Land
Management Tips
Wildlife
Management Plans
Do you want to see more wildlife on your property or lease?
Then provide quality food and cover.
One effective way to attract and keep wildlife on your land
is to construct and maintain wildlife openings, often
called food plots. For various reasons, openings are
popular with land managers throughout the country.
"Food plots are great, because they improve deer hunting by
helping to attract deer to the openings, but more
importantly, they provide critical habitats for many
species of wildlife," said Bryan Burhans, NWTF Director of
Land Management Programs.
Establishing and maintaining wildlife openings, however,
can be expensive and requires some knowledge of planting
and how to properly use farm equipment. And to make sure
you yield the highest results from your wildlife openings,
it's essential to prepare the seedbed properly prior to
planting.
The size of the seed to be planted and soil moisture
conditions are two primary considerations. First, seedbeds
for small-seeded varieties, such as clovers, need to be as
smooth and clod-free as possible, because small seeds lack
the vigor to push through or around large clumps of soil.
Large-seed varieties, like peas and corn, do not require as
much precaution, because they have the strength to push
through tougher soil conditions.
Preparing
your seedbed
Soil that is too wet will create a hard and rough seedbed.
Certain conditions, however, require tilling when the soil
is wet. For example, when heavy weed growth is present, the
best way to harrow it under is after a good rain. After the
soil has lost some of its moisture, you will need to harrow
the field again, to smooth out the soil and complete the
planting.
When minimal soil moisture is present, preparing a seedbed
will release the moisture needed to germinate the seed. The
small-seed varieties should be planted very shallow, while
the large-seed varieties need to be planted deeper to reach
an adequate soil moisture. Be sure that the seedbed is not
too loose, because seed-to-soil contact will be poor and
the soil will not hold enough moisture to quickly germinate
the seed.
Soil
testing
Prior to planting any type of seed, test the soil to
determine the amount of lime and fertilizer to apply--the
soil test will take the guesswork from lime and fertilizer
application and eliminate unnecessary effort and
expenditures. Most forest soils are acidic and low in
nutrients; therefore, additional lime and fertilizer are
often needed to make your plants grow.
Contact your local Natural Resource Conservation Service
office for assistance with soil tests, which are either
free or inexpensive.
Fertilizing
Lime and fertilizer should be spread at recommended rates
and worked into the soil with a disk or drag. It is best to
apply lime and work it into the soil about six months prior
to planting, because it takes a substantial amount of time
for lime to react with the soil and adjust pH. Fertilizer
can be applied either before or after the seedbed has been
prepared, but ideally, it should be applied prior to
preparation of the seedbed and harrowing fertilizer into
the soil.
© National Wild Turkey Federation. Used with
permission.
