Wildlife Management Guidelines

1
Wildlife Management Guidelines

• Supplemental Feeding

2
GoalsWildlife Requirements

• Water
• Food
• Shelter
• Living area

3
Animal Production
4
Wildlife

• Food sources
• seed
• forage
• roots
• fauna

5
Bermudagrass and Ryegrass Growth Curve
6
Rainfall Patterns in Denton County

• Typically wet springs
• Hard to plant
• Dry to very dry late July and August.
• hard to make a crop
• Wet October November
• Hard to harvest

7
Forage Quality

• Digestibility is a function of maturity
• Crude protein is a function of maturity and soil
  nitrogen.

8
Maturity effects on Digestibility and Crude
protein.
9
Supplemental Feeding

• Grazing Management
• Prescribed Burning
• Range Enhancement
• Food Plots
• Feeders and Mineral Supplementation
• Managing Tame Pastures, Old Fields and Croplands
• Transition Management of Tame Grass Monocultures

10
Grazing Management

• Rotational Stocking Method
• Stocking Rate

11
Intensive Grazing
12
Stocking rate responses

• Forage availability decreases with increased
  stocking rate and/or forage growth
• Risk of overgrazing increases with increased
  stocking rate
• Palatable plant species loss rate increases with
  increased stocking rate
• ground cover (litter) decreases with increased
  stocking rate

13
Fencing

• List Cross Fences
• Fence Types
• Barbed old, keeps cattle out, not wildlife
• Electric least expensive, but limited
• Net extremely expensive (installation and
  maintenance), controls largest number of species
• Mixed keeps large animals off web very effective

14
Fencing

• Measurements
• length
• perimeter
• Cost
• Additional Watering Sites
• Exclusion Zones
• Riparian
• Protected species

15
Prescribed Burning

• Earliest recorded form of forage management
• Multiple benefits (residue removal, control of
  spring weeds, increased infiltration)
• Effective on young annual weeds
• Ineffective on many perennial weeds
• Timing is critical and target species dependent

16
Prescribed Burning

• Red flag for winter burns
• Wind speedgt20 mph
• RHlt20
• air tempgt 80oF
• May damage crop plant
• VERY RISKY, HIGH LIABILITY
• Not recommended to most producers

17
Rangeland Enhancementand Food Plots

• Range Reseeding
• Grazing Management
• Prescribed Burning
• Establishment
• Food Plots
• includes annual warm and cool season crops

18
Soils

• First decision on species/variety selection
• Texture Clay, loam, silt, sand
• Chemical
• Physical
• Soil Test
• pH
• P K
• Nitrate (?)

19
Species Selection

• Annual vs. Perennial
• Cool vs. Warm season
• Bunch vs Sod (grasses)
• Legume vs. Nonlegume (Forb)
• Native vs. Naturalized

20
Seed Germination

• Seed stratification required
• Seeds require infrared light to germinate
• Litter blocks infrared light
• Establish plants compete very effectively with
  new seedling for light, water and other nutrients
• Seeds must imbibe water to germinate
• Seed - soil contact required
• Moisture required

21
Recommended Species

• Grasses
• Forbs
• Crops

22
Recommended Native Grasses

• Switchgrass (Alamo/Caddo)
• Indiangrass
• Big Bluestem
• Eastern Gamagrass (Pete)
• Little bluestem
• Sideoats grama
• Buffalograss
• Mixtures of the above

23
Native Forbs

• Maximillian Sunflower
• Ragweed
• Goatweed
• Black-eyed Susan
• Bluebonnet
• Bundleflower
• Many others (i.e. broadleaf weeds)

24
Annual crops

• Grains (grasses)
• Corn, milo, etc.
• Wheat, oats, rye and ryegrass
• Legumes (forbs)
• Soybeans, cowpeas for forage
• Rape, turnips, others

25
Species Selection

• Plant what fits your soil
• Determine the wildlife you want
• Select native species that are found no more than
  50 miles west and 100 miles north, south and east
  (lots of exceptions)
• What do you want? (qualitative)
• What can you afford (economic)

26
Plot/reseeding management

• Annual food plots require the greatest tillage
  and management
• If properly prepared. planted and utilized,
  planting this site with perennial forages is less
  expensive
• Coordinate
• Spring planted plot to fall seeding
• Fall planted plot to spring seeding

27
Food Plots

• Food plot amount should be based on requirements
  of target species
• Minimum of 1 of land area should be planted in
  both winter and summer plots

28
Food Plots

• Fencing yes or no
• Plantings
• cool season annual crops
• warm season annual crops
• annual mix of native plants
• perennial mix of native plants
• Irrigation yes or no

29
Feeders and Mineral Supplementation

• Used to supplement diet quality
• May be used in harvesting program (excessive
  numbers only)
• Aflatoxin lt 20ppb
• Minerals multiple options
• At least ONE free-choice feeder/320 acres using
  16 CP feed required

30
Feeders

• Location
• near shelter
• inconspicuous
• Portability
• permanent
• portable
• Toxic plants

31
Toxic Plant Categories

• Situational Drought, Freeze, etc.
• Seasonal Seedhead, plant parts
• Chronic constantly toxic

32
Situational

• Soil fertilizer levels excessive nutrients in
  the soil taken up by the plant and consumed by
  the animal
• Soil pH
• Nutrient level
• Copper
• Selenium
• Molybdenum
• Environmental conditions
• Nitrate
• Prussic acid
• Grass Tetany

33
Nitrate Toxicity

• Aerated soil
• Nitrate uptake by the plant
• Limited nitrate utilization
• Nitrate accumulation
• low growth rate
• lower stems and leaves

34
Prussic Acid

• Dhurrin Emulsin
• neither are toxic
• react to form HCN
• Reduced plant growth rate
• drought, freeze, trampling damage, etc.
• breaks down rapidly in the plant
• evaporates quickly
• Young, tender leaves
• upper most leaves
• most palatable

35
Grass Tetany/Milk Fever

• Calcium imbalance
• high calcium/magnesium demand (animal)
• mineral supplementation
• Cold wet soils
• early spring
• limited Ca and P movement
• Temperate grasses
• small grains
• fescue and other cool season grasses

36
Management tips

• Avoid over fertilization
• Manures
• Soil pH
• Manage crop for optimum growth
• proper fertilization, grazing, etc.
• Remove suspect plants from feed and other
  enclosed areas
• a hoes your best buddy

37
Seasonal

• Often plant reproduction oriented
• ergots (seedheads)
• tannin acid (acorns)
• aflatoxin
• Specific time of year
• Plant part specific

38
Ergot

• Dallisgrass, Small grains (Fescue)
• Minimize Seedhead production
• overgraze early
• limit fertilizer (N) to early vegetative growth
• Fescue July to January
• Dallisgrass April to June
• Small grains Fall to March
• Dilutionclovers, other grasses, non toxic hay

39
Aflatoxins

• Drought induced
• Seed quality
• trash
• Affects all agronomic crops
• corn sorghum
• soybeans peanuts
• Dont allow animal access to suspect areas
• Dilute with clean feed to acceptable levels

40
Chronic

• Constantly toxic
• intake limited by animal reaction
• generally not a problem
• harvest effect
• examples buttercup, milkweed, nightshade family
• Cumulative effect
• slow response period
• multiple factors (photosensitivity)
• examples fescue, sweetclover

41
Management techinques

• Animal
• Proper stocking rate
• dont overgraze
• match gp to plant pop
• Match animal class
• dry vs wet
• young vs old
• sheep-deer-cow
• Acclimatize slowly
• no hungry animals
• adequate feed
• Proper supplement
• mobile feeder

• Plant
• Proper fertilization
• no dumping
• proper balance
• timing
• Crop Mgmt.
• Limit damage
• stock movement
• Dilution
• Weed control
• Plant identification
• careful with hormone
• timely control

42
Johnsongrass

• Warm season perennial grass
• Tall growing, stolons
• Toxins
• Nitrate
• Prussic acid

43
Tall Fescue

• Cool Season Perennial grass
• Moist lowland area
• Seedhead mgnt.
• Dilution
• Toxin
• alkaloid
• vasoconstrictor
• late term animals
• young (april)

44
Pigweed

• Annual broadleaf
• Disturbed areas
• Multiple control
• mulch, herbicide, hoe
• Toxin
• nitrate

45
Nightshade familySolanum sp.

• Warm Season perennial broadleaf
• Distinctive flower
• 5 sided tomato type
• groups of 3-7
• Difficult to control
• Limited toxicity
• Toxin
• Solanine Alkaloid
• hay

46
MilkweedAsclepias sp.

• Warm season, perennial broadleaf
• Rhizomitous tap root
• multiple species
• latex sap
• Toxin
• glycoside
• hay

47
Jimsonweed

• Annual broadleaf
• Disturbed sites, feedlot, etc.
• Multiple control
• herbicide, mulch, hoe
• toxin
• alkaloid
• mainly kids

48
Feeders

• Purpose supplement or harvest
• Targeted species deer, dove, etc.
• Feed type
• Mineral type
• Number and type of feeder
• Method and location numbers of minerals
• Time frame year round or seasonal

49
Managing Tame Pasture, Old Fields and Croplands

• Minimum of 5 of designated area must be annually
  treated
• List what, where and how anything was practiced.
• Tillage
• Defoliation
• Annual plantings

50
Transition Management of Tame Grass Monocultures

• Plant legumes
• Nitrogen Producer
• Phosphorus consumer
• High quality
• Extend grazing season
• Require better management
• fertility
• grazing

51
Nitrogen Production
52
Inoculate

• Proper Rhizobium
• species specific
• Fresh Rhizobium
• heat and light sensitive, dont save
• some may exist in the soil
• Mix within 24 hours of planting
• Use a sticker
• mix according to directions.. and let dry

53
Liebergs Law of Limits
54
Fertilization

• Grasses need nitrogen soon after germination
• Forbs need phosphorus
• Avoid nitrogen with legumes
• Species variation huge
• Both need K and other nutrients
• Soil test

55
Establishment

• Fall or early spring planting Fall preferred
• Soil test in Spring, adjust pH ASAP.
• No nitrogen applied
• Adjust P, K micronutrients in the Fall
• Control perennial weeds prior to planting
• Inoculate prior to seeding

56
Establishment

• Bigger seedhigher seedling vigor
• Multiple seeding options
• Prepared seedbed
• clean, firm seedbed critical
• planting depth 1/4 to 3/4
• cultipack after seeding on clay
• cultipack before and after seeding on sand
• broadcast, harrow and pack if not drilled.

57
Sod Seeding

• Sod Seeding
• Graze or mow to 1 stubble
• Sod drill is best
• Lightly disk if possible
• Drag or roll.
• Chemical suppression helps

58
Management

• Maintain or Increase Soil Fertility Levels
• Avoid Cutting Pre-bloom (1/10 bloom best)
• prebloom possible with proper rest period
• make sure the TNCs recharge
• All clovers respond to rotational grazing
• the taller, the better the response.
• Most perennials are short lived in Texas.

59
Grazing

• Watch for bloat
• Rotational grazing preferred if not required for
  plant persistence
• Reseeding Pull off annuals and biennials at/or
  before flowering
• Nitrogen for grass available after legume has
  flowered and nodules slough

60
Legume Species

• Annual
• Arrowleaf
• Aliske
• Ball
• Berseem
• Crimson
• Lespedeza
• Sweetclover
• Subterranean

• Biennial or Perennial
• Alfalfa
• Serecia Lespedeza
• Red clover
• Sweetclover
• White clover
• Illinois Bundleflower

61
Alfalfa

• Hay production
• pHgt7
• Well drained, fertile soil
• 15-25 lb. seed/ac.
• Bud weevil, diseases
• Apollo II, Cimarron II

62
White Clover

• Moist clay soils
• pH 5.5-7
• prostrate growth
• 2-3 lb./acre
• Peak production in April, mixes well with
  Dallisgrass
• S-1, Nolin persists
• Regal, Osceola yield

63
Red Clover

• Biennial
• clay loam to clay soils
• well drained
• pHgt6.5
• hay (May, June cuts)
• graze rotationally
• 3-4 week rest
• 10-12 lb./acre
• Kenland, Redland II

64
Sweetcloverannual (Hubam) biennial (Madrid)

• upland clay soils
• pHgt7, 12-15 lb./ac
• Flowers early (Hubam) to mid (Madrid) summer
• Tall growth pattern
• 20-60
• Coumarin
• bitter
• blood clotting

65
Arrowleaf Clover

• Sandy to loamy soil
• pH6-7, well drained
• Medium to tall growth
• Mid May flowering
• 5-8 lb. seed/acre
• scarified
• Night templt60F
• virus
• Yuchi, Meechi, Amclo

66
Berseem Clover

• Fine loam to clay
• pH 6 - 8
• poor on sands
• 10-15 lb./acre
• Flower in late April
• Graze _at_ 6
• Bigbee

67
Crimson Clover

• Sand to well drained clay
• pH 6-7
• Flower late March
• 15-20 lb./acre
• limited hard seed
• Tibbee, Dixie, Chief

68
Subterranean Clover

• Sandy loam to clay
• pH 5.5-7
• 10-15 lb. seed/ac.
• 4 lb./ac possible
• prostrate growth habit
• self -planting
• graze when flowering
• Flowers mid April
• Mt. Barker, others

69
Hairy Vetch

• Sands to clays
• pH 5-8
• 20-30 lb./acre
• Susceptable to nematodes
• Graze lightly till after flowering
• Cahaba White, Vantage

70
Prairie Ecology

• Plant production
• Species
• Fertility
• Growth Curve
• Weather
• Reproduction
• Sward Composition

• Animal production
• Requirement
• food
• water
• shelter
• living area
• Behavior
• Stocking rate
• Species
• Reproduction
• etc.

71
Forage

• Leaves age reducing quality and photosynthetic
  efficiency
• Bottom leaves are the oldest
• Nutrients transferred to seed and carbohydrate
  reserve
• best to maintain an LAI of 4-6

72
When to defoliate

• When conditions are favorable
• When target plants can afford to loss the
  protection
• When target seeds need to germinate
• Before target wildlife needs the food
• After target wildlife doesnt need the shelter

73
Defoliation Methods

• Grazing/feeding requires adequate numbers
  controllable vectors
• Mowing leaves a residue
• Disking disturbs the soil
• improved seed germination
• erosion
• Fire complete residue removal

74
Carbohydrate Management

• Carbohydrates (TNCs) are the products of
  photosynthesis
• Plant part removal and regrowth requires
  utilization of TNCs.
• Depletion of TNCsPlant death
• Reproductive organs are sites of TNCs
• Consumption and defoliation deplete Plant TNC

75
Carbohydrate Management

• Consequently vegetation management is
  Carbohydrate Management
• Minimize TNC depletion of target plants
• Maximize TNC depletion of weeds
• Utilize growth curve knowledge for timing
• Keep forage vegetative for browsers/grazers
• Keep plant reproductive for seed

76
Ecology

• Balancing act
• What helps one hurts another
• Maximize niches
• Shelter areas
• Water areas
• Food areas

77
Examples

• Long strips of Shelter belts surrounded by
  foraging strips
• Checkerboard alternating squares of forage and
  shrub/ trees
• Islands of shrubs/trees circled by forage
• Mixtures of tall and short grass
• Mixtures of adjacent mown and unmown plots

78
Summary

• Maximize plant numbers and diversity over time
  and space by carbohydrate management of the plant
• Maximize animal numbers and diversity over time
  and space by vegetation management
• Start with a small number of target plants and
  animal, increase over time