Featured Image Caption: Five Tips to Maintain Hunting Grounds
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What can be more rewarding and fulfilling as a ‘hunting game’ on your own land? It’s a treasure that can be passed on from one generation to another. However, like everything, hunting grounds need to be maintained and preserved so that your family can continue to enjoy them years or even decades into the future. Here are 5 key tips to help you maintain your own recreational hunting grounds.
Stop Trespassers
One thing that can certainly badly affect the integrity of a wildlife habitat is constant intrusion by human beings. Other hunters will likely not take care to consider the population levels of game in your hunting ground. They may also use vehicles that scare away animals. Even too much foot traffic can be bad. Make sure to clearly mark your property with “No Trespassing” signs, and prosecute trespassers if necessary.
Create a Sanctuary
Another thing to keep in mind is that your entire property can’t be used for hunting. Even if it’s thick and wooded, hunting in every square foot of that land will limit the population of game like deer, because they won’t be able to thrive in that space. Soon, you’re hunting grounds will be useless.
Instead, you should establish a sanctuary in the middle of your preserve that is off limits to hunting completely. Make sure any visitors you invite to hunt with you know that they are not allowed to hunt in or near the sanctuary.
Find a Fresh Water Source
If you want to create the most effective hunting grounds possible, those woods need to have a sustainable water source. This will attract wildlife year after year to help ensure that you always have game to hunt on that land with your family. Something as simple as a creek or a pond may be enough. If you are looking for land to buy, make sure to inquire with recreational land realtors about the water sources on any property you are considering. Take the time to walk out to them and make sure they are big enough to draw in and support game.
Plant Food Plots
Another way to sustain a healthy population of game in your hunting preserve is to create food plots. One of the most popular choices is planting corn. Planting corn is easy, and deer love it. Other good options are clover and soybeans. However, you do have to make sure you’re properly maintaining the plots, otherwise they’ll have a poor yield and game won’t be attracted to them. If the population of game becomes dependent on these food plots, you’ll have to make caring for them a priority.
Provide Cover
Another thing your hunting grounds need to attract deer and other game is a decent amount of cover. Pine and other evergreens can provide excellent cover that will give deer the security they need to make your land their home. Plant them in clusters in different spots throughout the property.
Just because you buy a plot of land somewhere does not mean that it will become an adequate hunting preserve overnight. Creating good hunting grounds requires a lot of strategy, hard work, and time. However, implementing the five suggestions above can certainly make a big difference.
By Anita Ginsburg
who is a freelance writer and residing in Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. If you’re looking to purchase recreational hunting grounds, she recommends finding a realtor like those at Michigan White Tail Properties.
Member since July, 2019
View all the articles of Anita Ginsburg.
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