Wildlife management never rests
July 2010
Any seasoned hunter understands the investments needed to grow quality deer and bumper populations of ducks and quail on their hunting lands. Premium wildlife populations require special attention steered towards the habitat and the animals themselves. Adequate nutrition and controlled harvests are critical components, but every piece of land has its own set of hurdles, and every landowner or land manager has their limited budget. Even on the best sites, it takes years to perfect management techniques on the land and within animal harvests.
Call counts are critical in spring
June 2010
Quail hunters put their guns and blaze-orange shell vests away better than three months ago for a long period of inactivity. But for the real bobwhite enthusiast, year-round care and attention to the species never goes dormant. Favorable habitat manipulation, plus managing and monitoring home coveys always has a place in the life of the quail hunter. Spring and early summer is ideal for conducting call counts to further verify effectiveness of management techniques and tactics.
Plant warm-season food plots soon
May 2010
Warm-season food plots are already established by many habitat managers, with the exception of a choice few chasing Thanksgiving’s main squeeze, the tom turkey. These gobbler enthusiasts must hold off spring plantings until after the season passes to remain compliant with non-baiting laws.
Expand your food-plot acreage
April 2010
Where legal, most deer hunters elect supplemental feeding, usually with corn, over renewable, cultivated food plots. It’s a fact that feed corn has doubled in price over the past few years. In fact, corn alone contains little nutritional value and offers only marginal benefits for wildlife, regardless of how much animals have a taste for the sweet, carbohydrate-rich golden nuggets.
Hunting for the ideal deer tract
March 2010
A deer hunter’s dream is to have the perfect property littered with lush, natural food sources and covered with trophy bucks.
Size matters, but quality is most important
February 2010
Another year has come and gone for deer hunters. Natural and planted food sources have either dried up or have been trampled down by overzealous wildlife. With the spring planting season just around the corner, February is a perfect time to reflect on the effectiveness of the previous year’s food plots and develop a plan for change and improvement.
Post-season scouting key to finding trophies
January 2010
Hopefully, the 2009 deer season resulted in trophies for many hunters and plenty of venison for many more. Just as they do every season, a few mysterious bucks evade the sights of the serious hunters and survive. For some hunters, thinking about outsmarting a trophy buck ends on Jan. 1, but post-season scouting is a tremendous way to understand where big, mature bucks reside and why they show up in these areas.
Gather reproductive data from does
December 2009
In most areas in the Carolinas, the primary rut is over by the time December rolls around, and the majority of does are pregnant. Many end up on the skinning rack, destined to become mouth-watering sausage and tender steaks.
Replenish nutrients in your food plots to keep them on deer’s main menu
November 2009
A nutritious, palatable food plot will draw wildlife from clear across the county — or at least one would hope for such a scenario. As long as deer are not overly-disturbed by hunters, the herd will munch away on a regular basis, testing the crop’s ability to flourish under pressure.
Food-plot alternatives? Of course
October 2009
Deer hunting has its highs and lows, but there is nothing like sitting in a tree stand, peering through the predawn darkness, anxiously awaiting the gentle glow from the eastern sky. As daylight draws close, the eyes begin to construct shapes throughout the lush, over-sized food plot. There is no other place a well-seasoned hunter would like to be. In fact, a large and well-cultivated food plot carrying loads of mouth-watering, succulent forage for the deer herd to pillage is the perfect food source, deer attractant, and an ideal stand set-up.
Preparation is fall food-plot key
September 2009
Even though a few game zones in South Carolina are already open for early-season velvet hunts, the remaining deer hunters in the Carolinas are anxiously awaiting Opening Day while plowing and planning out the last details of their fall food plots.
Develop strategies for trophy deer
August 2009
As a buck’s antler velvet begins to lose its blood supply and dry out at the tail end of the month, deer hunters need to review objectives and historical harvest data, then decide what their goals will be for the season. Throughout modern America, the sport of deer hunting is becoming more of a science, with greater emphasis on the scientific method.
It’s time to prepare those shooting lanes
July 2009
With deer season just around the corner, July is the prime time to prepare shooting lanes and remove problem trees around stand sites. Deer will spook easily and prefer to travel within areas of the wilderness that are void of human scent or unnatural disturbance. Excessive cuttings around stand sites should be discouraged during the season to prevent big, mature deer from altering their travel patterns. Despite the sweltering heat, July is a grand time to clean up old and prepare new shooting lanes.
Perform CPR on your food plots
June 2009
June unravels the last few layers of spring, marked by warm, moist nights and longer days.
Home
Greener Pastures 
