Corbin.clay
5 year old buck +
Branching off someones suggestion on another thread. I am in year 1, not year 6, but will share how I have started out. My land is 5% mature trees, 90% thick cover, and 5% openings (lanes, roads, and plots. I have 2 creeks so water is not a need. I have a few mature trees for roosting, but they are surround by cover so thick no turkey is coming close to them without flying a long ways. My goals are to 1) increase access to roost trees, both on the creeks and off. 2) create openings that connect each area of the farm 3) increase brooding and bugging areas.
1. Thinning around mature trees to make fly up and down easier and safer. This one is harder because deer travel my creeks lined with mature trees and I do not want to disrupt those habits. I have some native grasses and shrubs around these around that I will manage and allow to grow back at low height, to provide some cover and bugging areas.
2. Deer prefer narrow trails, turkeys in my opinion, prefer wider trails with less hiding places for predators. Here I am torn on how wide to make my paths connecting food plots and thinning my thick cover. My plan is to edge feather my trails and provide some native shrubs that provide both mast and browse for deer staggered along the sides. My way of compromising by having a wider path but line it with more deer food.
3. These openings will branch off of my food plots focused for deer. I think of this as an extended edge feathering around my plots that gives more low level cover, mixed with fruit/seed producing shrubs. Most of my fruit trees ring my plots so this will add even more food to deer plots, and hopefully won't hurt deer movement as they still have lots of thick cover. Most of my plots are moving to perennials (clover, alfalfa, chicory) to decrease time spent in the plots disturbing and pressuring wildlife.
From my research, turkeys are oppurtunistic feeders and food plots are essentially a non-factor. Creating additional small openings with low ground cover when mature hens can see and small poults are protected are ideal (Buckwheat and red clover mix). I believe my thick cover can easily be used for nesting, especially around the scattered pines that provide overhead cover for the hen.
In summary, turkeys need more habitat on my property where my deer need more food. Most of my deer improvements help turkeys, but some of my turkey management will be detrimental to deer.
1. Thinning around mature trees to make fly up and down easier and safer. This one is harder because deer travel my creeks lined with mature trees and I do not want to disrupt those habits. I have some native grasses and shrubs around these around that I will manage and allow to grow back at low height, to provide some cover and bugging areas.
2. Deer prefer narrow trails, turkeys in my opinion, prefer wider trails with less hiding places for predators. Here I am torn on how wide to make my paths connecting food plots and thinning my thick cover. My plan is to edge feather my trails and provide some native shrubs that provide both mast and browse for deer staggered along the sides. My way of compromising by having a wider path but line it with more deer food.
3. These openings will branch off of my food plots focused for deer. I think of this as an extended edge feathering around my plots that gives more low level cover, mixed with fruit/seed producing shrubs. Most of my fruit trees ring my plots so this will add even more food to deer plots, and hopefully won't hurt deer movement as they still have lots of thick cover. Most of my plots are moving to perennials (clover, alfalfa, chicory) to decrease time spent in the plots disturbing and pressuring wildlife.
From my research, turkeys are oppurtunistic feeders and food plots are essentially a non-factor. Creating additional small openings with low ground cover when mature hens can see and small poults are protected are ideal (Buckwheat and red clover mix). I believe my thick cover can easily be used for nesting, especially around the scattered pines that provide overhead cover for the hen.
In summary, turkeys need more habitat on my property where my deer need more food. Most of my deer improvements help turkeys, but some of my turkey management will be detrimental to deer.