What motivates you as a habitat guy/land manager?

[DiSc0Rd]

I definitely I'm interested in creating better hunting, bigger deer, more deer possibly doves and at some point possibly waterfowl. but as a few others have stated I'm at this point almost more excited to make a place great for my kids and I have recently tried to find some other youths that may not have opportunity to go hunt that might want to try it.

 

[chummer]

I hear you chummer. I have all but given up on apples. IF they survive the borers I have to worry about bear damage. IF they survive bears I have to worry about moose roaming through and denuding the trees. And even IF I get a tree to a decent size, beyond the reach of moose and deer and producing apples and too big in DBH to worry about borers....I have to worry about bears again climbing my trees and tipping then over.

Wild apples grow like weeds around here so I find I do more management of those than trying to plant anything myself anymore.

I do have some nice wild apples but most drop in aug/sep. if they weren’t there I wouldn’t think it was possible to grow apples. I can’t wait until the bears start ripping trees down, and those damn borers always pick the best tree.

 

[Kooch]

"Don't drink, don't smoke. What do ya do?"

Seriously, I don't know what the hell else I'd do in Minnesota. Fishing I guess. But the metro lakes are so crowded they're no fun.

On second thought.... My little place in the swamp is the only thing I can think of that is *mine*. When I'm there, I do what I want to do, how I want to do it. For better or for worse, I'm in charge. This is the only part of my life that I don't feel like I'm living for everybody else. It feels good now and then.

 

[Kooch]

And I like hunting.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I love seeing the pictures of the wildlife using the food plots. As long as they aren’t wrecking my trees, they are welcome to eat the fruits of the trees, and also enjoy the food from the food plots. When I plant apple trees, I know coon, bear, squirrels, deer, birds and many more animals will be enjoying them. Just don’t wreck them! I know the food plots attract many critters big and small as well, it makes me feel like it was a success when I see several small fawns in the food plots, or a big buck. I know that I am doing a small part in feeding wildlife and making their lives better. Then I don’t feel as guilty taking a few deer each year from my land.

 

[Peplin Creek]

For me, it’s just trying to challenge myself to shoot the biggest deer I can in a given year and learn something along the way and apply what worked the following year. Whether that’s food plots, designing funnels, creating bedding. My family and friends know it’s my passion and they support it. Which is nice. Some think i go way overboard but if you new me, you’d know there is only one thing that I absolutely live for and that’s deer season and the rut.
I also get jacked on trail camera pictures sometimes even more than hunting. So that’s good motivation to get out and do habitat stuff. Makes it feel like Christmas morning over and over again when the cams send those images back.

 

[Bill]

Not going to lie. I’ve poured blood, sweat and “years” into my place for big deer. Lots of other good things have come from it but that’s the motivation. When I don’t shake like a dog $hitting razor blades after drilling a big buck I’m done with habitat work and buying a bigger boat.

Very blessed to have this place and realize geography won’t let many do what we do. I count every deer taken here as my accomplishment. Like others I’m to the point I like seeing a brother, son or the right friend connect more than connecting myself.

Bought the place from two brothers that hunted it hard with friends, lots of friends. They sold to go to Iowa where the big deer live. That puzzled me because they left a shed full of basket racks just capped off behind, some still had tags on them. We never killed A buck for 3 years Just to let them get some age structure.

I wish I could bring them back now. They would probably be pissed at me..... a once clean and tidy farm is now an overgrown mess.

trampledbyturtles hit a nerve. Ma nature has put the smack down on me many times. This year is the worst bean crop I’ve ever had. Must have germinated and got real dry and the deer are hammering what few plants survived. In the past I’d loose sleep over it. Not any more, I’ll just try something else for the fall.

I got to watch this guy feeding in my weedy, stressed, over browsed beans this evening. He’s why I do it even I don’t get to shoot him.

 

[buckdeer1]

I guess it's the pheasant crowing or bobwhite whistling or maybe a hunter taking their first deer

 

[SD51555]

Cause I got no place else to go.

 

[g squared 23]

As someone posted above, I like doing what I want to do, when I want to do it and there’s no one to tell me otherwise. My kids are currently too young to help out or hunt, so I enjoy a place where I can get away for a few hours in solitude and get dirty. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, like it’s time well spent. I agree that habitat work and hunting are the best type of natural antidepressant and anxiolytic.

The habitat stuff is to make my small property more attractive to wildlife, mostly deer. I’m not sure I really accomplish that or have made a significant impact. Maybe knocking back the invasives have allowed a few natives plants a chance to expand? I dunno, but it’s fun pretending that I’m making a difference.

I mostly like having a place of my own where I have a reasonable chance on any outing to kill a deer, and on most years I will see a shooter buck. A few turkeys are a nice bonus, and hey, I’m even going after the squirrels this weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Skeeter]

From what I've read in almost every post is that it gives a person a sense of agency. The individual details may differ, but we are all trying to fulfill the same need.

 

[SwampCat]

What I learned from this is someday I want your work schedule!

my work schedule is called retirement.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I just like to chase whitetails and grow stuff. I grew up and had the means to own some land out in the sticks where nobody bothers me, and once I literally started seeing the fruits of my labor it was the spark to the fire that burns inside me today. I wanted to do things other people around me weren't thinking about doing, which pushed me into the ideology of creating a diverse garden of unique food sources to my area that would some day bring a monster buck past my stand because he was craving Persimmons or Chestnuts that only I had. That is how it plays out in my head anyway :) It is alot of work, its also more expensive than I had imagined but... sooooo worth every penny.

"A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of life when he plants shade trees under which he knows he will never sit"

 

[Bassattackr]

I want to have a well rounded property, but deep down, my ultimate end goal is to give mature deer (primarily the bucks I want to kill) a safe place to exist, until I can get them killed.

roym - This is my goal as well. One if the things passed down from my grandfather was just the enjoyment of nature. My goals:

• Create an environment where a 4+ year mature buck beds/lives during daylight hours, and hence shootable each year.

• Create an environment where all wildlife flourishes. For deer, turkey, quail, doves to all call it home. Part of the enjoyment of hunting (or spending time out at the farms) is for me is to see and watch these animals thrive in their own ecosystem. I'm just a fly on the wall.

 

[Native Hunter]

I'm motivated by the love of interior decorating:

 

[roymunson]

Native, 2 things I noticed.

1. Your bucks generally have really long main beams. And I like that.

2. Your book shelf may look small and unorganized, but I can see some titles on spines that tell me I'd love to talk deer hunting and habitat over a dinner with you.

Cool looking man cave!

 

[Native Hunter]

Native, 2 things I noticed.

1. Your bucks generally have really long main beams. And I like that.

2. Your book shelf may look small and unorganized, but I can see some titles on spines that tell me I'd love to talk deer hunting and habitat over a dinner with you.

Cool looking man cave!

Thanks Roy, and if you are ever in KY let me know and we will hook up for a dinner.

 

[Skeeter]

I'm motivated by the love of interior decorating:

That rug really ties the room together

 

[hillrunner]

I'm motivated by the love of interior decorating:

You have a lot of great stuff to look at in that picture, is that some sort of battle ax on the wall?

 

[Native Hunter]

You have a lot of great stuff to look at in that picture, is that some sort of battle ax on the wall?

It belonged To my Great Great Grandfather who was a Civil War soldier. He gave it to my Grandfather and he passed it on to me. My understanding is that it was just an axe he worked with on the farm.