Make the most out of hunting season with Spikes and Houles!
Game bird hunting is a sport enjoyed by many across the globe. The art of taking upland birds with the aid of a gun dog dates back to the 1700's and is still loved by many today. Spike's & Houle's provides many different tools for the modern-day hunting partner. We start with the building blocks that make a healthy dog-the dog food. Brands such as Nutrisource, Diamond, Purina Pro Plan, Exclusive, and many more can be found throughout our stores. We work individually with every customer to figure out what they are looking for and match them with the perfect feeding program. We offer dry, wet, freeze dried, and raw options as well as bone broths and supplements. Training dummy's, collars, leashes, and training treats are available to aid handlers when training their new partner. We also provide cover crops that the birds love such as our JRK Native Wildflower Mix, JRK Native Prairie Mix, and other blends of grasses. For those interested in raising their own birds; we offer pheasants, quail, and chukar for in-store purchase by special order. We also offer all the supplies such as feed, bedding, lights, and enrichment to raise healthy birds. Ask any of our store employees for tips on how to successfully raise these birds. Weather hunting or raising birds, Spike's and Houle's will provide you with everything you need to enjoy the sport of gamebird hunting.
Having a diverse range of land will attract all animals. In fact, the more birds, the more deer. Pheasants and whitetails both benefit with 65 to 75 percent of acres established in early successional herbaceous habitat. Pollinator, legume or native grass/forb nesting and brood habitat all double well as bedding and fawning cover for deer, and as green browse. Broadleaves host high insect numbers for growing gamebird chicks. Maintaining a mostly bare understory with fire is important so that foraging chicks – and fawns – can move easily. Plant these areas as whole fields, firebreaks, or borders along landscape features. Whether you are hunting deer, game birds, or both it is important to start with maintaining your land and creating an abundant food source to attract these animals. This is a bigger task than just dropping a forage mix, hoping it grows and calling it a day. Most wildlife prefers a wide range of forage and supplements to stay in the area. Here’s a little planning trick to figure improvements for your target species: Consider home range along with habitat needs. Pheasant and quail home ranges are small. Deer can be roamers, but will stick closer when their needs are met nearby. When it comes to attracting deer, we offer products for year-round maintenance.
Early February-March we should be thinking of attractants. Mineral blocks, feed blocks, and liquids. Put them out in an area where deer are known to visit but may not be sticking around. We have options from Antler King, Purina, Kalmbach, and ADM. Just like your animal or mine, a balance mineral program is needed all year round. An average diet of forages and roughages may not contain all the minerals deer require. Providing supplemental minerals will keep those deer coming back to that area day after day. If you are thinking of feeds to attract deer, I would switch to the Purina AntlerMax for added protein needed for antler growth and healthy fawns.
Once April hits we should start thinking about food plots. We have many different blends/brands such as our JRK perennial and annual mixes and Antler King throughout our stores. There is plenty to take into consideration when thinking about planting a food plot such as time of year, size of the plot, perennial vs annual, pH of the soil, etc. When planting a food plot, we are shooting to have 5-10% of your total acreage in food plots with half in perennials like clover and chicory, and the other half being annuals like turnips and peas. This will create a year-round high protein diet that will keep deer in your area. One trick I like to use is putting the perennials on the outside of the plot, with the more desired annuals in the middle drawing the deer closer to your blinds/tree stands.
During mid-Summer, we will need to continue with the mineral program and maintain the food plots. Do we need to add liquid fertilizer? Do we need to mow off to promote new growth? Should we look at adding something else to our plots? All these steps will ensure the deer stay in your area during and throughout the entire breeding season.
In late Fall through Winter, our Wildlife Delight/Daves Deer mixes or even the many deer blocks we have, would be great for a supplemental feed. Our Croixdale whole or cracked corn is another great option to put out during the colder months. One annual I like to plant mid-summer would be turnips. They are a staple in many of the mixes we stock and hold well throughout the winter season. They provide a great source of energy for the deer during times where food is hard to come by.
If you have any questions, you can always ask one of our Spike's & Houle's knowledgeable staff members on how to make your next food plot a success!
December 13, 2023
