Land & Legacy - Habitat + Hunting

Stumps offer more than just a place to set mineral blocks - they are a rich source of nutrients that deer crave. In this episode, Alan and Frank highlight the importance of mineral stumps on the landscape. They provide insights on trees that are magnets when cut and those that should be treated when cut, making it easier for you to understand the significance of mineral stumps.

Trees have been cut, now what?? Now that the timber has been cut, it's crucial to develop a strategy to restore the area. In this week's episode, Alan and Brady explore the steps to train your forest to reach your goals and leave a lasting legacy on the property.

Cutting timber? LIsten to these steps first! Brady Bradley and Alan Summerford talk about what to do before you bring a logger onto the property to have timber cut.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started, the secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks, and starting on the first one. “Mark Twain”

We dive deep into the weeds, as we discuss old field management and enhancement. Invasive species control was also a hot topic where we discussed in depth strategies and specific herbicide formulations to further improve your effectiveness and save you money with proper application methods. This isn't a time to stay indoors, but modify your strategy with these suggestions and keep moving that habitat needle forward.

We often see hunters "chasing the most recent activity". They follow what they saw as opposed to making deer produce certain patterns in huntable locations. Many hunters force themselves into unhuntable locations and botch a hunt or educate deer in the process. Oftentimes we find that the right approach is to learn the patterns, then place new features around the area to further enhance those natural patterns. This will increase the success of hunting. Stop chasing and guessing, know what deer are going to do before they do it.

These answers help guide us to be able to deliver the best, most accurate, and strategic plan possible. Boiler plate habitat management plans are so common, but not ours. We ask distinct questions throughout the process that keys into whether or not the recommendations are even applicable or if we need to make audibles based on the answer to certain questions. Be diligent in who you hire and how you attack your property!

In addition, we cover the truths about summer food plots. We address their necessities, limitations, value, and alternatives to planting summer plots. Please give this podcast a listen with an open mind. Be critical and mindful of why you are doing what you are doing. You may need to re-evaluate your goals and intentions of habitat management. Be wise on how you spend your time and resources on your recreational property.

During this podcast, Alan and Matt go back to 3rd grade biology to lay the foundation of the needs of wildlife; food, cover, and water. These basics are compared to the needs of plants as an illustration to how each works off of one another to provide an entire offering that allows the plant to perform at its peak opportunity. Wildlife is no different, but there is no point to do so unless ALL the foundational aspects of wildlife management are being met. These are the building blocks of wildlife management

Kyle Lybarger joins Alan Summerford to talk about turkey hunting strategies that were used on previous hunts. We also break down what we are seeing on different timings of fire, fire intervals, and how it relates to hunting, and nesting based on when the fire was applied.

Brady shares his experiences working on two vastly different farms one in Kansas and one in Missouri that has seen 500 acres of TSI and multiple fires since he has overseen the property. The changes are vastly different. Matt discusses how one long time client who operates a high Tier 3 farm is now adding to his farm with new ground, but that farm would score a 0.... The journey of improving that property will be long, but rewarding. Key takeaways are, to improve, you need to first identify where you are at and then determine where you are going, from there the plan will begin to reveal itself.

Big timber and rugged terrain. Kyle Lybarger joins Alan Summerford on a property that is in a conservation easement for old growth timber. As we breakdown the property, we discuss issues with allowing timber to mature without disturbance, and addressing the importance of a sound hunting strategy to grow, hold, and harvest mature bucks with consistency. Sometimes habitat whether good or bad isn't the most limiting factor.

This podcast is spitballing! We cover lots of things while coming back from a recent consult with Kyle and Adam. Buckle up!

Last year we had our Nationwide brood habitat contest and it was a success. A lot of great habitat was put on the ground and a lot of great prizes were donated. Should we have another contest this year? Let us know your thoughts!

We're joined by chainsaw Chad on this podcast to discuss recent work at the Whistling Woodlands. We're talking skid steers, quail, turkeys, and all things habitat management.

Changing the growth structure from trees to shrubs by using a chainsaw by felling or girdling will create way more woody browse and structure on the ground than planting any trees! You need to consider the utilization of an existing root system vs a new one establishing itself. In addition, it is critical to understand the difficulty in maintaining quality habitat once trees have been planted. Keep an open mind and really grasp the short- term gains vs. the long term play!

Often times prescribed fire is the technique that gets hired out to contractors by landowners. They think fire is too dangerous, but they forget about the complications of hiring a burn crew to complete the burns. In comparison, most landowners want to tackle the TSI and run a chainsaw because they feel more confident doing so. At the end of the day, they forget that TSI is less commonly used than fire and TSI without follow-up fire is offering half of the value. Learning both TSI and fire is important as a landowner, but if you pick one, pick fire and hire out the TSI!

Duck season has come to an end once again, and several are unhappy with the way their season went and are wondering what’s going on. Today we sit down with Luke Naylor from the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission to discuss Federal parameters, duck numbers, pressure and habitat. Join us as we take a look inside the complexity of how this all works.

Reporting LIVE from the Quest Hunt Co baquest in Springfield, Mo, we answer habitat questions from across the country! We welcome the audience to participate with their habitat related questions, we discuss topics from burning old fields, forbs relative to whitetails diets, sanctuaries, poor forest regeneration, addressing overpopulation of deer, and many more topics. The answers to these questions may surprise you, so listen closely!

It’s no secret that prescribed fire is a great thing for wildlife and that the majority of each state is mostly privately owned. So, the push for more landowners burning each year is vital. Recently there has been some great news for the landowners in Arkansas. Join us as we discuss some regulation changes and a new organization that we are happy to have been a part of. Who knows, maybe you can push to apply some of this in your state.

We cover topics such as intense turkey management, small property management, thinning pines, dense-secure cover, large farm vs. small farm management and much more! If you want to learn more regarding our consultation services, please reach out to us at [email protected]

This is ground-breaking, legacy-minded conservation efforts that will change the environment, water quality, wildlife populations and much more. The H2 program from Roeslein Alternative Energy is making waves to convert prairie and cover crop biomass into natural gas that can be used to fuel America. To discuss this we are joined by Steve Mowry a Land & Legacy client and the Director of this program to discuss the ins and outs of how the program works.We hope that you all join us in the mission to bring 30 million acres back to grasslands in the next 30 years from a dream to a reality. Please share this podcast with landowners who can sign up or make the effort to learn more about this program. Do your part to participate!

Everyone is aware of grade cards, but have you ever applied it to your farm and more specifically to each feature of your farm?

I see this phrase every time I open social media. It seems that no matter where it happens, someone is complaining about the government “ruining their hunting” by logging or TSI work. Today we dive into why timber thinning is necessary, what happens when it isn’t cut and is someone really “lining their pockets” from a timber sale.

On this podcast we discuss a multitude of things we've ran into these last few weeks.

Alan and Brady discuss the steps they are taking with their children to ensure the legacy lives on. They share some great hunts and discuss the steps they took ahead of time to ensure their children were successful and hooked from the beginning.

Landownership can be a long journey for a hunter. You should be prepared for this and all the stages that follow. We discuss this 10 year journey for Ben as he acquires Blackjack, a 42 acre hunting parcel in South Central Iowa. There is also a corresponding successful hunt posted on the Whitetail Properties Youtube page that you will want to watch after hearing this story unfold!

Whether you’ve purchased a new property, or recently decided to start managing a property you’ve had for a while, there are always questions about what to do and where to start. Join us as we break down the steps we like to take when deciding how to get started managing a property for wildlife. And it doesn’t have to be work, we think it’s as fun as the hunt!

On this week's podcast Matt and Brady discuss what the term Diversity actually means! This term has been hijacked over the last few years; the meaning and importance of diversity has been compromised and it's time to set the record straight. Diversity is not crop fields, timber, a creek bottom, and pasture all wrapped up in the boundary of any given property. We are attempting to steer the term "diversity" away from being the next "hinge-cut" buzzword by defining what it is specifically, and what it is not! Diversity is like layers of an onion! It is deep and offers immense variety to vegetative species. forbs, grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees all arranged in a naturally occurring order. Slope, elevation, canopy opening percentage, etc are all additional variables to how diversity is influenced. Your management plan should consider this greatly if you understand the true meaning of offering diverse habitat on your recreational property.

Options for those seasons when shooter bucks seem scarce or non-existent on your farm. Focusing on antlerless harvest, working on habitat, trying alternative activities to steer deer movements or retain young bucks on your farm. All these are options that can turn a poor season into a great use of your time.

Going from one Tier to another is critical. Most times we see folks applying the right techniques, but all at the wrong times. This leads to poor responses from those techniques. Remember, what you do should build upon what has already been created. Without a foundation of solid habitat, your efforts will be futile.Therefore, be diligent and learn how to properly execute the right habitat management strategies at the proper time. This will graduate the property up the Farm Tier levels we've discussed in Part 1 of this podcast series.

There has never been a way to truly evaluate a recreational farm, until now. We developed a Farm Tier system to evaluate where your property stands in the spectrum of management. You've probably wondered how much better can I make this or even what can I do to improve this place, or perhaps you're misguided and think you've done more than you have. This guide or roadmap will help you evaluate where you are at and most importantly, what's next! Land management for whitetail deer is a journey, it's not a static place, but to advance you need to know where you stand and where you are headed. Please take time to evaluate your position on this spectrum. Be critical and honest with yourself. There is often a large percent of people willing to make changes, but focus on the wrong things to advance themselves, this podcast will help solve that! Enjoy and share this podcast with your recreational landowning friends! #ForLoveoftheLand

10 years ago this 40 acre parcel was overgrazed pastures, now it is holding bucks and attracting them from miles away when the pressure of deer season gets going. No acreage is too small to manage. Secure areas are critical to offer on these smaller acreages and you will see why when a mature 10-pt is daylight all over this farm. If you have small acreage, don't consider it a lost cause. This story of success in a tough neighborhood will be enough to fuel you to take the same steps and hopefully yield similar success.

A state wildlife biologist or local NRSC agent assists landowners daily. They work to improve habitat and dish out cost-share dollars that improved habitat, but they have boundaries and restrictions in how they can assist. In comparison, private consultants work directly for and on behalf of the landowners goals without restrictions based on specs that have been written within the EQIP program. Our consultants also work to address the entire farm and its operation and huntability. We intentionally address the habitat to directly improve the huntability of a farm, not max out habitat and hope it hunts well. We hope this podcast is revealing and helpful to the landowners listening. There are two separate roles and ways to work. Make sure you understand where you are at and how you can maximize your time and future.

Discussing shrub motts, food plots, rut timing and Merry Christmas

Plus we discuss finding the buck at the end of the blood trail and it not being what we expected which seems to happen a lot. Have ground gremlins ever got a hold of your buck before you got to him?

Want the most success on limited time? Don't sleep on late season.

Changing perspectives, mindsets, attitudes, improving knowledge, and addressing fears is never easy. It's always difficult to do, so today we discuss these hot button issues. Oftentimes these issues keep people from experiencing the success that they think they could have or perhaps have earned. Looking at ourselves in the mirror is priority number one. Don't keep pointing the finger at every other issue. The habitat will change once we agree it needs to change, learn how to change it, and then motivate ourselves to put in the hardwork! Please share this with someone who needs to hear this message! #ForLoveoftheLand

After the trigger pulled the work usually starts, but there are always ways to make the work easier. This week we discuss improvements to the skjinning shed and tools that can make a dreadful process enjoyable.

There are things to look for when buying a property if you want old deer. Small tracts mean more neighbors which can mean more problems

We're breaking down how this calendar will help you with your planning to make better habitat.

With deer season in full swing across much of the country, and most sportsmen's minds focused on pursuing them, we commonly hear some of the same old stuff about their behavior. Things like "The rut is going to be early this year," or "according to the moon guide, tomorrow mornings not worth hunting."

We've been working with our friend Ryan Kirby to make this happen and we couldn't be more proud of this piece. Be sure to pick yours up at shoplandandlegacy.com

Often we are left frustrated when our DNR fails to meet our expectations. But are those expectations reasonable and properly assigned? What can a DNR actually do? We discuss our misplaced expectations, DNR ability, policing ourselves and taking action without dependence on the government agency.

The number one goal that landowners come to us seeking assistance on is growing and harvesting mature deer CONSISTENTLY. However, many fail to realize off the bat the need to first allow more deer to reach the necessary age class of 5.5 or older. Rarely do we walk into a situation where someone has an adequate number of mature deer existing within the deer herd. So with this podcast, we break down the do's and dont's of producing more mature deer on your property. A landowner must adopt and apply the following points in most landscapes. Tag soup is not a step backwards. Guests should be held to the same standard as the landowner. Adopt self-imposed regulations that are more restrictive than the state regulations. Get neighbors on board with passing younger deer. Increase overall deer herd numbers. And many more key steps, be sure to give this podcast a listen and a share with neighbors and friends.

The rut can be frustrating if you don't have cover. It can be frustrating even if you do have cover but we're discussing ways to create success on your farm this rut!

There was no shortage of history with this 6.5 year old buck! The trail camera photos were numerous, but the location in which this buck was using was a hard to reach ridge top funnel! Yet, success was had due to understanding the land, clearcuts, thermals, and a disciplined hunting strategy! After years of watching this buck in a tough to hunt area, Alan decided to make some changes to the property. Alan converted an existing food plot into a wildlife opening that improved access into this stand location. Even though is was improved, Alan still had to wait for the right time of the year and weather/wind to move in. He was given the right conditions and made the most out of it with a 6.5 year worked a scrape line to nearly the base of his tree. Be sure to give this a listen as you hear some important details to follow on the recovery! We hope you enjoy this podcast and learn to improve the land first to improve your hunting! #ForLoveoftheLand

After obtaining a new parcel just over a year and a half ago, Brad got to work quickly. A timber harvest was conducted as well as the transformation of pasture ground to both agricultural land and old field management. The new crops included corn and alfalfa for 2023, but the layout of these is key to the huntability of the farm. After the logging was completed, bedding thickets were installed and the new structure was holding deer on this 95 acre parcel. During a mid-October hunt, a hit list buck for Brad stepped out to the plot and worked a scrape! To hear in more detail about the habitat management practices that took place as well as the hunt strategy, take a listen to this podcast! #ForLoveoftheLand

Summer has ended, fall is in full swing. The deer are starting to chase and the ducks are on the move. We are working hard to finish up late season habitat projects so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

To be successful, you have to hunt undetected. Therefore, you need consider where you wind is blowing at all times. This means that there is a very distinct need to a manage for dormant season voids. These areas can be diverse pastures, frequently burned early successional areas, or areas that have had many of the mast producing trees cut. Deer relate there activity direct to topography and vegetation, it is up to the landowner to find the balance of habitat improvement and funneling deer in killable locations. This podcast takes you on a deep dive manage those down wind acres of the annual harvest locations on the farm. We hope you enjoy and share this podcast! Tag a landowner you know who is looking for more land management information.