Then check out, "The Top 10 Buck Bedding Hotspots". A mono culture busting habitat combination includes grass, shrub, conifer and hardwood regeneration. What should you sceen? That might mean relocating to safer bedding areas or only coming out at night when human pressure is high. This will only help both the deer and deer hunting. In my experience most deer and wildlife do not like the typical grain sorghums as a food source. Over the past several years customers have planted thousands of acres of this special blend containing Indian Grass, Big . Really folks, it's that simple; you should screen anything and everything, if you want to create high-level whitetail habitat strategies. I consider that a win-win in my book. -will it grow underneath forest Switchgrass reaches the height of 3 to 5 when mature and can be easily identified by the white hair-like tops. You dont want to go to all of this effort and not optimize it for hunting. Slow, light burns will just remove whats on the forest floor. Get with a forestry biologist, technician or specialist and get his or her opinion on how you should approach this method. You can read that by clicking this link: Where do you put deer bedding areas. Than I encourage you to follow along, because I am excited to discuss these easy, strategic methods for getting the job done. Theyll be more apt to use it if they dont feel trapped. A well prepared seed bed should provide adequate seed to soil contact. I dont have large tracts of land that I frequently hunt. If deer have been bedded all day during warm and dry conditions, or if they have a fever, they will want to drink water to cool down their body temperatures. Hunters definitely can scout those green fields within a month and define the trails the deer are taking to and leaving their food to move to their bedding areas. But don't make the hole too big or it won't serve the purpose you need it to. This type of grass usually occurs from mid-summer to late spring. That is why we have started planting food plot screens. Been using it for 4 years and it works. Your email address will not be published. Thanks Antler King. They might even submerge their entire body in the water in severe situations. Cover is one of the main three components of a healthy wildlife habitat. The one thing to remember create an escape. Note the switchgrass seed is in a separate bag than the mix of big bluestem and Indian grass, due to the differences in the seed itself. Deer had many options for bedding areas surrounding the field, that offered them the potential to feed twice during the daytime hours within their bedding areas. The same can be said for combining various conifer varieties as well. By planting switchgrass at a rate of 10#s, you can create a nearly impassable structure of tangled grasses, by both you and the local deer herd! I would rank the bedding canopy/buck bed/buck bed vs. doe bed as the most commonly misused timber cutting for deer, but that is a completely different topic discussed in The "Top 10 Whitetail Habitat Management Myths", as well as "The Mystery of Building Buck Beds". Great screen and bedding product that is holding up well in our cold weather. Deer will love the tender winter wheat as it grows. This one is a native to North America and grows well along the roadsides, the prairies, and in native grass pastures too. While mid term screenings may last 5-10 years or more after the initial planting, their life is not nearly as lengthy as long term forms of screening cover. Here at TPO we firmly believe the number one factor that decreases your odds of shooting a mature whitetail is hunting pressure. *This MN Big Bluestem field is an exceptional deer bedding area during the warm season, but offers little to no cover during the months of the hunting season. Dont give deer a reason to leave an area and they will be more likely to stay close to the bedding area. Hot, heavy burns can also kill trees, too, if thats your goal. Then try a seed variety like Egyptian Wheat, or one of the other great screening products that a reputable seed company like Northwoods Whitetails offers. Cave In Rock is from what I have experienced, the most widely used and planted switchgrass variety. Switchgrass, as well as most native grass blends, contains zero food. Deer feed 5 times in a 24 hour period, including twice during the daytime bedding hours. Asylum - Insane Deer Bedding Mix is an absolute must if you are wanting to maximize the potential of your deer herd! Make sure to click that link and read that article before deciding where to put your bedding area. And that's it, with four guys we had 300 trees planted in 3 hours. 1. Barricade allows you to plant a wall of sorghum that blocks the view of your entry to and exit from your stand. When broadcast seeding is used, it is recommended that the seeding rate be increased 1 1/2 to two times the recommended rate to make up for seed that is not planted at the proper depth. Planting depth should be 1/8 inch. That might mean relocating to safer bedding areas or only coming out at night when human pressure is high. A good bedding area will have each of the traits listed below. The best part about this is in most cases, if going through a government agency, there will be little to no cost when getting their advice. If you are planning to plant a single type of plant then this one should definitely be the one. Switchgrass offers excellent winter cover, even in high snow and wind conditions for all wildlife. A light coating of snow is outstanding at the time of your broadcasting, because you can easily see your broadcasting coverage rate. This is plenty of seed when a properly adjusted native grass planting drill is used. Although the importance of using deer screening cover for whitetails hasn't changed throughout the last decade, the availability and marketing of the various forms of screening plantings, surely has. Another strategy is to plant 10' wide with switchgrass, and 10' wide with Egyptian Wheat, eventually converting the Egyptian Wheat to switchgrass, to create a 20' wide pure switchgrass screening within 2-3 years. Through this experience he noticed that some species of these grasses stood up to the elements such as wind and snow better than others. Through a series of slides, I used a combination of satellite photos with illustrations, in attempt to answer 1 important question on the very first slide, that read, "What Should You Screen?" But the two types are good for bedding. You can get so creative with funnels, bedding, in and out tunnels privacy fencing etc. Most people arent managing their properties for deer hunting. -is it tolerant to herbicide if so what kind? Plant a line of Barricade in an open area to establish a travel corridor and to bring deer close to a blind or stand. There are a lot of deer cover forms but the three main types are the screening, the summer thermal, and the winter thermal. $ 14.99 Select options Perennial & Annual No Till/Minimum Till Perennial/Annual Mix That is one hundred feet square or 8 feet wide by a quarter-mile long. BARRICADE, by Antler King, is a fast-growing, easy-to-plant mix of annual sorghums which grow quickly and grow tall! To help the seed flow through a broadcast seeder, mix the seed with pelleted lime. Furthermore Don noticed that different varieties of the same species would also stand up better to the weather than others. Image 2 of 10 By keeping your highest quality food sources on the outside and away from the bedding area, you will place yourself into position to enjoy highly defined afternoon deer movements, from preferred daytime bedding areas, to evening food sources. The switchgrass actually had the opposite outcome from what the landowner had originally intended, but those results were easy to reverse with a little additional work. Use Barricade to build blind cover exactly where you want it. Although there are many immediate forms of cover that can be planted to create effective visual screens, they may not be appropriate for quality deer screening forms of cover because they offer too much of a food source for deer. Deer can also crave a drink of water. You could find this in areas that are moist. Warm Season Grasses Native grasses such as switchgrass, Indian, big and little bluestem, and gamma grass once covered much of North America. A great idea that I had never considered. All areas less than 8,000 ft. elevation. Bedding should also be supported by a variety of foods and a water source within the bedding area itself or close to it. Your email address will not be published. But today, it seems were on the downtrend throughout much of the country. On the flip side, bucks during the rut will be looking for does to breed, so a good bedroom will offer enough room for both bucks and does to coexist at all times of year. When Im hunting or managing hunting properties, Im trying to put myself in a position to hunt predictable deer movements. In some areas, populations have tanked. Is your focus purely for deer? Our club has planted Whitetail Institute products for 16 years and we've always had great luck. You should create the native regen areas within the switchgrass planting, so that the deer that relate to the daytime browse and cover, can be completely hidden within. Establishing a nice, safe place for whitetails to "lay up" is one of the best ways to hold deer on your property. First of all you should aim for them to be hidden. These grasses respond very well to fire. Plant BARRICADE in the summer and it will be ready for hunting season and last into the winter. Bedding Shop All Bedding Bed . When I first read up on Barricade from Antler King, I was very skeptical. it enhances a deers attraction to the area. This is one of the most popular methods these days. Deer have options, and often at a level many times greater than native grasses alone. In April spray Atrizine at a rate of 3-4 quarts per acre during the first 2 years. For example, some properties should have them on a property line and other properties shouldnt. You can also mow the plot to help with weeds but do not mow lower than 12. It offers a good scent and it grows from 6 to 10ft. *For more info concerning creating a high quality Egyptian Wheat planting, try reading Egyptian Wheat Screening Strategies. In all honesty, its a Band-Aide for a much bigger problem. Deer populations rise and fall. Mature buck hunting, herd and habitat techniques. If the cover on your land is not attracting, holding and hiding critters when the going gets tough, then it is time for that form of cover, to go. There are several methods for Im Joel Gher, the Whitetail Advisor. Improved antler growth. It grows as tall as 12 feet and is ideal to be grown with other tall grasses and shrubs for optimum coverage. The result is Real Worlds Bedding in a Bag, a superior blend of tall warm-season grasses that makes excellent bedding cover for deer as well as nesting cover for pheasants, quail, rabbits and other wildlife, Establishing and Maintaining RWWS Whitetail Bedding Mix. I often refer to does as "straight line" movers. The hard part is recognizing the signs and clues that deer and other people leave behind and use that information to your advantage. However, there are situations when small patches of cover can be used by a specific buck. Species in this mix. Why? You will also need to work the ground with a disc or other tillage tool, lightly drag the seedbed after broadcasting or preferably use a culti-packer to firmly press the seed into the soil for good seed-soil contact. When you blend various grass varieties together to create "diversity", you have still created a mono culture of grass. Please keep this in mind when ordering. It can also cause the deer to avoid coming out during daylight. This is also available for the whole year. Deer need to be able to see much further in high cover % and high predator density areas. If you have any questions on product placement, feel free to contact our experts and we will help! Make sure to check out how the WHS Team of Dylan, Ross and Jeff, can turn your dream parcel into reality.