The Woodsman Perspective

Dave Owens, creator of The Pinhoti Project, sat down with me and talked about social media, calling championships, and conservation. Dave recently won his second Grand National Title at the NWTF in Nashville this year, and is an active participant and supporter of the various state calling contests. Social media figures, or influencers, often get blamed for the increase numbers and reduced opportunities on public hunting land. Whil...

The term Co-op has become synonymous with farm supply, feed, and seed.  But do you know why it's called "the co-op"?   These organizations came to existence out of necessity and from local farmers and landowners coming together to leverage their collective buying power.   It is more than just a name, and odds are there is one in your community.  We sat down with Jeff Hays, the manager of Lowndes Farm Supply to discuss the Co-op dif...

Landlocked properties are more and more common as land and estates are fragmented.  There are a lot of misconceptions around access, easements, and what the adjoining landowners must do to provide access to landlocked tracts.  Jay Nichols is our good friend and an expert real estate attorney.  Jay and his father have worked with landowners in Mississippi for decades and have seen just about every access and easement situation imagi...

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forest land managers to enhance their conservation efforts. It helps producers adopt new conservation practices and maintain existing ones, compensating them for improved resource management. Eligible lands include private agricultural lands, non-industrial private forest land, and associated lands. We mention CSP and other pr...

Clover is a high protein legume that whitetail deer and turkeys love to eat.  Additionally it fixes nitrogen in the soil, and when maintained it will return year after year without replanting.   It is no wonder that clover is at the top of every land manager's list when it comes to food plot plant varieties.

  But there are varieties and practices that can be implemented to fine tune your approach with clover to maximize deer utili...

Dr. Bronson Strickland is the foremost authority in whitetail deer research right.  He is also our friend.  Over the years we have had a great relationship with Bronson centered around the mutual love for whitetail deer and a desire to properly manage habitat in a way that maximizes the overall herd health as well as antler production.    On this episode we will be  talking about summer foodplots and deer nutrition.  We also discus...

Precision shooting has become a popular off season sport among hunters. Many of the traditional hunting rifle manufacturers now offer models specifically for long range shooting in calibers that are very versatile for hunting. Pair that with affordable high quality optics, and you can be ringing steel at 500 yards with an over the counter package. This isn't just for the off season though, there are plenty of good applications for ...

While economic development and community growth is generally good for the population, the local economy, politicians, and quality of life in general, there is always a cost to nature and wildlife. These losses remind of how important it is to manage and protect the land and wildlife where you can. Also it is a reminder that habitat loss creates scarcity, which drives up the value in recreational land. Florida is arguably one of the...

Drones are everywhere, and while some still see them as toys there are some real advantages to them. Our own Brent Lochala has been flying drones for over 10 years and has an FAA part 107 license to operate them commercially. We get into some uses for them for owners and managers, some you are aware of and some you may not have thought of. From deer herd analysis, progression monitoring, flood control and drainage, to pine beetle d...

The use of technology and tactics that create a perceived advantage, or shortcut, is one of the most divisive things in the hunting community. It's in every aspect of it whether it is baiting for deer or reaping turkeys. Technology such as cellular enabled game cameras and thermal drones have brought it another level. The use of live scopes for crappie fishing is a great example of that. These tools, in my opinion, make it even mor...

Whether you are planning your summer food plots, picking up sheds, or calculating your cost per pound in venison, just about everything in hunting and habitat management comes back to numbers. This is something that we always come back to in our discussions about whatever project we are working on, so we bet that you have too. While at first it can seem to complicate things, especially if math isn't your thing, it actually helps to...

Within the ranks of turkey hunters, there are people who are specialists. We are going to highlight those specialists with a series of podcasts. The first one that we are featuring is "The Technician". We all have one in our circle, at least I hope we all do. Our friend Matt Kilpatrick is a technician. A cabinet builder by trade, he has an uncanny sense of craftsmanship and an eye for detail. He is the type of guy that will not tru...

Hardwoods are key to any recreational tract and wildlife habitat.  Dudley Phelps is the resident expert and tree nerd on the Mossy Oak Gamekeeper podcast, and we were excited to sit down with him and talk oaks, acorns, and hardwood management.   Dudley has a wealth of knowledge, not just on these things but all things wildlife and  hunting.   We grilled some venison tomahawks and had a great conversation, even though someone left t...

This throwback Thursday is a great conversation with Steve Brown, owner of Brown & Co outfitters.  Steve is one of the best turkey hunters to ever do it, hands down.   He has killed multiple world slams with archery equipment, guided decades ago at Westervelt lodge, competed in the Grand National calling contest and twice winning the Mississippi state championship.   Turkey hunters will enjoy this one from the archives.  We hav...

The tools and timing of disturbance will determine the results.   Mitt Wardlaw, serial entrepreneur and land management expert understands this as well as anyone in the world.  On a scientific level and from practical application, Mitt can explain these differences and tactics so that we can all understand them.  

We discuss the fire, tillage, herbicide and what timing will yield what results.  A MSU grad and accomplished crop cons...

The turkey hunting circle is relatively small, and inside is an even smaller circle of turkey callers. This tight knit group is made up of some of the biggest names in the hunting industry, and some names you've never heard unless you follow the calling contests trail. From Matt Van Cise, Ronnie Cuz Strickland, Bob Dixon, the Drury Brothers, to names like Ray Eye, Jami Linder, Paul Butski, Walter Parrot. We are hopeful that there i...

As a teaser to an upcoming episode with Mitt, we reached back into the archives and pulled this monologue of Mitt talking disturbance.  Specifically how the timing of disturbance determines what the plant response will be and how to intentionally use this to maximize plants and forbs and still have enough grass to carry the fire that is needed to maintain early successional  habitat.     You can find more on Mitt by following  @Mid...