|
MANAGE WOODY ENCROACHMENT
Any neglected grassland landscape will have issues with woody encroachment. That’s the nature of succession on the prairie.
With a few acres of timber already serving as a refuge for whitetails and turkeys, the first order of business for my rooster revival was the removal of prickly ash brush and green ash trees among the remnants of big bluestem, Indiangrass and the few forb species I could identify. (Note: The Picture This Plant ID App has been a game changer for me in this regard.)
Countless hours spent utilizing the “cut stump” treatment on prickly ash — shearing close to ground level and applying Triclopyr herbicide (sold under the trade name of Garlon 4) — yielded excellent results for this tough-to-kill prairie competitor. Similar multi-year efforts will be required inside the timberline for invasive buckthorn treatment (as seen in the prairie/timber panorama below), allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor for native shrub regeneration.
Likewise, numerous green ash trees exceeding 8 inches in diameter were hinge cut — sawing halfway through at a 45-degree angle to fell a tree with a percentage of trunk still attached — to provide wildlife browse at ground level while creating a living, horizontal habitat structure for summer pheasant broods and winter cottontails.
In addition to removing undesirable species, I’ve begun the process of planting a small shelterbelt consisting of short stature evergreens, red osier dogwoods and serviceberry shrubs along my fenceline: excellent, wildlife-friendly additions to my habitat mosaic. The plants were acquired free of charge from my county conservation district.
UTILIZE PRESCRIBED FIRE
In terms of revitalizing habitat and making the most of grassland potential, prescribed fire is a prairie’s best friend. Getting the proper certificates and writing burn plans is not for the faint of heart through. It took me several years to reach a comfort level that allowed for prescribed fire to be utilized with a motley crew and the correct equipment. Contact Pheasants Forever as a great resource for prescribed fire training and information.
Half of my pocket-sized property is burned every other year to revitalize pollinator species, set back cool-season grasses, remove duff layers, and quickly neutralize any woody plants that creep into the prairie’s edge.
Likewise, our local chapter of Pheasants Forever supported a matching grant for tree removal and planned prescribed fire every three years on the adjacent public lands — an Adopt a Wildlife Area program put to work in my local region. The neighborhood pheasant population has had a strong response.
EQUIPMENT INNOVATION
My initial equipment arsenal consisted of a chainsaw, a hand pump sprayer and a lawnmower. In terms of habitat manipulation, this setup received a failing grade.
As my list of ambitious habitat projects increased — prescribed burns, food plot, shrub plantings, brush mowing — I had to get innovative with my meager “equipment fund.”
I turned to Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist with much success. You’d be surprised at the number of utility tractor operators who have all the necessary equipment available for habitat projects at a nominal fee. I have hired out tilling, spraying, mowing, hole augers and no-till drills to accomplish my prairie goals for less than a thousand dollars with phenomenal results. Compared to equipment costs, that’s cents on the dollar.
The main point: whether utilizing neighbors or hired help, don’t use lack of equipment as an excuse for deviating from your plan. Beg, borrow, hire, and if you can get a deal that pays back, buy. Just look outside the box.
IDENTIFYING THE X-FACTOR
After several years restoration with prescribed fire, herbicide treatments, interseeding of forbs and tree removal, our family noticed an uptick in wildlife encounters thanks to the habitat diversity at hand. But by mid-November my favorite quarry to hunt — pheasants and whitetails — seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.
I was missing the x-factor.
Where I reside, the landscape is dominated by wetlands and lowland brush, with relatively few agricultural options available for wildlife in the late season. My incredible neighbors and fellow hunters, the dairy farmers, had a monopoly on winter wildlife populations thanks to a huge cattle yard and the only grain stubble in two square miles.
So I plugged and played with numerous food options for wildlife including sorghum, sunflowers, millet, Rooster Booster Signature Series mix, rapeseed and others. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. In my situation, the combination of corn (30-inch rows) interseeded in mid-August with winter rye and Pheasants Forever’s Big Buck Brassica Signature Series Seed has attracted and supported wildlife throughout the fall and winter seasons.
On the other end of the spectrum, landscapes dominated by agriculture or other land uses may have a different x-factor. For me it was food plots. For you, it might be winter cover, escape cover or nesting cover. |
