Fired Up for Big Bucks

Article by STEVE NELLE

Most hunters get fired up this time of year at the prospects of big bucks. Hunters have been thinking and planning all year long how best to hunt their favorite areas. They have caught glimpses of large phantom bucks and have found some massive sheds. All they can think about is a possible encounter with their dream buck and hopefully a clear view and a clean shot.

But behind the thrill and uncertainty of the hunt is the dayto-day management of the land which sustains the herd. The way in which the land is managed determines whether the deer herd is likely to produce the kinds of bucks that hunters dream of. While any buck can be a trophy and any hunt can be a trophy hunt, every hunter knows that the size of the antlers matters.

Deer managers understand the importance of nutrition for healthy deer and good antler growth. Scientific study and real-life experience have demonstrated that good nutrition is a primary factor for the development of large antlers, healthy deer and good fawn crops. It boils down to a simple and undeniable truth: the ranches that provide the best nutrition produce the biggest bucks. And it’s no secret that prescribed burning is one good way to help grow bigger bucks.

While many landowners and hunters utilize supplemental feed to provide added nutrition, a growing number of deer managers have learned that prescribed fire is an effective and natural way to boost nutrition and antler development. Deer nutrition is a combination of two things: a high yearlong supply of forage and high-quality forage that delivers protein, energy and minerals.

Fire operates in four different ways to enhance deer nutrition and grow bigger bucks:

INCREASED BROWSE AVAILABILITY

Fire injures or kills the top growth of shrubs forcing them to re-sprout new growth from the base. Across much of Texas the majority of browse is beyond the reach of deer and therefore of no direct food benefit.

On many ranches, half or more of the browse is unavailable. After shrubs are top-killed by fire, all of the new re-growth is available to deer thus greatly increasing the quantity of accessible forage. It is not uncommon to see a doubling or tripling of available browse as a result of burning.

Too much grass smothers forbs.

Photo by Steve Nelle

INCREASED NUTRITIONAL QUALITY

The new growth of shrubs following fire is considerably higher in protein, energy and mineral content compared to unburned shrubs. The faster a plant grows, the higher its nutritional value will be during the period of rapid growth. Burning normally produces rapid compensatory growth as shrubs try to regain their canopy as quickly as possible.

The increased quality is temporary but significant, lasting anywhere from two to eight months after the burn for most browse species. Studies show that crude protein often is increased by five to 10 percentage points.

When considered on a pasture basis, it amounts to a very substantial increase in nutrition. Hunters often notice a visible increase in antler size the first year after a burn due to enhanced nutrition.

INCREASED FORBS

The most nutritionally complete deer food are broadleaf flowering herbs known as forbs. Fire can be used to increase forb production.

In some cases, an excessive buildup of old grass inhibits forb growth. When grass is too thick, especially old dry grass, forbs will be smothered and shaded. Fire removes or reduces dense old grass which in turn allows more sunlight penetration which encourages the growth of many species of high nutrition forbs.

This forb boost includes annuals such as tallow weed, filaree, bladderpod and deer vetch as well as deep rooted perennial forbs such as bush sunflower, bundleflower, snoutbean and Engelmann daisy. Forbs typically provide excellent deer forage with protein content of 15 percent to 30 percent depending on their growth stage.

UPGRADED FORAGE VALUE

Fire temporarily transforms low-value deer food plants into high-value plants.

Plants such as persimmon, whitebrush, algerita, catclaw, pricklyash, lotebush and Texas wintergrass are normally not heavily grazed by deer, but following fire, these plants are readily consumed and provide enhanced nutrition for several months. This consumption of low-value browse gives some temporary relief and added growth potential to the higher value browse plants.

INCREASED CARRYING CAPACITY

Carrying capacity refers to the land's ability to safely support a given number of animals without causing damage to the vegetation. Carrying capacity varies from season to season and year to year based mostly on rainfall, so there is no way to assign a fixed number such as 15 acres per deer. However, no matter the number, an ongoing program of burning can materially increase carrying capacity due in large part to greater available browse production.

Consider this example: A 500-acre pasture has a moderate shrub canopy of several desirable browse species; however, most of it has grown beyond the deer's reach and only 30 percent of the browse is available. Total productivity is high but usable browse is low.

Within the first year after burning, the amount of usable browse is substantially higher, and the average protein level is temporarily boosted from 10 percent to about 16 percent. By the end of the second year, usable browse is more than twice as much as before the burn.

If burning is staggered across the entire ranch and repeated as needed, the increase in deer carrying capacity is impressive. More deer can safely be supported on the same acres.

BURNING FOR DEER HABITAT

The ideal way to incorporate burning for improved deer habitat is to always have some freshly burned areas within about every 2,500-acre block of land while still retaining plenty of good brushy cover. A fresh burn is one that is up to two years old and most of the browse is still in the vigorous regrowth stage. The fresher the burn, the greater the nutritional benefit.

Depending on brush canopy, topography and other factors, burning of 10-20 percent of a ranch every one or two years is often a practical way to maintain freshly burned areas for deer. In most cases, an entire pasture or a significant size block should be burned rather than smaller patches. Patch burning can be useful for managing quail habitat but is not usually recommended for deer due to the overbrowsing that is inevitable on small, burned areas.

If brushy cover is marginal, burns should be smaller, less frequent and under cooler conditions. If there is plenty of dense brush, fires can be larger. The more arid the region, the less frequently land should be burned.

Where there is a serious overpopulation of deer, burning is not recommended. First work to reduce the population, then think about burning. Where there are way too many deer, burning is likely to result in the loss of the best browse plants since they will be completely vulnerable to continuous overbrowsing.

FORBS AFTER FIRE

Bush sunflower

Photo by Steve Nelle

Photo by Steve Nelle

Tubetongue

Photo by Ricky Linex

Sensitive briar Bundleflower

Photo by Steve Nelle

Browse regrowth just three months after fire.

DOWNSIDE OF BURNING

The fire's merits are now widely known, and fire has been heavily promoted in Texas for the past 30 years. Prior to that, fire was discouraged or neglected as a management tool.

The pendulum has swung; now sometimes fire is overpromoted to the point that it is perceived as a panacea. While fire is a good and useful practice when properly carried out, there are some side effects to be considered, just as with all other practices.

Excessive burning or burning under too hot, too dry conditions can be detrimental and do more harm than good. This was the case for a prescribed burn in Kimble County that unintentionally caused a lot of damage. The pasture had been rested from grazing for two years to build up a good grass cover.

Conditions were very dry in late winter, but we were optimistic that some spring rains would come. The burn was intense and killed nearly all of the small cedar and reduced much of the underbrush. In that respect, it was successful.

Unfortunately, the anticipated spring rains did not come, and the 800-acre pasture was as barren as the moon for three months. Most of the existing grass plants died. Finally, some good summer rain was received; but, without any grass or litter cover, soil erosion was extreme, and many tons of dark topsoil washed away.

The grasses eventually came back from seed, but it took three years to recover. The harsh fire and the dry conditions that followed also killed most of the mountain mahogany, which was an abundant and important browse plant. We did a lot of unintentional harm by burning under too dry and too harsh conditions that were followed by a dry period.

Hot fires remove the protective layer of residual grass and leaf litter which protects the soil surface. Think of the litter layer as a blanket which protects against erosion and temperature extremes while enhancing soil health.

When the litter is removed, the soil is left unprotected and vulnerable. It normally takes three years to re-establish the litter blanket since it is composed of current year, previous year and 2-year-old plant residue each in different decompositional stages.

Think of the litter layer like a covering of mulch across the pasture that is slowly becoming soil organic matter. Disrupting the litter blanket too frequently leads to increased erosion, decreased rainfall infiltration and diminished soil condition.

Next time you are in the pasture, study the litter layer that exists between grass plants and under woody plants. It is one of the most under-appreciated parts of healthy land.

Burning can help provide the nutrition needed to grow bigger bucks.

Photo by Steve Nelle

SOIL MOISTURE

One of the primary requisites for effective habitat burning is to burn only when there is existing soil moisture. Soil moisture at the time of the burn will virtually guarantee an initial recovery of grass and forbs. The soil surface does not need to be wet, but there should be enough moisture at six to twelve inches to sustain plant growth.

A lack of moisture will retard the recovery and can result in the death of grasses if dry conditions persist. Do not take the risk of burning during drought or when soil moisture is lacking. If the long-range forecast is for drought and if no soil moisture is present, postpone the burn until a more favorable rainfall pattern returns.

OTHER BENEFITS AND CONSIDERATIONS

In addition to deer habitat improvement, fire is also beneficial for killing small blueberry cedar, reduce pricklypear and tasajillo and for temporarily reducing low brush canopy, thus improving visibility for hunting and livestock management. Fire also stimulates the germination of some species, so over time, burned habitat may contain more plant diversity than unburned areas.

Fire is not the easiest tool to use, but it is well worth the time it takes to learn how to burn. Where the landowner lacks the skill or experience, assistance is available from local Prescribed Burn Associations, paid contractors or government agencies. Fire is not an inexpensive practice to apply, but the benefits to be gained are usually worth the investment required.

As beneficial as fire can be, prescribed burning is not used as a stand-alone practice. It is effective when used in combination with sound grazing management, selective brush control and good deer herd management. Like any other habitat management technique, fire must be used carefully and skillfully for good results.

Most landowners who have used burning are pleased with the results and are anxious to use it again. When done correctly, it can be an important part of the overall land stewardship plan, and it can help provide the nutrition needed to grow bigger bucks.