Whitetail Habitat Solutions

shaman

Member
I've been watching videos on Youtube lately, and a lot of these keep popping up in my Recommended queue:

Whitetail Habitat Solutions


I'm just wondering what y'all think about of WHS and Jeff Sturgis. He's got interesting ideas, but I'm not sure they all hold water.
 
I have watched a few of their videos - and I think when watching them - you have to keep in mind what works for him might not work for you. I have two properties, in the same river basin, eight miles apart that require totally different management perspectives. Oftentimes on different forums, someone will provide input from experience gained working their property and they almost seem offended when you mention that does not work on your property. Accept input from everyone - try it on your own place - and make your own conclusions.
 
I have 3 of Jeff's "By design" books and the first 2 I found very interesting.....the one on mature bucks, not so much as I tend to not have many mature bucks to hunt. The other 2 (food plots and habitat/property layout) I think are well worth the read. Like SwampCat said, and I think this goes for anybody, what works for some may not work for others. Especially when looking at regional differences......I still like looking at other perspectives and ideas as I can normally adapt something to something I can use or at least try. I think you have to take bits and pieces from different resources and mold them into a plan that works for you.....
 
I recently read all of his books along with most if not all of the available habitat management books for sale right now. Lots of similar themes and solid theories that generally apply to everyone.

However, some of his management techniques aren’t consistent with other sources and some that are probably regionally specific . I didn’t find any of his books a waste of time, I got something out of each one. Worth the read in my opinion.


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Ive followed Jeffs advice the past 3 years and have had a tremendous increase in success. His approach works well for the smaller properties (100 ac or less). I also hunt terrain very similar to where Jeff hunts, so maybe that helps somewhat.

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Okay, cool. There are a lot of differences between what I've experienced and what Sturgis is saying. It has been hard to gauge what was going on.

1) Big bucks in my part of the world seem to roam a lot more than what he's indicating. The ones around my place are very nomadic.
2) Where Sturgis relies on a lot of selective cutting and hinge cutting to create habitat, it seems all I have to is be patient. We have enough wind storms, ice storms, etc. That one part or the other of my 200 acres is always getting creamed.
3) If I don't keep a patch mowed, within 5 years it's getting choked with red cedar. No switchgrass curtains needed here.
4) Sturgis has this thing called a "doe factory," and it supposedly inhibits big bucks. What I've learned is to make the doe as happy as I can and they in turn act as bait for the big boys.
 
"When one principle is overemphasized at the expense of others it will ultimately lead to error" is my favorite philosophical saying. I find that a lot of these habitat gurus have a hobby horse that they like to ride, such as "deer beds" "hinge cutting" and "doe factory" I believe that all of these can be important keys to certain settings, however, one man's hinge cutting miracle is the next man's wasted cutting effort with no noticeable results, one person's perception of a "doe factory" is the next person's local "family group" of does needed to maintain status quo. One person hunts from the middle of destination fields in an enclosed stand, the next hunts only in the woods on the downwind perimeter of small shooting plots out of climber or ladder stands. I once had a habitat expert in giving advice on my land that suggested hinge cutting acorn producing oak trees to gain sunlight, in a place where brush and thick cover wasn't in any shortage, which seemed like a very questionable idea to me. The important part of interpreting all the deer habitat management literature and info available out there is to glean large amounts of knowledge, determine which fits best to your property, budget, skills and time that you have available, then experiment on a small scale to see if what you plans seem to agree with your deer herd.
In summarizing, I'd be surprised if there's any landowner that only follows one expert's advice for all of their management work, for most of us it's a combination of multiple ideas that need to be reformulated on a regular basis.
 
"When one principle is overemphasized at the expense of others it will ultimately lead to error" is my favorite philosophical saying.

Amen. When I was associated with Deer & Deer Hunting, we had a guy come on. I forget if he was an advertizer, or a guest editor, or what. The fellow was touting a seminar program for habitat improvement. It wasn't Sturgis, but I'll be deuced if I can remember who it was.

One day he wrote on the forum that "Big bucks invariably bed downwind of the doe." This was one of his master tips he'd through out as a teaser.

I responded with the following: "I've got a woody penninsula stretching out into one of my pastures from a woodlot. The treeline to which it attaches is on the south side. The penninsula sticks out to the north. Doe frequently bed in that penninsula. If the wind is from the northerly quarter, I can believe that bucks are bedding further back in the woods, but if the wind is from the south, east or west, does that mean the bucks will bed out in the middle of the open field?"

The reply was rather pissy. He intimated I didn't know what I was talking about (?) and said I was just being perverse.
 
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"When one principle is overemphasized at the expense of others it will ultimately lead to error" is my favorite philosophical saying. I find that a lot of these habitat gurus have a hobby horse that they like to ride, such as "deer beds" "hinge cutting" and "doe factory" I believe that all of these can be important keys to certain settings, however, one man's hinge cutting miracle is the next man's wasted cutting effort with no noticeable results, one person's perception of a "doe factory" is the next person's local "family group" of does needed to maintain status quo. One person hunts from the middle of destination fields in an enclosed stand, the next hunts only in the woods on the downwind perimeter of small shooting plots out of climber or ladder stands. I once had a habitat expert in giving advice on my land that suggested hinge cutting acorn producing oak trees to gain sunlight, in a place where brush and thick cover wasn't in any shortage, which seemed like a very questionable idea to me. The important part of interpreting all the deer habitat management literature and info available out there is to glean large amounts of knowledge, determine which fits best to your property, budget, skills and time that you have available, then experiment on a small scale to see if what you plans seem to agree with your deer herd.
In summarizing, I'd be surprised if there's any landowner that only follows one expert's advice for all of their management work, for most of us it's a combination of multiple ideas that need to be reformulated on a regular basis.

Well said. A good education involves considering all of the available information. I’ve learned something useful from each “habitat expert”. Some other excellent resources are podcasts like those recorded by the MSU deer labs and forums like this.


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It boils down to the basic components of habitat....Food, water, cover/safety and space/orientation. EVERYTHING is essentially a technique to address one of these. These techniques are just tools in a tool box. The tool doesn't make you a mechanic, knowing how, when, where and why to use that specific tool is what makes you a mechanic! Sometimes you can get the same result regardless of if you use a socket and ratchet, a box-end wrench or an adjustable wrench......sometimes you need one specifically for the job at hand.

Also keep in mind an old saying my grandfather used to say, "Not all fishing lures are meant to catch fish, Some are only meant to catch fishermen!"
 
I had sturgis on my property for a full eval. The cost wasn’t a waste of money. In all, I think it was a good starting point. I probably won’t do it again though. The above posts are spot on
 
Jeff has been on mine and 3 of my buddies. All are extremely pleased with his consulting.

Jeff is just a great guy who is willing to share. I didn’t follow everything he said but unquestionably having a down to earth guy who had a track record of shooting big bucks on small properties is awesome to have give you an opinion on your property. Worth every dime. Wish I did it sooner
 
I'm one of the few guys apparently who thinks Jeff Sturgis' writing style is terrible. I have no doubt he's knowledgeable, helpful and his on-site evaluations are valuable, but I can hardly stand to read his books, articles, blogs, etc. Is it just me?
 
I have never met Jeff or even talked thru e-mail; I see him as a guy that is in there swinging, working hard to find and reveal answers about deer management. I disagree with him on some of his perceptions but think that he and others like him who do this stuff full time put themselves out there are an asset to our cause of creating better deer lands and better deer hunting. They are not always right for my property but I certainly consider their experience and ideas just as I do with all of the forum members experiences in making decisions about my property. 1 plus 1 equals three or more when it comes to sharing ideas and learning from others experiences.
 
I'm one of the few guys apparently who thinks Jeff Sturgis' writing style is terrible. I have no doubt he's knowledgeable, helpful and his on-site evaluations are valuable, but I can hardly stand to read his books, articles, blogs, etc. Is it just me?

Funny you say this. I have felt the same on more than one occasion. I watch and read his material, but sometimes it’s a little frustrating. You hear the same in his videos. I think it’s just how he communicates.

The whole doe factory thing had me rethinking summer food plots, but then I said the heck with it and planted anyway.

His water hole and mock scrape ideas are interestIng and I am trying them.

He seems like a good guy and I would like to hunt with him.
 
I have a parcel of ground eight miles from my home ground. It is adjacent to a NWR on one side and 600 acres of ag on another. All bottomland gumbo soil. My home ground, in the same river basin, is adjacent to public land with no special hunting restrictions, and big cattle ranches on the other side. Mostly blackland prairie type soil. Those two properties manage nothing alike, grow food plots nothing alike, predation is nothing alike, hog pooulations are nothing alike, and hunt nothing alike. I try new things every year just to see how they will do on my properties. People I know living 30 miles away have success doing something which may be a total failure on my place. Listen to everyone, try anything, and make your own conclusions.
 
I have a parcel of ground eight miles from my home ground. It is adjacent to a NWR on one side and 600 acres of ag on another. All bottomland gumbo soil. My home ground, in the same river basin, is adjacent to public land with no special hunting restrictions, and big cattle ranches on the other side. Mostly blackland prairie type soil. Those two properties manage nothing alike, grow food plots nothing alike, predation is nothing alike, hog pooulations are nothing alike, and hunt nothing alike. I try new things every year just to see how they will do on my properties. People I know living 30 miles away have success doing something which may be a total failure on my place. Listen to everyone, try anything, and make your own conclusions.
What more is there than supplying the basics of food,cover, water? Hunting smart, access, pressure, hunting funneled stands, etc? If you aren’t seeing deer, one of these factors is an issue. There’s a little more to it but it’s not much more complicated, at least imo.
 
A few other names that I have respect for:
Steve Bartylla
Jim Ward (who I have met, spoken with and even visited some of his managed properties)
Jim Brauker

I feel these guys and others bring a lot of different experiences and perspectives to us in general. We simply need to take that info and apply it in a manner that works for us. A guy from the New England area, Great lakes area, The Southeast and the Midwest are all going to see things a little differently....simply because the animal may be the same, but everything else is different. Having to appeal to as wide an audience as they do means you have to stick to generalities. This is where and why we have to filter and manipulate these theories and ideas to what is best for our application. There is no "one answer".
 
I personally enjoy reading Jeff's writing, and think that he's very good in person or at seminars. I don't agree with everything that he's teaching but I utilize a lot of it because it mostly pertains to archery hunting which is all I do.

One way that I gauge someone that's in the wildlife management business is how long that they've been successful at doing so. If they aren't knowledgeable, or generally have poor techniques, then they won't be in business for long. Jeff has been in the game for quite a few years now so that holds some weight with me.
 
I had him to my place before I ever fired up a saw. Most of my previous deer hunting consisted of sitting on a clear cut power line and hoping something wandered our way. I read his books, had a plan, and still decided to have him out. Considering how much I'd invested in the property, his fee seemed reasonable. I found value in his service. Some of you with many more years experience than me might not.

It turns out, my plan was close to what he came up with, which makes sense as I'd based my plan on his writing. If a guy reads all the books, then puts some thought into it, he could do the same without Jeff visiting. I'm happy I did it and I'm doing my best to follow his advice. We saw more deer last season than the year before. Hopefully, that trend continues.

Edit** - Regarding his writing style, he ain't Hemingway. But, they are deer books, not fine art.
 
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