Attracting and producing trophy deer takes a little work, but technology makes the job easier.
On the advice of wildlife consultant Grant Woods, Ph.D., who said that critical elements of growing big deer are food and cover, South Carolina forest owner Bob Stuck is establishing five 20-acre pine stands designated as wildlife bedding areas. Areas adjoining the pines will be developed as food plots and all areas will be connected by wildlife travel lanes.
Openings like this can quickly become a tangle of brush or become overrun with fescue, which is not a wildlife-friendly grass. So, to achieve long-term control of unwanted vegetation and encourage the growth of native grasses and plants that provide food and cover to wildlife, Stuck uses a pair of selective herbicides.
A single fall application of Arsenal™ herbicide Applicators Concentrate is used to achieve multiple-year control of sweetgum. To precisely target the unwanted brush, the herbicide is applied via the 'hack-and-squirt' method. Using a hatchet, the application crew cuts small slits through the bark into the cambium and squirts herbicide into the cuts. One milliliter of Arsenal is applied per 3 inches of tree diameter.
To remove fescue from bedding areas and promote the growth of native warm-season grasses, Stuck uses another selective herbicide. The areas are first mowed and raked to clear dead, dry grass that could prevent the herbicide from reaching the fescue. An ATV-mounted electric sprayer makes quick work of the application. Both herbicides work by affecting enzymes found only in plants?not humans, animals, birds, insects or fish.
"Our goal is to bring proper management to the land", Stuck says about the area, which had not been well managed previously.
John W. Monroe, Consulting Forester, can suggest a variety of ways to control unwanted vegetation in your forest and encourage the growth of wildlife-friendly plants. Call our Raleigh office at 919-676-9807 or 800-778-5834.
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