Natural Resource Management TipsApproaches and tips landowners can use to help effectively management their land. |
Natural Resource Management TipsApproaches and tips landowners can use to help effectively management their land. |
A Cut Above9/30/2014 Knives come in all shapes and sizes. The most common knives are fixed blades and folding knives. Fixed blade knives are usually stronger and come with leather or cordura sheaths that can be attached to your belt. Fixed blades are usually used for hunting and skinning game. Folding knives, usually called every-day-use knives are carried in the pocket. I never go anywhere without a small utility or pocket knife. A knife always comes in handy for something, like cutting rope and opening boxes. Fixed blade knives usually have drop point blades, and are very sturdy and constructed of stainless steel or carbon steel. Stainless Steel is more durable, very sturdy and resists rust. Carbon Steel is much softer, holds an edge for a long time and much easier to sharpen. Some fixed blades even have a hook (gut hook), which can be used to open up the cavity of game without puncturing the insides. These gut hooks are very useful when skinning deer. Knife blades are made of numerous material such as stainless steel, carbon steel, tool steel, alloy steel, ceramic and some are even made of plastic. Most of the knives I use are made of either stainless steel or carbon steel. I am partial to carbon steel, because of the ease of sharpening and the ability to hold an edge. I also have a few survival knives, and always have one of these attached to my backpack. You never know when you might need it. These knives are durable and strong. They can be used to cut rope, vines, branches, slicing food, skinning game, digging and just about anything. The most important thing about any knife is to keep it clean and sharp. There are many means of keeping your knife sharp. You can use diamond honing stones, or ceramic sticks, they both work well. Just recently I discovered the “Havalon Knife”. This is a knife that has a stainless steel or carbon replaceable blade. They make 16 different color and styles of the Piranta, and 5 different models of the Baracuta, a fillet knife with a long handle. Havalon has also just added a bone saw blade to fit the Baracuta. I am still testing this knife, but things look good so far. It is sure nice not to have to worry if you knife is sharp. When it gets dull, you just have to replace the blade. No need to carry a sharpening stone in your pack. These Havalons are relatively inexpensive, lightweight and extremely well made. They come with a quality knife case that fastens easily to your belt, and has a place for extra blades.
The Hat8/30/2014 Everyone has their favorite hat. We wear it for fishing, hunting and most every occasion. Before we go anywhere, we reach for the hat. We just feel better when that hat is on our head. It might not look the greatest, but it feels right. There are hats for every occasion, but the hat is the one we always are wearing. There are summer hats with mesh backs, everyday hats made of cotton and winter hats made of wool. There’s one thing for sure when we go anywhere, we are always wearing the hat. Mine is a hat that I bought a long time ago, made by Stormy Kromer. It fits good, it feels good, it’s water proof and it’s camouflage. The four things a hat should be. One drawback is, it is made of wool, so it is hot in the summer. But when I get ready to go, no matter where I am going, I reach for the hat. Do-It-Yourself Habitat8/4/2014 Sometimes all you need is a chainsaw. Managing your property's forest is just as important as food plots when it comes to improved habitat for deer and other wildlife. With the use of a chainsaw and some field time, there are four simple projects any landowner can do. Releasing Producers Mast tree release treatments are an approach to encourage better production from oaks and hickories by eliminating competition for food, water and sunlight. Selects large, healthy oak and hickory species in an area and cut smaller undesirable trees around them to create growing space. Result - increased acorn production and growing space for regeneration. Corridors Felling trees and removing understory growth provides a means to direct deer movement to areas that will provide for a better shot or move deer to designed feeding areas. Remove undesirable small trees and brush and use the cuttings to create brush piles to direct wildlife movement. Result - wildlife movement directed to stand locations or feeding areas Hinge Cutting Hinge cutting is simple. Cut trees 4-5 feet above ground and saw through them just enough so that the tree tips over and just leave it. This approach creates bedding habitat and also terminal crown growth will continue creating great browse for deer. Result - more browse for deer and habitat structure for all wildlife The Bedroom Providing all aspects of an animal's needs (food, water and cover) is critical for better hunting. Bedding cover on a property is needed to keep deer. Find a small area (1-5 acres) and remove all trees, with the exception of a few large mast trees, to allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. Result - regeneration will quickly flood the cut area to create a thick mess for bedding Two important concepts to keep in mind are always start property management with a plan and practice safe chainsaw operation. A chainsaw can be one of the most important tools for habitat management. Utilizing it with the four concepts above can dramatically improve your property. |
​Pennsylvania forestry consultants, wildlife managers and agricultural conservationists managing and improving properties across the Keystone State and the Northeast since 2009. |
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