tricks and tools you can use that cost a little less money, but still help get the job done . First, the...
There are plenty of good reasons to kill a bad tree. If you’re a wildlife habitat manager, selectively eliminating low-value trees – essentially, those that have little mast production or timber benefit – is one of the most cost-efficient things you can do to improve your property. Removing those trees...
Hunters and land managers have been using the term “poor man plots” for more than a decade, but they’ve been putting these in the ground for much longer. So, it begs the question, does this method meet the hype? Or, is it just a good play on words? Realtree 365...
The first feral hogs appeared on our Alabama farm in 2004. That was a single sow with piglets. We shot the sow, but the young ones disappeared. By 2010, the hogs had launched an all-out assault. The corn and chufa we planted for deer and turkeys were rooted and destroyed...
Lush fields of clover, alfalfa and brassicas aren’t the only crops that will hold deer on your property. Once established, fruit trees can produce highly attractive forage for 40 years or more. The right trees produce edible fruit throughout the entire hunting season , drawing deer from a distance and...
Honeybees are a great asset for wildlife managers. Installing beehives on your property will increase food plot production, improve production in native and cultivated fruit trees, and generally thicken cover across your property. The Case for Pollinators “Honeybees play a critical role in our development of new plant varieties for...
Proper land management is like a good marriage. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Improvements are slow to materialize, and best measured over time. It’s a lot of work, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. Habitat is a living, breathing thing. It...
Squares and rectangles and circles ... oh my. Food plots shaped like that are almost as scary as lions and tigers and bears. Trust me, I’ve planted a lot of them. They can work but if you’re a bowhunter, strategically shaping your plots will maximize the odds of close-range encounters...
You clicked on this post because your food plot sucks. No judgment here. It happens. Luckily, while not every food plot can be saved, most failed plots that go astray are worthy of salvation. It just takes a little time. And in some cases, a little more money. We have...
Who doesn’t like seeing – and shooting – more and bigger deer? Ultimately, that’s the purpose of a food plot. Holding deer on your hunting ground throughout the season protects them from neighboring hunting pressure, and that helps to improve the herd’s age structure and increases your own odds of...
Realtree and Purina Wildlife Series are partners, along with a number of other quality companies that supply industry leading outdoor products. In addition to producing high-quality products, these companies are committed to wildlife management, habitat management and education. Bill Jordan is committed to doing whatever is necessary to continually improve...
Landowners or hunters interested in improving their land for wildlife will find creating openings or planting food plots to be the most effective way. Unfortunately, it is also the most costly. And of those costs, brush control is the largest, most continuous expense. Despite this concern, landowners have three brush-control...
Young forest is the new buzzword in the world of bird management and it turns out what’s good for the birds might just be the ticket for managing quality whitetails. In many states, particularly throughout the Appalachian Mountain and Great Lakes Region forest owners are being encouraged through cost share...
This warm-season annual is a great food plot seed option for most hunters. It isn’t a legume or grain species. It's a forb and it can grow as tall as 4 to 5 feet in height. Crude protein levels are high, often surpassing 20 percent. Deer, turkey, waterfowl, upland birds...
While it isn’t common knowledge, beets are big in the United States. They comprise a large portion of our agricultural output each year. They’re grown for many different uses. But our favorite use is for drawing in and feeding white-tailed deer. The high level of sugar (upward of 20 percent...
Winter peas. Both deer and deer hunters love them. They’re nutritious for deer and are a great draw during most of the season. It provides hunting opportunities and helps provide needed nutrition when food sources are oftentimes limited the most. This annual legume is a cool-season plant that’s high in...
Alfalfa. Deer love it. But when it comes to planting and growing the stuff, it isn’t for the faint of heart. (It’s difficult to keep alive.) That said, this plant is a perennial. If established well and properly kept up, it can last as long as three to five years...
