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Varminter
Guest
What do you guys think are the best ways to improve mule deer habitat that increase numbers and grows healthier deer?
NMPaul
Moderator
- Messages
- 8,093
In the 4500' - 7500' elevation thinning of Pinon and Juniper. The Junipers here in the West keep the grass from growing, create thick forests that does not allow the sunlight in, sucks up water and lowers the water table.
6000' - 9000' most forests in the West are overgrown from fire suppresion.
6000' - 9000' most forests in the West are overgrown from fire suppresion.
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bigmoe
Guest
HOW ABOUT THIS? QUIT PLOWING UP ALL THE BITTERBRUSH TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORE CUSTOM HOMES, LETS STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WINTER AREAS!! BIGMOE
Daxter
Very Active Member
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- 1,425
I was kinda being a smart-A when I said rain. It is true that weather probably makes the biggest difference, but only Al Gore thinks we control the weather.
We need to stop habitat loss, especially on winter ranges. Then we need to improve winter ranges by adding browse like bitterbrush and sage.
In the pinon juniper country the BLM needs to get the anchor chain back out, fight off the anti-chaining crowd, and start pulling down trees. They also need to start using non-natives that compete with cheatgrass when doing reseeding projects after fires. They only want to use natives, but the native seed is super expensive and won't out-compete the cheatgrass. If you are going to have a non-native, you might as well have one that is edible. Also, it is easier to get natives established in a stand of crested wheat grass than it is in a stand of cheat grass, so if they are really dead set on natives, at least the crested wheat keeps that door open.
In higher elevations we need to start more fires, and let more wildfires burn. It can be tough to swallow when you look at the area that burned right after the fire, but give it a year or two and you will come to believe that fire is great.
We also need to reevaluate some of our cattle grazing practices on public lands. I am not anti-cow, in fact I think if grazing is properly managed you can actually improve the habitat for wildlife (look at Deseret Ranch in Northern Utah), but there are a lot of areas where piss poor grazing practices are hammering streams, meadows, and aspen stands.
I also think you have to look at roads, recreational disturbance, oil and gas extraction activities and both the direct and indirect habitat loss they cause by physically removing habitat, and displacing deer from desirable habitats.
There is a lot of work to be done, and there needs to be some major paradigm shifts for the federal land management agencies for us to start doing things on a scale that will make a major impact. There is some great work going on, and that is great, but there is A LOT more to do.
Dax
We need to stop habitat loss, especially on winter ranges. Then we need to improve winter ranges by adding browse like bitterbrush and sage.
In the pinon juniper country the BLM needs to get the anchor chain back out, fight off the anti-chaining crowd, and start pulling down trees. They also need to start using non-natives that compete with cheatgrass when doing reseeding projects after fires. They only want to use natives, but the native seed is super expensive and won't out-compete the cheatgrass. If you are going to have a non-native, you might as well have one that is edible. Also, it is easier to get natives established in a stand of crested wheat grass than it is in a stand of cheat grass, so if they are really dead set on natives, at least the crested wheat keeps that door open.
In higher elevations we need to start more fires, and let more wildfires burn. It can be tough to swallow when you look at the area that burned right after the fire, but give it a year or two and you will come to believe that fire is great.
We also need to reevaluate some of our cattle grazing practices on public lands. I am not anti-cow, in fact I think if grazing is properly managed you can actually improve the habitat for wildlife (look at Deseret Ranch in Northern Utah), but there are a lot of areas where piss poor grazing practices are hammering streams, meadows, and aspen stands.
I also think you have to look at roads, recreational disturbance, oil and gas extraction activities and both the direct and indirect habitat loss they cause by physically removing habitat, and displacing deer from desirable habitats.
There is a lot of work to be done, and there needs to be some major paradigm shifts for the federal land management agencies for us to start doing things on a scale that will make a major impact. There is some great work going on, and that is great, but there is A LOT more to do.
Dax
