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Episode 044 - Timing of Prescribed Fire Impacts Deer Forage Quality and Selection

Episode 044 - Timing of Prescribed Fire Impacts Deer Forage Quality and Selection

FromDeer University


Episode 044 - Timing of Prescribed Fire Impacts Deer Forage Quality and Selection

FromDeer University

ratings:
Length:
71 minutes
Released:
Jan 5, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Most hunters and managers are aware of the benefits of prescribed fire on deer habitat.  Fire can be used to set back plant succession (reduce the woody vegetation) and stimulate the growth of forbs (increase the herbaceous vegetation). In the Southeastern US, deer nutrition is often limited during the summer when bucks are growing antlers and does are producing fawns and lactating. Often limitations in summer nutrition is addressed with warm-season food plots, but what about addressing this need with prescribed fire? Today we visit with former MSU Deer Lab graduate student, Rainer Nichols, and discuss his project where he compared plant quality and biomass response to dormant-season and growing season prescribed fire.  Rainer examined the impacts of prescribed fire timing and mechanical stump sprouting have on summer nutritional carrying capacity for deer. Diversifying the timing of prescribed fire between the dormant and growing seasons led to increased summer nutrient availability at the landscape level, and mechanically creating stump sprouts from woody plants led to increased available nutrition on a localized level. Combining these two management actions to target summer nutritional limitations can better help deer meet nutritional demands and reach their full potential.
Released:
Jan 5, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (78)

Deer University podcasts are all about deer biology and management. Drs. Bronson Strickland and Steve Demarais are both deer hunters, deer biologists, professors of wildlife management, and co-directors of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab. Steve and Bronson are so crazy about deer biology and management that they made it their career! Our goal is to explain how you can use deer research to improve your hunting and management experiences. Don’t take for granted what your buddy says or what you read in a hunting magazine – we’ll train you to think like a deer biologist. As national leaders in deer research, we’ll keep you up to date on the latest and best information, and deliver episodes that cover every deer management topic you can imagine, and then add some that will surprise you. If you are interested in deer hunting and management, this is your podcast! Every shot you take this fall is either a step forward or backward in your management program, so use our knowledge to make every shot count! Hosts of Deer University: Dr. Bronson Strickland, Professor of Wildlife Management, Mississippi State University Extension Service Dr. Steve Demarais, Professor of Wildlife Management, Mississippi State University Forest and Wildlife Research Center