Whitetail Landscapes - Hunting & Habitat Management

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Jake Ehlinger (Habitat Solutions 360) discuss burning, observation, landscape design, and deer socialization. Jake and Jon discuss working on a hunting property all the time and the approach to putting pressure on the property and the impact it has and the way to approach improvements all the time on the landscape.Jake explains the importance of bedding areas, timber stand improvement, rotations of change, early succession, travel corridors, licking branches as he details his own property. Jake explains an observation treestand setup that has given him key information to witness how the deer use his property. Jake discusses how deer remain spaced out on a property and how he can identify individual deer and deer groups. Jake explains with his known setups and bedding areas how to create more predictable deer activity and travel throughout his property.Jake explains the importance of cover and how food relates to cover and the ideal setup to ensure deer are using travel corridors across the property. Jake discusses how deer relate to each other and the relationships that are present every day that we need to be keen on to better understand deer usage. Jon explains cutting bedding areas to manipulate wind patterns for better movement. Jake explains how deer use wind to support movement and how that might change in pressured hunting areas.Jake and Jon explain how to build bedding areas and how to stack more deer in bedding areas and develop better cover. Both have further discussions around equipment to build bedding areas. Jake explains observations around buck behavior, individual activities, breakup periods, and how mature deer act during the hunting season.Jake and Jon discuss the importance of starting with building habitat as a foundation to make a change. Jake discusses the experience of hunting, hunting pressure, gun season, and how to account for hunting pressure when developing a hunting property. Jake explains changes on his personal hunting property that connects food plots and travel corridors.  

Giveaway week from https://whitetailcompany.com/  Contact me jon@whitetaillandscapes.comIn this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) discusses his upcoming Deer Habitat Master Class. Jon discusses the benefits and negatives of hinge cutting. Jon discusses the application of hinge cutting and why those that are naysayers are missing the benefits of cutting timber with different techniques.  Jon discusses soils how to ensure  Jon discusses adaptive design management and solving issues like drought, what you can do from a design standpoint to reduce the impacts of low rainfall.  Jon discusses plants that survive in drought and what plants we want to use in our food plots in these scenarios. Jon discusses rules surrounding soil management and how to create more water retention through earthworks. Jon discusses irrigation and watering principles that will help support plants all year long. Jon discusses windbreaks and how these features will support deer, habitat, and food plots. Jon discusses cold air dams and planting fruit trees in low lying areas. Jon explains how to evaluate microclimates and the benefit of adding water resources and ponds to key areas.Jon discusses his Master Class in New York and the benefits and related content. Jon explains how to design properties around highly pressured hunting and ways to stack mature bucks throughout your properties. Jon details having multiple mature bucks spending weeks at a time on a property in the midst of other pressured areas. Jon discusses deer population, food, and how to ensure big bucks stay on our properties more consistently.Social Linkshttps://whitetailcompany.com/https://myco-habitat.com/https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Kyle Hedges (Land and Legacy) discuss building a better habitat for quail and management strategies to support the betterment of the species. Kyle explains the problems with forest, fields and farming management or the lack thereof that have impacted quail and limited the bird’s expansion and existence. Kyle explains the land use changes and farm use that have changed the landscapeKyle discusses quail ecology and how this short-lived animal reproduces and sustains itself throughout the year. Kyle explains when the habitat is right, reproduction opportunities increase. Kyle explains the yearly life cycle, production, brooding periods, and home ranges. Kyle and Jon discuss weather impacts on quail and turkeys, and how dew can be problematic to survival. Kyle discusses problems with heat intensity, cold conditions, and overwinter survival.Kyle explains what quail prefer to eat and how their diets transition from bugs to seeds. Kyle explains why diversity is critical to seed sources. Kyle details the most critical habitat features and why quail rarely step foot in forest. Kyle explains the importance of grasslands, disturbance, and bare ground. Kyle and Jon discuss the best vegetation types associated with Pine and Oak Savanna areas. Kyle provides specific examples of habitat practices that create ideal conditions for quail.Kyle explains how to develop a property and create conditions that support high levels of breeding and interaction amongst quail. Kyle provides specific plant species that are helpful for quail to benefit from that support insect attractors and physical protections. Kyle explains the importance of fire and how to ensure the intervals align with better habitat for quail. Kyle discusses predators versus habitat and the importance of understanding where time is best spent.

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Moriah Boggess (Whitetail Investments) discuss management strategies for large and small hunting properties. Moriah discusses the starting point of property management and focuses on better nutrition or hunting purposes.  Moriah discusses food plots, habitat, and old field management. Moriah discusses maximizing both cover and food, and why balancing their food preferences and creating a wide variety of options increases deer activity and health.Moriah discusses pine management and how difficult it is to get timber brokers/loggers to consider cutting certain pine stands. Moriah discusses thinning pines and how sometimes reducing basal areas to a very low number allows for ideal forage locations. Moriah discusses the use of fire and herbicide and the timeline associated with either option to ensure vegetation remains in an ideal state. Moriah discusses what security and escape cover looks like across clients’ properties and how to produce more of it. Moriah explains how sanctuaries are developed and where forage stands exist to ensure deer movement is ideal. Moriah explains perennial plants and annual weeds, and why it's important to balance both on the landscape. Moriah explains what plants are most nutritional on the landscape.Moriah and Jon discuss managing hardwoods for deer, and why implementing Forest Stand Improvement and fire can be an ideal technique for quickly remedy. Moriah discusses economies of scale and size of areas that will be burned. Moriah discusses fire return intervals for ideal conditions for food and cover.Moriah and Jon discuss the differences in management tactics in the north and south. Moriah discusses maximizing deer on the property versus quality of deer on properties we are trying to manage. Moriah discusses managing habitat versus deer densities. Moriah discusses how to create an ideal environment and what information is critical in our recording keeping to understand if we are reaching a point of having better quality (animals) on the landscapes. Moriah suggests keeping record of body weights, fats on body, and a strategy of overwhelming deer with food to exceed the demands of the resident deer herd to ensure better body conditions throughout the year.Moriah discusses why he does not become overly concerned with trying to measure the actual deer numbers, and why immigration or emigration is a balancing act but is uncontrollable. Moriah discusses the attractive value of designed and managed hunting properties and why it's important to work with neighbors to help support harvest and ensure numbers in the local areas remain balanced.Moriah and Jon discuss trophy deer management and quality deer management. Moriah evaluates and explains when to practice quality deer management and the shooting prescriptions that a landowner can apply. Moriah and Jon discuss trophy management and the steps required to reach the point of managing a property. Moriah explains the most important thing to do when practicing trophy or quality management.  Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=enhttps://myco-habitat.com/

Giveaway this week Mushroom Pack from Myco habitat contact Jon@whitetaillandscapes.comIn this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Austin Delano (Mossy Oak BioLogic) discuss food plots, their recent radish variety. Austin discusses crop fertility, pH, and developing a plan for higher production of food plots. Austin breaks down the specifics on necessary steps and how to address issues with soils and plants.Austin and Jon discuss more on soil types and related deficiencies. Austin explains customer issues, especially rainfall and how nutrients move through the soil profile. Austin explains why food plots are productive for a few years and as time goes on organic material declines. Austin and Jon discuss the decomposition of plant material, rain, and tillage. Austin discusses amending pH and when looking at macro and micronutrients.Jon and Austin discuss ways to adjust soil pH, the type of amendments and alternative to limestone that can improve and neutralize, reducing acidity of soil.  Jon provides some alternatives to limestone. Austin explains long term changes versus short term food plot examples. Austin and Jon discuss various seed options like mung beans, soybeans, sunflowers, sorghum that can be employed in the field that provide microhabitat and food, and improve soil.  Austin explains why planting the same seed every year can be problematic and certain plants can experience soil-borne disease (club root).Austin and Jon discuss foliar sprays, secrets to amending soil and simple methods to increasing attraction to and around food plots. Austin and Jon dialogue how they design and layout food plots including quick methods to increase food plot production.Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/austind_1/?hl=enhttps://www.plantbiologic.com/https://www.mossyoak.com/https://myco-habitat.com/

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Matt Williams (myco-habitat) discuss other food options in the fungal kingdom that benefit our deer. Matt explains the wonderful world of fungus and how to incorporate mushrooms into the habitat on the landscape to attract deer and benefit other animals, and vegetation. Matt and Jon discuss ideal locations, soil, and related conditions to support ideal mushroom food plots. Jon comments on the nutritional benefits and the related health benefits.Matt explains the type of mushrooms deer prefer and how to utilize existing material on the landscape to support mushroom growth. Matt provides options to expand mushroom food plots and Jon detail’s locations to place mushrooms to get higher interest. Matt explains the benefits from a health and human standpoint and how fungi drive our ecosystems. Matt discusses the functionality of the fungi and why we are missing out on quality food (shiitake, portabella, oyster). Matt describes the physiology of the deer and why they are designed to ingest mushrooms.Matt and Jon explain adding clover to mushroom food plots, how deer see mushrooms, and the benefits of mushrooms to the water cycle and related rain. Matt explains how mushrooms build the best compost materials, which can be used to support other adjacent plants. Matt discusses putting mushrooms in and around food plots, and the related benefits, including fertilizer reduction. Matt explains the additional benefit to tree growth by adding mushroom plots nearby. Matt and Jon discuss concerns related to slugs and why we want to ensure naturalized predators are anticipated and supported on the landscape.Social Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/ShiitakeCreek/https://myco-habitat.com/https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Roger Samson (REP-Canada) discuss improved warm season grass varieties that are available to habitat managers.  Roger explains his experience and natural grasses. Roger goes over the history of Switchgrass and other varieties like Cave in Rock and Blackwell. Roger details the original focus of switchgrass and benefits of cattle, mining locations, reclamation, mulching, and biofuels.Roger explains the evolution of switchgrass, prior switchgrass problems such as slow emergence, morphology, seedling vigor, etc. Roger worked to solve these issues, taking 30 years to establish a breeding program that created taller, erect, and quick emergence grasses. Roger and Jon discuss wildlife uses and the benefits to our soil, and soil habitat.Roger explains the advanced developed varieties of switchgrass, RC Big Rock and RC Tecumseh, and the benefits compared to prior varieties. Roger explains the differences in physical characteristics and the purpose behind each, and what varieties would be adapted to specific site conditions (rain, heat, etc.).  Jon and Roger dialogue about developing plants that can stand taller, more erect, and withstand ice and snow loads.Roger discusses new planting methods and a new variety of big bluestem variety that will soon be in the market. Roger details specifics on plant spacing and why solid seeding stands may not be the best option. Roger discusses options for planting that provides ideal spacing for ground birds (turkey).Roger discusses the cost variances of switchgrass versus other options like miscanthus, specifically miscanthus giganteus. Roger explains the performance variances versus miscanthus and the morphology as compared to other non-native plants. Roger details all the benefits of switchgrass why these next generation varieties outcompete other grass types. Roger explains more on herbicides, combinations of plantings and frost seeding as an option.   Social Linkshttps://whitetailcompany.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/1274817483284551https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Matt Ross (National Deer Alliance) discuss what we can do to better our landscapes and considerations for improving deer health into the winter months. Matt discusses his history at Quality Deer Management and the NDA, his background and land management strategies that support our deer herds. Matt discusses factors that land managers can control and what is most critical this time of year.  Matt focuses on food sources in the summer and fall to support our deer through the winter.Matt explains deer biology and what is essential to support deer health leading up to winter months. Matt discusses deer’s metabolic state and what behavior changes happen through the winter months. Matt explains a misnomer that most are unfamiliar with as it pertains to a deer’s diet. Matt discusses weight loss and how deer sustain themselves through the hardest months of the year.Matt provides explanations on how to techniques to measure deer health with evaluating fat content to determine current body condition. Matt and Jon discuss winter severity and impacts on the deer, and how to measure this on your landscape. Jon provides an explanation of how he attacks the winter improvement to support deer and what calculation he uses to evaluate deer numbers and impact on the landscape.Matt and Jon discuss food preferences in the winter. Matt details specific plants and provides a rule to help support/ensure that your deer meet the baseline diet, and what we can do to increase the gains in the summer months. Matt and Jon discuss what foods, trees and shrubs deer prefer in the winter months. Matt discusses natural ecology and the examples of techniques you can use to benefit your deer and the resultant landscape. Matt and Jon discuss deer fecal matter, and explain methods of how to use pellet counts to measure deer and the volume of fecal matter. Matt and Jon talk about what plants deer should not be eating and plants that are indicators of poor-quality habitat.Social Linkshttps://whitetailcompany.com/https://deerassociation.com/https://www.instagram.com/mattross_nda/?hl=enhttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes), discusses a hat giveaway this week from Whitetail Company. If you want to get in on the giveaway, please email me jon@whitetaillandscapes.com. This week Greg Berndtson (Berndtson Timber Management) and Jon talk forestry, logging, and deer. Greg is a forester and logger, and provides his background and management tactics that are intended to evolve properties as we know it. Greg explains the equipment he uses afield to manage his jobs to ensure he can perform and work is done efficiently.Jon discusses ecological restoration, low grade timber and goal setting. Greg explains how to approach valuing timber and future potential. Greg explains what is good versus bad timber and what tree species we may want to keep or get rid of your property. Greg talks about diversity and what species in his region are considered low grade and explains the market option for low grade. Greg talks about steering the forest in a healthy direction and what you can do as a landowner.Greg explains the human dynamic of property management, evaluating a property and why our forests need good work to ensure that commercial harvest creates better quality down the road. Greg explains the step-by-step process to changing the forest, and how he approaches the understory and overstory of our woodlots to improve areas for silviculture purposes. Greg mentions the legacy impacts of deer browse and harm it creates to better quality habitat that most are trying to develop.Greg and Jon discuss forest health and looking at individual trees to determine what trees we want to keep on the landscape. Greg provides a formula on general and specific tree species to consider when making decisions to cut or leave. Greg explains the volume (in tonnage) that he would consider reasonable for considering a low-grade timber job. Greg the benefits of his business for clients and what doing good forestry means to him. Greg and Jon end with discussions around building a better property around an equation of smart timber management, resulting in better deer and deer habitat.Social Linkshttps://whitetailcompany.com/http://www.berndtsontimber.com/https://www.facebook.com/BerndtsonTimberManagement/https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes), discusses the failures in not asking the necessary questions when hiring a consultant. Jon provides explanations on what questions to ask a consultant and details failures of both the consultant and client and how to avoid those. Jon provides information on his master class and future giveaways.Jon provides an explanation of the significance of designing and laying out a hunting property, specifically building bedding areas. Jon explains the importance of defining goals and objectives for landowners and using those as a basis to start a property design. Jon explains tree species to cut and how he has designed forest land to act more like shrubland and details a specific area that he designed to kill his target buck.Jon goes into detail on how to keep deer longer in bedding areas, what deer need and how to take your property to the next level to harvest mature bucks. Jon explains how to manage bedding areas and how to influence interest by deer, comfort, and wind manipulation. Jon provides general guidance on what deer want in key areas on a property and how the design tactics used will create a better chance to harvest deer.Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en