Hello!
I and the Woods & Associates team are extremely excited about the Ocmulgee
Banks project. We feel this is a most unique opportunity for hunters and
their families. It is rare that hunters, conservationists and
outdoors-people have the opportunity to hunt and enjoy such a large and
diverse section of land.
We were lucky to find the Ocmulgee Banks property. Large, contiguous tracts
of land in the Deep South rarely contain such diverse habitat and wildlife
resources. In addition, in our experiences it is unusual to find such a
large property that does not have an over-abundant deer herd and resulting
over-browsed habitat.
The Ocmulgee Banks property has a very healthy deer herd in balance with its
environment. This is obviously by the fact that nine mature bucks (all but
one were 3 ½ years old or older) were harvested by owners during the 2006-07
season. What's more exciting is the quantity of quality sheds we've found
since the season closed! Given the quality of the food plots at Ocmulgee
Banks and the large number of mature deer that will get a year bigger, the
2007-08 season is already shaping up to be extremely exciting!! We will
continue to use our four motion-activated video cameras to monitor the
critters during the 2007 growing season! Given that our staff and the owners
observed and videoed several 140+ bucks and that 2006 was a year of record
drought, everyone is extremely excited about the 2007 season. The property
continues to have a balanced adult sex ratio and a very good adult buck age
structure. A review of the bucks harvested from the property during the
recent past ( see the
"Critter" pictures in the photo gallery section of the Ocmulgee Banks
website ) confirms that quality food plots that are properly managed can
carry a herd even through a severe drought! It also shows the huge
advantages of a diverse property where bottomland soils produce during a
drought and upland soils produce during periods of excessive rain. The
habitat diversity at Ocmulgee Banks makes managing for quality critters
easy! The current owners at Ocmulgee Banks have reported observing several
very nice bucks in the bean fields during August.
The turkey population has also significantly increased as a result of the
intensive habitat management at Ocmulgee Banks. Recently, more than 100
turkeys were observed during a short drive from one portion of the property
to another. In addition, property owners at Ocmulgee Banks have harvested
more than 150 wild hogs since January 2007. There are still enough hogs to
hunt on a year round basis, but our management plan includes limiting the
hog population so they don't damage the habitat. Wood ducks inhabit the
Cypress sloughs near the Ocmulgee River and big ducks migrate in during
periods when the northern states have cold weather. Plentiful hunting
opportunities abound on Ocmulgee Banks!
The habitat of the property consists of a mixture of upland habitat,
including native mixed-age upland hardwoods and managed pine plantations of
various ages. A few cypress sloughs also wind their way through the upland
timber stands, adding critical habitat diversity. The lower half of the
property, adjacent to the Ocmulgee River, is a mixture of mature bottomland
hardwoods and pine plantations of varying ages, from five years to near
maturity. The bottomland area also contains Cypress sloughs and meandering
waterways. This mixture of habitat types provides ample opportunity to hunt
and manage wildlife under a wide variety of conditions. The food plots are
excellent insurance that ample quality forage is always available at
Ocmulgee Banks!
The mixture of uplands and bottomlands, as well as the variety of habitat
types in both areas, provide numerous opportunities for specialized habitat
management. The overall mosaic of forest types, food plots, river's edge,
etc., create an ideal mosaic of wildlife habitat at Ocmulgee Banks!
Due to the large quantity of high-quality food sources that have been
established at Ocmulgee Banks, the wildlife populations on the property are
increasing while still maintaining very high quality foods. In essence, it
is our goal to produce more high-quality foods than the wildlife can
possibly consume. When wildlife are not nutritionally stressed, their health
and growth are maximized. It is our long-term plan to produce large, healthy
and sustainable populations of game and non-game species on the Ocmulgee
Banks property. Most importantly, we also hope to turn 60 lucky property
owners into not just consumers of the wildlife resources, but into
conservationists and wildlife managers with a vested interest in and love
for this property.
Please schedule a visit and see the results of our work for yourself!
Sincerely,
Grant R. Woods, Ph.D.
Wildlife Research Biologist
