Wildlife Management for Property Owners 101

Ask any wildlife specialist, passionate hunter, or avid fisherman what connects them to wild places and they’ll most likely provide some variation of this answer: we don’t live on the land; we live with it. Justin Hertzel and Chase Higgs, both of Hayden Outdoors, are no different. These avid sportsmen are quick to point to a lifetime spent hunting, fishing, and wandering through woods and prairies as the reasons they do what they do today. Justin Hertzel is a designated broker with Hayden Outdoors in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. He grew up hunting and fishing, and has called the heartland of Lincoln, Nebraska home nearly his entire life.

Similarly, Chase Higgs spent his earliest days bass fishing, fly fishing, upland bird hunting, and waterfowl hunting. These days, he’s a videographer and biologist for Hayden Outdoors based in Northern Colorado with a love for fishing that runs as deep as the alpine lakes and rivers where you’ll find him much of the time. It’s a passion that led him to fishery and habitat assessment work. 

Recently, we asked Justin and Chase to chime in on effective and successful wildlife management and conservation strategies. Here’s what they had to say. 

Introduction to Wildlife Management

Wildlife management on recreational property and ranches is an elemental part of a healthy habitat and long-term conservation. Wild animals play a key role in local ecosystems through foraging, seed dispersal, water detoxification, and oxygen production. How large of a role does the landowner have in managing wildlife on recreational or hunting property? “A substantial one, depending on what you want your return to be,” as Justin puts it. The return you will see and experience in the form of healthy wildlife, regenerative habitat, and returning animals is a direct result of how much effort you put into the process. 

Chase expands on the idea. “The beauty of private property is that the owner has the ability to protect or enhance its resources using methods that are much more difficult to implement or maintain on public land. Property owners have the opportunity to create stretches of pristine habitat, and they can take a lot of things into their own hands to enhance the landscape.” 

Understanding your local ecosystems and establishing a set of guiding principles for managing wildlife helps ensure long-term animal population and ecosystem health on your land. 

Assessing Your Property’s Wildlife

One of the first – and most important – steps in successful wildlife management on your land is conducting a wildlife inventory. Having this baseline will help you create a viable conservation plan moving forward. You need to ascertain wildlife populations and their health before implementing a wildlife management plan. 

1. Identify common species and their habitats. Know which animals are living on your land and how they’re utilizing the local habitats. There are a variety of ways to gather this information, including simple observation. Trail cams on your property are another excellent way to get real-time information and feedback. Also consider working with your local resource management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Talk with your neighbors about what they see on their property, comparing notes to learn more about how animals are moving through the land and which corridors they might be using. 
2. Recognize signs of wildlife presence. Again, keep a keen eye out for where animals might have been, what they’re eating, where they’re bedding, antler sheds or rubs, scrapes and foot prints, and where their water sources are. 

Creating a Wildlife-friendly Habitat

There are four cornerstones to any successful wildlife management plan: cover, bedding, food, and water. “The more ample those four things are, the more game you’re going to maintain and sustain in that specific area,” says Justin. “Game animals are definitely adaptive. They’re going to adapt to what they have.”

A healthy, properly thinned and limbed forest gives larger game a haven. “A lot of the tree species in the Midwest states are producing food that deer and turkey will eat.” So, in addition to safe shelter, learn which native tree species provide valuable nutrition for the animals that call your land home. 

Chase’s specialty in fish and fisheries shines a light on waterways. “For lakes and ponds, water quality and aquatic vegetation management should always be monitored. As for streams and rivers, it is important to address stream bank erosion and in-stream structures, which provide habitat and also help mitigate bank erosion.” 

As you walk your property, look for opportunities to improve wildlife habitat. Consider landscaping for wildlife and increasing shelter and bedding opportunities with hinge cuts or overgrowth. Plant native species that are known to provide fish and animals with nutrient-rich food sources. Finally, ensure the animals that move through your property have enough water. If water doesn’t occur naturally on your land, look to temporary and permanent infrastructure that can benefit animals, such as water capture vessels, troughs, or man-made ponds. 

Balancing Human and Wildlife Needs

Ensuring both people and wildlife can safely cohabitate on your land is a pinnacle principle of recreational real estate ownership. Make sure your property is safe for both, including managing human-wildlife interactions. Most experienced sportsmen will know the basic rules of respecting the land, water, and animals, but if you host people who are newer to the idea, establishing basic rules of safety is a good idea. 

These can be as simple as “No feeding the animals” to maintaining a safe distance from all wildlife. Discourage interference in the natural rhythms of wildlife movement, feeding schedules, and other seasonal occurrences. 

This coexistence is key to healthy habitat management and animal harvesting. Chase says, “Hunters and anglers play a key component in conservation. Not only do their dollars account for the overwhelming majority of funding toward the preservation of our landscapes and resources, but their eyes and ears also help keep tabs on our lands. Not many people pay better attention to their surroundings than sportsmen, and this attention to detail helps fish and wildlife managers and organizations address issues. Hunters and anglers help encourage the respect and protection of our resources.”

Justin encourages reaching out to your local game warden. “Every warden has a region, which you can typically find on game and fish websites. These people offer a wealth of knowledge on what’s going on in the area – including diseases, numbers, etc. – for animals of all sizes.” 

Controlling Nuisance Wildlife

A big part of maintaining healthy wildlife numbers on your land is controlling nuisance wildlife. According to Justin, “Coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats are typically the most pervasive predators.” 

If you’re concerned about animal populations on your property, identifying problematic species is step one. Talking with a wildlife or habitat specialist is a good place to start, but trail cams are another excellent way to learn more about which species are wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. 

Human deterrence methods for controlling predator populations include:

• Habitat modification
• Humane trapping and release
• Minimizing attractants, such as salt licks and food plots
• Legal harvesting of animals 
• Exclusion with fences, walls, or other natural migration deterrents

If you need to bring in reinforcements, look to professional wildlife removal services in your area. 

Attracting Beneficial Wildlife

Promoting biodiversity on your property is a great way to contribute to long-term environmental health and conservation. Here are a few ways to create a wildlife sanctuary on your land: 

• Avoid pesticides or other additives that might affect plant growth and animal health
• Plant native plants
• Again, make sure animals have access to sufficient clean water
• Incorporate nectar-rich flowers
• Consider modifications to habitat, such as hinge cuts and trails, that invite animals onto your land
• Build birdhouses, bat boxes, and pollinator gardens
• Integrate seasonal prescribed burning if necessary
• Thin overcrowded timber plots

Seasonal Wildlife Management Tips

Wildlife management ebbs and flows with the change of seasons. Establishing a year-round plan that addresses seasonal shifts is an excellent way to maximize your wildlife and conservation strategy. 

In the spring and summer, add these tasks to your to-do list, being mindful not to stress mothers and babies who might be bedded down on your land:

• Prescribe or control burn to allow for nutrient-rich regeneration
• Incorporate native plants and shrubs into wildlife habitat
• Check that water sources are still ample and clean
• Resupply food plots
• Replace batteries in trail cameras

As fall and winter approach, make sure to do the following:

• Ensure animals have enough cover and bedding
• Check food plots to make sure they’re properly prepped
• Visit stands and blinds and make any necessary adjustments or repairs
• Maximize accessibility throughout the ranch with trail management

For fowl and upland bird hunters and property owners, take extra care to facilitate migration corridors with food and water sources, wildlife-friendly fencing, and plenty of ground cover. 

Monitoring and Maintaining Your Wildlife Plan

Regular property assessments, necessary adjustments to management practices, detailed record keeping, and seeking expert advice are pillars for successful and on-going wildlife management. Chase summarizes: 

“First and foremost, a property owner’s role in management is being observant toward the health and quality of the habitat and fisheries on the property. Has the fishery/habitat deteriorated? If so, then action may be necessary, such as allocating water differently, changing how you let livestock access the water and adjusting road paths to limit erosion. Frequently throughout the year, it’s important to ask, ‘Does a larger scale restoration need to be performed, etc.?’ Property owners have the opportunity to create stretches of pristine habitat, and they can take a lot of things into their own hands to enhance the landscape.”

Connecting to a Professional Network

Turning to experts like Justin and Chase can be an important step in maintaining your wildlife habitat over generations. Recreational real estate specialists and biologists who understand local waterways, regulations, migration patterns, permitting, hunting safety, and habitat are excellent allies in your conservation efforts. 

Additionally, local, regional, and national organizations that focus on conversation are great resources. When it comes to waterway management, Chase recommends turning to Trout Unlimited for information. Justin is the president of the Nebraska Big Game Society, a regional organization that puts 100% of the money it raises toward the health of big game populations in Nebraska. 

He encourages property owners getting involved with organizations like these in their area to learn more. “Hundreds of wildlife organizations throughout the country provide education, habitat management, projects, and studies.”

Aligning with like-minded agents and organizations bolsters your efforts, and it’s where Hayden Outdoors goes much further than most companies. Justin continues, “We donate a certain amount of every closing to the Corners for Conservation program in Colorado and the Corners for Wildlife program in Kansas.” This supports high-quality habitat on center pivot irrigation corners in the two states. 

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Continue your collaboration efforts beyond organizations and agencies. Your neighbors can be some of your best allies in creating and maintaining healthy wildlife habitat. Working with neighboring property owners allows for greater movement and migration, more animal protection and safety, and cleaner, healthier water supplies. 

While Justin points out that wildlife management is solely on the shoulders of the property owner, it can certainly be empowered by the community. “As the landowner, you are the steward of the land. You also have entities that assist in those efforts. Work to create a cohesive mix between all of them.” 

Conclusion

Successful wildlife management goes well beyond hunting season. It’s an essential part of being a responsible contributor to the ecosystems. Chase parts with this wisdom, “Managing fish and wildlife on your land has a plethora of benefits. Aesthetically, property owners get the pleasure of seeing healthy numbers of fish and wildlife on their land. Well managed populations also allow for great recreational opportunities on the property, which is one of the main draws to fish and wildlife management. One of the biggest benefits – if not the biggest – is the rewarding feeling of contributing toward an overall thriving landscape.”

What You Need To Know for a Safe Spring Prescribed Burn in the Southeast

Safe, controlled prescribed spring burns are essential to proper ecosystem management on your property. Why is that? Dr. Bill Palmer points to Mother Nature’s long established natural rhythms. The forestry expert and CEO of Tall Timbers notes, “The benefits of prescribed burning are many. Most ecosystems evolved with fire post glaciation. Burning helps improve primary productivity, insect diversity, food availability for foraging creatures, butterfly nectar production, flowering plants, carbon sequestration, clearing out the underbrow undergrowth, and finally, just reducing fuel loads to avoid the occasional wildfire that can wreak havoc on timber values and structures. The benefits are outweighed by any other management techniques.”

Hayden Outdoors recreational real estate expert, Heath Thompson echoes these thoughts on prescribed burning, “There is no greater tool in the land management bag than prescribed burning.”

Prescribed burns, sometimes referred to as controlled burns, are just that – a calculated, strategic application of fire to land. In a good portion of the Southeast, February through mid-May is known as prime time burning. Whether you establish a new pattern, or you’ve done prescribed burns for decades, Bill offers his insight into their benefits. “Bottom line, you’re going to improve pretty much every metric you can imagine.” 

Understanding the Basics

The United States Forest Services defines a prescribed fire as a planned fire used to meet management objectives. While the USFS manages large burns and prescribed fires, property owners can do the same, along with implementing other wildfire protection measures, to achieve similar ecosystem benefits on their land. These fires differ from uncontrolled fires by the strategy behind when, where, and how big they are allowed to burn. Bill puts a finer point on it, “Prescribed burns are kept at a minimum and that’s why it’s called a prescribed burn, because it’s under a prescription requiring certain conditions, a permit, and preparation.” Follow those guidelines and your prescribed burn can be an extremely safe practice. 

It might seem like a harsh idea – intentionally igniting your land on fire. But the reality is, prescribed burns are a very practical way to facilitate natural rejuvenation and reforestation. “More frequent fires drive the ecosystem to generate a mix of grass, weeds or forbes, shrubs, and vines. That mix is needed for a lot of bird species, insect species, and rodents that are essential to a healthy food chain.” 

Planning Your Controlled Burn

It’s important to think of planning your prescribed burn in two ways – legal considerations and weather conditions. Let’s break down both.

First, legal considerations. For those with little to no experience, it’s important to start your process with your local forest authorities. These agencies typically include the United States Forest Service (USFS), the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), and the DNRC (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation). Starting with your local forestry agency provides the proper pathway to securing the correct permits and following all necessary regulations.

Keeping Mindful of Smoke

Once you’ve talked to relevant agencies, look to your neighbors. Often, neighbors will get together and combine expertise, equipment, and efforts. And make sure you have all the appropriate certifications when applicable. “You want to make sure you check the box on certification that you’ve had the property training. So, if you imagine you’re getting into hunting for the first time, you’ve got to go through the training, get your license, buy your equipment, and then talk to the people who can teach you. Prescribed burns are similar – it’s a lot of common sense and once you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier and easier.” 

Then there are weather conditions. The day you plan a prescribed burn is a day you want to pay very close attention to the weather. Bill notes the ideal weather ultimately depends on what your goal is. You want enough wind to push the fire to what it needs burn, but not so much that the fire gets out of control. Look for days when the wind is not forecasted to gust or shift. A little humidity is good for fire control, but too much humidity or a super cloudy day can cause a fire to smolder and smoke. 

Safety Measures

Preparation is key to a successful prescribed burn. Once you’ve talked with your local forestry agencies, secured the proper permits, taken any necessary courses, and done a weather check, it’s important to make sure you have everything you need for the day you plan to burn. Here are a few essentials to consider before you start your prescribed burn:

• Do you have the appropriate protective gear, including long-sleeved, non-flammable clothing, sturdy boots or shoes, eye protection, and a mask?
• Do you have adequate water tanks to help control the burn?
• Have you established fire breaks if needed?
• Do you have an evacuation plan if the fire gets out of your control?
• Is there an established communication tree in case of emergency?
• Have you notified your neighbors of your burn?
• Are those involved aware of the evacuation plan, safety zones, and escape routes?

Heath emphasizes the importance of holistic safety measures: “A burn plan, permit from the forestry commission, proper firebreaks, knowledge of humidity and wind direction/wind speed.” 

Executing the Controlled Burn

The best time of year to do a controlled burn in your area will depend on seasonal factors, such as how long the days are, day- and night-time temperatures, and weather. On the day you plan to burn, make sure you start early enough in the day to maximize daylight should something go wrong or the burn (and extinguishing it) requires more time than expected. 

Seasonal factors are another consideration. Spring is the optimum time to burn in the Southeast, when wind and humidity allow for effective and efficient burning. That might not be the case in your region. Some Western states require there to be snow on the ground before initiating a burn. Check with your local forestry agencies to determine the best time of year and the best time of day to initiate a prescribed burn in your area. 

Have Equipment on Hand

Regarding any appropriate equipment you might need, Bill points to specifics in two scenarios. “If you have a pine stand surrounded by a pasture, you probably don’t need anything other than a four-wheeler, burn pot, and water tank to put out snags. A fire won’t burn across a crop field. But if you’re burning a pocosin that has not been burned for 15 years, it might put up 60-foot flames. Then you need your dozers and heavy equipment, including a tractor with a disc and a big type-two engine with water tanks to be prepared because if that fire gets out of control, it’s going to burn intensely.” 

You should also consider doing some backburning before igniting the main prescribed fire. A backburn is a smaller fire intentionally lit along a fire’s desired boundary. It burns out and eliminates the fuel between the prescribed fire and the firebreak essentially suppressing the fire.

Heath talked with experts about prescribed burns in January 2024 on Season 5 of Life on the Land

Monitoring and Control

The number of people required to safely monitor and control a prescribed burn obviously depends on the type of fuel and size of the property. “A 50-acre burn can easily be pulled off by one or two people depending on the fuel situation. If you’re doing a 500-acre burn, you may need more like eight to ten people.” 

Assess the size of the fire and how many hands on deck you feel you’ll need to keep it controlled before you begin. If you’re burning a larger property that hasn’t been maintained by prescribed burning over the years, talk with your local forest agencies and organizations to see if you need to involve any trained personnel. Once you’ve established your team, make sure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities

Throughout the burn, do regular assessments of its effectiveness and to ensure it’s not getting out of control. Adapt your burn plan as needed as the burn progresses, all the while keeping in mind that prescribed burning is typically a very safe and effective practice. Bill points out, “Roughly 99.7% of all burns stay within boundary. Most of the fires that jump the line are quickly contained. In the Southeast, escapes that cause damage are very, very rare.” 

Post-burn Assessment

Bill can not underscore enough the benefits of controlled burning on your property. “You pretty much have to be paying no attention at all to miss the ecological benefits and how burns improve the value of land. Realtors tell us there’s a substantial increase in the value of frequently burned land versus land that goes unmanaged.” 

Heath agrees, “It will increase the browse by several times over. In some cases in southern pine stands it will completely change the property. A pine plantation in which the entire forest floor is covered in pine straw – straw is a desert for wildlife. By burning, and with some sunlight, the native plants like greenbrier and partridge pea will take off along with tons of other small leafy plants and create a salad bar, so to speak, for deer and small game.”

Know Your Land

So in the days and weeks following your burn, pay attention to the land and how it reacts. More grasses and forbs typically shoot up after a burn. As Bill points out, in the Southeast, each successive burn keeps driving the ecosystem toward a pine-savannah, which was very normal in the region centuries ago. “As you drive the system toward a better and better habitat, you’re going to have more and more critters in that habitat.” It is important to plan for wildlife when you put together your prescribed burn strategy. Consider how long it will take the land to recover before animals can come back to it, including what type of nesting cover birds need. Animals and insects will typically inhabit burned areas again very quickly due to all of the free food (easily accessible seeds, nuts, and pollens) these burns generate. 

As you walk your regenerating land, consider if the controlled burn met your goals. Learn from the experience and make sure to apply any teachings to future controlled burn plans. 

Community Engagement

Controlled burns need to be a group effort, at least from a communications standpoint. This also offers an excellent opportunity to educate those around you about the benefits of regular prescribed burns. When informing your neighbors about your own controlled burn, talk with them about your safety plan, communication strategy, and address any of their concerns. You can even offer to help them with their burn next time around in an effort to increase the overall health and wellbeing of the surrounding area. 

Look to your neighbors and your community for opportunities to workshop, connect, and reach out to others regarding the practice. If these resources don’t already exist in your neighborhood, consider establishing them yourself. 

Conclusion

If you’re still wondering about the effectiveness of prescribed burning, consider this wild wildfire fact Bill imparted, “There’s more prescribed burning done in three states in the Southeast than all Western wildfires combined – three million acres per year, 84% of that on private land.” 

In other words, prescribed burning is especially important where it can be done safely and effectively on a regular basis. Don’t forget to talk with your local forestry agency about best practices in your region, and secure the appropriate permits, help, and equipment before you begin. The more regularly you burn, the easier it becomes and the healthier the land is. When we asked Bill if prescribed burning becomes safer the more frequently you do it, he was unequivocal, “Absolutely, 100%, no doubt about it.” 

Make this the year you establish your own prescribed burning strategy. Vastly improve the health and quality of your property for years to come.