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This property in South GA is a large land base that harvests 100+/- deer annually and has done so for the last decade. I...
08/12/2026

This property in South GA is a large land base that harvests 100+/- deer annually and has done so for the last decade. It is also a top tier property in terms of overall habitat management. Our food plots pictured below tell a tale of heavy browse pressure. This brought to mind a few key points:
1. In good-great habitat it is extremely difficult to harvest "too many" deer legally and ethically. Don't let the fear of killing "too many" stop you from reaching your harvest goal
2. If deer density is low then chances are that habitat quality is also low
3. It is the exception(not the norm)in my experience visiting and working with properties to find a property that can get by only shooting their target bucks and no does.

Something I have noticed and learned to appreciate over the years is the value of fire shadows in fire maintained system...
06/24/2026

Something I have noticed and learned to appreciate over the years is the value of fire shadows in fire maintained systems. Fire shadows are those annoying spots that tend to either not burn or seriously suppress fire behavior in an otherwise open landscape. These result, most often, from a small area that is a slight depression or dip in the landscape that holds more moisture than the surrounding area.I love a 100% coverage fire break to fire break burn as much as anybody, but as I walk burn units looking at the understory response and composition it is almost without fail that this is where deer (anecdotally it tends to be alot of bucks) are bedding. That was the case when I jumped a bachelor group of bucks while walking the burn unit pictured. 90% or more of the stand looks like image 1 and 2, but the dotted fire shadows in image 3 and 4 break the stand up, adding diversity. The use of these areas makes perfect sense when you walk in and around the shadows and notice the temperature difference during the summer. These areas also provide nesting cover around the edges for turkeys as well as escape and loafing cover for quail.

This shadow will continue to expand and affect fire behavior more and more. For that reason, we will come in here every few rotations and control these spots either mechanically or chemically to "knock it back".

I'm not recommending you let fire shadows expand to cover large areas of your burn units, but I do think it is important to note that there is value in those "ugly" spots after your fires. There's no need to go hook up the bush hog and knock these areas down every burn rotation, especially if deer are your focal species. Learn to embrace the patchwork!

This post may or may not bother a few of the forestry guys. Early spring 2025 we clearcut this west facing slope that wa...
05/08/2026

This post may or may not bother a few of the forestry guys. Early spring 2025 we clearcut this west facing slope that was a first thinned pine stand which had a timber response i was not satisfied with. This spring (2026) we took advantage of a pretty extreme burn day with low humidity and high winds coupled with an aggressive firing technique and we got basically 100% fire coverage across this 20 acre unit. Now here is the controversial part: we are in no hurry to conduct any reforestation on this unit. Managing this clearcut will allow the landowner and myself to get a more clear picture of what the timber market is going to do in this region before we decide to replant. Sometime in the future we will likely go back with Longleaf Pine on this site. For now, we will continue to manage it as it sits which is essentially a mecca for game species.
A few things to note:
1. This 20 acre unit is immediately adjacent to 26 year old 2nd thinned pines on 2 sides, both of which were burned in 2025.
2. The landowner's nephew shot both a 5.5 and 7.5 year old buck out of this clearcut IN THE SAME SIT last year
3. The clearcut that we had on this site was EXCELLENT. Not all clearcut operations are equal. This logging crew took every product off the site that could go on the truck whether it was hardwood or pine, it did not matter. This allowed this management with fire to take place since we were not left with hardwood saplings and "skunky" fuels.

Finally, as I was evaluating this clearcut I noticed the hen pictured feeding through the clearcut, I snapped the picture as she eased across the road back toward what I would bet was her nest site in the adjacent pine stand with a 2 year rough.

What was historically accepted as normal land management techniques in the southeast should be modified to follow current trends and markets as well as landowner goals.

This 20 acres is habitat heaven and it was extremely intentional in its implementation.

I have always been a sucker for well managed fire maintained pine stands, but the more I work with mid-slope hardwood st...
04/16/2026

I have always been a sucker for well managed fire maintained pine stands, but the more I work with mid-slope hardwood stands (composed primarily of White Oak, Red Oak, and Hickory) the more I think I have found a new favorite habitat type. One of the rare times in wildlife and life where you can have your cake (acorns) and eat it too (summer forage in the understory). This stand had a fuelwood logging crew go through and remove most of the less desirable tree species and has had 3 prescribed fires applied on a 2-year return interval. You think there's a turkey or 2 in there?

A tale of 2 neighbors. These properties are directly across from each other in southwest Georgia. One property has been ...
02/19/2026

A tale of 2 neighbors. These properties are directly across from each other in southwest Georgia. One property has been managed diligently with regular logging, prescribed fire, and occasional herbicide applications. The other hasn't seen a timber harvest in decades and is experiencing heavy pine mortality with less desirable hardwoods becoming dominant as fire continues to be excluded. Guess which property consistently holds and harvests bigger bucks year in and year out.

I have read all of the research (as I am sure alot of you who read this post have) regarding nutrition levels of native ...
07/18/2024

I have read all of the research (as I am sure alot of you who read this post have) regarding nutrition levels of native forage compared to food plot species and supplemental feed. Still, when that research is questioned sometimes it pays to go pull your own samples and verify for yourself. These forage samples were collected in southwest GA from a property with relatively low soil quality/site index. I cannot count the number of times that I have been told "we just don't have good enough soil to produce quality forage, you have to use supplemental feed". See the results in these images and make your own mind up, but for me it is a no brainer that managing native systems is key and implementing solid food plot strategies is the cherry on top. Nothing else is needed to achieve deer management goals. Not to mention that these plant species are excellent for the game bird species we all love so much as well. Please note that exact location and property name was removed for confidentiality, otherwise these sample results are exactly as they were received.

This ragweed speaks for itself.
05/22/2024

This ragweed speaks for itself.

We have consistently seen this buck on this tract since the summer. We know from camera history with this deer, that he ...
01/16/2024

We have consistently seen this buck on this tract since the summer. We know from camera history with this deer, that he is likely at least a 4.5 year old buck. Couple the camera history with the body characteristics this deer displayed from the summer through the rut and they confirm a deer approaching full maturity. That is not the debate here, the amazing thing to watch is the weight loss progression he made from pre-rut, the peak of the rut, and finally post-rut. This deer likely lost 50-60 pounds through the course of the season and shows the importance of following deer year after year and being able to recognize them through different body condition for your deer management program to be successful.

This property has worked for the last 7 years to reduce the deer density while simultaneously dramatically increasing ha...
12/20/2023

This property has worked for the last 7 years to reduce the deer density while simultaneously dramatically increasing habitat quality. 7 years of intensive (and I mean intensive) doe harvest, timber harvests, prescribed fire, rotational disking, and an excellent food plot program have finally culminated in there being a surplus of forage in relation to deer on the landscape. The deer data collected at the skinning shed is telling the story of a deer herd that is functioning at a much higher level than almost any property in the area. It is very rare to truly see a property that is managing wildlife, and deer in particular, from all angles- herd, habitat, and hunter. We see people every year who "want big deer" but are not willing to do the hard work that is associated with consistently having those deer. When a property and the hunters on it are willing to do those things, the results are shocking

Ok, I lied...I have one more post that is somewhat summer habitat related, though it does have fall, winter, and spring ...
09/30/2023

Ok, I lied...I have one more post that is somewhat summer habitat related, though it does have fall, winter, and spring implications. This landowner had the forethought to create wide roads after purchasing this property. However, these wide road shoulders were mowed religiously. Every fall I watch hunters flock to their hunting property for work days and without fail, one member of the group hops on the mower (we all know a "mower guy") and mows the roads out as wide as possible to "clean it up". The suggestion here was to stop "cleaning it up",instead leaving the road system in a state where it could always be recovered if road work was needed. Shown here is the result of winter disking (for firebreak installation) every few years and simply not mowing more than 1.5 truck widths of the road. This is good-excellent structure for turkey and quail and excellent (free) forage and cover for deer. Some species I observed were: ragweed, goldenrod, partridge pea, false foxglove, and beautyberry among others. Remember: clean, green, and even are often the enemy of wildlife.

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Cuthbert, GA

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