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DIVERSITY AND
QUALITY
"Our
wildlife management program allows us to offer the best
to you during your hunt." |
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The sudden
explosion of a bobwhite quail covey rising from the
ground cover produces an exciting thrill, especially for
a quail hunter. But because of extensive land
development, there has been a reduction in the amount of
habitat available for bobwhite quail hunting. As a
result, the number of hunting preserves in many states
has grown rapidly in recent years. The use of bobwhite
quail as a food source, both for home and in many dining
establishments, also continues to increase.
The
Bobwhite Quail is one of the most popular of all quail.
They are excellent fliers. There are said to be 44
species of quail, and more than 22 subspecies of
northern bobwhites. Some have been known to weigh as
much as 2 pounds.
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BOBWHITE QUAIL
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WILD TURKEY
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Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods in
parts of North America and are the largest game birds
found in this part of the world. They spend their days
foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and
wild berries. They spend their nights in low branches of
trees, yes, wild turkeys can fly.
Peacocks aren't the only birds who use their fancy tails
to attract a mate. Each spring male turkeys try to
befriend as many females as possible. Male turkeys, also
called "Tom Turkeys" or "Gobblers" puff up their bodies
and spread their tail feathers (just like a peacock).
They grunt, make a "gobble gobble sound" and strut about
shaking their feathers. This fancy turkey trot helps the
male attract females (also called "hens") for mating. |
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After the female turkey
mates, she prepares a nest under a bush in the woods and
lays her tan and speckled brown eggs. She incubates as
many as 18 eggs at a time. It takes about a month for
the chicks to hatch.
When the babies (known as poults) hatch they flock with
their mother all year (even through the winter). For the
first two weeks the poults are unable to fly. The mother
roosts on the ground with them during this time.
Triple Wing Plantation
hosts a healthy and vibrant wild turkey population.
Our wild turkeys are healthy and strong due to our land
management and conservation program. Our land
management program provides our wild turkey population
open fields in which to graze on healthy grasses as well
as the safety and shelter of mature woodlands, cleared
specifically to offer the optimum habitat for this
cautious but strong bird.
In the early mist of the
morning fog, you can see their silhouettes moving at the
edge of the forest and hear their calls in all
directions. |
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GREY
MORNING DOVE
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Known to many hunters as the morning dove, this
minuscule tan and grey missile can accelerate to a
blistering 55 miles per hour. Much to the delight of
ammunition manufacturers, and the chagrin of many
hunters, the grey rocket also can perform aerial
acrobatics that would make a jet pilot queasy.
It's the toughest target in wing-shooting to
consistently hit. But for the lucky hunters that have
figured out how to knock down these small projectiles,
the table fare is well worth the effort. Considering the
sheer cost of the ammunition required to harvest a pound
of dove breasts, it may also be a very expensive dinner.
Contrary to popular belief, morning doves are not
songbirds, but instead are small-framed cousins of the
common pigeon, which is often seen eating popcorn and
bread at the local park or roosting on a park statue.
morning doves are migratory species that spend much of
the winter in the southern part of the United States,
although there are a hardy few that choose to brave the
winter here.
The morning dove is one of the most abundant birds in
North America, with populations that fluctuate annually. |
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WOOD
DUCK
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Wood Ducks were hunted relentlessly after the Europeans
arrived on this continent. Relatively tame and unwary,
they were easily killed from ambush. The drakes are at
the peak of their plumage perfection during the breeding
season and many were killed about their nests and
mounted for home adornment. Later, their brightly
coloured feathers were in demand for artificial trout
flies. It is probable that the species was saved from
extinction by the protection afforded it under the
Migratory Bird Convention in 1916, because the species
has shown a marked recovery since then.
Wood Ducks frequently have difficulty in finding
suitable nesting sites. Wood Ducks may use the same nest
site year after year, and it was long presumed that the
same pair returned together. More recently, through
banding, it has been found that it is the female that
comes back, but invariably with a new mate. |
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WHITE
TAIL DEER
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"White-tailed Deer" refers to the white underside of the
tail, which is held conspicuously erect like a flag when
the animal is alarmed or running. The adult White-tailed
Deer has a bright, reddish brown summer coat and a
duller grayish brown winter coat. White fur is located
in a band behind the nose, in circles around the eyes,
inside the ears, over the chin and throat, on the upper
insides of the legs and beneath the tail. The young,
called fawns, have reddish coats with white spots.
Adult males, called bucks, can weigh 300 pounds.
White-tailed bucks average about 250 pounds and stand
about 4 feet high at the shoulders. As in most deer
species, the females (does) are smaller, with an average
weight of about 175 pounds. |
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John Frankhouser
Green Hill Land & Timber, LLC
912-863-3745 Office
912-682-6429 Mobile
www.ghland.com
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