Give turkey habitat a burn notice
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Photo by John Howle
Prescibed burns, if conducted regularly, remove leaf litter, preventing out of control wildfires. |
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Photo by John Howle
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A prescribed burn is like a blackened ribeye steak. It may look charred on the outside, but once you get into it, the results are pure satisfaction.
Turkeys, especially nesting hens and poults, can thrive in areas where prescribed burns have been conducted properly.
According to NWTF Regional Biologist Luke Lewis, a prescribed burn is the best action any landowner can take for turkey, deer and quail. "It's also the cheapest," he said.
The big picture
Prescribed burning is only one part of a total land management plan.
"The majority of food and cover for wildlife is available within 3 or 4 feet of the ground," said Lewis. "We manage low-growing forbs and grasses by mowing, timber harvesting and using fire."
Another benefit of prescribed burning is fuel reduction on the forest floor.
"Considering drought conditions, prescribed burning keeps wildfires, caused by a lightning strike or a cigarette thrown from a car, from becoming catastrophic," said Lewis.
Lewis recommends landowners create a management plan that compartmentalizes the property into sections and burns them on a rotation every three years.
"It is better to break up the burns into 5-, 10-, or 15-acre compartments," said Lewis. "You need at least three skilled people to manage these prescribed burns, and it's always best to hire professionals the first time."
Lewis says a typical property divides a burn area into three 15-acre compartments. "Burn one compartment the first year, the second during the second year, and the third on the third year," he said. "This creates a cycle that is ideal for turkeys."
You need a plan
Get a burn permit from the local forestry agency and create a burn plan, taking into consideration weather conditions and surrounding smoke-sensitive areas.
"Get an expert to show you how to do it the first time," said Lewis. "It only costs about $30 an acre. And cost sharing programs, such as the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service can often cut that cost to $15 per acre."
Rising from the ashes
"Immediately after a burn, it may look like there's nothing but charred ground, but I have watched turkeys cross over into a burned area within hours because acorns and insects are uncovered," said Lewis. "A dormant season burn area is the place to hunt the following spring because food will be there in the form of new grass, forbs and insects, especially if the timber has been thinned."
Burning bonus
The two years that follow a prescribed burn serve a useful habitat purpose.
"First-year burns get rid of leaf litter, while bringing in native grasses and bugging areas, and the second year you have good sites for hens to nest," Lewis said. "The third year is a bonus year that gives the landowner a chance to evaluate the success of the burns and make any changes before burning another rotation."
During the first year following a prescribed burn, the forest floor will be opened up to sunlight, allowing dormant seeds to germinate into food and cover suited for turkeys. The new growth creates travel and cover areas ideal for the short legs of young poults.
"Sunlight encourages the growth of native grasses, legumes and forbs that produce flowers and attract insects," said Lewis. "A poult's diet is 90 percent insects for the first six weeks of its life."
Ideal nesting areas are created in the second year following the prescribed burn.
"When it comes time to nest, the hens will move from the open fields into the woods for cover," said Lewis. "The hens will find nesting cover structure within 3 feet of the ground and conceal themselves under browse like briars and dewberries."
The third year after a burn is still good for hunting turkeys.
"There's still good foraging and travel in that third year, but after the fourth year, the vegetative structure becomes a wall or barrier," said Lewis. "You also start getting hardwoods like sweetgum sprouting back and shading out preferred plants."
Turkey burn concern
Keep the needs of young poults and nesting hens in mind when burning.
"After a dormant season or growing season burn, you will have a growth of bunch grasses and clean open ground areas between bunch grasses," said Lewis. "This first year growth is ideal for poults and their short legs, and the bunch grasses help the poults avoid predators."
When looking at thick grass fields like bahiagrass or bermudagrass, which would be common in pastures or right of ways, Lewis says the young poults can fall prey to avian predators.
If you want a higher poult survival rate in these areas, you need to provide additional cover areas, which may be the surrounding forested areas. And the mowing of hay should be timed so it doesn't interfere with turkey nesting and hatching.
"If you mow in May and June, chances are higher for running over a nest," said Lewis.
Even though a growing season burn may destroy some turkey nests, the advantages far outweigh the negative impact on nesting.
Hunter burn concern
"Growing season burns are a big issue with turkey hunters, especially in national forests," said Lewis. "When a growing season burn is conducted in national forests, only about 25 percent of the entire property is burned."
Lewis said burning during April and May is controversial, and the NWTF and USDA Forest Service are working on better educating hunters on the importance of prescribed burning for turkey habitat whenever it is conducted. — John Howle