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lanting for wildlife is often
seen as simply planting a
green field with cool-season
crops, such as wheat, oats and
clover, in the fall just prior to the opening of deer season. These plots are
easy to plant and maintain, and do a
great job of easing the stresses of food
shortages after the fall mast is essentially gone. They also serve as great
areas for attracting wildlife for harvest
opportunities during hunting season.
However, these plots typically do very
little to aid in the overall growth and
development of wildlife on a given
property.
in the South, the most stressful time of
the year for most wildlife is the hot, dry
period of late summer through early
fall. This also is when many species are
actively growing, raising young, and
most in need of the benefits of good
nutrition. Availability of quality native
browse is limited this time of year on
most properties, especially areas dominated by closed canopy forests.
Sunflowers should be
planted between April 1
and June 30 in Alabama.
plant diversity by disking, mowing and
burning, or they can be planted with
agricultural crops as part of an overall
habitat management plan.
in most areas of the Southeast, especially where deer numbers are high, openings of less than 3 acres should not be
planted with warm-season crops. Deer
will overbrowse the crops before they
are able to produce enough forage or
seed to justify the expense of planting. most warm-season crops are used
by a variety of game species, such as
deer, turkey, dove, quail and rabbits,
as well as a host of non-game species.
planting at least one 3- to 5-acre plot
per 100 to 200 acres of total acreage
should provide a significant amount
of supplemental forage and/or seed
production.
Landowners and wildlife managers
interested in minimizing the negative
impacts of these seasonal highs and
lows in food availability and quality should focus their efforts on management of the native food plants.
Well-managed pine stands, which are
adequately thinned and burned on
a three- to five-year rotation, provide
great forage and nesting opportunities
for many species. Bottomland hardwood forests should be protected from
fire and maintained for mast production in the fall and winter months. Less
desirable trees within these stands,
such as maple, yellow poplar, sweetgum and unproductive oaks, can
be removed to allow more sunlight
to reach the forest floor. removing
this competing vegetation frees up
resources for the more desirable trees
in the stand and increases the site’s
potential for browse production.
Besides forested stands, a very important component to consider when
managing wildlife habitat is wildlife
openings. For deer and turkey management, having at least 1 to 5 percent
of a property’s total acreage in wildlife
openings should be a goal. The openings should be well distributed on
the property and can be managed to
increase available natural forage and
Wildlife openings planted with warmseason crops can provide high-quality
forage during the most stressful and
beneficial period of summer. many of
the commonly planted warm-season
crops can last through early fall, which
can provide hunting opportunities as
well. However, planting and maintaining warm-season crops often presents
several hurdles and challenges that
cool-season crops do not.
Another issue not often encountered
with cool-season plantings that usually needs addressing in warm-season
plantings is weed and grass competition. using the right herbicide or combination of herbicides before and after
planting can resolve most problems
with unwanted weeds and grasses. A
selective herbicid