Optimizing Range Management
for Game Bird Habitat
by Kindra Gordon for Angus Productions Inc.
MITCHELL, Neb. (Dec. 1, 2011) — As acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) expire, how can landowners continue to provide habitat for game birds? That has been the focus of research conducted in southwestern North Dakota near Hettinger. North Dakota State University wildlife biologist Benjamin Geaumont shared findings from the research Dec. 1 during the final session of the Range Beef Cow Symposium XXII in Mitchell, Neb.
Benjamin Geaumont“We are losing CRP lands and expect that to have a negative effect on wildlife,” Geaumont said. If no additional government funds are appropriated for CRP, most CRP land will expire by 2019, he reported.
NDSU researchers have been studying the nesting success and habitat structure preferences of ducks and ring-necked pheasants in five different treatment areas, including hayed, season-long grazing, idle, no-till corn and no-till barley.
Geaumont shared that idle acres — such as CRP — offer the best habitat structure for game birds. Grazed areas and hayland also provide acceptable nesting habitat. However, he said, “game birds are ‘sitting ducks’ in no-till cropland.” There is just not enough structure to hide them from predators and to ensure nesting success, he explained.
Thus, for producers who want to manage for wildlife to maintain those populations for hunting or simply scenic beauty, Geaumont says the management recommendation is to maintain a patchwork of high-structure areas on the land.
Specifically he shared that if idle lands through the CRP program are no longer government supported, the next best option appears to be season-long grazing with a target of 50% utilization to provide adequate nesting cover for pheasants and ducks.
Geaumont shared that most pheasants and ducks are nesting in late April through May and June.
Thus, he suggested it is important for land managers to maintain some structure (vegetative cover) at the end of the grazing season as those areas of higher structure are likely the ones that will be selected as nest sites by birds in the spring.
The NDSU data also found that haying CRP lands after Aug. 1 was an appropriate management strategy to ensure nesting success and game bird survival rates.
He concluded, “Our data demonstrates that ring-necked pheasant and waterfowl production is compatible with a proper grazing program, albeit at reduced rates. … Tradeoffs may exist between maximizing livestock or wildlife production.”
To see the PowerPoint that accompanied Geaumont's presentation, click here.
The biennial Range Beef Cow Symposium was hosted Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Mitchell Events Center, Mitchell, Neb., by the cooperative extension and animal science departments of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, South Dakota State University, Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming. Comprehensive coverage of the event is provided online at www.rangebeefcow.com, an event coverage site provided by Angus Productions Inc. (API), publisher of the Angus Journal and the Angus Beef Bulletin.
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