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Is it the scale in which they live or perhaps the fact that they don't sport unique antler characteristics? Today's podcast is centered around a 365 day approach to turkey management and what a landowner should do to encourage a turkey factor.  We break down the four seasons of a year and specifically the foraging habitat and vegetative communities that support that system. Forage is crucial to consider when managing wild turkeys, but also is how to produce more turkeys. So, we spend a healthy amount of time talking about turkey production and the emphasis it should have when trying to make a turkey centric habitat plan.  If you want more turkeys to frequent your farm, then give this podcast a thorough listen. 

This week we take a deep dive into the details of each farm, each region, and the current status of each vegetation type to devise a plan to maximize that land's value for wildlife. There is literally nothing cookie cutter from these visits. Each parcel has its own limiting factors, and limitations, and layout specifics. These variables are the largest considerations when making a well throughout habitat management plan.  We hope you learn and enjoy from others during this week's podcast. 

There are many myths, misinformation, and hunting stories that lead the whitetail hunter astray from what is truth. The truth of this matter is more important than what you may think.  During the podcast we learn just how effective bucks and does are at producing offspring that make it to the fall and are recruited into the herd. You may be shocked to learn that 60% of bucks only replace themselves during their entire lifetime. Sure a lot of fawns are conceived, but not as many as you think make it to a reproductive age, so really, is that big buck truly passing on his "genes"? 15-15% of each recruited fawn is also produced by a 1.5-2.5 year old buck, so "inferior" or younger bucks also contribute to the breeding.  We need to learn that this complex exchange, survival relationship for whitetail deer is anything we can strongly influence or control. Stay the course, let deer reach maturity and increase the nutrition available on the landscape, this will have the largest impact on antler expression. Period.     

Jeff knows turkey research as well as most anyone we’ve met and is dead set on spreading the truth. Why? The answer is simple, he wants more turkeys on the landscape! We dove in to see what drives his passion for turkeys and the habitat they depend.     

This podcast is for you guys who wonder what to do if you can't burn but still want to create disturbance. 

Brood habitat has been identified as the most limiting factor across the landscape for turkeys. We are learning how to create it, but sometimes limiting factors prevent us from doing it exactly by “the book”. With a working knowledge of how things work, often times we are forced to throw the book away and try things outside the box in an attempt to achieve our goals. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all, and sometimes things turn out great, but regardless we gain valuable knowledge. So, sometimes it’s best to weigh out all your options and just do it! 

Dr Marcus Lashley and Dr Will Gulsby have been driving home the point of habitat management for turkeys since rhe launch of their Wild Turkey Science podcast but in this week's episode we're talking predators! We're not talking about what predators do to nests nearly as much as the debate on what trapping and social media may do to hunters in general. Please listen in to hear our perspective on trapping and social media. #Forloveoftheland

On this episode we discuss the management strategies to create the most limited resource available for wild turkeys in 2023. This critical collection of herbaceous plants and bare ground, are in limited supply and must be created intentionally if you want wild turkeys in the future.  Kyle and Matt discuss the different ways you can create this cover from transforming fields or timber. If you’re actively trying to promote turkeys, this is a must listen. Brood rearing cover will the impact that improves turkey reproduction. We see it time and time again, the farms that have good Turkey populations, have adequate brood rearing cover available. Time to transition old fields, food plot edges, crop fields, and thinned timber into brooding cover by offering herbaceous broadleaf plants and bare ground.  If you learned more about turkeys from listening, please share! 

This week we discuss management practices that benefit ground nesting birds and deer.  Deer are able to thrive in a variety of habitat but turkey and quail rely on specific habitat types to exist.  In this roundtable discussion with returning guest Chuck Mays & Daric Denney we talk about practices that are helpful to both animals and can possibly save you time and money while giving you a bigger return on the landscape.

Put your listening ears on for this one! We have a heavy hitter coming at you as we interview Dr. Marcus Lashley and Dr. Will Gulsby from Wild Turkey Science Podcast. We review in great detail the recent podcasts revolving around the essential habitat needed for reproduction of the wild turkey.  To no surprise the conversation quickly gets to the importance of early successional vegetation on the landscape for nesting and brood rearing cover. It was found in a recent research project that 45% of the hens selected only 7% of the landscape consisting of the early successional cover and shrubland. Not surprisingly, there was a 38% success rate in these areas for nests, which is pretty exceptional for maintaining and growing turkey populations!  After covering these staggering numbers, we then shift the conversation towards baiting and the implications it has on the landscape and how it largely impacts predators in a very positive way. Baiting is not a practice that we would support or suggest if you are interested in producing more turkeys on the landscape.  We hope you share this podcast with everyone who cares about the wild turkey. 

It's 2023 and there is an overwhelming amount of content to consume, only one problem, it all contradicts the other. So how do you know which viewpoint to follow? SHould you listen to this person opinion of this other persons?  Our advice, do what's right for you farm's ecosystem and use research backed advice to get the maximum results! 

As more landowners shift to thinking about habitat work, more questions pop up; Do I need a consultant? Do I need a contractor? How do I choose someone? What work needs to be done? How do I determine what’s the most important? Which practice is best?The best answer is, it depends! Lol This week we dive into some of this and discuss the in’s and out’s of several practices and how to make some of these decisions.

We added to the Woodlands this year, and it's something we're very excited about! 

Simple yet effective is the name of the game. From a business perspective it’s, a supply vs demand scenario. Have species demand early successional vegetation, yet the supply is very limited on most landscapes.  In this podcast, we walk you through step by step of how to implement the technique of old field management. The most important aspect is effective termination of cool season grasses. From there, you burn the thatch, spray invasive species, and let the sun and seed bank do the rest.  Don’t overlook this dynamic, yet effective tool land management tool. If you want to reproduce turkeys on your farm, you need to consider promoting early successional plant communities.   

With the ongoing turkey decline and quail numbers completely nonexistent in several areas these days, it’s so encouraging to see more landowners doing habitat management practices to help restore numbers. This week we discuss what we are seeing and some of the reasons more landowners are jumping on board.

We're discussing the recent Forestry Management Plan we put together for our home farm the Woodlands and how we're managing for wildlife even though it's timber. This podcast will make you see the forest in a different light and how you can manage for long term results. #Forloveoftheland

After a long day in the field Matt and Frank review a land and wildlife habitat consultation from central Kansas. This farm ground in the Great Plains region can be good, but it has its limitations.  Adequate cover for whitetails is limited. So it’s time to break the mold and start with a new mindset to really up the value of cover for whitetail deer. But deer isn’t the only objective, we’ve got bobwhite quail, pheasants, and waterfowl to consider on this farm as well.  We stretch the limits and push hard for creative habitat plans. This consultation was no different. To get different results, you just manage differently! 

This week we are joined by Matt Farmer, Public Land Manager with Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks to discuss managing moist soil for waterfowl. In this episode we discuss the benefits of managing food sources as well as pressure these birds face and ways to help combat it.

This is a loaded question that we often get while working with hunters and landowners. It can be difficult to answer as herd density, hunting pressure, and the habitat will strongly influence these sightings. So what we did was go to the numbers that research has provided and determine with several likely scenarios that most landowners can find themselves in.  You may be surprised by the numbers or lack there of mature deer, 4.5+ in two common herd scenarios on a per square mile basis. 640 acres represents a square mile, so within that acreage of varying herd density, we tell you what can be expected. The number of mature bucks on the landscape should only encourage you to increase the quality of habitat that your acreage offers. Deer select quality habitat on a daily basis, so having stronger influence over the individuals within a herd should drive you to work hard.  Share this podcast with someone who needs to learn more about deer population dynamics and specifically revolving around the odds of encountering mature bucks each fall. 

Nothing will get landowners more fired up than a timber harvest gone wrong. The aftermath often last for years and the next harvest may not come during their lifetime. Foresters and loggers often get put into the same category as a used car salesman, but it's time to break this down. We are going to dive deep into the phrase and science behind the dreaded high-graded timber.  First we discuss the expectations that landowners who are conducting a timber harvest must have, do you really expect the logger to come and not harvest larger, more marketable timber? Aggressive timber harvests may be necessarily dependent upon the condition of the timber or the past management. A less aggressive approach such as select harvesting isn't always the best option as it limits the production of quality wildlife habitat and also decreases oak production over time. Here are the facts, sometimes, you need to address the issue and stop putting bandaids on the problem.  Timber management and harvesting is very situationally based, so keep this mind when listening to this podcast. But remember not every harvest of an oak is a high-grade, there is likely more to the story, but most importantly there is more work that needs to be done, like future TSI, prescribed fire, and patience.