[ QUOTE ]
Refuge is simply areas, which are protected from disturbance. It is probably not helpful to establish areas that are never hunted, but it can be helpful to establish areas that are seldom disturbed. Posting of signs, or just making informal agreement with your hunting partners, may be enough to establish a refuge.
<font color="blue"> I have areas that I never go into except for shed hunting</font>
Escape cover is cover that is so thick that deer feel secure enough that they will stay hidden even when hunters walk directly upwind. Good escape cover can only be penetrated by hunters willing to make extraordinary efforts. These areas are usually in blocks of 4 acres or more, and will usually be avoided by hunters. Sight radii are very short. The best cover is all but impenetrable.
<font color="blue"> This is where my chainsaw comes in handy. I make a nasty mess tipping trees over, letting light in so vines and "thorns" of all types invade </font>
Bedding cover is cover that has rather short sight radius. Bedded or standing deer are difficult or impossible to see at ranges of more than 40 yards, even in the winter. The best bedding areas are located in areas that are seldom disturbed by humans or dogs, and may be from ¼ to ½ mile from prime open feeding areas.
<font color="blue"> I've found my NWSG and creating some brush covered hillsides work well for bedding areas </font>
Thermal cover is red cedar or evergreen tree thickets, where deer can bed on extremely cold nights, when exposure to the clear sky causes them to have excessive loss of body heat. These areas are most effective if they are protected from ground level winds and are several acres in size. Some ground level brushiness is a bonus.
<font color="blue">Planting red cedars as fast as I can
</font>
Winter browse is woody twig growth of certain preferred species of trees and shrubs, which are within easy reach of deer. The most important species are walnut, oak, and ash.
<font color="blue">more chain saw work to 1/2 cut trees and create browse </font>
Green browse is woody twig and leaf growth that is within easy reach of deer during the growing season. Preferred species are mulberry, greenbrier, black berries, dogtooth violets,
<font color="blue">after creating openings I like to take a bag of high nitrogenlawn fertilizer in and give the "browse a boost"
</font>
Green forage are such crops or food plot plants such as alfalfa, clover, rape, turnips, wheat, rye, corn, beans etc. This forage is usually provided by crop fields and food plots, but can also be supplied in some situations by supplemental feeding in piles or by mechanical spreaders. Since these methods are considered baiting during the hunting season, care must be taken that supplemental feeding does not occur during the hunting season or at places that are going to be hunted.
<font color="blue"> Got that one covered
</font>
Hard Mast is most commonly acorns, which are sought after by deer when they are available, usually in the early fall. Since most oak trees bear acorns in cycles, with bumper crops only occurring every four to six years for most species, it is important that you have as many different species of oaks as possible. The more species of oaks your timber contains, the less often you will have “dry years” without any acorns.
<font color="blue">I make sure never to cut mast trees and I plant hybrid oaks and chestnuts to provide mast in the future </font>
The total quantity of hard mast is also important. The oak trees in unmanaged timbers are crowded together so closely, that the total acorn crop is dramatically reduced. Managed timbers can be thinned in such a way as to greatly increase total acorn production. If your timber has a large crop, and your neighbor’s timber has a small acorn crop, guess where all the deer are going to end up when the neighbor runs out of acorns.
<font color="blue"> TSI (chainsaw!) </font>
Hard mast also includes other nut species such as pignut, bitternut, shagbark hickory and pecan. Deer will readily eat these nuts if acorns are scarce. They utilize the smaller nuts such as pignut, bitternut and pecan quite readily, but use shagbark and shellbark only with the greatest difficulty.
<font color="blue"> What if I'm the only guy with chestnuts...at one time the favored mast over ALL others!
</font>
Soft Mast includes such very attractive species such as apple, pear and mulberry. I also class honey locust (thorny locust) pods as soft mast. All of these soft mast species are very desirable food items for deer and should be encouraged.
<font color="blue"> Still working on soft mast...although if you count honey locust...I'm set forever!
</font>
Honey locust is a special problem. This tree can be extremely thorny, and is a very unpopular and widely hated tree because of its long nasty and dangerous thorns. On the other hand, honey locust pods make valuable deer and turkey fodder. As a compromise, many landowners kill the thorniest trees and save the trees with fewer or no thorns.
<font color="blue"> I just kill the ones in the fields or where I need to make an opening...no chance of them going extinct
</font>
Summer water is considered non-essential by many biologists, but highly desirable, especially in times of drought and heat. Deer can normally get all the moisture they need from the forage that they eat, but will readily utilize liquid water when it is available. Streams, springs and ponds can provide this added attraction.
<font color="blue"> I have a pond on each place and the deer beat a path to them! </font>
Salt is another item that is not essential for deer survival, but can be very attractive to deer, especially in the spring and the summer. Since it is illegal to hunt over a salt lick, it is important that any salt be placed in areas that will not be hunted. Removing the block before the season is not enough, since the salt will remain in the soil and continue to be attractive, and therefore illegal to hunt over.
<font color="blue"> Try to always keep mineral out in spots I don't hunt near </font>
[/ QUOTE ]
Wow! That's an excellent post which pretty much covers what any landowner should be striving for. So many variables besides just a food plot or a mineral lick.
Thanks for listing the details of Habitat Improvement Ghost.
