THE TREE FACTOR
Although timber manipulation is often one of the most overlooked aspects of land management, this is one area where Mark excels. He once owned a tree-planting business and planted several million trees throughout Illinois.

"Call someone who has experience in this area," Mark advised. "It will save you a lot of time and frustration. It sounds easy, just plant some trees and native grasses and your property will become a great habitat. But your plan needs to be thoroughly thought out in much greater detail. Think about where you will plant trees and locate food plots to make the hunting better -- not just next year, but 10 to 15 years from now.

"At first, trees will be small, but in 10 years, you may have a tree big enough to hold a tree stand. If you do want a tree stand in a particular location, carefully consider the species you might place there. Faster growing trees, such as a green ash or cottonwood, will get you in that stand location much faster than an oak tree will.

"Keep in mind that trees are planted according to zone. Zones simply identify the tree's ability to handle the weather, and you should know what zone you are in and what soil types you have before you invest in trees. A certain type of oak tree that prospers in Mississippi may not do as well if planted in Michigan. Try to plant mast-producing trees, like oaks, some of which grow faster than others.

"Young trees may be a food source for deer as browse. Some will probably be eaten by deer and not survive, so plant many more trees than you need. Other species like honey locust won't do as well in low-lying areas, but they grow well on hillsides, and they're fairly inexpensive. Chokeberry, serviceberries, cherries and shrubs will also do well in many areas. Fruit trees need to be protected. The hardest part about planting trees is trying to protect them from browsing deer."

WATER IS A MUST
"Water works wonders, but be careful what you attempt," Mark said. "Some government programs require that you maintain water nine months out of the year in shallow-water areas. You may have to put in a water control structure, but be careful not to flood your neighbor's property. Blocking of ditches may work, but digging a pond or a hole is not part of the prescribed practices of the government's program. In areas not enlisted in any programs, water hole hunting may be something you want to implement if it is not already available."

EDGES AND GRASSES
"Deer like to hang out around and travel along edges, and diverse edge habitat is very important," Mark said. "Every time you change the habitat, you create edge, whether it's from prairie grass to a food plot edge or from a corn field to a forest. Even hedgerows, ponds or riverbanks create edge. Instead of having one big food plot, you always get much better deer habitat whenever you create a lot of different edges.

"Prairie grass and other native grasses create excellent habitat for deer in a relatively short amount of time. A forest may take years to grow, but you can have a big-buck haven in a large field of prairie grass within a couple of years. However, I don't recommend invasive grasses like Johnson grass, Reed canary, brome grasses or fescue, because they choke out everything else and they aren't much good for deer.

"It'll take a couple of years for prairie grass to get started. I recommend putting in multiple fields of prairie grass that are burned every two to three years. Because they tend to be deep-rooted plants that take a lot of time to develop their root systems, people often plant these grasses and think they are dead if nothing happens in six months. Allow about two years before you notice the plant growing. Also, if you mow it too short, you can kill it."

SOIL TYPES AND PH
"Deer inherently know which plants have the most nutrients and they'll usually eat those plants," Mark said. "But you may have the most beautifully designed food plots in the world and if you don't offer the right nutrients and pH in the soil type, the deer may not use those food plots at all. (pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity in the soil.)"

Ask your Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) office about the soil type in your area, and find out if it's a sandy loam or clay. Ask your agent what can be grown in your area. Test the pH of the soil to determine if fertilizers are needed.

FOOD PLOTS
"In some places, you may only have the local farmer's crops as food plots," Mark said. "Some of the best food plots are crop fields where some of the rows of crops like corn are left standing. Some hunters tend to think of food plots as killing plots, places to harvest a deer, but you must also consider the deer's year-round nutritional needs and plant accordingly. Late winter and early spring are often overlooked times of year when deer need a food source the most."

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