5 Winter Habitat Projects You Can Work on Now!

[@npinizzotto]

You know G, I think I need you to come up here and demonstrate all of this on my place. :)

[@jessemoore7696]

I love your response.

[@Quercusalba205]

Looks like you may have what we call salt myrtle. I noticed it behind you, when you were cutting and squirting the tree in that little opening. I’m just down the road in Talbot County, and it spreads like crazy, at least on my place. Of course, I’ve noticed it more and more in our area, though that may merely be a function of now I know what it is, since I’ve had to deal with it. Love seeing that part of Ga! and following along-Keep us all posted!

[@DeerAssociation]

Jason, that's exactly what it is - Baccharis or salt myrtle. I wasn't familiar with it until I bought this place. I have plenty of it and Chinese privet to keep me busy for a while! - Brian G.

[@stevegermain1222]

Good plan

[@DeerAssociation]

Thanks for watching!

[@ncsmooth22]

What is the herbicide that you use for killing off the trees and stumps? Is that a blue dye in the herbicide to see where you are spraying?

[@DeerAssociation]

Anthony, I'm using a herbicide mix that you'll sometimes hear us refer to as the "Craig Harper cocktail" that includes 50% triclopyr (Garlon 3A), 40% water, and 10% imazapyr (Arsenal). This mix should kill about any tree species you encounter. I also add a small amount of blue die to be able to see what I've sprayed.

[@ncsmooth22]

@@DeerAssociation thank you for the info. Keep up the great content.

[@JBIRD270]

What clover seed can I top sew in the winter? Thanks

[@DeerAssociation]

You can frost seed any of the clover species, as well as chicory. Here's an article on the subject from our website - deerassociation.com/frost-seed-food-plots/

[@randywallace]

What are some of the non-invasive trees in West TN that I need to get rid of? Hophornbeam?

[@DeerAssociation]

Hophornbeam has little timber or wildlife value, so yes, it's a good candidate for removal. Same for other common, native trees in your area with low timber/wildlife value. However, even valuable trees can be overabundant. For example, oaks are valuable for wildlife, but you can have too many saplings in a small area, so that they even crowd each other. Select one (if one is needed in that spot ) and remove the rest.

[@randywallace]

@@DeerAssociation Where can i get a list of trees in West TN that have little timber or wildlife value?

[@randywallace]

@@DeerAssociation Where can i find a list of trees in West TN that have little timber/wildlife value?

[@DeerAssociation]

@@randywallace I would recommend reaching out to your local TWRA wildlife biologist. They should be able to provide you state- or locale-specific information on the best trees to remove and those you should keep. You could also contact a local forester, but I would look for one with a wildlife degree or background. Otherwise, their focus is going to be on timber value more so than wildlife value.

[@estelltabor4692]

I have not tried applying herbicide to trees yet, but thought I had read that it’s more effective during the growing season. The way I understood it was, if applied late winter early spring the sap would push out the herbicide. Is this true?

[@DeerAssociation]

This is only true for a few tree species that are heavy sap producers, and only for a short time when sap flow is heaviest. Basically, if you girdle a tree and sap flows out immediately and visibly, that's enough to flush out the herbicide. If you don't see that, the herbicide will be effective. So, this method works almost year-round.

[@estelltabor4692]

Thanks! Great information.

[@estelltabor4692]

Thanks! Great information.

[@estelltabor4692]

Thanks! Great information.

[@estelltabor4692]

Thanks! Great information.

[@RackAddict21]

What exactly is the blue stuff you are spraying on the cut trees?

[@DeerAssociation]

Jon, it's an herbicide mix consisting of 50% triclopyr (Garlon 3A), 40% water, and 10% imazapyr (Arsenal), mixed in that order. It should kill about any tree you would encounter. The blue coloring is an herbicide dye I add just to be able to see where I have sprayed. - Brian Grossman

[@RackAddict21]

@@DeerAssociation Thank you! Expensive stuff lol and hard to find so far in my area. Any alternatives that you know of?

[@DeerAssociation]

@@RackAddict21 On a lot of trees, you could probably get by with a stout concentration of Glyphosate or Triclopyr. Imazapyr is expensive, but you can get a quart from Amazon at a reasonable price and a little goes a long way used in this manner.

[@RackAddict21]

@@DeerAssociation Thank you for the imformation.

[@keving2371]

That looked like a walnut tree you cut ....4:19

[@DeerAssociation]

Kevin, it was actually a Chinaberry tree, which is a non-native, invasive species.

[@DeerAssociation]

@@tbconnor They provide some wildlife benefit, mostly for squirrels, but provide little value to deer. However, black walnut can be a valuable timber tree, so how you handle them really depends on your long-term goals for the property. If you are strictly managing the property for wildlife, I would probably remove most of them and leave a few select trees. If you are managing for future timber value, then you may want to keep the majority of them.

[@John-ug1nc]

So you want to create a whole bunch of girdled, and now dead, trees around the area in which you hunt? That's pretty dangerous

[@DeerAssociation]

The trees break down gradually over time, limb by limb, and take a long time to fall. Usually they go down in a windstorm, when you aren't likely to be out there. It's actually far less dangerous and risky to do this than to actually drop large trees with your chainsaw.