Grow It And They’ll Come

Who’s On Your Team As You Build Your Field Of Dreams?

By LCDR Travis R. Hunt

Steubenville, Ohio

What will you say when you are lying on your death bed?

I know what I will say. Actually, I will say three things:

I wish I spent more time on my knees.

I wish I spent more time with my family.

I wish I had more quality hunting opportunities.

The first two items are easy to accomplish; realize that everything that is good comes from God and realize that life is no longer about you once you bring little ones onto the scene.

The third is the challenge and is the focus of this article. Access to hunting land is a private or public affair. The public land option is usually free and Americans are blessed with abundant and pristine, free range, hunting land in all states, even Hawaii.

Obviously the no nonsense way to secure hunting opportunities is to own the land on which you hunt. This article is an overview of how I am improving my raw land to enhance the quality and quantity of my hunting opportunities. This is but one way to manage your land and maximize your precious time in the great outdoors.

OK, you have land. Did you inherit it from your Dad, did you marry a sugar mamma, win the lottery or God forbid, did you do it the old fashion way.

I did it the old fashion way, the American way, to the tune of $272 per month for the next nine years. Anyway, the land is mine, now what do you do?

The theme on the back of my Mossy Oak T-shirts says if you grow it they will come. That is true and that is the goal; however, to get to that point you must embark on the great landowner adventure.

The first step in this blessed experiment is to protect yourself and your assets. I spoke with my insurance company about the need to take out a separate land insurance policy. I was told that my homeowner’s policy extended to my land.

The second way to protect myself was to post my land and let all know that trespassing is prohibited. I purchased flexible, yellow tyvek plastic sheets from a vendor on EBay (http://www.ebay.com) and posted them on trees around the perimeter of my property.

Did this stop the poaching? No, but it is a requirement if and when I bring legal action against the cowardly poachers.

The land owner’s mission can be overwhelming, so take the lead of President Bush and form a coalition of the willing. No, we don’t live in a desert combat zone; we live in the woods and fields of the fruited plain.

Nonetheless, you must realize that it is prudent to utilize the assets available to you. For me, a hunter and landowner, my coalition of the willing includes Officer Timothy Stevens, Jefferson County Game Warden (http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife), Ms. Wendee Zadanski, Natural Resource Specialist from the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District (http://www.jeffersonswcd.org), the state USDA representative (Mr. Thomas Perrin), the owners of a local feed and seed store (Split Rail Feed and Seed, Inc., Steubenville, OH) and a local farmer.

I called Officer Stephens and said “hi, good to meet you, I own land in the area you patrol, here’s my number give me a call, let’s do lunch, would you like to hunt with me sometime?”

Guess what, this established a preemptive relationship and positioned us on the same side of the force. Regretfully, my next call to Officer Stevens was during the last week of late 2003 bow season to report three poached bucks. That’s when I found out about the poaching ring based in Richmond Ohio. Thanks Officer Stevens for helping to end this disgrace!

I knew that I wanted a clover field for obvious reasons; however, I am also a conservationist and wanted a field to help my wildlife through the bleak, Siberian like Ohio winter, long after I have left the fields and the hunting season is over.

During the spring of 2003, I met Wendee Zadanski, told her I want to hold deer on my property and what would they like to eat. A week later, after a morning turkey hunt, I met her and Mr. Perrin on my land.

With gobblers sounding off in the background, we walked around, looked at trees, rubs, mast crops, soil and they suggested the exact type of clover, where and how to plant it and how maintain the field once it is in.

The pre-planting included conducting a soil analysis for pH and eventually applying tons of lime. This stage also enlisted the assistance of a local farmer with the greenest and fanciest John Deere that I have ever seen. After initially plowing my field, I continue to hire the farmer to cut my field on a semiannual basis.

During this meeting Mr. Perrin told me he was from the government and here to help me. After the initial shock, he brought me back to reality and told me that the State of Ohio is participating in the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP).

WHIP forms a partnership between a landowner and the USDA via the state USDA. The USDA and the landowner formulate a strategy to improve the habitat for wildlife and/or domestic farm animals on the land. This plan is executed over a predetermined time period and is financially supported through a 75 percent government cost share.

For example, my particular WHIP contract covers the planting of trees for habitat and windbreaks, fencing, a water source and the planting of grass and clover fields. I will implement the first phase of my WHIP contract this year through the purchasing and planting of pine and fir trees. I am allocated $400 for this phase and the USDA will cover $300.

This is a good deal and one example of well spent taxpayer money. During the upcoming spring, I will plant nearly 50, four year old transplant Austrian Pines and White Firs. This is great, can you say instant privacy, instant turkey magnet and instant mock rub line!

Like Officer Stevens, I work with Mr. Perrin. I give him a call and he advises me on tree selection, tree vendors and even tree planting firms. For me and mine we will plant our trees, work our soil, wipe our sweat and live the American Experience.

My clover field produces “candy” for the deer, the WHIP plan is executed, my ladder stands are hung with care, the game camera captures it all (even one of the poachers) and a new season will be upon us.

Establishing a relationship with a feed and seed store is a wise move. Bob and Jody Gump, owners of Split Rail Feed and Seed, are an invaluable source of raw materials and information. Bob recommends and mixes a special blend of clover seeds for my field and is quick to find the right herbicide to knock down the weeds.

After much discussion, I invested my hard earned dollars in a 200 pound hopper feeder and Bob sells me shelled corn at a bulk price. If the tax cuts keep coming, I will keep filling my feeder and doing my part to contribute to the rapidly recovering economy.

Time in your local feed and seed store is well spent; these are places to hang pictures, share war stories and show the public that hunters do more than kill two deer a year -- we feed the entire herd through the winter. Be proud of what you do, respect your animals and they will offer you and yours precious time together and many memories.

Through this process I discovered that hunters are good at many things. We are good at cooking certain meats during certain times of the year, we are good at telling stories and we are even good at occasionally connecting with a nice buck.

However, I knew enough to know that I knew almost nothing about being a landowner. Therefore, my goal was to surround myself with those who had more knowledge about this than me.

Be your own president, form your own coalition. If you take one step at a time your hunting domain, be it 12 acres like mine or 120 like my neighbor, can be molded into a prime hunting habitat.

When your time is over and you are called home don’t have any regrets. After all, this isn’t rocket science and it certainly isn’t baseball, but if you grow it they will come!