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Habitat Management for Landowners

Whether you have a small backyard or thousands of acres, you can help wildlife by managing the habitat on your land. For example, of the 18.7 million forested acres in Arkansas, over half (58%) are held in private, nonindustrial ownership. Because most land in Arkansas is privately owned, educating private landowners about habitat practices benefits our wildlife resource.

Several Extension programs support educating private landowners about enhancing wildlife habitat. The "Acres for Wildlife" program is a partnership between Extension and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for providing landowners free seed packets to encourage wildlife habitat practices. About 3,000 applications are processed annually. In most cases, seeds are delivered to county Extension offices for pick up. Wildlife Habitat Improvement Workshops are held for private landowners interested in enhancing wildlife habitat on their land. The workshops featured wildlife and agricultural experts from Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, as well as speakers from other states. Typically, a live plant display is provided by USDA Plant Materials Center in Booneville. For a nominal fee, attendees receive a notebook containing chapters about wildlife management, planting guides, species-specific management strategies, technical and financial assistance such as cost-share incentive programs, and listings of other resources.

Wildlife enterprises are often overlooked as an alterative for agricultural producers. Yet when economic conditions are severe and profit margins slim, hunting leases might make a difference between a producer going under or showing a profit. Compared to intensive agriculture, wildlife habitat enhancement requires little input with potentially large gains. Cost-share incentives are available to those owning land in areas identified as critical habitat and marginal production.

Income from wildlife-related enterprises varies depending on the species being viewed or hunted, the location of the landholding, and the quality of the habitat. For example, landowners advertising dove and quail hunts in the Little Rock area charge $50 to $100 per gun. Prices for deer leases vary widely depending on the location in the northern and southern regions of the state and habitat quality. Perhaps waterfowl hunting generates the highest income for landowners. It is not unreasonable for a landowner to lease a duck blind for $2000 during the waterfowl season. A 600-acre tract in prime waterfowl habitat near the White River Refuge reportedly generates $100,000 annually in income from leases to waterfowl hunters. For those farmers who derive income from hunters, a fact sheet about migratory bird baiting laws will assist in setting up a legal hunt.