Bullwinkle
Active Member
Another indicator is how big his book of business is. You have to plan way out to get him.
Whitetail Habitat Solutions
- Thread starter shaman
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Osceola
Active Member
The first few years I had my own ground, I read all these guy's books over and over, absorbing everything I could. Eventually a plan emerged that used a little bit from each of them integrated into the individual characteristics of my property. As others have suggested, I think this is the way to do it rather than relying on any one approach or expert.
All in all, I think I got the most benefit from Brauker's e-book, in spite of the insane chapter on scent control.
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I enjoy Jeffs writing for the most part. I'll say for myself, from both a general hunting and design perspective, I've taken a lot from his thoughts on hunting like a predator and how to hunt a "line of movement". I think his perspectives are interesting and leave food for thought.
There's definitely a handful of things that he writes or presents that are a bit off in my experience, but that's just how it goes. I consider all 3 of his books and Steve bartyllas habitat book must reads for someone seeking info. I'll have to re read braukers book, I remember being disappointed from the property design chapter but that's all I recall.
If anyone has any go to books or resources please post them, I'm always looking for new perspective on things.
There's definitely a handful of things that he writes or presents that are a bit off in my experience, but that's just how it goes. I consider all 3 of his books and Steve bartyllas habitat book must reads for someone seeking info. I'll have to re read braukers book, I remember being disappointed from the property design chapter but that's all I recall.
If anyone has any go to books or resources please post them, I'm always looking for new perspective on things.
HB_Hunter
Well-Known Member
I enjoy reading every habitat book I can get my hands on. I’ve read all of Jeff’s books as well as Steve’s. Several of them many times. I’ve also spent quite a bit of time on YouTube watching Jim’s videos.
I’ve taken pieces from each and put a plan together that I’m happy with.
As many have said, there are critical factors that will have a major impact on your success. Many of the other tools may or may not help.
I’ve taken pieces from each and put a plan together that I’m happy with.
As many have said, there are critical factors that will have a major impact on your success. Many of the other tools may or may not help.
Your basic premise is probably true - but it is not always easy. For example, my property eight miles from my home ground is adjacent to a NWR with restrictive deer hunting regulations and an immense hog population. The only other adjoining property is 600 acres of row crop. Black gumbo soil. The gumbo soil is a problem by itself. This is bottomland and the soil stays wet. There is usually a very short working window in the spring. Perrenial planting like clover will not make it because of typical winter and spring flooding. If the next door neighbor waits until june to plant, you cant plant any spring crop until he does because the hogs will eat all the seed before it sprouts and any plants that might be lucky enough to germinate will then be eaten by the deer. Once the neighbor plants, it takes pressure off my place. There are no oak trees on my place and almost none on my neighbor. When acorns start falling on the 27,000 acre NWR - the deer vanish. If you pour corn out on the ground - it doesnt matter. The deer head to the acorns. The deer density is fairly high because of restrictive hunting regulations on the NWR. It is difficult to get something to grow between the deer and the hogs. I can do nothing about the density of either the deer or the hogs. This spring, I have planted five acres of eagleseed soybeans, five acres of tecomate lablab mix, three acres of sunflowers, one acre of proso millet and one acre of browntop millet. There might be 100 sunflower plants - and other than that - I dont believe there is another plant resulting from my efforts. I might add we have had .05” of rain since the first week of May and temps in the mid 90’s. The first pic is my eagleseed soybean field planted mid april. This is a month after planting - finely sifted by the hogs. Not sure there is a single bean plant - they even knocked over the cage and ate the beans in there. The second and third pics are on my row crop neighbor. One pic shows what sprouting beans should look like and the other pic is what a bean row looks like after the hogs go down it. Mine is a sixty acre property and cover means nothing. They come here to feed and go back to the refuge. Pressure doesnt come from my land - it comes from the neighboring NWR - and I am unable to manage that. This is a bottomland swamp area - water and cover are everywhere. The land is flat as a pancake - so deer dont typically confine their travels to trails.
So yes, deer do require food, water, and cover - and pressure and terrain do matter - but it isnt necessarily easy.
X2 on Mapping Trophy Whitetails. I was lucky to see Mr. Herndon give a seminar back in 86 at the Hoosier Deer Classic in Indianapolis. He was putting the information in his book together in those days, and that seminar changed everything about the way I hunt, and probably saved me years of frustration.
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Pacahunter
Member
Swamp-Something I learned along time ago is: if ure goals are unachievable, sell and move!!!!
You are describing a high deer density, so an inability to fulfill one of the basic items I described, which is food. If u can’t achieve it, sell and find a place u can achieve ure goals. U might have to move out of county, out of state, or possibly out of region. There’s no habitat consultant on the planet that can make miracles.
My goal is to consistently shoot multiple 5 year old bucks a year, and have guaranteed shoot opportunities at antlerless deer, when we want to shoot them.
I’m in Wisconsin, in one of the best trophy bucks counties there is. One thing I’ve learned the hard way, u can’t make something that isn’t achievable. Most properties in my county can’t produce the rate of bucks I want.
I now own 3 separate small sized parcels within 20 miles of each other. All are managed and hunted differently. I tried to make parcel one a trophy buck destination. It’s probably the best setup I have, but it just doesn’t consistently produce mature bucks. The hunting is great for does and 3 and sub 3 year old bucks. I’ve given up on the trophy buck hunting, so it gives us doe and youth hunters a great place. It’s still awesome. My second place is kinda a mix of trophy hunting/doe hunting. My 3rd place is all trophy, low density, and a fantastic place for old bucks.
It took me a long time but it’s not possible to turn trophy property into , parcel 1. It’s impossible to turn property 1 to trophy property.
Sturgis told me I could turn property 1 to trophy property, but he was flat wrong. Took me 10 years to figure that out.
You are describing a high deer density, so an inability to fulfill one of the basic items I described, which is food. If u can’t achieve it, sell and find a place u can achieve ure goals. U might have to move out of county, out of state, or possibly out of region. There’s no habitat consultant on the planet that can make miracles.
My goal is to consistently shoot multiple 5 year old bucks a year, and have guaranteed shoot opportunities at antlerless deer, when we want to shoot them.
I’m in Wisconsin, in one of the best trophy bucks counties there is. One thing I’ve learned the hard way, u can’t make something that isn’t achievable. Most properties in my county can’t produce the rate of bucks I want.
I now own 3 separate small sized parcels within 20 miles of each other. All are managed and hunted differently. I tried to make parcel one a trophy buck destination. It’s probably the best setup I have, but it just doesn’t consistently produce mature bucks. The hunting is great for does and 3 and sub 3 year old bucks. I’ve given up on the trophy buck hunting, so it gives us doe and youth hunters a great place. It’s still awesome. My second place is kinda a mix of trophy hunting/doe hunting. My 3rd place is all trophy, low density, and a fantastic place for old bucks.
It took me a long time but it’s not possible to turn trophy property into , parcel 1. It’s impossible to turn property 1 to trophy property.
Sturgis told me I could turn property 1 to trophy property, but he was flat wrong. Took me 10 years to figure that out.
Pacahunter
Member
We can chatter back and forth about all the tricks and tactics, but it all comes down to the neighborhood! Unless a consultant has done almost improbable research, there is no way he or she could do a completely through property evaluation.
Swamp-ure saying it ure self, what ure neighborhoods are doing is impacting ure hunting.
Neighbors are a game changer, more than anything!!!!!!!!
Swamp-ure saying it ure self, what ure neighborhoods are doing is impacting ure hunting.
Neighbors are a game changer, more than anything!!!!!!!!
Yes - the property I spoke of is adjacent to a NWR. I bought the property because it is adjacent to the NWR. I have owned the property over ten years. I had no idea that four years ago they would ban hog killing on the NWR. I had no idea that two years ago a different farmer plants the ag next to me and plants two months later than they used to - june instead of April. My property still has big deer. I just need to be able to have a food source for those big deer. I dont care about cover, pressure, or water - I just need a food source. This is an example of what works in one area does not necessarily work in another area. The local deer density in this area is 20 deer per square mile - not what is considered high density. Eight miles away, my home property is entirely different. The one thing I have learned in forty years of professional habitat management - every piece of property is a little different. This is typical of the better quality bucks that are on that place every year - good bucks for AR. Not a place you want to get rid of. Take the easy road and get rid of this ground or accept the challenge and figure it out.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I attended one of Jim Wards seminars and it was worth every penny. A great guy that knows his stuff and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. One of the few people I've ever met with a six year degree that has the common sense of a dirt farmer, and is brimming full with whitetail habitat knowledge.
Weasel
Well-Known Member
Being a habitat nerd, I’ve read just about everything habitat related including Jeff’s books. I’ve read him say many times that each property is different and his ideas need to be tweaked to each individual property. He also regularly says his way isn’t the only way. I hear that repeated by all the good ones like Steve Bartylla, Jake Elingher and Erich Long.
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