Better than Waterholes, Wetlands, and Improved Deer Habitat

Whitetail Landscapes - Hunting & Habitat Management

In this episode, Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) and Tom Biebighauser (Wetland Restoration and Training) discuss the importance of wetlands and restoring our properties with better management tactics. Tom has developed highly successful and inexpensive techniques for restoring wetlands and streams that should last forever without maintenance. He cautions against using berms, dams, dikes, levees, weirs, diversions, pipes, pumps, water control structures, or wells that all require frequent and expensive maintenance. Having built over 1,400 dams he has since decommissioned over 300 dams and impoundments, restoring natural valleys in the process.

Tom explains the benefits of wetlands and wet areas for deer and how we can better utilize these areas to enhance our hunting properties. Tom explains the benefits to deer, why deer need wet areas and the health benefits to deer. Tom explains how to build a wetland, taking a soil test, and how deep you need to dig to understand the right amount of clay to get the areas to support all season water. Tom explains the importance of groundwater in certain areas to establish wetlands. Tom explains site selection for creating wetlands. Tom explains in many instances why creating channels, ditches are not necessary to maintain water within these wetland areas.

Tom details how to establish wetlands in dry areas to techniques that can support wetlands during droughts. Tom explains the rare species that come to wetlands and how to better the ecology and related predators within the food chain. Tom explains why plastic water holes are unhealthy and how these are impacting the areas so negative. Tom explains why midges and mosquitoes come to exist in wetlands and how to reduce the volume of certain insects on the landscapes.

Tom explains the benefit of building wetlands with woody debris. Also, using natural large boulders and other rocks to ensure there is diversity of structure in and around wetlands. Tom explains the benefits of planting trees in wetlands and how to manage cattails in these areas. Tom explains water fluctuations and how to reduce non-native plants in wetlands. Tom details native plants that are ideal in wet areas and benefit wildlife. Tom explains the method to create a technique of creating uneven ground establishing more diversity. Tom explains why dams do not work, flooding, muskrats, and beavers are the demise of dams. Tom explains the top plant that deer eat in wetlands.

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Tom Biebighauser - Wetland Restoration & Training (wetlandrestorationandtraining.com)