Whitetail Landscapes - Hunting & Habitat Management

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Will Gulsby (Auburn University/ Wild Turkey Science Podcast) discuss coyotes, land management, coyote removal, fawn recruitment, and predator-proofing a property. Will discusses coyote ecology, and the purpose these animals serve on the landscape. Will describes the biology of predators and how coyotes serve to the betterment of our landscape and how we sometimes paint a bad picture of their role. Will explains the historical relevance of predators and the evolution of coyotes as it pertains to their specific role in the wildlife community.Will explains small predators, competition of food sources and the niche role coyotes can play in developed areas that have overpopulation of deer numbers, where fawn recruitment is high. Will introduces social carrying capacity and balancing deer numbers, hunting, and focuses on what many misinterpret as myths to the significance of coyotes. Will discusses coyotes’ diet, and the evolution of change as wolves have left the landscape. Will explains the variation in diets seasonally, and the misinterpretation of coyote kills based on scavenging verse predation. Will discusses primary winter diets and the transition to summer diets, specifically plant material. Will discusses scat surveys that he does with coyotes and how to better understand diets throughout each year and what scat reveals about a coyote.Will discusses game birds (i.e. turkey) and the mortality that may persist on the landscape because of various predators. Will explains how difficult it is to evaluate predator kills, scavenging and the impact of coyotes on turkeys and the related population. Will and Jon discuss foxes, racoons and other predators on the landscape and the ecological roles. Will explains indiscriminate killing, if killing coyotes in small- or large-scale matters and if reproduction increases and what other factors like resident or nomadic, type animals are relevant to decisions to manage coyotes. Will explains compensatory immigration and how removing coyotes may be filled by other coyotes, with the potential to increase population. Will provides the scale and size of movements of coyotes and some coyotes can travel far greater than many would think.Will discusses more on predator control programs, and factors that are relevant to assessing the impact of trapping and killing of coyotes. Will explains ideal conditions in trapping coyotes and efficiency in scale and size on the landscape. Will details annual verse occasional trapping and hunting. Will introduces the concept that habitat management is also a predator management tactic, and habitat impacts predation rates.Jon and Will discuss habitat management and the tactics surrounding design options and how to look at properties on a large scale.  Will discusses a relevant study that details forest types and age classes that is relevant to fawn survival. Will dives deeper into landscape design philosophies and options to ensure that better habitat can exist supporting our resident deer herd. Will and Jon discuss fear ecology and the impact on deer. Will explains how this has been studied and deer behavior as it relates to predators.  Social Linkshttps://turkeysfortomorrow.org/wild-turkey-science-podcast/https://podcasts.apple.com/pe/podcast/wild-turkey-science/id1666903553https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Perry Battin (Drury Outdoors) discuss deer management, harvest strategy to assess deer numbers to improve quality habitats and grow larger bucks. Jon discusses time of year and winter severity indexes that impact deer in the north country. Jon discusses carry capacity and what significance this has on our deer populations, the mouths we are trying to feed and how to evaluate disease issues that reduce our deer numbers accordingly.Perry breaks down the volume of food on the farm he manages, numbers of deer on individual farms and assessment on the volume of deer and the right approach to evaluating the number of deer. Perry talks about buck to doe ratios, doe, and fawn.  Perry discusses drought in the Midwest, Southwest, West, South of the United States and the impact on deer and antler growth. Jon explains techniques to evaluating deer numbers and how to relate that to the properties we hunt. Jon explains how drone imagery may paint a false picture and the relative deer numbers change daily. Jon explains GIS options for vegetative plant value assessment.Perry explains food plots and other food options to increase deer numbers on the landscape. Perry discusses hunting observation and the method the Drury’s are using to collect deer numbers. Perry discusses EHD and how that has impacted the overall deer population. Jon and Perry discuss doe to fawn ratios and recruitment rates for deer areas across the US.Perry and Jon discuss social stress and the impact on deer herds when numbers are high. Perry discusses the real issue surrounding antler potential and some of the likely factors that impact deer on the farms in Missouri. Perry discusses lowering the population and buck to doe ratios, and the results of quality deer and related hunting. Perry explains how disease has potential to reduce deer numbers and the net result on the herd and the potential for bigger bucks down the road.  Social Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/perrybattin_druryoutdoors/?hl=enhttps://www.druryoutdoors.com/https://www.plantbiologic.com/https://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=enDruryOutdoors - YouTubeDeerCast | Get Ahead of Your Game

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Colin Koskinen (Legendary Habitat) discuss  hunting season and complications that exist when hunting highly pressured ground. Colin details his soils, tree species and vegetation types that are in Michigan and how he breaks down this property. Colin explains mapping land and where big bucks exist. Colin discusses the benefit of succession and the combination of old field and young forest settings.Colin discusses holding deer on small properties, busting through a buck age class ceiling, and working with neighbors and other hunters to be more successful. Colin explains his approach to tying hunting pressure to habitat improvements. Colin discusses buck and general deer bedding locations and how they use terrain features to advantage themselves. Colin explains the benefits of terrain and Jon explains how terrain can establish interest, bedding and movement.Colin explains the importance of travel corridors and the significance of connecting deer in one location from the other. Colin discusses how to cut and add improvements in travel corridors to ensure deer are more resident and able to socialize and allow for better hunting opportunities. Colin discusses goals for his small property and how that aligns with each feature he is trying to amplify for interest and movement.Colin explains how to build layers into a hunting property and what plant he uses to establish ideal conditions for deer to use and travel in preferred areas. Jon and Colin discuss water resources, vernal pools, natural springs, and the benefits of these areas on properties. Colin discusses non-native plants in wet areas and options to consider to remove these plants (i.e. reed canary grass). Colin and Jon discuss replacement plants for non-natives for higher deer interest.   Colin discusses bedding and stacking deer across a property to increase the hunting opportunities.Colin discusses walls of cover for deer, hinge cutting and an example of how to apply walls of cover for hunting reasons. Colin explains how to cut walls in bedding areas versus locations around bedding areas.  Colin and Jon explain buying land, deficiencies on hunting properties and how to be smart with your buying decisions. Jon discusses picking a consultant and a good process to find someone you can work with best.Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.legendaryhabitat.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbIsv6Orm9cD025IBFx8DWAhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legendary-habitat-podcast/id1613808320https://www.facebook.com/LegendaryHabitat/

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Jacob Newton (Hillside Farms) discuss farming operations and integration of livestock. Jacob does not use any synthetic fertilizer and is able to develop healthy livestock, crops, and soils. Jacob explains his farm setup and management on how to integrate cows on the landscape and how to increase pasture quality on the farm.Jacob goes through his rotation process and answers the question how often to move cattle to ensure areas are not overgrazed, and how introducing cattle benefits our soil and soil health. Jack goes through the process of explaining how to measure ingestion and amount of food on the landscape. Jon explains observations and techniques for evaluating manure and its benefit on the landscape. Jacob explains how quickly cow manure is consumed by insects and what indicates quality crops in his operations. Jacob and Jon discuss flies on the farm and options to reduce the impact of flies on animals and humans.Jacob breaks down the physiology of cattle and Jon compares the physical assessment to deer and how to evaluate a deer’s health by looking at certain aspects of deer. Jacob discusses chickens and turkeys on the landscape and how to increase fertility in pastures and introduce livestock to poor soil areas and how quickly there is a positive impact to pasture land when adding animals. Jacob explains that in just a few years poor ground and be changed into superb crop production.Jacob and Jon discuss adding chickens into the forested land and how to integrate animals into the interior of forested areas to increase fertility. Jon discusses a project that he worked on where they added pigs and Jacob explains the general goals of adding pigs and the related benefits. Jacob explains the forest type and the method to add pigs into the landscape and what not to do when adding pigs.Jacob explains the timeline of grazing animals, supplemental feed, and ensuring cattle are not pugging pasture ground. Jacob discusses building composts. Jon explains ideas of how to introduce compost and bale grazing into the forest setting and reducing the amount of vegetation and increasing soil fertility.Jacob and Jon discuss building a property around deer hunting and livestock operations. Jon discusses agroforestry and how layouts can be integrated into designs.  Jacob discusses new projects on his farm that surround silvopasture that will benefit the land and animal’s long term. Jacob explains the importance of biodiversity and how his business works with consumers to improve knowledge and interest in better food and health.Social Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/jacob.newton.756/https://www.instagram.com/_hillside.farms/?hl=enhttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Skip Sligh (Iowa Whitetail) discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Deer Health, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), Baiting and Supplemental Feeding.  Skip discusses deer fertility, antler and body size and the benefits of supplemental feeding.  Skip is pro-supplemental feed and anti-baiting, specifically against feeding corn from a bait pile. Skip discusses his rationale and why this may be harmful to the overall health of our deer herd.   Skip explains the biological and scientific detriments of corn and how to supplement feed the right way to ensure deer health is preserved. Skip explains his opinion on bait piles versus food plots. Skip details the timelines related to his food plots and how the food remains available to deer all season. Skip explains the most nutrient dense food source for deer. Jon discusses options to utilize baiting and what you can do to help yourself or limit your neighbors.Skip discusses the areas of the north with large vast forests and describes the best practices to attract and feed deer. Jon discusses tree species and what deer want in various trees and shrubs. Jon explains an option that creates greater interest than soybeans for deer on the landscape.  Skip and Jon discuss the process of timber stand improvement, Skip describes how to set up your property and why certain setups allow you to hold mature bucks.Social LinksiowawhitetailIowa Whitetail (@iowa_whitetail) • Instagram photos and videoshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Steve Sherk (Sherk’s Guide Service) discuss post hunting season planning and recent success. Jon explains the differences in hiring a consultant that has experience in highly pressured hunting areas and how that creates a different atmosphere of understanding and knowledge. Steve discusses a particular deer he planned to harvest and explains multiple encounters with this deer and his process to dialing in on one individual deer.  Steve dialogs about hunting New York and Pennsylvania, and his expectations of shooting a deer in his home state. Steve details the location his target deer spent much of his time and the related weather conditions and hunting pressure that created the ideal location for the deer to remain in a specific area. Steve details why deer shift into areas on how to concentrate on predictive planning to stay ahead of deer movement. Jon explains the specifics and considerations on where deer go when they are pressured and the attention given to temperature changes.Steve discusses how deer act during post rut activity and what conditions put deer into specific locations when pressure is high and deer need to recover from rutting activity. Jon provides the top several considerations when looking at the landscape for deer activity during post rut. Steve talks about getting close to a mature buck and how to dial on a bedding location and individual beds. Steve explains a tracking technique that will help with a wounded animal recovery.Steve discusses finding buck beds and why mature deer use specific areas. Steve discusses wind-based bedding and when deer use specific landscapes types. Jon explains habitat preferences on the landscape and how to produce ideal conditions for seasonal, winter habitat for deer.  Steve explains his process going into winter planning season and what he anticipates for the next hunting season and provides a story on the individual deer he plans on hunting.Steve and Jon discuss postseason planning and looking at trail camera data and using this information to kill your buck next season. Jon explains specifics on deer activity and how he individualizes deer and looks at sociobiology and social behavior.  Steve explains his data analysis plan and diving into a specific deer he plans on taking next season.

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Rocky Burrus (SA Farm Management Service) discuss next level habitat and hunting techniques that allow you to kill the biggest bucks in your area. Rocky discusses off season work and opportunities he creates to improve properties and gain access to new land.Rocky provides secrets and intimate details on what separates the properties he improves for habitat. Rocky explains how to best work with neighbors and what information he provides to ensure neighbors are considering his technical approach to managing for larger bucks. Rocky and Jon discuss the examples of why and when to pass deer and how the mindset to get to the next age class requires building a property and the deer quality.Rocky details hunting less and sometimes the best advice is to not hunt your property for several years to build deer interest. Jon explains the concept of building a bank account for deer to improve the property from a long-term standpoint.  Rocky details the strategy to harvest a single deer with multiple years of intel and why he doesn’t rely on apps to help support his decision to hunt an individual deer. Rocky and Jon explain client mistakes and be more aware of your decision making process to improve your property to ensure it benefits your deer.   Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://www.instagram.com/whitetail_landscapes/?hl=enSA FARMS Management Service | Facebookhttps://www.instagram.com/safarmmanagementservice/?hl=en

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Josh Streichert (JWS Logging) discuss the marathon of hunting and how persistence can pay off. Josh explains his hunting season and his family priorities during the season. Josh details his first early season deer hunt and harvest with his kids. Josh explains how at times he throws caution to the wind and just goes after deer, particularly when his kids are interested in hunting.Josh discusses his kids recent hunting experience and interest in being a part of the outdoors. Josh explains how he is enjoying his property and sometimes being on your property means more than the focus on being successful at chasing mature deer. Josh discusses his first black bear harvest and how that added to his dream hunting season.Josh explains how persistence pays off and learning more about hunting pressured deer. Josh explains his history with a mature buck and pressure on his land, and trying not to be overly concerned with the early season pressure. Josh and Jon talk about getting youth involved and other ways to look at deer from a harvest decision. Josh explains the history and life of the mature deer he killed, and the specific steps he took to harvest the deer. Josh discusses hunting the Adirondacks and surviving all day sits. Josh breaks down what it took to intercept and harvest a mature buck in December. Josh and Jon provide recommendations on what is required to go after one mature buck. Jon discusses cellular cameras and how they can be used for to gain more intelligence and information on the deer you hunt.   Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Jaden Bjorklund (Northland Habitat) discuss opportunities for landowners to reach goals and cost savings along the way. Jaden works in the northern latitudes and discusses how he works with and enrolls clients in programs to ensure they can develop their hunting properties with lower cost. Jaden discusses timber stand improvement, logging, and forest management.  Jaden discusses National Resource Conservation Service and cost share programs related to habitat and land improvement. Jaden provides programs that support invasive species removal and how to increase interest in an area with native shrub plantings. Jaden discusses the maintenance side of cutting and the money invested can be reduced because of state programs.Jaden explains the best valued effort and program for agriculture, grassland, or open field settings that will allow you to manage the ground and provide for habitat solutions that equate to better hunting. Jaden provides examples how to work with state or federal agencies to allow for more flexibility in design and layout based on the program considered. Jaden explains specifics on mowing, fire, planting, and limitations that may exist that can be a consideration for landowners.Jon talks about carbon programs and ways to improve your water intrusion, carbon sequestration and building organic material and the benefits to your deer. and local ecology. Jaden discusses an example of erosion issue on his clients and what species of plants he suggests to benefit the landscapes. Jon discusses water retention, the benefit to plant and managing wetlands and riparian areas for deer. Jaden explains resources for wetland support and examples to increase deer interest around these areas. Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitetaillandscapes/https://northlandhabitat.com/https://www.instagram.com/northland.habitat/

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) reaches his 100th episode and discusses his journey and hunting season. Jon discusses his recent buck harvest. Jon explains how to work through the process of hunting pressure and dealing with competition and making changes to your property. Jon details the best vegetation to attract deer during hunting season.Jon provides an example of the best vegetation types that will create interest during hunting season, and how choices he would make to design his hunting property around the rut. Jon explains thicket and sub-thicket species and next level concepts that you can employ to get more deer on your property.Jon explains layering, food sources, biological plant benefits and his tactics to kill mature deer.  Jon provides specific trees, shrubs and vines that will create a better overall environment to attract and retain deer.Jon provides a listener giveaway prize for his hundredth episode. Social Linkshttps://whitetaillandscapes.com/Check out the Sportsmen's Empire Podcast Network for more relevant outdoor content!