Why those fence lines must go.

[M. R. Byrd]

Prairie Drifter,

I have the luxury of a piece of land that has so many variables. I could film a pheasant hunt, a deer hunt, a chicken hunt, and a coyote hunt out there and the audience would swear all the locations were different.

I hear you on counter productive habitats. :thumbsup:

 

[M. R. Byrd]

Maynard,



Only time will tell if the drought will have positive outcomes, I do agree with you that it will take a few years to recover.

Received a letter from my local NRCS today. Here is part of the letter and I quote.
"With the prolonged drought native grass pastures will not return to normal for 3-4 years. At best you can hope to stock at no more than 40-50% of your normal rates for the next 2 years." End quote.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Received a letter from my local NRCS today. Here is part of the letter and I quote.
"With the prolonged drought native grass pastures will not return to normal for 3-4 years. At best you can hope to stock at no more than 40-50% of your normal rates for the next 2 years." End quote.

Unfortunately, Maynard, far too many grazers weren't prepared for the drought, didn't respond to it, and won't change because of it. I saw the same thing in the 90's and there are pastures around my W/A that still haven't recovered from it. If producers don't allow the grass to recover, it could take decades to repair the damage.

The damage done this year is exacerbated by the physical condition of the stand now. With no residual cover it will hold less snow, be more affected by the dessication of wind, have a higher surface temperature due to exposure to sun, and will be more prone to cap due to raindrop compaction due to the limited canopy and thatch. The fact that the grass itself has been weakened is a whole other story.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

That is an excellent point and the only realistic means of improving habitat. Asking producers to take land out of production that is profitable is a non-starter.

Let it be known that this isn't my original idea. The head wildlife instructor at Mississippi State, whose name escapes me at this moment, has been promoting this idea widely. It is a landscape wide way to improve cash flow on the farm while facilitating significant perennial vegetative habitat. Win/Win!

 

[OKIEGunner]

Okie, much to ask of a KState grad If the winds in the north, I can sneeze over the line. To bring this full circle, it doesn't matter where I work, it only matters when I can influence management on acres that benefit the species that we want to benefit. Doing so on a landscape scale is the long-term goal of all wildlife managers. Thus my hope to get ALL landowners to evaluate the production of their ag acres and put acres that can't make a profit under tillage into farm programs that will benefit game species in a cover type that will provide the landowner positive income. I am honored that you think this way, truely!

One of my biggest issues I have at work is convincing our biologist to look beyond focusing on management for deer. Oklahoma once was the home of the southern plains Indians. As I drive around the country side, I often wonder if the Chiricahua Apache Indians like Geronimo were still alive, if they would even recognize the prairie lands as it is today. By the way, He’s buried less than 3 miles from my office.
Many years back we lost the Prairie Chicken and now we are about to lose the once abundant bobwhite quail (another indicator species). Many other grassland nesting birds have been diminishing as well, a good example is meadow lark. The past few decades of diminishing bobwhite numbers are astronomic. Encroachment of Oklahoma’s woodlands from the riparian areas is increasing at enormous rates. The invasive red-cedar continues to spread at alarming rates. Control burning methods are becoming an art of the past. You get the picture, “the prairie is changing”. I have pictures of the Medicine Bluff area from the 1870’s its wide open prairie. One would have to look hard to find a stand of trees in this picture. Today it’s overgrown with Cedars, Mesquite, blackjack, oaks, maples, dogwoods, sandhill plumbs and my favorite Russian olives. Yes like you pointed out may years back biologist recommended planting Russian olives as part of a management plan. Today we are spending thousand of dollars removing what we planted. Add this to the manmade induced problems of the past few decades it’s no wonder the avifauna continues to diminish. It’s going to take a holistic approach. The challenge is getting enough educators working with the individual landowners educating them just like you have described in previous posts.

That is why I appreciate your posts, you are educating hunters and landowners each and everytime you post.

 

[SDJIM]

[QUOTE
That is why I appreciate your posts, you are educating hunters and landowners each and everytime you post.[/QUOTE]

Wow it has been great to read all these great posts. Although I have called SD home for a long time and even had family that farmed and ranched it has only been in the last 10 years that I have had the chance to really get in touch with how things work and I'm still learning

Ten years ago I met and married my wife who just happened to own a 1000 acres of prime SD pheasant land that was in need of some TLC. Boy did I find out just how little I knew about conservation so I did the smart thing---I hired a proffesional habatit company to plan and start my dream. Over the years I have added to it and will continue to do so.

One thing I have learned is that it does not take a lot of acres to really help wild life, it just needs to be done right and the resources are there if you just look. I use the USDA and its NRCS folks plus Pheasants Forever has a biologist that works out of the SDGF&P office in Chamberlin SD who will advise you on what to do and all you have to do is call him.

I made some mistakes along the way, but given my lack of knowledge I guess that is normal, it's a big learning curve but I encourage anyone who has a chance to do something/anything to do so---ask the PROS for help as they know the score and a eager to help you do some good for all of us.

The one thing my wife will not let anyone do is alter the 104 acres of native sod that has NEVER seen the plow. It still has old buffalo wallos on it. Just go out there on a spring day,take a blanket and sit down and be quiet--you will be awed by what you hear and how much your soul is enlightened.

 

[1pheas4]

Prairie Drifter, you've made a great point in regards to trees and grasslands.

As far as pheasants go (I'm not sure on chickens, sharpies, quail) trees tend to repel nesting hens. Despite having a large grassy area, hen pheasants will not utalize grasses within a certain distance from a stand of tall trees. They tend to move into the interior of the field leaving less space for nesting hens.

Now shrubs are a differant story. In the spring "breeding" cock pheasants like to have a territory marker. Small sections of shrubs/small trees sherve very well for this purpose. The corners of shelter belt can serve as a marker as well.

There are huge, prime cover, grass land areas out there with minimal pheasnat numbers. One contributor is a lack of shrubs. Other facts play in too, such as a lack of hedge rows and smaller fields in which the hedgerows lead/connect too.

Pheasants typically range within an area of 1 square mile throughout the year (sometime more if necessary for survival).

Within their 1 sq.mile range, install (if possible) a central "hub" field (without tall trees) with hedgerows, ditches, fence lines connecting to smaller sections of grassy fields and you'll have a recipe for good pheasant #'s.

If you neighbor has a large grassy field and you don't. Maybe you have small sections of grassy areas? You can install hedgerows (preferably treeless) connecting the fields and birds will thrive.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Recent research has shown that prairie chickens won't nest within 1/2 mile of vertical structure. From that, for every tree in the nesting cover, you lose almost a section of nesting cover that they won't nest in. This is true for windmills, power poles, etc. Doesnt take much to eliminate their nesting on your ground if you don't tend to invading trees.

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Thanks for the compliments! I must confess that this board provides me the opportunity that I am limited with at my regular job. Here at Byron Walker, I only influence 4,622 acres. I am provided with a laughable budget and a minimal stipend to hire help. On this board I can interact with dozens of landowners across this country and, perhaps, influence management on thousands of acres. Maybe even more important, I can help to expand knowledge about the sport that has lifted me each fall to travel the fields that hold the highest satisfaction I've enjoyed. Thank you all for participating and tolerating my ramblings!

 

[mnmthunting]

I love working a large treeless grassland, glad that out West there are still large expanses of grass.
As far as wintering game birds across the Dakotas and MT. The grasslands were gone/snow covered in most areas by the 1st of the year. Surviving birds sheltered in building sites groves and brushy/wooded areas especially near cattle feeding areas.
Be careful about losing Winter cover.

 

[haymaker]

Here in north central South Dakota you have to have it all. Last winter proved that again. Birds that found enough shelter near a food supply survived. If I would not have had a large shelterbelt near corn that I left standing I would not have the birds that I do now. Nesting without trees is great but if you don't have trees to get them to survive the winter it won't matter what kind of nesting you have. I hear people talk about cutting down big trees so that hawks and owls won't have a place to roost. Then why did we plant them in the first place? This is not a monoculture of just pheasants. It is the world, and hawks and owls live in the world too. I have had a pair of owls for years and I still wintered 1000 pheasants. If you have winter shelter, food and nesting you will have birds. Even though I left 20 acres of corn last winter it eventually was buried with snow, so the I started carrying pails of feed through knee deep snow to keep them alive. But if we did not have the trees it would have done no good.

 

[1pheas4]

As far as wintering game birds across the Dakotas and MT. The grasslands were gone/snow covered in most areas by the 1st of the year. Surviving birds sheltered in building sites groves and brushy/wooded areas especially near cattle feeding areas.
Be careful about losing Winter cover.

Shelter belts are a must for areas that you speak of. Preferably with smaller sized trees and shrubs. Yes they will utilize taller stands of trees for shelter, but prefer small/mid sized (height) belts.

In Europe and other parts of the world pheasants love wooded areas and even roost in trees, not the ground. But hear in the U.S. pheasants are repelled by tall stands of trees simply because of our high raptor populations.

 

[haymaker]

Shelter belts are a must for areas that you speak of. Preferably with smaller sized trees and shrubs. Yes they will utilize taller stands of trees for shelter, but prefer small/mid sized (height) belts.

In Europe and other parts of the world pheasants love wooded areas and even roost in trees, not the ground. But hear in the U.S. pheasants are repelled by tall stands of trees simply because of our high raptor populations.

I am sorry but I have pheasants roosting in elm trees alot if it isn't too cold and windy. The trees were planted to be shelter for cattle but fifty years later they still serve both cattle and wildlife. The taller the trees the larger the area that is sheltered. I am sure my owls live on pheasants and cottontails that call those trees home. That is the way it should be. Man isn't the only predator that likes to hunt pheasants.

 

[1pheas4]

I am sorry but I have pheasants roosting in elm trees alot if it isn't too cold and windy.

haymaker, "roosting" as in sleeping in the trees over night? Pheasants will perch in trees throughout the day. This may be what your talking about

From my post #52 "Yes they will utilize taller stands of trees for shelter, but prefer small/mid sized (height) belts."


If you have wild birds roosting over night in your tall trees this is something that is not very common to wild birds in the U.S.
Also, I would agree that humans are not the only predators to pheasants. I know this my friend. Great habitat is the answer.

 

[haymaker]

haymaker, "roosting" as in sleeping in the trees over night? Pheasants will perch in trees throughout the day. This may be what your talking about

I feed my cows at sundown most of the time. I have seen pheasants in the trees when I am doing that. Quite often scare some out of the trees while I am doing that. Not if it is really windy or extremely cold.

 

[1pheas4]

I feed my cows at sundown most of the time. I have seen pheasants in the trees when I am doing that. Quite often scare some out of the trees while I am doing that. Not if it is really windy or extremely cold.

I've seen this too. In my experience there were pheasants going into roosting areas and stopping through trees on the way in. A few times it's been so dark that I can't tell hens from roosters.

By sunrise they're gone which tells me they probably didn't spend the night roosting in the trees but instead headed for grassy ground that evening.

As I've said, you may have wild birds roosting in trees. If so this is very uncommon for our birds to do. In all my pheasant years I've never seen wild birds roost over night in tall trees. But in your case maybe they are.

 

[1GB]

.... small/mid sized (height) belts.

I'm surprised anyone would argue with that statement and I'm surprised to see folks defending the tall trees as good pheasant habitat. Certainly keeping good, vertical, woody cover for wintering qualities is necessary. IMO thick groves of fruit bearing shrubs is much, much better than tall trees. If it wasn't for the neighbors properities negating the effects it'd have on mine, I'd be cutting down every tree over 15'-20' tall. Unfortunately I've got limited acreage to impact and am surrounded by properties where succession is the main reason for the loss of habitat on a year to year basis.

 

[haymaker]

I'm surprised anyone would argue with that statement and I'm surprised to see folks defending the tall trees as good pheasant habitat. Certainly keeping good, vertical, woody cover for wintering qualities is necessary. IMO thick groves of fruit bearing shrubs is much, much better than tall trees. If it wasn't for the neighbors properities negating the effects it'd have on mine, I'd be cutting down every tree over 15'-20' tall. Unfortunately I've got limited acreage to impact and am surrounded by properties where succession is the main reason for the loss of habitat on a year to year basis.

If the only thing in the world that I was concerned with was pheasants, then I would say that is true. However my tall trees were planted 60 to 100 years ago to provide wind protection for this building site and our cattle. For that purpose the taller the trees the bigger area that is protected. Pheasants and all wildlife including birds of prey benefit from the trees and that is the way I want it. When I see the pheasants spread out in that sheltered area picking where I feed my cows I think they are enjoying those tall trees. Do the owls that live here eat pheasants? I am sure they do, that is what they were put here for, to be predators. Pheasants were put here to be prey. I will match the hunting here with anyone in the area even with tall trees.

 

[moellermd]

If the only thing in the world that I was concerned with was pheasants, then I would say that is true. However my tall trees were planted 60 to 100 years ago to provide wind protection for this building site and our cattle. For that purpose the taller the trees the bigger area that is protected. Pheasants and all wildlife including birds of prey benefit from the trees and that is the way I want it. When I see the pheasants spread out in that sheltered area picking where I feed my cows I think they are enjoying those tall trees. Do the owls that live here eat pheasants? I am sure they do, that is what they were put here for, to be predators. Pheasants were put here to be prey. I will match the hunting here with anyone in the area even with tall trees.

Some times people who are not involved in production ag on a day to day basis don't understand the complexity of demands on nature. Besides hawks and owls are native species, pheasants are invasive. Maybe be we should be managing for hawks and owls.

 

[1pheas4]

If the only thing in the world that I was concerned with was pheasants, then I would say that is true. However my tall trees were planted 60 to 100 years ago to provide wind protection for this building site and our cattle

Obviously if a wind break is in place and utilized for cattle it must stay in place for that reason. On top of it wild birds in your area are using it also so that's a plus. If birds were not using it, well, the wind break still has to stay to serve as a wind break. That's that.

If someone is installing or improving grasslands and wants to boost upland bird #'s a bit, stay clear of planting tall trees if possible. If you want tall trees than more power to you. In no way is anyone telling anybody what to do, but instead just giving advice:cheers: