Farm Wildlife Management and Food Plots

Transcription

1 Farm Wildlife Management and Food Plots

2 Farm Wildlife Management Managing farm land specifically for wildlife. Controlled burns Native warm season grasses Riparian areas Timber harvest Food plots Photo: Kentucky Bobwhite Battalion

3 Farm Wildlife Management Fire What many species were used to before European settlement. Creates a mosaic of habitats. Uniformity is not suggested Creates bare ground and helps promote warm season grass growth

4 tn.gov Farm wildlife management Warm season grasses/weeds Little bluestem Big bluestem Switchgrass Provides bare ground, nesting cover, and food source

5 Farm Wildlife Management Riparian Areas Fence off, plant trees and native warm season grasses Reduces runoff and erosion on cattle farms Provides food and nesting cover for hydrophilic species. Azgfd.gov

6 Farm Wildlife management Food Plots Attract animals for hunting Producing trophy deer Produce a feeling you are helping wildlife Attracting to watch or photograph Photo: John Hast

7 Things to think about Food plots ¼ to ½ acre Close to escape cover Prepare good seedbed Do soil test & amend Keep weeds out Do not sow too deep (1/4 ) Photo: John Hast

8 INTERSPERSION INDEX AND WILDLIFE HEADQUARTERS Interspersion Index: gives crude idea of amount of edge habitat on farm Wildlife Headquarters: where 3 or more habits intersect (meet); can be valuable areas of farms and other habitat mosaics

9 Why Food Plots? Why are you putting them in? Is food limiting? Do you want to attract to hunt? Do you want to grow a larger herd? Do you want bucks with larger antlers?

10 Baiting/Feeding viewing/photographing/hunting Not a biologically sound management technique Why? Concentrates animals Two main problems Disease Animal Health Concerns

11 Disease CWD (CO private citizens feeding contributed to 49 cases of CWD) neurological disease in cervids Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathies, or prion disease Weight loss over time, altered behavior, salivation

12 Chronic Wasting Disease

13 Disease Bovine TB (Michigan) Nose to nose contact, or close proximity Also through digestion of raw milk Can infect animals across different families Weight loss, coughing, fever, swollen nodes

14 Bovine Tuberculosis

15 Demodectic Mange Demodectic mange feeding sites in Maine) Caused by a demodex mite Hair loss, skin thickening and lesions Not fatal

16 Disease Aflatoxin (lower reproduction in deer biggest concern with native birds) TX 40% of bags tested had high levels illegal for domestic livestock, 20% had enough levels to kill native birds Causes cirrhosis

17 Aflatoxin

18 Affects of Non-target Species Decreased songbird abundance & diversity in areas with high deer density Not only concentrates deer, also concentrates predators increased predation on eggs & poults

19 Social & Ethical Considerations Is hunting over bait ethical? Does it violate the principle of fair chase? Will you shoot a bigger trophy deer? (probably not research shows they avoid these areas and travel at night) Providing ammunition to non-hunting community (which is the majority of Americans)

20 Farm Wildlife Management Is it worth it or should you put your $ and time into managing habitat? Are you getting what you pay for? Are you really benefiting wildlife populations?

21 Small Game (Quail) $ better spent on nesting/brood rearing/winter habitat --- native warm season grasses Annual food plots Cowpeas, Austrian winter peas, buckwheat, Egyptian wheat, proso or browntop millet, partridge pea Three year rotation (plant every third year, let idle for two years)

22 Wild Turkey Clover/legume is best (insects) Chufa Not the miracle forage it is sold as Limited use to sandy or sandy/loam soils

23 Mourning Doves Strict guidelines related to baiting USFWS Only on lands where normal agricultural practices If top seeding or broadcasting watch rates (normal ag practices) no piles Standing crops Wildlife food plots if documented via state, etc.