Improving Habitat

[Guest Quickthorn]

Just out of interest how many of you guy`s who stalk Deer or just generally shoot bother to improve habitat on ground where you stalk?

Over the last several years i have been involved with tree planting, coppicing projects as well as Hedge Laying at numerous locations where i shoot.

It`s a long term project and something that really can take years before you see any positive feed back.

Here`s the start of some Hedge laying that i`m doing for a farmer. Its an old hedge row made up of mature Hawthorn tree`s with some as high as 14 feet.

Along with standing dead wood and Elder berry with some dog thorn. Unfortunately its been grazed by cattle over previous years and most of the new shoots and growth are missing up to the height of 5/6ft

leaving it almost see through.

It`s a favorite place where Deer lie in the winter sun when the cattle have been took off the ground so hopefully in a couple of years it should come good??

 

[martin 332]

It's good to put something back into the land that we shoot on,and,anything we do can only be positive,well done ....................................Martin.

[FJager 0]

Putting something back in, great too see, what species of deer are there Quickthorn?

[Guest Quickthorn]

On this particular bit there`s Fallow, Red and Muntjac. When i`v finished this particular section i`ll post some picture`s of before and after and hopefully next years growth when it comes through.

You`ll all love that wont you I suppose it will only interest a dedicated few countrymen amongst us,lol.

Here`s a nice bit of Hawthorn that was saved and will be used for firewood next year in the log burner. Some of the Brash was used for improving the bramble patches in the area and the waste was burned.

Hows that for lessening my carbon footprint,lol.

 

[Yokel Matt 918]

I've been helping an old boy with his 'hobby' wood for the last 8 years or so mainly comprising of Douglas Fir and a small block of larch but also the odd Oak, Ash, hazel, and Cherry. Its only a small patch of around 16 acres but is set in a block of around 200. The thinning, coppacing, high pruning and track maintanece has turned the patch into an eden compared to its surrounding woodland with extra light for forest floor flora & fauna. We also put in some gates to stop greenlaners churning the place up although they had to be replaced when some fuckers ripped them out. Since i've been getting into stalking i've been casually dropping hints about the deer fraying all the natural re-gen and i'm hoping that my labours to date will win me a great little patch as I've seen Roe, Fallow and Sika here.

 

On my other small patch, although it didn't involve hard labour i replaced all the shitty, fraying, enfuriating bits of bailer twine that the farmer used to secure is gates with some decent cord and gave the odd squeeky gate hinge a squirt of wd40... every little helps

 

 

 

[waidmann 105]

good to see this sort of thing going on.

we used to have a litter picking day every year with as many shooters as poss taking part( local paper always reported on this )

would plant around 100 small pine/mixed deciduos trees every year( as i was in more shoots active i would keep and plant as much in my garden as poss) every hegde and wood edge soon had willow,earl,ash etc growing( we would take firewood out and replant with the farmers permission of course)

the same with hedgerows which were shading crops( coppiced).

any fallow layed fields we would plant with rape/game mixes( once the farmer threw in some old pigeon food,this resulted in a hemp forest eagerly visited by an astoundimg number of countryside lovers with their baggy trousers and jamaican hats )

land pacted and plated with maize etc etc

good for the game,enviroment and good cover/feeding grounds can only be good for the guns.

we were fortunate enough to have a farmer with tractor etc to do the work.most of the farmers who's land we used were invited every year to the "big days" and so profited in sport as well as finacially.

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

Ive put in several hundred acres of native hardwoods, with well thought out rides and glades, also clearings with bramble and hazel for browsing. All grant funded projects as well as creating wetlands and upland meadows with very restricted grazing at certain times of the year, which the roe love as well, as feeding areas.

 

Cheers for sharing mate, its good to know other folk enjoy their conservation as well

[Guest Quickthorn]

You can soon turn around a run down place with a bit of graft, determination and careful planning Local

These old boy`s love to see the younger guy`s taking interest in woodland management and it`s a sure fire way how to worm your way in,lol what with that and some good old arse kissing you can work wonder`s.

Last year i even made a few quid selling timber a bi product of thinning out felling and hedge laying in fact i had to upgrade to a Pro chainsaw this year and bigger trailer it turned out that good

Nowt like getting out with the dogs eyeing up other folks permission and harvesting there Hazel stools

 

 

 

 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

All i do is take .Take the deer that are causing the damage in the first place that is Oh and plenty of fox control to minimse predation on roe and muntie fawns.Habitat impovement has to be undertaken on a long term basis as im sure the majority of us will know and quick fix options are only short term .The biggest thing we are up against in our area is farm cropping which dictates where deer will be in any one season .Plenty of deer are nice to see but will soon get you in trouble with the landowner and may cut short any agreement so a balance has to be made .Cull the surplus hard and nuture the rest ,ask the landowner if hes happy with the numbers ,[something i darnt do on one of my patches as the lady wants them all gone for the sake of her roses ] .

As i dont pay a penny for my stalking ,im quite happy to leave as i find. The deer are there ,will always be there and landowners are very happy judging by the new ground i get from recommendations .

Good luck in your iprovements though Quicky old mate

[Guest Rod&dog]

Decent thread guys.

[OldPultney 0]

Well done , a nice bit of hedgelaying - good for farmland birds as well

[Guest Quickthorn]

Well i`m almost finished on the hedge it just a matter of sourcing some decent Hazel binder`s for the top last 10 yards or so. Cleaned the site up and made a few habitat wood piles under some of the pleacher`s for insects and small mammal`s.

I`v already had one complaint off a resident that i have ruined the hedge and by the way the Bullocks were nibbling at it he could be right??

 

Here`s a picture of before

 

 

and one taken today

 

[waidmann 105]

next year that will be as tight as f~~~,green and flourishing.better than barb wire. bet the farmer is well chuffed mate. nice job.

[shepp 2,285]

You'll never please everybody, someone complaining about your work must be one

ignorant prat and have no understanding of habitat management.

Good work

Shepp

[FJager 0]

Quickthorn I thought you said you bought a Pro saw, not a women's hedge pruner, bleedin hell man.

 

Nah just joking, bit of an Aussie joke, what size is the Husky?

 

Excuse my ignorance but we do not use any hedges in Aust. The trees that are horizontal, are they still alive and weaved in amongst posts?

 

Looks to be a good lot of work anyway.

 

Pic of my old dog, Stihl 066 and Ironbark fence posts in great Red country.