How would you grade your deer habitat based on these 10 objective measures?

[Stressless]

He presents a good overview and uses his farm that he bought 3 years ago as an example.

These are the 10 objective measures, he goes thru each one to understand the concept of how to measure consistently.

1. Small Game Population
2. High Timber Value
3. Lower Doe Population (residence)
4. Does easy to target
5. 100 yd rule
6. How Often do you spook deer
7. Added Water
8. Enough Food Plots per acreage
9. Browse Supply
10. Mock Scrape at every stand

In the military after the mission there is an after action analysis - maybe why this resonated with me. We're through the majority of the 22-23 hunting season, contact and live fire if you will. Right now, just after that is where honest evaluation happens, it's still fresh in your mind.

I'll score my farm - no explanation just how I assess my habitat via these measures. Obviously any one else that wants TOO would only make it more interesting and hopefully helpful - with discussion and everyone getting smarter.

Do this and kinda yearly, see the progression with a common measure. This isn't a I agree with the Jeff's 10 things just a common well explained way to assess your deer habitat.

 

[Stressless]

Habitat Measure Score

1. Small Game Population 6
2. High Timber Value 8
3. Lower Doe Population (residence) 9
4. Does easy to target 9
5. 100 yd rule 8
6. How Often do you spook deer 7
7. Added Water 10
8. Enough Food Plots per acreage 9
9. Browse Supply 7
10. Mock Scrape at every stand 9
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82 and no I didn't fudge it as it's pure dejavu if you watched Jeff's video.


Looked back,
2010 15
2015 22
2020. 59

 

[LonewolfNopack]

I would add the density of invasive species to that list. I know invasive species removal isn't as sexy as some other habitat management activities but its absolutely a metric of a healthy environment for wildlife, including deer, and its something that all of us are lacking on keeping up with.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I’ve got to watch the video… having said that, looking back on our season on a new property, I think we are in good shape. Really good shape. There wasn’t a deer there that really interested mason or myself. Well, there was, but he was killed late October on a cornpile on our property line. We saw deer consistently. Some good bucks and spooked very few deer. We managed to figure out access pretty quick considering we knew essentially nothing about the place to start. I’m not boasting that we are super savvy but rather the property lay out in such a way that critical things are obvious. Hopefully the improvements we have planned do not mess things up.

 

[Spencie]

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting @Stressless . I came up with 80 for my place. I gave my place a 5 for doe population. We have too many does but with that said we also have a ton of bucks and good age structure on those bucks. Added water was also a 5. We have a pond along the driveway at one end of the property so water is available but not in a good "huntable" spot. A couple places on trails hold water year round but again not in the perfect spots. This is an area we will look into. Right now all they have to do is roll over on their backs and open their mouths.

 

[gjs4]

Actually owning it a month..... (so new to me and not previously managed). Some guessing
Habitat Measure Score

1. Small Game Population 8
2. High Timber Value 7
3. Lower Doe Population (residence) 8
4. Does easy to target 5
5. 100 yd rule 8
6. How Often do you spook deer 7
7. Added Water 5
8. Enough Food Plots per acreage 1
9. Browse Supply 9
10. Mock Scrape at every stand 0

68 ...so shitty but easy to improve.