Wildlife Management

At B-CC IWLA, wildlife management is practical and science-driven. We use three levers; regulated hunting, farm practices, and habitat control, to keep populations and landscapes healthy.

Hunting: The Chapter supports lawful, ethical hunting as a management tool. Deer harvests reduce browse pressure on young forests and native understory. We emphasize safety, fair chase, and reporting: seasons, permits, stand placement, and game-recovery protocols are followed so decisions are based on data, not guesses. Venison donation and carcass disposal rules are observed to limit disease risks and waste.

Farming practices: Fields are managed for both production and wildlife. We rotate crops and cover crops, maintain contour strips and grassed waterways, and leave planned edge habitat and unharvested rows where appropriate to provide winter food and cover. Soil tests, nutrient plans, and careful timing of mowing and spraying minimize runoff and avoid disturbing ground-nesters. Buffer strips along ponds and streams protect water quality and improve amphibian and bird habitat.

Habitat control: We target invasive plants (multiflora rose, porcelain berry, stilt grass, bush honeysuckle, etc.) and favor natives through selective cutting, spot treatment, and scheduled mow regimes. Nesting structures (bluebird, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin) are placed and maintained where they help species that benefit from open-edge mosaics. Predator management focuses on exclusion and habitat design, guarded boxes, brush removal near nest sites, rather than lethal control. Forestry Management and Environmental Stewardship plants are actively followed.

The result is straightforward: fewer stressed deer and eroded banks, more native cover and clean water, and a property that supports huntable game, pollinators, songbirds, and small mammals.