The first topic of discussion was what forage the animals on our hunting lands have. When I was a kid the woods around here were covered in low vines and honeysuckle. Now those types of food sources have been all but eliminated by deer or the thick overhead canopy. In order to replenish this food source Mr. Englemeyer discussed thinning the trees. Not by cutting them down or spiking them, but by a chemical method. He showed us a hatchet that had a port on either side of the blade. The hatchet is loaded with a herbicide and once struck into the tree a piston actuates and forces the chemical into the cut. You want to make a cut for each 8 inches the tree has in diameter. By practicing this method you are providing two benefits to your resident animals. One you are not cutting the tree down, but rather leaving a dead tree for woodpeckers to feed on the bugs, coons to make dens, etc. Once the tree isn’t covering up the sun with its leaves, the water and nitrogen aren’t being taken from the soil, you have a environment where small oaks and other ground forage can grow. Many land owners can be sold on the idea of this method by appealing to their pocket books. Selling them on the idea that only trees with no financial benefit will be taken and marketable trees will replace them. You can do this by only killing gums, poplars, and other trees that don’t provide food to animals or revenue to the land owner. Early fall is the best time to thin you trees, and the hatchet tool he had can be purchased at an forestry supply house.
The next main topic discussed, the one I'm sure everyone is waiting to read, was the topic of food plots. Food plots can be used to benefit the game, hunter, and farmer. Many farmers have already started to plant clover on the outside edges of their fields. This give the deer time to fill up on the clover before they hit the cash crops. Mr. Englemeyer discussed clover as being one of the most beneficial food plots one can plant. Clover provides the fats and proteins that deer need to be healthy into the winter months. It is best to plant the clover in late summer, and in areas that do not receive direct sunlight all day. He stated that he has seen plots that used chicory and other plants, but the clover is by far the best. When using clover two types are needed for maximum return from the food plot. Plant your food plots 30-50 ft into the field from the field edges. Split the plot in two. In one side plant white clover and in the other plant crimson red clover. He says that "he feeds his deer in the white clover and kills them over the red". This is due to the properties of the clover itself. The white clover is more abundant in the proteins early in the season. Once the first frost hits that white will slack off and the crimson will produce 20% more proteins than the white. The deer crave this protein in their diet and will walk over the white to get to the red once this occurs. Ever notice that we crave more steak when we eat a good rib eye and don’t want much to do with seconds of a thin flank steak. It’s not just because of taste. It’s the proteins and fats that our bodies crave just like the deer in their foods. Corn was also discussed for use in the plots. A couple rows with a bean vine (I'll get the name later) that grows up the stalks is one of the best attractants for deer. The vines grow very thick and the leaves provide great forage for the deer even late into the gun season. The group north of me that Englemeyer has worked with has such a plot. He says that they had to use a 6 wire high electric fence cranked way up to keep the deer out. They love the stuff. Once gunning season came in they opened a spot in the fence and the deer funnel right by. 26 were seen going into the plot on one hunt.
The last main point and possibly one of the most important was the DMAP program that Mr. Englemeyer is involved in. This program provides information to the hunter as well as the biologist. There is a commitment involved by the hunters and one can only participate if you have full control over the hunting rights of the property. Meaning one must be in charge of the collected data and management of the land. The hunter must collect the jaw bones from the deer that are taken in the hunting season. The bones are tagged with the weight, sex, and date the animal was taken. The bones are collected at the end of the season by the biologist. An analysis is done on each jaw, and the information is shared with the hunter for each deer. This information can answer many questions that help the hunter. What age are the deer once is killing, how healthy are they, what age groups should be targeted for a better herd, and what is my buck to doe ratio, just to name a few. This information helps the biologist put together a management plan that works specifically for your property. This information is also used to set seasons and bag limits for a local area or county.
I know that all of our lands are different. Whether it be terrain, food supply, water, or bedding areas, but i hope that this information can be used to improve you hunting experiences in you area. If you would like to participate in a similar program call the VDIGF and get the name and number of the biologist that covers your area. I look forward to working with Todd and will post info and pictures of our operations as we move forward. Thanks for reading.
