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...
If you’re in the market for hunting land – or if you’re selling your farm – finding a good real estate agent who understands your goals is a huge benefit. But a hunting-land agent has a different job description than a traditional real estate agent showing a 3-bedroom / 2-bath...
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’re imagining it right now. A 50-acre tract of pristine hunting real estate. That shiny, newly printed deed sparkling when the light hits it just right. And a big buck up on the wall the first year of hunting on it. But are you ready to pull the trigger on...
Most deer hunters dream of owning their own land, but many believe it’s out of their reach. The thought of buying land can cause a lot of anxiety, but a lot of that is due to a few rampant misconceptions. In reality, buying land is a fairly simple process. At...
Neighbor Billy Bob added another 200 acres to his ranch. Some chump half your age just bought the best tract of hunting land you’ve ever seen. You sit there, sulk a bit, then wonder how they were able to do it. According to Slade Priest, a land pro with Realtree...
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...
It’s gotten harder to find the perfect piece of hunting property, but it’s far from impossible. Realtree United Country’s land pros are here to represent avid hunters and prospective land buyers, but investing in property is a big decision – and there some gut-check questions to ask of yourself before...
Life can be difficult for the landowner and/or land manager . But growing food plots and providing year-round nutrition for whitetails can dramatically add to your success as a deer manager as well as a hunter. Simply put, whitetails are going to be where the “groceries” are, and providing easy...
Food is a driving force of our daily life, and for good reason. After all, we are animals and all animals have to eat. So how does this affect us in hunting the animals we hunt? It really boils down to the food. In wildlife management, food plots are an...
There was one particular food plot deer always used in daylight. The rest of my food plots looked like a vacant motel scene. But I couldn’t quite figure out why this one particular food plot produced so much daytime action. What did that one have that the others didn’t? All...
