Habitat Improve your hunting land!

Whether you're planting your first food plot, working on forest stand improvement, or preparing for a prescribed burn, the NDA has the information you need to help you be successful. We rely on the latest research and experts in their field to bring you the most reliable, up-to-date information on managing your land for the benefit of white-tailed deer and other wildlife.

Habitat

The Benefits of Balancing Deer With the Carrying Capacity of Their Habitat

Nov 17, 2025 Kip Adams

“Carrying capacity” is an often-used concept in deer management discussions. Biologists, managers and hunters routinely refer to the carrying capacity of an area, or whether a deer herd is above or below this magical point….

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Habitat

5 Forest Wildlife Species That Benefit When Hunters Improve Deer Habitat

Nov 11, 2025 Kip Adams

Deer are valuable for many reasons. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates big game hunting provides over 250,000 jobs and nearly $70 billion in federal, state and local taxes annually. Whitetails provide American families…

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Food Plot Species Profile: Corn

Apr 23, 2012 Bob Westerfield

The first time I hunted over a corn patch, I remember seeing the stalks moving as my imagined 10-point buck worked his way to the end of the row. I waited with intense anticipation as…

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Ryegrass: Going Against the Grain

Mar 29, 2012 Bob Westerfield

I might get shot just for mentioning the use of annual ryegrass as a potential food plot crop, but the truth is I have killed too many whitetails over this stuff to completely ignore it….

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Mixing Corn and Soybeans in Food Plots

Mar 28, 2012 Craig Harper

The species and rates of plants included in a seed blend is an important consideration when planting food plots. Certainly, you want to include species that are compatible with each other in terms of growth…

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Sex Among the Persimmons

Mar 28, 2012 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

If you think this is about people having sex in the woods, I’m sorry to disappoint. It’s about persimmon trees having sex in the woods. Far less interesting, I know, at least until hunting season…

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Don’t Get Burned by Fireblight

Mar 27, 2012 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

A southern crabapple planted at QDMA Headquarters in Georgia was one of those uncommon trees that blows past all of its sister seedlings planted the same year – rocketing upwards in height, spreading a beautiful…

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Create Living Thicket Cover by Hinge-Cutting

Mar 21, 2012 Jeff Jackson

Timber stand improvement (TSI) involves removing unwanted trees that are competing with desirable trees. What is the best thing to do with the unwanted trees? Cutting them off at the ground line is a standard…

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Know Your Deer Plants: Partridge Pea

Mar 20, 2012 Matt Ross

A member of the pea family, partridge pea is best known as a producer of valuable cover and food for upland game birds, waterfowl, and various small mammals. However, it also happens to be found…

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Know Your Native Deer Foods

Mar 9, 2012 Kip Adams

Food studies have identified several hundred plant species that deer will consume during the course of a year.  Some are used seasonally, some only when little else is available, and some are preferred regardless of…

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