Building Whitetail Utopia Article by Steve Bartylla

[MoBuckChaser]

Just wanted to give another plug to Steve for putting a 2 part series of articles in the North American Whitetail Magazine. Hope everyone has had a chance to read them. But I really hope it does not end with just the 2 articles. Maybe Steve can shed some light on if it will continue. I hope the articles do continue as the habitat work in the article's is really a condensed version of what needs to take place. It however goes over the high points of what some or most of us should be doing, starting this winter! But there are so many things I think the readers could benefit from, like where to hinge cut, how to girdle trees if too big to cut down, the placement of water holes, placement of food plots, and many other things. I for one, from the beginning, have screwed up enough stuff to know there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things on every property. And after doing this stuff for over 30 years, I have finally got it through my noodle to put a plan together. Before that I was a dive in the water first and check the depth second kind of guy.....as a lot of us are!:eek:

Thanks Steve, let us know if the articles will continue!

 

[dipper]

I threw the qdma article out there, someone has to throw it up. I've made a promise to myself never to buy that stuff again....

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I threw the qdma article out there, someone has to throw it up. I've made a promise to myself never to buy that stuff again....

You might not buy this stuff, but a million other people do!

 

[bat man]

Without a plan all you have are random improvements and more random deer movement.

 

[SD51555]

Without a plan all you have are random improvements and more random deer movement.

Very good point. Before this season, I never tied my tree planting to anticipated movements at given times. It was more of, "Hey there's sunlight and space, let's fill it in." Thankfully, I didn't make too many mistakes. It's just going to take some creativity to hunt some of those set ups when they get to producing age.

This season, we finally figured out that we need to mold our property to the desired flight path of our deer. We've got a good handle on it now, and simply need to pave the runway. We know where they bed, we know where they feed. They'll do both on our property, but ours isn't their primary destination for either. We're putting a concession stand on, and safe travel corridor through, our property to hopefully help them from one end to the other and avoid the areas where they'll get shot prematurely.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

MO, there's still the 3rd part to come in that series. In the 3rd part, I put together a couple fictitious plans, trying to illustrate how to tie it all together with goals and limitations.

The question of if it ill be more is really up to you guys. Gordon, the editor of north American WHITETAIL is torn on if there is the interest in those type of pieces. If he gets a bunch of emails expressing interest in turning it into a column, he's going to have my do a regular column on it, where I take 1 topic and tear it apart. If not, the 3rd part is the end.

If you want it to be a column, you can email Gordon and let him know. One of these addys is good, the other is bad, but I can never remember which. So, I always send to both.

Gordon Whittington <gordon_whittington@primediamags.com>;Gordon Whittington <gordon.whittington@imoutdoors.com>;

For what little it's worth, dipper, I stopped writing for QDMA's mag after that first piece I did for them over a year ago. There were several reasons behind it, but really low pay was a big one. We all need to pay the bills somehow.

 

[foggy]

^ Steve. What is this QDMA you speak of? ( ;) ) Are they the same organization that takes your dues and claims they have some branches where they do not? ....Like Pequot Lakes MN where they have not had a club for over five years (or never) yet still claim they exist and that they represent the interests of the folks of this area? - yet do NOT. You mean that organization? One could write an article on that non-existinig club.....but it would get you kicked off the dark side site.

......OK removing tongue from cheek. :D I feel better now. :) (Lindsay: All it takes to relieve me from writing this drivel is to remove that in-active branch.....or make it active. Your choice. )

 

[Greta&Gus]

MO, there's still the 3rd part to come in that series. In the 3rd part, I put together a couple fictitious plans, trying to illustrate how to tie it all together with goals and limitations.

The question of if it ill be more is really up to you guys. Gordon, the editor of north American WHITETAIL is torn on if there is the interest in those type of pieces. If he gets a bunch of emails expressing interest in turning it into a column, he's going to have my do a regular column on it, where I take 1 topic and tear it apart. If not, the 3rd part is the end.

If you want it to be a column, you can email Gordon and let him know. One of these addys is good, the other is bad, but I can never remember which. So, I always send to both.

Gordon Whittington <gordon_whittington@primediamags.com>;Gordon Whittington <gordon.whittington@imoutdoors.com>;

For what little it's worth, dipper, I stopped writing for QDMA's mag after that first piece I did for them over a year ago. There were several reasons behind it, but really low pay was a big one. We all need to pay the bills somehow.

Is the thought that in the hunting industry habitat improvement is still a niche?

 

[non-pro-archer]

Is the thought that in the hunting industry habitat improvement is still a niche?

I think that the average hunter feels like their property is good enough with a food plot or 2. If they don't see many deer in a season they blame it on low deer numbers or their neighbors shooting all the deer. I also think that some of the improvements we do (hinging, tree plantings, feather edging) make a property ugly to the average hunter and they won't do that type of improvement just for that reason. Food plots are as far as 95 percent of hunters will go.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I will email Gordon, and see what he says. But here are a few things that Editors won't or don't realize, and this is from first hand experience. There are piles of guys, in mn at least, that sit in a office just chomping at the bit to go out and do some sort of planting, cutting wood, habitat work, plant trees....etc on there land on the weekends. And they all get these kinds of magazines, Read them over and over, whether they can implement what you are telling them is besides the point. But the more info you can give them in a not so condensed version helps them tremendously. These guys have from 40 -200 acres, not the huge tracks of land you may be used to. This is who your target people should be, that is who I target with my seed sales. Gordon would be a fool not to let you target one thing of habitat work each magazine to address thoroughly for those type of readers. People reading these magazines are bored with the same kind of guys shooting the same bucks that most will never see in there lifetime. Just my thoughts being relayed to me through a lot of my customers! I will let everyone know what Gordon says!

 

[Bill]

Anywhere else to read the article(s)

I stopped buying deer hunting magazines and movies in the late 80's when it was obvious most of the articles on how to where obviously made up and based on 0 fact.

Other than here now I'm pretty cut off.

Which is ok by me :)

 

[tooln]

I think that the average hunter feels like their property is good enough with a food plot or 2. If they don't see many deer in a season they blame it on low deer numbers or their neighbors shooting all the deer. I also think that some of the improvements we do (hinging, tree plantings, feather edging) make a property ugly to the average hunter and they won't do that type of improvement just for that reason. Food plots are as far as 95 percent of hunters will go.

I have to agree. When I bought my/our property (40 acres) 4 years ago the wife loved it cause it was just like a PARK. It took me 2.5 years to convince her that deer do not like parks. As it ended up I clear cut about 2.5 acres and planted Norway Spruce and another 2-3 acres of a heavy select cut leaving all the tops lay. Now I just have to wait another 3-4 years to see results. But I do have Amish neighbors who hunt/shoot POACH year round.

 

[sandbur]

I will email Gordon, and see what he says. But here are a few things that Editors won't or don't realize, and this is from first hand experience. There are piles of guys, in mn at least, that sit in a office just chomping at the bit to go out and do some sort of planting, cutting wood, habitat work, plant trees....etc on there land on the weekends. And they all get these kinds of magazines, Read them over and over, whether they can implement what you are telling them is besides the point. But the more info you can give them in a not so condensed version helps them tremendously. These guys have from 40 -200 acres, not the huge tracks of land you may be used to. This is who your target people should be, that is who I target with my seed sales. Gordon would be a fool not to let you target one thing of habitat work each magazine to address thoroughly for those type of readers. People reading these magazines are bored with the same kind of guys shooting the same bucks that most will never see in there lifetime. Just my thoughts being relayed to me through a lot of my customers! I will let everyone know what Gordon says!

I dropped NAW because of the countless stories of big bucks and felt I was not learning a thing except for the occasional habitat articles. Just too much emphasis on big bucks, which I will never see.

D and DH I can relate to and read it cover to cover. I like John Ozoga. The rut prediction from CA are just BS.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Bill, you may want to keep an eye out on northamericanwhitetail.com. There's a chance they'll run the series there. Otherwise, I don't have any leads for you. I know you aren't asking me to do this, but I can't post them, as they aren't my property after I've been paid for them.

That said, I don't think the 3 parter will have anything I haven't covered in the habitat plan thread.

 

[sandbur]

You are too honest, Steve!

Lots of what I have read in the various magazines is nothing new and in some cases just ramblings from writers who know very little (not your case).

 

[Bill]

I know you aren't asking me to do this, but I can't post them, as they aren't my property after I've been paid for them..

No I knew that. They'd get a bit PO'd about that.

Think I'm going to order the new book it's probably all in there.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I am not worried about any of the core guys on this site. They don't need to read any magazines to get the info they need, but there are a lot of other hunters that read those magazines that do not go on Habitat blogs. I think they could benefit from what ever monthly article Steve could put in.
If they only knew how reachable Steve is on here, this place would have a lot more members!

 

[Buckly]

[QUOTE="
If they only knew how reachable Steve is on here, this place would have a lot more members![/QUOTE]

I don't know if the Amish are on the internet. HaHaHaHa. Sorry, couldn't resist.

P.S. Please excuse dry sense of humor. LOL.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

^ Steve. What is this QDMA you speak of? ( ;) ) Are they the same organization that takes your dues and claims they have some branches where they do not? ....Like Pequot Lakes MN where they have not had a club for over five years (or never) yet still claim they exist and that they represent the interests of the folks of this area? - yet do NOT. You mean that organization? One could write an article on that non-existinig club.....but it would get you kicked off the dark side site.

......OK removing tongue from cheek. :D I feel better now. :) (Lindsay: All it takes to relieve me from writing this drivel is to remove that in-active branch.....or make it active. Your choice. )

I get such a chuckle out of this rant every time i read it! you just made my monday morning a little funnier! thanks!

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Speaking of making "monday morning a little funnier," you dang near made me spit coffee, Buckly. That may be a bit too inside for most, but it got an out loud laugh out of me.