Land Management Tips
The NWTF offers a full selection of land management tips to attract more wildlife to your property. From testing soil and planting tips to choosing the right seed, these tips are designed to help you help the wildlife around you. Simply select the land management tip you would like to view below and click on the link. Make sure to try them all, and don't forget to stop by the Turkey Shoppe's Project HELP section to order the seeds featured in these tips.
Wildlife Openings Make a Difference if Properly Prepared
Do you want to see more wildlife on your property or lease? Then provide quality food and cover. Brush Control Helps Wildlife
Landowners or hunters interested in improving their land for wildlife will find creating openings or planting food plots to be the most effective way. Unfortunately, it is also the most costly. And of those costs, brush control is the largest, most continuous expense. Despite this concern, landowners have three brush control alternatives, all which can be employed for varying costs and with varying benefits. These alternatives are mechanical methods, like roll drum chopping or mowing, prescribed burning or applying herbicides. Bur Oak Provides Winter Food for Wildlife
Finding enough to eat in the winter and early spring can be very challenging for wildlife. Planting mast-producing trees can help provide a good food source for wildlife during that time of year. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is native to central and eastern North America and grows to be 70 to 80 feet tall and two to three feet in diameter. It is a member of the white oak group, which means that its acorns mature in a single year and provide good food for wildlife. Chinese Chestnuts are Excellent for Wildlife
In the early 1900s, chestnut trees dominated U.S. forests from southern Maine to Mississippi. This prolific nut producer consistently produced an abundance of mast. Get in the Game
Whether you're a large landowner or somebody who only owns a few acres, it's a good bet that you are interested in how to make your land more suitable for wildlife. For those looking for a great source of information about managing their land, the National Wild Turkey Federation has a great new tool called "Get in the Game: Attracting Wildlife to Your Land," an interactive reference guide and resource planning CD-ROM full of useful information. Corn is a Valuable Wildlife Food
According to a Native American legend, corn was the food of the gods that created the earth. In core samples of the lake sediment beneath Mexico City, scientists found fossilized pollen grains of corn believed to be more than 80,000 years old. "/images/corn.jpg" Dogwood Offers Prime Winter Food Source
Very few trees are appreciated more than a flowering dogwood. From Maine to Michigan and Texas to Florida, flowering dogwoods beautify the understory of mature hardwood forests, and decorate communities with their lovely spring flowers and vibrant autumn foliage. Indeed, dogwoods are a year-round favorite, valuable to man and beast. Harrow to Improve Stands of Clover
Here's a quick tip for landowners with wildlife openings or fields that have reseeding annuals and perennials, such as crimson clover and Redland II clover, planted in them. Be sure to lightly harrow these areas during August every two to three years. Hawthorn Creates Cover and Food for Wildlife
No two snowflakes are alike, and the same can almost be said of hawthorns. Millet Yields Small-Grain Food Source
"If you're looking for a quick growing plant that produces abundant seed used by wild turkeys and other wildlife, millet is the ticket," says Bryan Burhans, NWTF Director of Land Management Programs. Mixing Grasses and Clovers Benefits Wildlife
Grasses and clovers are good plants to use in your wildlife openings and are especially important to wild turkeys. They offer excellent foraging and brood habitat for adult wild turkeys and turkey poults. These plants produce a large amount of seeds, which benefit mature birds, and attract hordes of insects, the essential element of a young turkey's diet. Additionally, grasses and clovers help control erosion when planted on roads, logging decks and fallow fields. Landowners Get Assistance from NWTF Management Programs
Wildlife species depend on good habitat for their livelihood, especially on private property. Private land management plays a critical role on the influence of wildlife populations across the country. According to data from the USDA, nearly 50 percent of the U.S. (more than 900 million acres) is privately owned cropland, pastureland and rangeland managed by approximately 4.7 million individuals. NWTF Regional Programs Benefit Wildlife Across Country
While efforts to restore wild turkey populations across North America have been met with phenomenal success, biologists for the National Wild Turkey Federation recognize that habitat improvement programs targeted to specific regions also are important in maintaining and improving these populations. Working closely with state and federal wildlife agencies and even a number of corporate partners, the NWTF has created the following habitat programs: Peredovic Sunflower Provides Fall Food for Wildlife
An excellent source of fall and winter food for wild turkeys is peredovic sunflower. This warm-season plant produces small black seeds that are high in oil content and will grow throughout most of the United States. Gobbler Sawtooth Oak is Great Producer of Acorns
"Acorns provide nourishment to many wildlife species during fall and winter months," said Bryan Burhans, NWTF Director of Land Management Programs. "One tree that wildlife flocks to is the gobbler sawtooth oak, which is a great producer of acorns." Seedbed Prep Vital to Wildlife Opening Success
While good roost areas and water are important for a wild turkey's survival, so are permanent openings in the forest. Openings provide areas of food and cover for adult birds, as well as excellent bugging areas for poults during the spring and early summer. But these areas must be maintained to provide maximum benefits and that starts with planting a quality seed mixture. Shelters Enhance Tree Survival
If you want to increase survival and growth of tree and shrub seedlings, try using tree shelters. After several growing seasons, a higher percentage of trees will survive with the use of tree shelters than without. Soil Testing Improves Wildlife Openings
For every successful garden or wildlife food plot you see, brimming with ripe tomatoes for people or clover for deer and wild turkeys, it's a good bet, the success part started with evaluating the soil. Turkey Gold Strut and Rut‚ is Excellent for All Game
If you're a landowner looking to improve wildlife habitat on your property or hunting lease, look no further. Turkey Gold Strut and Rut is a seed blend available by one of the most respected conservation organizations across North America, the National Wild Turkey Federation. Keep Turkeys Close with Chufa Gold
There are no shortcuts for landowners wishing to attract turkeys to their land, but planting chufa is an excellent step in the right direction.
