THE REASON BEHIND THE NAME: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AN AMERICAN HERO, CPL. KIRK J. BOSSELMANN

*Reposted from our parent company blog, Patriot LWM

Over the years, many have asked as to the origin of the name for “Patriot” Land and Wildlife Management Services, Inc. Most just assume that we are borderline “overly patriotic” and sometimes even go as far as to suggest it is a marketing strategy, ha. Truth be told, on this day, March 25th, in the year 1983, Kirk J. Bosselmann was born into this world. A lifelong friend of Patriot president Joe Brown, Kirk spent the majority of his young life in and around the woods and waters of Maryland. Together the two developed a mutual appreciation for nature and an everlasting love of the outdoors and what it has to offer. Often, Kirk and Joe would joke about how great it would be to get paid to do what they love, be outdoors.   

When senior year at Poolesville High School came to an end, the boys had a tough decision to make. Joe was being recruited for college level football and Kirk had his eyes set west to become a firefighting “Smoke Jumper”. Joe’s path took him to Shepherd University to play football and study Environmental Resource Management as Kirk found a smoke jumping team in California.

Several weeks into each adventure, Joe received a call from California. It was Kirk, and he had decided his life needed more direction, he decided to become a Marine. Unknown to his family or friends, Joe made plans to join up with his pal in San Diego and take that leap together. Showing qualities only possessed by a true friend, Kirk convinced his friend not to leave Shepherd, saying “you try college, I’ll try the Marines, and in 4 years we can switch”. And so it was.

Kirk and Joe stayed in touch throughout the journey, with letters and emails changing hands often, and even the occasional return home for a little outdoor related R&R. Each time they met the talk usually led to the same conversation…”how cool would it be if we got paid to be outside?”

For 3 1/2 years all went according to plan, with Kirk returning safely from his first deployment in Iraq and Joe staying relatively uninjured on the football field and even somewhat successful in the class room (to both their surprises).

On November 27th, 2004 the call came. Cpl. Kirk J. Bosselmann, 1st Battalion 8th Marines, Scout Sniper Platoon, had been killed in action while bravely defending his brothers inside the Iraqi city of Fallujah. 2 weeks later Kirk received a hero’s goodbye from friends, family and a grateful nation in the perfect setting for how he lived, the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.

In his final letter to Joe, Kirk stays true to his core, imploring Joe not to weep, but carry on completing the dreams and goals they had set together. To live life to the fullest without a single ounce of regret.

And so, Patriot Land & Wildlife Management Services, Inc. was born, and they are proud to say they are getting “paid to be outside”….    

Maryland DNR Announces 2011 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results

Release from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have released the results of the 2011 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. Each winter, pilots and biologists from the two agencies count ducks, geese and swans along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast. In January 2011, survey teams observed 640,700 waterfowl which is lower than the number of waterfowl observed in January 2010 (787,100).

“It is important to remember that the Maryland survey results are ultimately pooled with results from other states to provide a measure of the distribution and population of waterfowl wintering in the Atlantic Flyway,” said Larry Hindman, DNR’s Waterfowl Project Leader. “The survey is conducted in a coordinated manner across the Atlantic Flyway states to provide an annual index of the population size for important waterfowl species like black ducks, Atlantic brant and tundra swans.”

This decline is largely due to the observance of fewer Canada geese and snow geese along bay shoreline habitats. Large numbers of geese likely went undetected at inland locations, which are not covered by the survey. However, wintering Canada geese (397,700) remained high and their numbers were bolstered by geese pushed south by the cold temperatures and heavy snow cover in areas north of Maryland.

Overall, greater numbers of ducks were counted in 2011 (199,300) than last winter (173,700), mainly attributed to higher numbers of mallards (55,600) and canvasbacks (43,600). In addition, exceptional numbers of gadwalls were observed on the submerged aquatic vegetation beds on the Susquehanna Flats.

“Cold weather and the associated heavy snow and ice north of Maryland contributed to higher duck numbers in the Chesapeake,” Hindman said.

The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually throughout the United States since the early 1950s. The survey provides information on long-term trends in waterfowl.

Species	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Mallard	39,700	55,500	58,300	34,200	55,600
Black Duck	13,800	23,000	24,900	22,500	22,900
Gadwall	1,400	3,000	2,800	2,000	6,400
Widgeon	400	800	500	300	200
G-W Teal	3,300	4,600	1,400	600	600
Shoveler	100	600	400	100	100
Pintail	500	2,000	800	500	1,200
Total Dabblers	59,200	89,500	89,000	60,100	87,000
Redhead	1,100	11,900	12,400	3,400	4,700
Canvasback	13,700	40,100	51,300	26,400	43,600
Scaup	25,700	140,000	51,600	43,500	29,700
Ring-neck	900	2,100	1,700	900	1,600
Goldeneye	700	800	1,000	600	300
Bufflehead	12,000	18,400	15,900	13,700	7,500
Ruddy Duck	19,800	19,700	23,600	13,400	16,500
Total Divers	73,900	233,000	157,600	102,000	103,900
Scoters	2,100	2,900	2,900	900	200
Long-tailed Duck	500	400	400	200	400
Mergansers	1,700	4,300	8,900	10,600	7,700
Total Ducks	137,400	330,100	261,000	173,700	199,300
Brant	500	1,400	800	1,000	1,500
Snow Goose	46,600	108,000	61,200	78,600	28,200
Canada Goose	285,700	373,100	498,200	519,500	397,100
Tundra Swan	8,700	11,700	14,200	14,000	14,400
Total Waterfowl	478,900	821,500	836,900	787,100	640,700

DNR 2011 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results – Click link for full article

 

 

The Plotmaster Plot Planting Machine

Well ladies and gentlemen, spring is upon us and if you haven’t given a second thought to your spring food plotting needs then not to fear, you are not alone. Every year time seems to slip away from us all and as the snow melt gives way to green shoots of grass making their way through the soil it once again reminds us, “crap, I better get to food plottin’ “. Whether your a part time plotter or a pro, the Plotmaster can save you both valuable time, and even more valuable money.

The Plotmaster is an all-in-one food plot implement designed to bring you all the tools you could need in your wildlife food plot arsenal in one handy implement. The Plotmaster is equipped with a double gang disk set, seed box with patented versa-seeder technology, spring loaded cultipacker and s-tine chissel plows. You can get the unit for behind an ATV, a tractor or both. The Plotmaster has a wide range of attachments including a grain drill, warm season grass kit, one row planter and more! Why make 4 trips to the field when you can make just one. Check out http://www.PatriotlwmOutdoors.com for more info or http://tinyurl.com/patriotplotmaster to purchase. Also check out this promo video below to see the Plotmaster in action.

And now…the Honey Badger

If the Patriot LWM Outdoors crew was an animal, they would be a Honey Badger…

Illinois Shotgun Hunt: Vintage PWLM Outdoors

Digging through stacks of old pre-hd mini-dv cassettes is always entertaining, especially when your talking about this group of individuals. 30+ fully loaded tapes later we have about a years worth of boredom crushing midnight editing sessions when staring at the ceiling tiles gets old. Holding true to form here is the first yet certainly not the last in a series of old school videos. In this vid Joe Brown of Patriot LWM gets after a management 8 point on his property in Southern Illinois. This is day 7 of a long 10 day bow into shotgun trek. Although at points times were tough, in the words of good ol’ Joe Dirt, “You can’t have no in your heart.”

Patriot LWM Outdoors Goose Hunt with Operation Second Chance

Here is a video of Patriot LWM Outdoors along with Black Dog Guide Service as they get the opportunity to share their experience with injured combat veteran Major Eric Carlson of the United States Army. A big thank you to “No Person Left Behind” of Operation Second Chance for hooking the Patriot LWM Outdoors crew up with the cause. We can’t wait to help with many more exciting hunts with those that gave so much so that we could enjoy those things we love. Hope you enjoy.

Constructing a Future: Wood Duck Boxes and You

*This entry is a repost from the Patriot Land & Wildlife Blog*

Maryland is home to a rich variety of waterfowl species. We’ve all seen Canada geese honking their way from pond to field. Some of them endure the winter migration, and some of them are year-round residents who call Maryland home. Ever seen a wood duck? Well, much is the same with wood ducks, arguably the most beautiful duck native to North America.Wood ducks nest in tree cavities near water and utilize wetlands as their home to raise their young. Unfortunately, as urban sprawl occurs, more and more of these wetlands are being destroyed, limiting the wood duck’s habitat and success in Maryland. Don’t lose faith. A lot is being done to bring the population back to where it once existed. You can become part of the effort too, and it doesn’t take much.

Wood ducks suffered a serious decline in the late 19th century for a variety of reasons, including habitat loss and market hunting for their meat and plumage.  Because of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, market hunting was ended and measures were enacted to protect remaining habitat. Wood duck populations began to rebound in the 1920s, and the development of the artificial nesting box and its implementation by Federal and State governments and local wildlife enthusiasts in the 1930s began providing an additional boost to wood duck production. The hope was that the ducks would utilize the “cavity” characteristic of the boxes to nest. The ducks did, and they made an astounding comeback. Nesting sites are only half the battle, though. Woods ducks also require wetland habitat that provides them with shelter, food, and protection from predators. If you have a wooded stream or pond on your property or if you live along a Chesapeake Bay shore with woods nearby (which is alot of you!), you may be able to attract wood ducks simply by constructing a nest box.

Building a wood duck box is simple, inexpensive, and there are plenty of plans you can find online that detail designs, placement, etc. Do your homework.
The Maryland Wood Duck Initiative, an all-volunteer effort,  aims “to enhance Maryland’s wood duck population and to generate a greater appreciation of the wetland habitats in which they live by advocating and demonstrating the merits of a “best practices” approach in managed nest programs.” State agencies like the Department of Natural Resources, conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited, and companies like Patriot LWM are other important resources for anything wood duck related and are more than happy to  provide you with information and help develop your wood duck plan.

So, now for some more timely information. What are wood ducks doing right now in Maryland? Wood ducks nest from April to June, so right now is a great time to get your nesting boxes built, or cleaned out if you already have boxes (if you’re anything like me, you’re tired of being cooped up in the house and are itching for a reason to get outside and do something).  Add a few inches of wood shavings (don’t use sawdust because it can suffocate the ducklings) for nesting material, attach the boxes to poles (don’t forget the predator guards!), and place them around forested areas near the water for when they arrive. You’ve now become a part of the effort! The rest is up to the ducks.

A few professional tips:

• Females often search for a nesting site early in the mornings; therefore try to face the opening of the box towards the east so the opening is more visible from morning rays of sunlight.
• Try to avoid facing the opening towards the prevailing wind for the area as this will cause undo stress on the nesting birds.
• Limit the amount of underbrush under the boxes to reduce predator access to the poles.

If a wood duck finds your box suitable for laying eggs, in about 1 month 9-12 eggs will hatch and, within 24 hours, the ducklings will use their sharp claws to climb to the nest box entrance and fall to the ground or water.  Once on the ground, the female will lead the ducklings to the nearest body of water (they won’t come back to the nest, don’t take it personally). Wood duck young can fly in about 60 days from hatching; meanwhile, their mother looks after them and protects them from harm*courtesy of Maryland DNR*. It’s always a good idea to check your nesting boxes once during the nesting season to clean them out and add new nesting material. Besides doing some housekeeping, a visit during the nesting season will show if your nesting boxes have been productive and improve the odds of the box being used again during the season.

So there you have it. You made an effort and it didn’t take much, did it? Enjoy the feeling that comes from conservation, and share it with a child – they are our future conservationists. And every time you catch a glimpse of a wood duck’s beautiful iridescent plumage or hear their unmistakable “ooo-eeekk” squeal echo through the woods or across the water, consider it a “Thanks.”

Chronic Wasting Disease Makes its First Appearance in Maryland

*This entry is a repost from the Patriot Land & Wildlife Blog*

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that a White-tailed Deer harvested in Maryland has tested positive in laboratory testing for Chronic Wasting Disease. A hunter in Allegany County reported taking the deer on November 27, 2010 in Green Ridge State Forest. Maryland is now one of 20 other states and Canadian provinces with CWD documented in deer, elk or moose.

Many details of the disease are unknown, but below our some links and a great video from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on CWD.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found In Maryland – MD QDMA Statement

Maryland DNR Wildlife and Heritage Office CWD Info Page

Maryland DNR 2011 CWD Response Plan

Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance Website

OE Podcast about CWD with MD-QDMA President E.W. Grimes

Chronic Wasting Disease from Barbara Brueggeman on Vimeo.

Measuring Success in Deer Management: A Numbers Game

*This entry is a repost from the Patriot Land & Wildlife Blog*

On the last day of January, as another Maryland hunting season came to a close, being a passionate wildlife manager I found myself anxiously awaiting the final test of Patriot LWM management strategies. Thorough analysis of hunter harvest records and observation logs is what drives our measure of success or failure, and what guides our management objectives for the following year. Although hunters under Patriot management must log harvests into our online database within 24 hours, the laundry list of other tasks to accomplish during the season does not afford us the opportunity to really look deeply into the numbers.

Observations logs completed by hunters after each hunt include information like:

• Location Hunted
• Weather Conditions
• Number and Sex of Deer Seen (Does, Bucks, Yearlings, Unknowns)
• Predators Seen
• Other comments

Harvest data collected by hunters includes information like:

• Sex of the animal (Doe, Buck, Button Buck)
• Approximate Age (Utilizing Tooth Wear and Replacement)
• Approximate Weight
• Presence and number of any fetus’(Generally appear later in the season)
• Presence of Milk (Does)
• Antler Measurements (Bucks)

Each aspect of the biological data collected could be a blog entry in and of itself (hint: each may very well be in the future) used to discuss the importance of the measurement and what it is telling the wildlife manager. For the purpose of this blog entry, I only wish to present the case study of the Patriot Land and Wildlife 2010-2011 management season and allow readers to begin to see how the data collection relates to measures of a management program.

Patriot LWM Hunter Management

Patriot LWM organizes, qualifies and provides oversight for a volunteer hunting group known as the Patriot Whitetail Removal Team (PWRT) for use with large or small scale management efforts on properties that demand both discretion and production.

Patriot LWM also provides hunter management for our recreational leasing and property management clients to insure their wildlife management programs are carried out in conjunction with the recreational enjoyment of the land.

Patriot utilizes the principles of Quality Deer Management to educate it’s hunters in deer biology and administer harvest quotas and techniques to be carried out by both sets of hunters.

The Numbers

Brief Analysis and Discussion

The total management area for Patriot LWM was 5000 acres. PWRT and Lease Members harvested a total of 345 deer on that acreage.

PWRT

The PWRT accounted for 220 of those 345 deer. 96% of the total harvest were does (females), 3% were button bucks (.5 year old males) and less than 1% of the total harvest were Bucks. Of the 7 button bucks killed, many were the result of late season body size increases which made them mistakenly targeted for harvest as does. Of the 2 bucks that were harvested, one was a 3.5 year old buck with only ¼” small velvet nubs where antlers should have grown, again causing this buck to be targeted as a doe. The other was a 4.5 year old mature buck with an antler score of 149 total inches, 7^th largest crossbow harvest in Maryland ever, obviously meeting our ideal harvest standards.

PWRT members averaged 1 deer harvest for every 2.5 hours spent in the treestand which is a testimate to both their hunting ability as well as their maximization of the effort vs. result equation (the manner in which effort is applied has a direct correlation to the result realized). Most female deer possess reproductive potential by 1.5 years of age, with older deer accounting for the highest reproductive potential,  often bearing twins and in some cases triplets.

Therefore the targeting of this upper age structure in a population will further expand on this effort vs. result scenario. Harvesting 3 deer of lower reproductive potential is not as effective as harvesting 3 deer with a high reproductive potential, although the exact same amount of effort is expended in both cases. 62% of the 220 deer harvested by PWRT were 2.5 years old or older, 23 % were 1.5 years old and only 15% of the total harvest were less than 1.5 years of age.

According to the Maryland Annual Deer Report, during the 2009-2010 season, 66% of the total state hunter harvest were antlerless (deer without antlers) and 34% were antlered bucks. When you factor in the total number of button bucks (male antlerless) that were recorded during this time, the actual female deer harvest is 52%, with males making up the other 48%. These numbers are a far cry from the above 96% needed to realize a population reduction as is recommended by many State wildlife managers.

Leasing Members

Although not quite as precise, a similar situation unfolded on recreational leases under Patriot LWM oversight. Lease members accounted for 125 total deer harvested, 89% were does, 8% bucks and 3% were button bucks. Of the 10 bucks killed, 4 were harvested due to the fact they had been severely wounded on adjacent properties and needed to be put down out of proper ethics. 3 bucks were harvested by youth hunters (16 years or under) and 3 were harvested as meeting the mature buck requirements.

Combined Analysis

Measuring the reproductive potential of a population is an inexact science; many factors weigh into the debate including herd health, climate, weather conditions, predators etc. For demonstration purposes we will only make a few assumptions so that readers can better visualize how specific harvest requirements weigh in to the effort vs. result we talked about. If we assume that based on our age structure, some deer would have had triplets, some twins, others 1 or none at all, the following are an example as if the reproductive aged does would have had twins. The combined harvest of these 345 deer, plus their reproductive potential which was not realized accounts for up to 989 deer that will not be there in the spring of 2011 to feast on agricultural crops, landscapes or ground nesting bird habitat. An adult deer consumes on average 1.5 tons of forage a year, so 345 deer harvested immediately results in 517.5 tons saved and up to 1483.5 tons saved for 2011.

In later blog entries we will take a look at specific results as they relate to agricultural yield data and economic relationships to effective deer management, stay tuned!

You Want to Plant What?? Benefits of Diversionary Food Plots in Agriculture

*This blog entry is a repost from the Patriot Land & Wildlife Blog*

When the idea of planting food plots for white-tailed deer rolls across your tongue in front of concerned community members or agricultural professionals fed up with deer damage, the response is often the same. “You want to plant what??? The last thing we need around here is more deer, and feeding them will surely do just that.”

This statement is not far from the truth but the reasoning behind why it’s a good management decision may surprise you. 

The Origin of a Concept:

When Patriot LWM first began management efforts on a 250 acre tract with 132 acres of crop production agriculture and the remainder in timber and other cover types, the deer damage issue was at a breaking point. Hunter harvest practices were the first issue to get a facelift on the property including the increase in the reduction of adult female deer (does) and implementation of other techniques in line with the principles of “Quality Deer Management”. Initial population analysis identified the need for an extremely high number of female deer to be removed from the property, so much so that alternative harvest techniques needed to be considered.

Supplemental Food Plots:

A well rounded wildlife management program incorporates habitat and forage management into its population control measures. So as a wildlife manager I am somewhat partial to the idea of supplemental food plots as a way to create a year round nutritional program for the overall health of my white-tailed populations. Food plots of varying species (such as clover, chicory, cow peas, etc.) with varying maturation times can be installed to supplement existing food sources (row crops, acorns, etc.). They can also fill gaps in the deer’s diet after other food sources are exhausted, such as after crops are harvested or acorns are depleted. Depending on their intended use and location, it is very simple for supplemental food plots to double as a diversionary food plot as well.

Diversionary Food Plots:

My definition of a diversionary food plot is simply a plot installed for the purpose of diverting a deer’s feeding attention off of one source and onto another, such as off of row crops and into a clover mixture. Once again, your species selection along with its location will be the main determinate of the success of that diversion. Planting something deer have no intention of eating until late December will be of no comfort as the corn and soybeans get devoured in late summer.

Patriot LWM installed a mixture of clovers and chicory based on their perennial nature requiring minimum maintenance and also their high tolerance to deer pressure.

For the purposes of our project, Patriot LWM  worked with the farmer and

located a mutually beneficialsite on the property. 15-30 feet of field edge bordering existing tree lines were donated to the “diversionary food plot fund”, another fact which raises eyebrows in an agricultural community hesitant to give up tillable acreage to the wildlife battle.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of this technique.

Running the numbers:

Farmer:

• Low yield in these sacrificed rows already due to deer damage on edges and shading under the “drip line” of trees
• Reduced expenses on unused acreage
  • Seed
  • Fertilizer
  • Lime
  • Herbicide application
  • Fuel for equipment
  • Wear and tear on equipment striking trees
• Hunters gladly supplement the cost of food plot installation for own benefit
• Increased yield in the remaining acreage
• Increases recreational lease value of the property

Hunter:

• Supplemental food source for improved health of deer population
• Increased harvest opportunities
  • Creates harvest location along edges when normal standing crops would hinder harvest
  • Deer can be concentrated to particular areas for increased harvest
  • Brings deer to the “staging areas” near fields earlier allowing for more harvest opportunities before light expires
  • Keeps local deer populations on the property long after crops are harvested allowing hunters chances to increase harvest throughout the course of the regulated hunting season
  • Attracts deer from neighboring properties which may not have effective management programs to allow their harvest during daylight hours instead of them entering onto the property to feed outside huntable hours.
  • Provides space for hunter access to remove harvested deer while crops are up

In later blog entries we will take a closer look into the specific results of this project but initial findings are very positive. Diversionary food plots coupled with educated hunters practicing the principles of “Quality Deer Management” should be an option worth exploring for many landowners and farmers trying to win the war on deer damage. Stay tuned!