When he’s not pursuing whitetails on his own properties, Jeff Sturgis travels around the country helping other hunters improve their habitat for deer. In the video below, Sturgis explains that the perfect time to begin these projects is right after the conclusion of whitetail season. You can hike into whitetail sanctuaries at this time and look for ways to improve bedding cover, as well as available browse in and around these areas.

The specific focus of this video is identifying which trees to cut, and how to cut them. Sturgis explains the difference between a timber harvest, which maximizes a property’s ability to produce income for the landowner, and a wildlife cutting, which benefits everything from grouse to whitetails.

I look forward to putting many of the tips provided here by Sturgis into practice on my land in Wisconsin. DIY land management is a year-round project; it’s time to get started.