Vet Judy

Controlled burning is an effective wildlife habitat management tool.  It can help create the effective cover and transition between cover that your deer prefer.  It may also be a way to manage land areas adjacent to your deer food plots.  And fall is the time to prepare for controlled burns that you may use in the late winter or early spring.

First off, remember: controlled burns are not for rookies.  If or when you choose to use this form of habitat management, be sure to rely on professional advice and follow all local guidelines and restrictions on controlled burns.  Large landowners often find it useful to employ a land management specialist who is experienced in conducting large area burns.  These professionals will ensure that your land is taken care of and that the fire is properly contained.

            But no matter how large an area you’re planning to burn, fall is the time to get ready for the actual burning that may occur in the late winter or early spring.  You may choose to use a disk or other tillage implement to create firebreaks in the fall that will help contain the larger burn later on.  Be careful not to assume that your work in creating firebreaks in the fall is over when you put the tractor in the shed for the winter.  Especially near heavily wooded areas, firebreaks that you create with a disk may accumulate leaves or other flammable debris by spring.

            Also take care that your activity creating firebreaks does not disturb the feeding patterns of the deer in the habitat that you’re managing.

            Like most other aspects of deer food plot management, controlled burning takes careful planning and management.  But when the native habitat springs up after the early spring burn, creating the natural cover and forage that deer and other wildlife crave, you’ll be glad you took the time in the fall to do things right.

For more information on deer food Plots: please visit our website @ www.diydeerfoodplots.com/

Legume Lowdown: Clovers

            In an earlier blog, I touted the research reports from Minnesota concerning birdsfoot trefoil, an important legume in deer food plot plantings.  I’ve also written about how it’s critical to inoculate legumes at planting.  Now, I want to list some of the benefits of clover for deer food plots. 

            Clovers are perennials that are high-quality sources of green deer forage .  It comes in several varieties that are deer friendly.  Like alfalfa, fresh clover gives deer a browse option that combines the high protein with the high calcium of a legume.  Red clover (Trifolium pretense) is a cool-season legume that can be fall-seeded in more moderate climates or spring seeded in northern climates like mine.  It is an exceptional source of calcium at 1.70%. 

            White clover, also called ladino clover (Trifolium repens), can be more susceptible than red clover to nematodes attacking its root system.  Both red and white clovers are seeded in soils with a pH range of 6.0.  Ladino clover tends perform a little better than red clover in poorly drained soils.  It also can last a couple years longer in a deer food plot seeding than does red clover.  In larger fields, some land managers find that seeding ladino in the spring over a wheat planting is an effective management tool.

            Red and white clovers are often mixed with grass to provide a grazing option for white tailed deer.  Their status as cool-season, perennial plants make them a great source of nutrition in the spring and summer.  Food plots requiring a source of forage in the summer months should include red or white clovers in the mix.

            Don’t confuse red or white clover with another plant often marketed for deer food plots, alyceclover (Alysicarpus vaginalis).  Alyceclover is a warm-season annual plant that performs well for deer food plots further south.

            Clovers, red and white, are an important part of deer food plot plantings, especially when seeded with appropriate grasses. For more detailed information about planting clover in your food plot see my article:

http://www.diydeerfoodplots.com/articles/perennial-food-plots-clover.html