Land & Legacy - Habitat + Hunting

Today we are joined with guests Chuck Mays, a law enforcement officer and phenomenal habitat manager from North Mississippi and Caleb Traugh with Traugh Ag Services in South Georgia to talk about lime, fertilizer and food plot seed as well as a lot of the marketing myths around them that folks commonly fall victim to.

This term is thrown out without realizing what is actually meant by it. Often times, people say they want to maximize a farm, but what they really mean is they want to sacrifice certain aspects of the property to balance their interests and goals. If you don't have a single focus of interest for a farm, then you can't maximize anything. You can raise the bar greatly, but maximizing just isn't possible. For instance, most people want to manage for better wild turkeys and deer, yet they say they want to maximize each of them. Neither could be maximized, but both could be managed for and see some great increases in populations, usage of the farm, observations, and harvests. The point of this podcast is to clearly understand the relationship between the land management you are doing and how wildlife use the landscape. Without having this knowledge then you are asking for increased nearly impossible results.

On this weeks podcast's we're discussing the regenerative food plotting trend. We've covered it before but not like this! Fresh off of a recent consult, we're seeing more and more plots filled with weeds and limited success. Lets unpack it this week! #Forloveoftheland

Combined they have over 45 years of experience managing public lands. This includes grasslands, woodlands, forests, glades, old fields and wetlands. They both manage their own farms as well. They discuss their interests in hunting and trapping and how that has also helped them when conducting consults.

This week we are joined with Missouri Forester and Wildlife Manager Daric Denny to discuss what deer eat, how to create more of it and the nutritional value it can provide. Are you providing everything your deer need to thrive?

In this episode we discuss getting involved in classes, PBA’s, cost share programs, and start the journey to a better understanding of managing habitat with a wholistic approach.

Bedding thickets and need for providing secure cover is the backbone of a solid hunting property. In the timber it takes a distinct strategy to create these dense thickets. However they can’t be too thick that only the edges are used. These units also have to have 80-100% sunlight allowed in. So this week we answer the question of how to manage the canopy while managing the debris load of each unit.

Not every consultation is created equal. Recently we travel to North Mississippi to work a bottom land floodplain forest property. These sites always have their challenges but we were in for a exciting spin on managing Bottomland forest this week. After spending several hours on the property, we were stumped the time being. Understanding the function of a property is critical to then making quality recommendations, but the function of this farm was way out of sorts. We break down how we approached this challenging farm and determined how to best strategize access and plan. We stuck to the Land andLegacy habitat management principles and these guiding principles revealed the next best steps.Not every farm is going to be clear, cut, and dry. This farm requires extra attention to detail to realize its full potential. It also requires a landowner to be humble and work with Creation in their pursuit of reaching their goals.

In this episode we discuss what to do when the typical approach doesn’t work, when it doesn’t make sense to spend the money to fight what you have, working with your property instead of against it & managing your time and money for a higher return.

We talk habitat management 365 days a year because it’s critical to optimizing a landowners success. However, so is a well developed and executed hunting strategy for that specific farm! We tour farms weekly and find most hunters are hunting a farm all wrong! This can easily derail even the highest quality habitat or decrease your success in a great neighborhood with ample mature deer to chase. During this podcast, we urge you to balance your habitat management strategy with an equally solid hunting strategy. You have to be able to determine when not to hunt. The best days of the year are east to figure out with forecasts and increased deer behavior, but knowing when to stay out is critical! Give the three pronged approach a try for 5 years, you will see a notable improvement in reaching your goals!

They are known as man’s best friend and quickly become a part of the family, they love us unconditionally and their only goal is to spend more time with us. Today we pay tribute to Piper as Hunter talks about his recent loss with her as well as many other four legged friends that have gone too soon.

Kyle and Frank discuss a few herbicides that should be kept on hand at all times for landowners. They also get into the specifics of various herbicides and different times and ways to utilize them. They examine the issues with not only invasive species, but also thick grass, stump treatment and more. Tune in for some tips that might help on your farm this summer.

Creating Brood Rearing habitat in ways other than dormant season fires and disking!

New team member Alan Summerford is doing a fantastic job of managing habitat near his home in Alabama. This cattle farmer has grasped the the concept of managing early successional habitat for wildlife and is literally “setting the woods on fire”.

How about the fact we’ve lost 3 out of every 4 meadowlarks since 1970? This is not just a problem for songbirds. Bobwhite quail, prairie chickens, even deer and turkeys are hurt by the decline of grasslands. All is not lost, however, as native grassland habitat can be easily restored across the Midwest and South and now is the time to act. In this episode, Kyle and Frank discuss grassland conservation opportunities and the unprecedented amount of money that is available to private landowners to convert agricultural fields and exotic grass pastures to native grasslands. They discuss the wildlife benefits of native grasses, of course, but also the important function native grasses and forbs can serve as a source of high quality forage in the summer months and as a way of “drought-proofing” a forage base. Kyle and Frank also discuss how most of the once-perceived roadblocks to establishing native grasses have been overcome and that it is easier than ever to get an established stand in just one year. They also take you through the process of finding local resources to help in designing and implementing a native grass program on your farm. Cost-share dollars for native grassland conversion is at an all-time high across the country and if you’ve ever thought of converting a portion of your property to natives, now is the time and this is your podcast!

Using onX features to improve your farm lay out and hunting success!

Sometimes there is a fine line between things we do to take more wildlife and things we do to make more wildlife. Today we are joined with our friend Greg Berndtson take a look at how some of these practices vary from the Southeast to the Northeast.

That means groceries should be abundant across the landscape. Fawns and getting ready to drop and antlers are well on their way to developing. Hunter's minds are shifting towards food plots to determine the need to plant, just go fallow, or return during the fall to plant. During this podcast, we go through the different scenarios that way we face on our food plot acres. The approach is different for us both, but we have distinct goals and objectives that plan directly into the approach. We are planting heavier grain plots that most years for several reasons, but the main reasons are for weed control and for the purpose of heavier winter foods. In years past, we have increased the number of acres in perennial crops, which freezes up more ground to do in corn or soybeans with the intention of leaving grain. Be sure to follow along and get your plans in stone! Use the code "LL10" at gostrattonseed.com to receive 10% off your food plot seed order.

We're discussing the importance of not always following the guidelines!

From the birds we love to hunt, to deer, cattle and even criminals fleeing from the law, they all depend on habitat and we are covering it all today.

What is HuntWorx? Tune in to find out! Many of you will remember out podcast from August 2022 when we discussed what was in store for the future of Land & Legacy hunts and hunting content in collaboration with Greg Glesinger and Kasey Morgan. #ForLoveoftheLand

Our perspectives cause us to view things differently and that’s a wonderful thing that helps us be unique and diverse. But in specialized subject matter ignoring training, education, research, science, and historical evidence and information is frustrating for each individual’s viewpoint. Let’s get connected as we discuss bridging the gap to help hunters see things from a habitat managers perspective.

A discussion about the millions of acres of sod forming grasses across the southern US and Thomas tries his hand at politics on the new burn bill to make sure it remains friendly to individual landowners that need to create habitat.

In the Bible, Jesus uses the parable of fruit production in regards to healthy trees and diseased trees. Buckle up! We're applying it to land management!

Brood habitat has been determined to be one of the number one limiting factors across the landscape. Let’s work on fixing it together and have some fun in the process.

Turkeys aren't doing well in the south east but not according to Alan Summerford

Today we are joined with Jeff Craig and Arkansas Game & Fish Commissions Turkey Program Coordinator Jeremy Wood to talk about the status of turkeys in Arkansas. We took a bunch of commonly asked questions and and discussed them to try and address your concerns.If you care about having more birds in Arkansas, or most any state in the Eastern’s range, you should tune in!

We've all heard the importance of how access is regarding recreational property and a solid hunting strategy, however, despite the importance we often meet with folks who are hesitant to change or alter what they have been doing for years. "Old habits are hard to break", couldn't be more true when it comes to access for hunting purposes. During this episode, we discuss the value of a clean slate or fresh eyes. If you've owned a farm for a while it may be time to shoot holes in your plan if you want to succeed further. With a few recent consulting visits, we provide clear examples of how a fresh start and new roads can be a game changer for success. Quality habitat is critical, but it must be properly placed on a property to see its true value. Tune into this week's podcast to hear the tough conversations about planning and execution of sound habitat and hunting strategies.

We are reviewing a prescribed fire from three weeks ago. We walk through 3 different sites within the prescribed fire units and discuss exactly what we see. We address if we reach our stated goals or not. As you listen along go checkout the photos posted on our social media channels on April 5th, 2023. These photos will guide you through our conversations and the details in which we see them. We discuss the management of fuel loads, the resetting of vegetation, consumption of tree tops from previous logging operations and more. We discuss burning in the timber and glade units. We hope you enjoy this collaborative learning effort regarding the prescribed fires completed this year!

Is it the scale in which they live or perhaps the fact that they don't sport unique antler characteristics? Today's podcast is centered around a 365 day approach to turkey management and what a landowner should do to encourage a turkey factor. We break down the four seasons of a year and specifically the foraging habitat and vegetative communities that support that system. Forage is crucial to consider when managing wild turkeys, but also is how to produce more turkeys. So, we spend a healthy amount of time talking about turkey production and the emphasis it should have when trying to make a turkey centric habitat plan. If you want more turkeys to frequent your farm, then give this podcast a thorough listen.

This week we take a deep dive into the details of each farm, each region, and the current status of each vegetation type to devise a plan to maximize that land's value for wildlife. There is literally nothing cookie cutter from these visits. Each parcel has its own limiting factors, and limitations, and layout specifics. These variables are the largest considerations when making a well throughout habitat management plan. We hope you learn and enjoy from others during this week's podcast.

There are many myths, misinformation, and hunting stories that lead the whitetail hunter astray from what is truth. The truth of this matter is more important than what you may think. During the podcast we learn just how effective bucks and does are at producing offspring that make it to the fall and are recruited into the herd. You may be shocked to learn that 60% of bucks only replace themselves during their entire lifetime. Sure a lot of fawns are conceived, but not as many as you think make it to a reproductive age, so really, is that big buck truly passing on his "genes"? 15-15% of each recruited fawn is also produced by a 1.5-2.5 year old buck, so "inferior" or younger bucks also contribute to the breeding. We need to learn that this complex exchange, survival relationship for whitetail deer is anything we can strongly influence or control. Stay the course, let deer reach maturity and increase the nutrition available on the landscape, this will have the largest impact on antler expression. Period.

Jeff knows turkey research as well as most anyone we’ve met and is dead set on spreading the truth. Why? The answer is simple, he wants more turkeys on the landscape!We dove in to see what drives his passion for turkeys and the habitat they depend.

This podcast is for you guys who wonder what to do if you can't burn but still want to create disturbance.

Brood habitat has been identified as the most limiting factor across the landscape for turkeys. We are learning how to create it, but sometimes limiting factors prevent us from doing it exactly by “the book”. With a working knowledge of how things work, often times we are forced to throw the book away and try things outside the box in an attempt to achieve our goals. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all, and sometimes things turn out great, but regardless we gain valuable knowledge. So, sometimes it’s best to weigh out all your options and just do it!

Dr Marcus Lashley and Dr Will Gulsby have been driving home the point of habitat management for turkeys since rhe launch of their Wild Turkey Science podcast but in this week's episode we're talking predators! We're not talking about what predators do to nests nearly as much as the debate on what trapping and social media may do to hunters in general. Please listen in to hear our perspective on trapping and social media. #Forloveoftheland

On this episode we discuss the management strategies to create the most limited resource available for wild turkeys in 2023. This critical collection of herbaceous plants and bare ground, are in limited supply and must be created intentionally if you want wild turkeys in the future. Kyle and Matt discuss the different ways you can create this cover from transforming fields or timber. If you’re actively trying to promote turkeys, this is a must listen. Brood rearing cover will the impact that improves turkey reproduction. We see it time and time again, the farms that have good Turkey populations, have adequate brood rearing cover available. Time to transition old fields, food plot edges, crop fields, and thinned timber into brooding cover by offering herbaceous broadleaf plants and bare ground. If you learned more about turkeys from listening, please share!

This week we discuss management practices that benefit ground nesting birds and deer. Deer are able to thrive in a variety of habitat but turkey and quail rely on specific habitat types to exist. In this roundtable discussion with returning guest Chuck Mays & Daric Denney we talk about practices that are helpful to both animals and can possibly save you time and money while giving you a bigger return on the landscape.

Put your listening ears on for this one! We have a heavy hitter coming at you as we interview Dr. Marcus Lashley and Dr. Will Gulsby from Wild Turkey Science Podcast. We review in great detail the recent podcasts revolving around the essential habitat needed for reproduction of the wild turkey. To no surprise the conversation quickly gets to the importance of early successional vegetation on the landscape for nesting and brood rearing cover. It was found in a recent research project that 45% of the hens selected only 7% of the landscape consisting of the early successional cover and shrubland. Not surprisingly, there was a 38% success rate in these areas for nests, which is pretty exceptional for maintaining and growing turkey populations! After covering these staggering numbers, we then shift the conversation towards baiting and the implications it has on the landscape and how it largely impacts predators in a very positive way. Baiting is not a practice that we would support or suggest if you are interested in producing more turkeys on the landscape. We hope you share this podcast with everyone who cares about the wild turkey.

It's 2023 and there is an overwhelming amount of content to consume, only one problem, it all contradicts the other. So how do you know which viewpoint to follow? SHould you listen to this person opinion of this other persons? Our advice, do what's right for you farm's ecosystem and use research backed advice to get the maximum results!

As more landowners shift to thinking about habitat work, more questions pop up; Do I need a consultant? Do I need a contractor? How do I choose someone? What work needs to be done? How do I determine what’s the most important? Which practice is best?The best answer is, it depends! Lol This week we dive into some of this and discuss the in’s and out’s of several practices and how to make some of these decisions.

We added to the Woodlands this year, and it's something we're very excited about!

Simple yet effective is the name of the game. From a business perspective it’s, a supply vs demand scenario. Have species demand early successional vegetation, yet the supply is very limited on most landscapes. In this podcast, we walk you through step by step of how to implement the technique of old field management. The most important aspect is effective termination of cool season grasses. From there, you burn the thatch, spray invasive species, and let the sun and seed bank do the rest. Don’t overlook this dynamic, yet effective tool land management tool. If you want to reproduce turkeys on your farm, you need to consider promoting early successional plant communities.

With the ongoing turkey decline and quail numbers completely nonexistent in several areas these days, it’s so encouraging to see more landowners doing habitat management practices to help restore numbers. This week we discuss what we are seeing and some of the reasons more landowners are jumping on board.

We're discussing the recent Forestry Management Plan we put together for our home farm the Woodlands and how we're managing for wildlife even though it's timber. This podcast will make you see the forest in a different light and how you can manage for long term results. #Forloveoftheland

After a long day in the field Matt and Frank review a land and wildlife habitat consultation from central Kansas. This farm ground in the Great Plains region can be good, but it has its limitations. Adequate cover for whitetails is limited. So it’s time to break the mold and start with a new mindset to really up the value of cover for whitetail deer. But deer isn’t the only objective, we’ve got bobwhite quail, pheasants, and waterfowl to consider on this farm as well. We stretch the limits and push hard for creative habitat plans. This consultation was no different. To get different results, you just manage differently!

This week we are joined by Matt Farmer, Public Land Manager with Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks to discuss managing moist soil for waterfowl. In this episode we discuss the benefits of managing food sources as well as pressure these birds face and ways to help combat it.

This is a loaded question that we often get while working with hunters and landowners. It can be difficult to answer as herd density, hunting pressure, and the habitat will strongly influence these sightings. So what we did was go to the numbers that research has provided and determine with several likely scenarios that most landowners can find themselves in. You may be surprised by the numbers or lack there of mature deer, 4.5+ in two common herd scenarios on a per square mile basis. 640 acres represents a square mile, so within that acreage of varying herd density, we tell you what can be expected. The number of mature bucks on the landscape should only encourage you to increase the quality of habitat that your acreage offers. Deer select quality habitat on a daily basis, so having stronger influence over the individuals within a herd should drive you to work hard. Share this podcast with someone who needs to learn more about deer population dynamics and specifically revolving around the odds of encountering mature bucks each fall.

Nothing will get landowners more fired up than a timber harvest gone wrong. The aftermath often last for years and the next harvest may not come during their lifetime. Foresters and loggers often get put into the same category as a used car salesman, but it's time to break this down. We are going to dive deep into the phrase and science behind the dreaded high-graded timber. First we discuss the expectations that landowners who are conducting a timber harvest must have, do you really expect the logger to come and not harvest larger, more marketable timber? Aggressive timber harvests may be necessarily dependent upon the condition of the timber or the past management. A less aggressive approach such as select harvesting isn't always the best option as it limits the production of quality wildlife habitat and also decreases oak production over time. Here are the facts, sometimes, you need to address the issue and stop putting bandaids on the problem. Timber management and harvesting is very situationally based, so keep this mind when listening to this podcast. But remember not every harvest of an oak is a high-grade, there is likely more to the story, but most importantly there is more work that needs to be done, like future TSI, prescribed fire, and patience.

Arkansas has long been known as the Duck capital of the world, but changes need to be made if we are going to keep that title. Join us this week as we discuss ducks past and present as well as managing your property to attract and hold more of these birds we love.