Managing Your Land for Hunting Purposes

1. Managing Your Land for Hunting Purposes Hunters often look forward to their annual breakaway from the boardroom and other positions to those few dayswhen they are out there in the field, stalking thedeer they have been looking forward to doing for months. Of course every hunter wants to know that they are offered a great opportunity to hunt quality deer and other prey. It also makes sense that quality animals will only be raised and thrive on well-managed land, land that offers them and their offspring good habitat with shelter, great food and enough water sources for them to want to stay there. This further means that the landowner who wants to offer hunters a premium hunting lease has to make sure he/she has in place a good deer management plan so as to ensure that paying visitors have a choice of the best quality animals to hunt. Therefore, putting in place a proper deer management plan, together with a habitat management plan on the land you are to offer the public for hunting leases, should be considered among the first steps to ensure you raise quality animals, which is what the hunter pays for. A deer management plan looks at several issues of which carrying capacity is one of those that need to be considered closely. Animals compete for food, water and space in which to thrive. If the habitat is sub-standard, or vegetation damaged, animals will not do well. The same applies to herds with too many animals. If there are too many that compete for the same resources, you will raise sub-standard herds and populations, which is not what the hunter is happy to pay for. If this problem persists, the hunting destination quickly becomes unattractive – also to other possible hunters. In order, therefore, to make sure that the carrying capacity of a piece of land is well balanced, culling deer herds is really important. This is the opportunity that the landowner is looking for to ensure their habitat is conducive to raising quality buck and other species by offering hunting leases. But, a word of caution: senseless culling, even in great habitat, is totally counterproductive as you may diminish a possible good gene pool to one that offers only sub-standard deer. Balance is key. That is why it is important to have good deer management plans in place. It is important to heed all of the important principles that will ensure you offer leases that hunters are keen to get their hands on. It cannot be done without planning. With proper deer management principles in place you may well raise good quality buck and doe’s. So, to find the equilibrium you are looking for means that you have to provide enough food for the animals so that they do not have to compete. To do this means that you either increase the food they need, which is to improve the habitat to meet their needs, or to cull. For the landowner that offers hunting leases, this means finding the right balance between animal population and the habitat where they live. It is important to understand the vegetation, and therefore food, on your property. Deer has their own needs and demands in terms of vegetation. They will thrive where it is easy to find enough food for all, where they have good cover from predators and where they can keep their young safe. This together with good water, will make the ideal habitat. To put these plans in place is not as simple as talking about them. Landowners are well advised to employ the services of management companies that understand these issues, work with them all the time and who can offer advice, monitoring and constant feedback. A good management company can do wonders for the quality of the land and animals – and for the landlord’s efforts to market their land as a hunting destination. About Us: At Westervelt Wildlife we manage nearly 700, 000 acres of hunting leases across a few states in the southeast of the United States in conjunction with our main activity, which is timber production. Our expertise allows us to manage our activities to incorporate good management capabilities with high quality wildlife practices and excellent hunting opportunities for the enthusiast. We have been known for many years for the hunting leases we offer and the wildlife services that we believe form the backbone of proper, responsible hunting activities. We are proud of our history and the ethical behavior we are known for in terms of the land and wildlife that we are responsible for. For more about us, please visit https://westerveltwildlife.com/.