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

How to Fix Overgrazed Food Plots, Now and Later

Oct 23, 2024 Mark Turner

I’ve visited many properties managed for deer across the eastern United States, and the number one most consistent problem I see is overabundant deer populations. This problem becomes apparent quickly when you step into an…

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Habitat

Deer Are King, But Deer Habitat is Great for Another Monarch

Oct 21, 2024 Kip Adams

As hunters who manage wildlife habitat, one of the biggest satisfactions we get is seeing deer and other animals using it. Well, one species that uses it and can really use our help is the…

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30 Years of Deer Habitat Management, Part 2: Into Fields and Forests

Jan 8, 2024 Craig Harper

Deer hunters today are more knowledgeable about deer habitat management than ever before. We are driven by a desire to produce better deer and better hunting, and science gives us better information and improved strategies….

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30 Years of Deer Habitat Management, Part 1: It All Began With Food Plots

Jan 3, 2024 Craig Harper

Deer hunting has evolved in a big way in the last 30 years. Most of us don’t hunt in blue jeans or a red-and-black plaid wool coat anymore. We don’t fry bacon in our hunting…

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3 Simple Food Plot Options for Fall Deer Attraction

Jul 19, 2023 Ben Westfall

Believe it or not, fall food plot planting season is right around the corner in much of the country, so now is the perfect time to consider what’s next on the menu. Here are three…

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5 Reasons Deer Are Not Touching Your Food Plots

Jun 21, 2023 Nick Pinizzotto

I was bursting with anticipation as I settled into my stand overlooking an interior food plot I had planted for the first time a couple months earlier. A year prior, the old natural gas well…

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Avoid Herbicide Trouble in Food Plots With Simple Plant-Back Intervals

Jun 7, 2023 Mark Turner

Soil-active herbicides can greatly improve weed control in food plots as they control weed seedlings before they compete with planted species. However, soil-active herbicides can have similar, damaging effects on your future plantings if the…

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Six Factors in Designing Successful Deer Hunting Plots

May 24, 2023 Kip Adams

There are two main types of food plots for deer, nutritional and hunting plots. In general, nutritional plots are larger (1 to 5 acres) and are intended to provide abundant nutrition over numerous months. Hunting…

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How to Shop for Food Plot Lime to Maximize Deer Nutrition

May 3, 2023 Kip Adams

Calcium oxide is its chemical name, but we’re deer hunters rather than chemists, so we’ll simply refer to it as lime. It’s like your buddy’s nickname – more personal, fun, and, well, understandable. That’s important…

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6 Essential Tools for Managing a Small Property for Deer Hunting

Apr 26, 2023 Brian Grossman

One of the perks of owning a small hunting property is you don’t need a lot of big, expensive equipment to manage it for whitetails. With some basic, inexpensive tools, you can create food plots,…

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