Ryan Piltz provides ways to improve habitat on a budget.
Improve Wildlife Habitat on a Shoestring Budget
By PJ DelHomme
For many landowners or hunters leasing property, the dream of creating a wildlife paradise and hunting haven on that land can seem insanely expensive. However, that doesn’t have to be your reality. We reached out to wildlife habitat management professional Ryan Piltz, who told us about numerous cost-effective techniques that can significantly improve your land’s appeal to wildlife without breaking the bank. Before you hire a contractor to overhaul your property, see what he had to say.
Understand Your Property
Before implementing any changes, get to know your land.
“Education is incredibly important to understand the biology and behavior of wildlife to manage a property for them,” Piltz says.
Start by conducting a thorough habitat assessment using mapping tools and on-site surveys. Apps like HuntStand and onX can provide valuable insights into your property’s layout and neighboring lands.
Then, take a field day for some on-site surveys. Look for things like wildlife travel routes, browse lines, and bedding areas. Note these features on your app. In addition, take note of vegetation composition and areas where habitat types merge. When you get home and open the app on a larger computer screen, the visual reference will help you understand how wildlife uses the land.
Just as important, it will help you identify areas that need improvement and those that already benefit wildlife.
Promote Native Vegetation Through Disking
One of the most cost-effective techniques Piltz recommends is disking to promote native vegetation. This method is particularly useful for old fields that have been overtaken by invasive species or non-beneficial weeds. Piltz uses this on an old field on the property he manages.
“This cost-effective technique tills the soil, allowing native weeds—many that deer eat—and brambles to pop up. I disked in a checkerboard pattern at varying intensities (1, 2, and 3 times)—because the soil and seeds within react differently.”
Benefits of disking
- Controls monocultures of grasses
- Provides a diverse early successional landscape
- Promotes growth of forbs, legumes, grasses, and brambles
- Creates vegetation that matures at different rates and times
Hinge-Cut Trees
When managing wooded areas, removing undesirable trees can be expensive and time-consuming. Piltz suggests hinge-cutting as an affordable alternative.
“When I cut trees, I rarely remove them. Hinge cutting is a technique where you cut the tree but allow it to fall on its own. The outer bark layer remains intact, so the tree can survive for years,” Piltz explains.
Benefits of hinge-cutting:
- Continued production of buds and leaves for deer browse
- Ground cover for wildlife
- Improved sunlight penetration for desirable tree species
- Creation of natural travel corridors for wildlife
Utilize Buffer Zones
Another low-cost technique is to establish buffer zones around existing crop fields. On the property he manages, Piltz asked the farmer to allow a 30-foot buffer between the crop field and woods. He just left that area alone. By doing so, the buffer provides additional nutrition for wildlife, creates cover and transitional areas, and increases edge habitat, which benefits many species.
Use Existing Resources and Preserve Sanctuaries
Don’t underestimate the importance of working with what you already have on your property. For instance, when dealing with a red cedar thicket that provided little value, Piltz selectively removed trees and repurposed them. “I cut one out of every three cedars to allow sunlight to reach the understory and promote vegetation growth. I strategically stacked them to create cover, travel routes, and winter browse.” This didn’t cost much to do or take an army to do it.
At the same time, not every area on your property needs active management. Like humans, wildlife just needs a little untrammeled space.
“I love areas of habitat that provide ample cover and protection from human and predator traffic,” Piltz says. “I don’t worry about providing nutrition everywhere because animals can, hopefully, get that through the rest of your management program.”
Leverage Government Programs
For landowners concerned about costs, Piltz suggests exploring government programs that can offset expenses. In some cases, they reimburse landowners for land management practices. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides a lot of them, he says. Before you go this route, be sure to do a little homework. Have clear goals already established for your property, and educate yourself about available programs. Then, contact your local NRCS office for guidance.
Creating an ideal wildlife habitat doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. By focusing on cost-effective techniques like disking, hinge-cutting, and utilizing buffer zones, landowners can significantly improve their property’s appeal to wildlife without breaking the bank. The key is to work with what you have, understand your land’s potential, and make strategic improvements over time.
“Land management plans are long-term. A lot of people get impatient and give up,” Piltz says. Stay committed to your goals, keep detailed records of your efforts, and be patient. With time and consistent application of these affordable techniques, you can transform your property into a thriving wildlife habitat that meets your goals and budget.
Watch Land Management – How to Improve Your Hunting Property
PJ DelHomme writes and edits content from western Montana. He runs Crazy Canyon Media and Crazy Canyon Journal.
