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Following are some inland
wetland practices that will
enhance wildlife populations
and boost hunting success.
Be sure to check your state
wetlands regulations before
implementing any practices.
Buffer Strips and Corridors
One of the most important
practices is to protect the
wetlands from activities on
surrounding land such as
logging or cropland.
Maintain a buffer strip at
least 50 ft. wide around the
wetlands. Do not mow or cut
the vegetation.
These strips can serve as
filters for reducing erosion
and sedimentation, provide
visual screening, and provide
shade trees to maintain
cooler water temperatures.
Fence the area to keep
livestock outside.
These strips also serve as
travel lanes and are sources
of food and cover for wildlife,
especially wetland and upland
species.
Planting desired wetland
vegetation to increase cover
and food can be successful,
but is often difficult if plants
are already established in the
target planting site.
If you have cavity trees and
snags in your buffer strips,
keep them, they are needed
for nesting.
If you want to make these
strips especially attractive to
wildlife, encourage herbaceous
food plants and mast-
producing (nuts) & fruit trees
and shrubs. Dogwoods,
winterberry, blueberries,
viburnums, and elder are good
choices.
If you can till on adjacent
land, seed millet, buckwheat,
sorghum, or corn and you will
attract songbirds, grouse,
turkey, and possibly waterfowl.
Hunting near these areas
usually produces good results.
Marshland
If you are lucky enough to have
marshland on your property,
protect it, as it is one of the
most valuable natural assets
on your farm.
It serves as a nutrient trap
that filters out herbicides,
fertilizers, and soil that washes
into the marshland from
adjoining cropland. Usually you
will find an abundance of wildlife.
A good rule of thumb to follow
is for every acre of wetland on
your farm, provide two to four
acres of undisturbed adjacent
grassy nesting cover.
If you have no wetlands, you
should have five percent of your
farm in permanent grassy cover.
Ponds
Most farmers prize their farm
ponds. Usual size ranges from
one-half to five acres, but they
can be larger.
If you want to host more
wildlife, enhance the area
around the pond with native
grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Consider adding one or more
nearby food plots or leave
several rows of unharvested
grain nearest the pond. Also,
add a wood duck nesting box.
If you are building a new pond,
leave an island in the middle. It
provides a safer nesting area
for ducks and geese.
If your livestock will use the
pond for watering, run a pipe
from a submerged filter to a
tank below the dam.
Fence the pond to keep the
livestock from damaging the
banks and muddying the water.
Consider seeding the banks
with native grasses and
wildflowers. What you will be
creating is an oasis for many
species of wildlife from ducks
and geese to gamebirds, deer,
songbirds, fish, butterflies, and
amphibians.
Cropland
If you are practicing good
conservation tillage on your
cropland to reduce soil erosion,
chances are you have beneficial
habitat for wildlife, especially
quail, pheasants, and songbirds.
By maintaining the crop residue,
you are furnishing both food
