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John's Journal... Entry 237, Day 2

THE $30 MANAGEMENT PLAN

Fertilize Next, Then Buy Bullets

Editor's Note: Neil Dougherty, the BioLogic Northeastern Territory Manager and Operations Manager for the NorthCountry Whitetails Habitat Development & BioLogic Research Center in New York, has been involved with habitat development and food plot research for the past 12 years. He's worked closely with whitetail industry leaders such as Dr. Grant Woods, Charles J. Alsheimer, Bob Foulkrod, and others. The 500-acre demo center developed by Dougherty has given him numerous opportunities for magazine and newspaper articles as well as appearing on National Public Radio and TV. When he gets the chance, Dougherty can be found chasing whitetails on the NorthCountry property with his bow.

"For $10 you can buy quite a bit of fertilizer to spend a total of only $30 on a 1,000-acre hunting property," Dougherty emphasizes. "Fertilizer enables plants and trees to put on more foliage and nuts and makes the fruit it produces much more nutritious for the deer." Dougherty recommends that you first fertilize naturally-occurring, mast-producing trees and bushes and shrubs on which deer feed. "If apple or nut trees are on your property, you can fertilize them, and they'll put on more fruits and nuts. You can also fertilize wild persimmion trees, Japanese honeysuckle, blackberry, smilax (greenbrier) and other wild deer foods." A little fertilizer can go a long way in helping to produce more deer food and cover. Your consulting wildlife biologist or forester can play a major role in your wildlife-management program by naming which trees and shrubs the deer prefer to feed on at different times of the year. These professionals also can tell you how and when to fertilize these plants to get maximum production. You'll enjoy seeing just how lush you can make a cleared wildlife opening if you sprinkle some fertilizer on the ground after you've cleared the land.

Buy Bullets:
Dougherty names bullets as the third most-important ingredient for deer management. "Spend the last $10 of that $30 you have for 1,000 acres on buying bullets, and then harvest as many mature does as you legally can on the land you hunt." Your wildlife consultant and/or your state department of conservation can help you determine how many does to take off the property where you hunt to have fewer deer on the land than the land can support. You want to remove as many does as possible to ensure that the remaining bucks have plenty of food to eat all year long. In many sections of the country, especially in the East, many lands have an overabundance of deer. Since most hunters prefer to bag bucks, then removing the does will guarantee that the bucks have more food to eat, grow to the older-age classes and reach their potential in antler development and body weights.

To learn more about Mossy Oak BioLogic or the NorthCountry Whitetails Habitat Development Center, contact Neil Dougherty at (866) 677-9625 or visit www.mossyoakbiologic.com or www.northcountrywhitetails.com.

TOMORROW: SET UP SANCTUARIES

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about THE $30 MANAGEMENT PLAN ...

Day 1 - Purchase Gas
Day 2 - Fertilize Next, Then Buy Bullets
Day 3 - Set Up Sanctuaries
Day 4 - Let Them Grow
Day 5 - Get Your Neighbor's Buck


John's Journal