Landowner's Tool Box

Across the country, NWTF members are faced with invasive plants negatively impacting wildlife habitat. From West to East, the organization’s biologists have identified some of the most significant offenders – and how to control them as much as possible.

Growing season vs. dormant season burns. When applied correctly, all prescribed fire can benefit wildlife.

Early spring maintenance, including fertilization and control of unwanted plants, is essential to maintain healthy clover throughout the year.

As landowners and as conservationists, we also need to consider all elements: food, water, cover and space are the basic components to sustain healthy populations of wildlife on any property.

Part two of a series on how to develop a land management plan, create your own timber inventory and eventually have a successful sale.

The NWTF and the Green Mountain National Forest, located in southern Vermont, are continuing their nearly two-decade-long Challenge Cost Share Agreement, aiming to improve and diversify wildlife habitat throughout the national forest.

The NWTF is working alongside agency partners to benefit wild turkey habitat in Ohio through a new opportunity.

The NWTF partners with Illinois private landowners to improve their forests through the Habitat Incentive Program.

Through a partnership agreement, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Wild Turkey Federation have forged the National Forestry Initiative.

Create windbreaks, thermal cover and roosting areas to enhance wild turkey habitat.

Resources available through tax dollars can help make valuable improvements to your property .

Improve turkey habitat on your land with a chainsaw and a spare weekend.

Whether you own your own land, paying your dues to hunt someone else’s or volunteering to make habitat better for the public on WMAs, planting in the mid-to-late summer can bring an influx of game to the property.

A properly constructed and maintained pond can add value to your property, while providing years of recreation and enjoyment, creating a clean, year-round water source for both livestock and wildlife.

Grains, legumes, or both, can provide a critical food source for wildlife on your property.

Wisconsin turkey hunting access programs offer privately-owned land for public hunting opportunities.

Solid crops of grains, such as sorghum and wheat, or sunflowers, beans and greens are effective food plot fodder and traditionally provide a solid food source and gathering spot for wild turkeys, deer and other species

It is easy to get discouraged when looking at real estate ads, but if you assemble a comprehensive plan and are willing to put in the work, buying land can be a reality.

The following tasks are essential to your checklist if you're looking for turkey hunting land on the market.

Finding a program that best works for your property can be a challenge. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) offers a wide array of opportunities for private landowners.

Here are some suggestions for unlocking opportunities to set a table on unused strips of lands.

Land management work requires specific tools, and one of those key components is a sprayer.

One of the top reasons for the decline in hunting across the country is the lack of access to available land. The amount of public land in some areas is limited, making it difficult to find access for recreational activities, including hunting.

Following are a few of the most important considerations when choosing a timber harvester.

Hunters always want to know how many turkeys they have on their land. Today, though, with advances in digital cameras and landowners having access to technology similar to that used by wildlife researchers, a better turkey census may be possible.

Determine the right size tractor for your needs and properly maintain it for a long life.

One of the most overlooked items involving land management is old snags. On our rural land, I always try to leave standing dead trees, or snags, in a number of places.

In the land-manager’s toolbox are a variety of specialized tools designed for specific applications, and while thinning and burning are excellent, efficient tools, they’re not always appropriate for every situation.

What’s the difference for a landowner? Your goals will determine that.

Landowners have a wealth of resources to restore longleaf pines.

The key to keeping your fire contained is the construction of a proper firebreak.

Biomass, the waste organic material from logging and thinning, can be used for other goods such as fertilizer, energy, and fuel.

A local Alabama NWTF chapter, the Brewton Beard Busters, is helping to bust poachers using a robotic turkey decoy.

New digital mapping apps have advanced so quickly over the past decade that they’re nothing short of “amazing

You don’t have to break much sweat to gain better understanding of stream flows from year-to-year and season-to-season. Such understanding, though, will help you better manage your property

Professional wildlife and habitat consultants can examine your land and create a management plan that helps turn your land into a wildlife oasis.

Having a drought plan in place can help minimize effects of deficient rainfall for crops on your wildlife property.

Chufa (Chew-fa) is one of the most popular crops planted for wild turkeys. Simply put, once turkeys find it, they do not leave as long as there are tubers available. 

Every hunter knows that the availability of natural mast such as acorns and other nuts is vital to the overall health of the wildlife in any given area.

Access to your favorite hunting spot can be as valuable as the gold in Fort Knox. The trails, whether they are large enough for your 4x4 or simple walking trails, have a great importance for the overall usability and value of your property. 

Donnie Buckland, NWTF’s grasslands and agricultural manager, explained what high grading is and why this practice is a problem for hunters and land managers. 

Finding the right tools and professionals to assist in private land forest management practices can be a challenge.

Know your best wildlife grasses and get them going.

The phrase “cut-back borders” may not be familiar to many NWTF members, but it is a management tool that can provide major benefits for wild turkeys, as well as other game and nongame animals.

Why you need them, how to reach them.

The question of whether shelterwood or seed tree harvests are better for habitat projects is complex and defies easy explanation. Understanding the concept behind each is important.

“Almost any property can probably be enhanced by providing a diversity of habitat types,” Buckland said.

Want to create an eye-catching sight and help wildlife at the same time? Convert that empty field or part of your sprawling lawn into a dazzling wildflower meadow.

Research highlighting the importance of pine-hardwoods management and the variations existing in management techniques

Planting a food plot in a changing climate can be a challenge, especially if you don’t adapt.

Having a professional land manager analyze the vegetation on a property will quickly reveal how prevalent invasive species have become across the landscape.

NWTF members can now go online and register to purchase seed and seedlings as well as attractants, fertilizers, tools, field wear and bulk items

Now is the time to prepare for your fall planting, and in some areas, planting should be started right away.

Want to see more wildlife? Create a wildlife refuge on your property.

Sunflowers provide nourishment and concealment for many different types of pollinators.

Ridding your property of unwanted trees just got a little easier with two tried-and-true methods.

Planting or encouraging specific plants can provide poults with a better chance of survival.

Prescribed fire helps snuff out unwanted vegetation.

Winter wheat is a great food-plot choice when budgets are tight

Turkeys and other wildlife need water in close proximity of where they live, as they need water almost daily.

Learn why you should get a soil test done on your property and how it can help you grow the best crop possible.

Everything you need to know to get the job done right.

Learn what it means and why it's important for wildlife and your property.

If you own a wood burner or fire pit, you most likely own a chainsaw. Freshen up on your safety tips before you start collecting wood chips.

Learn the ins and outs of herbicides before you start spraying to create the perfect weed-free plot.

Keep your tractor in its sexiest form by following these six steps.

Take a peek at some of the most helpful tools and their potential uses for budget and wildlife management.

Get the tools of the trade and simplify your life.

Hoard game on less acreage.

Learn how to save money by doing the forest a service.

Find an array of implements at your tractor dealer, locate aftermarket tractor equipment or even build your own attachment to handle any land management job.

Are these creatures on your property? Learn the signs and report them immediately.

Make quick and easy work of your food plot with the help from an ATV.

Instead of making your own plot, obtain one.

If you have the land, make it work for you. Create the perfect plot with these guidelines.

Buy an ATV and be impressed with the results.

This workhorse can do in a few hours what a farm tractor would take months to do.

Use what you've got to get what you want.