Antelope Creek Wildlife & Ponds
"Specializing in Managing and Developing Fish and Wildlife Populations
and their Habitats and Providing Land Management Services so you can
get the most Enjoyment and Profitability out of your Property"

ESTABLISHED 2012
  • Home
  • Services
    • Wildlife Mgmt.
    • Habitat Mgmt.
    • Pond Mgmt.
    • Fisheries Mgmt.
    • Land Mgmt.
  • Products
  • Photo Gallery
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Blog
  • Videos

Importance of Proper Fishery Habitat

1/23/2016

 
Picture
When we start looking at a fishery habitat is the number one limiting factor from having a successful fishery. Most ponds I look at have a basic cereal bowl bottom to them. Aside from aquatic vegetation growing around the edges the underwater scene is essentially a flat, bare bottom and the edges have little diversity. Some aquatic vegetation and that’s all. With that being said fish generally only inhabit about 10% of a water body. Let me define habitat and help you understand its importance.

Habitat is what all species need to carry out all of life’s processes, feeding, loafing, hiding, ambushing, congregation, reproduction and living. Think of it as a community. Any town is not complete without, houses to live in, parks to play in, and forms of entertainment for people to lounge around enjoying themselves, restaurants and super markets to food, bars and community centers to socialize and the list goes on. Think of your pond in the same way. You need all the forms of habitat not just for each species present but for each stage of life.

Do not just provide the necessary habitat for your target species to meet your goals. You need to provide habitat for all stages of life. Spawning grounds for new life to come into the pond, dense cover for small fish to hide and forage, loafing areas, ambush points for adult fish to feed on forage fish, and areas for all age classes of fish to hide and congregate. This has to be for all species present in the pond to expect to have a successful fishery that will meet your specific expectations.

Most of this is best accomplished if there is not water in the pond yet. So if you are looking at building a new pond add habitat to the construction process. Have ditches cut into the bottom, underground islands, lay down logs, rock piles, reefs, rip rap on the dam face (also prevents erosion), dense woody debris in deeper water, add cliffs from shallow to deer water for fast transitions. Allow aquatic vegetation to grow, many people don’t like it but it is a vital part of the system. You can control it in specified areas for swimming, boat docking or you may have a floating dock but never eliminate it all. Also add spawning structure such as gravel beds, construct points and coves all of this will create better fishing opportunities and a better fishery in the long run.

If you already have a pond you can even add artificial habitat such as the one in the picture above. This will do much the same, help add fishing points and more cover for all species and age classes. If you add enough in diverse structures and associated cover you will likely be able to hold more pounds of fish per acre in your pond as well. If you make more than 10% of your pond livable year round the carrying capacity of your pond can also increase.

So remember to plan ahead and manage today for a better tomorrow!

Brett Kleinschmit

Train Hard for a Better Hunting Lifestyle!

1/12/2016

 
Picture
With January in full force everyone is starting to wake up from their holiday hangovers of food, family, and lots of napping. Cold weather is here to stay for a while, and hunting seasons are winding to an end. Some ambitious hunters who aren’t ready to call it a year try to fill a last minute muzzleloader or archery doe tag. This time of year brings a lot of reflective thinking and excitement and motivation. What went right this last fall? What did you learn? What can you do to better yourself as a hunter for 2016?

I can’t answer some of these questions, but in the light of a new year and resolutions flowing like a raging river why not make it a goal to physically make yourself better. Yes, that means the “Big E”, Exercise. Easily the most common resolution made year in and year out. It’s easy to say you’re going to do it, but many fall short after only a couple weeks. It’s in our best interest as hunters, the way the sport is evolving to be in the best physical condition we can be.

It was 2012, I had just drawn my 2nd elk tag in South Dakota and was heading to Spearfish for the season opener. We spent 2 days before season scouting and locating bulls in a very casual manner. Finally the morning had come; it was a pretty crisp morning. Not cold, but cool enough that the air burnt your lungs a little. As we began to venture into the dark ponderosa timber we heard a bugle not far up the ridge. We hunkered down until the visibility improved, not long after we caught a glimpse of the bull just cresting the top of the ridge. In a hurry to make it to the top to try and stay as close to this bull as we could we hastily made our way up the hill. This is the part I wish I could say we crested the top and there he was standing in an open meadow looking back, and I put a nosler right through the boiler room. That was far from the situation. After only making it a third of the way up the ridge my legs were fried, and I was gasping for air. Just as a reference a third of the way up was maybe 100-150 yds. I was physically shot after a half hour of hunting! For someone in their early 20’s this should never be the situation. I toughed it out, had missed opportunity after missed opportunity mainly due to being just a couple minutes too late to where I wanted to be, and ended up going home with a tag in my pocket and a 11 year wait wasted.

Can I 100% say that my weight and condition was the true limiting factor of me not tagging out? Absolutely not, but I do know that it sure didn’t help me. At that time I had enough. I went through a little mental breakdown on my way home, and said enough is enough! Since then I am down 140 lbs and in the best condition of my life as I patiently wait for my next opportunity to chase elk. I know this time I will not let the terrain, my weight, or condition limit my success.

So where do you start? Well first off, if you’re about to embark on complete transformation please consult your doctor or physician to make sure you’re in good enough condition to begin a rigorous workout routine. After all of that you really need to focus on what motivates you, and figure out why you’re about to embark on this journey. For me it was mainly hunting. I wanted to be the best I could be on the plains of South Dakota, to the mountains of Wyoming or Montana. Once you find that “why factor” harness it! If that means wearing your favorite camo hat, mossy oak or realtree cutoff to the gym, and watching the outdoor channel while on the treadmill by all means do it! You have to keep that motivation in focus!

Set attainable small short term goals. You’re more likely to fail if you say I want to lose “x” amount of pounds by the end of the year than you will if you just commit to losing 5 lbs by the end of the week or something along those lines.

Once you do that, you’re ready to dive in and start. I recommend finding a workout plan on www.bodybuilding.com and follow that. It provides some structure so you’re not just winging it, also every exercise has how to videos in case you’re unsure of how to perform an exercise. If you’re just starting a new gym, I can almost guarantee you’re going to feel out of place and intimidated. My only advice is to flip that switch in your head to “don’t give a dang.” Don’t worry about other people looking at you or anything, just stay focused and keep hammering! To add on to this if you want the best results don’t limit yourself to either cardio or lifting. Mix both into your workouts!

Now everyone thinks exercise alone is the answer, this couldn’t be anymore wrong. Your diet is the most important part of all. You can run a mile every day but if you’re filling yourself with junk you’re doing no good! Do a lot of research on this one. I can’t stress enough the importance of a well-balanced diet. Cut out any processed foods (boxed, microwaveable, ready to eat.) Instead switch to whole foods (ex. fresh meat, vegetables, brown rice, oats, eggs.) Once you find a diet that suits you, pick out a good daily multivitamin from your local drug store. And it’s in your best interest especially while on a workout routine to start using supplements. This does get a little expensive depending on the brands you buy. Do some intensive research on what supplements you should take and why!

Last but not least, you need to bust your ass! If you’re not in it 100% you’ll never get to where you want to be. But when you do finally reach your goals, set new goals and keep going! There really is no end to bettering yourself, there’s always room for improvement. But that’s what keeps you driving!

I am not a personal trainer nor a dietitian, so what I say isn’t necessarily the answer for everyone. My experience came from many hours reading studies and research done by others who are professionals. But if any of you have any questions regarding workout programs, a diet regimen, or supplements, I’d be more than happy to give you my input and maybe guide you in a direction. Feel free to email me at bbborah2882@gmail.com.

Good luck to everyone, and happy hunting!

Brennan "Bucky" Borah


Importance of Water Quality

1/4/2016

 
Picture
When it comes to fish production in a pond water quality is the most important factor that can limit you from attaining your fishery goals. Water quality is also essential for all other wildlife to enjoy and you to enjoy sitting next to, swimming in or fishing your pond. However for many people water quality is difficult to wrap your head around, me included. Here are a few things to try and help you understand better and at least maybe help you to notice if a problem is arising.

It is important to monitor your water quality throughout the year every year. By doing so you will notice trends and it may help you see an arising problem before it becomes a severe problem that may cause a fish kill resulting in a lot of costs to fix. Three factors, alkalinity, hardness and pH, may be pretty confusing to understand for some but more importantly difficult for the average person to sample. However with the right equipment and a little learning you can take these samples yourself as well. You want to see your waters alkalinity between 20-150 ppm. However if it falls below 20 ppm your ponds ability to grow fish is greatly diminished.  This indicates that all the minerals needed to develop properly are not available.

You can buy test strips to test your waters pH on your own. If your waters pH is 6-8 I would not worry about anything. However if it starts getting to 5 or below you have an issue, the same goes for if it gets too much above 8. Outside of those parameters there will begin to be a great deal of stress on your fish just trying to stay alive. You may need to add lime to your water to bring it back to that happy medium. These next two parameters are a little easier to understand and sample yourself at home.

Water color and turbidity are important measure to look at. When it comes to fish production you would ideally like your water to have some shade of green to it. This indicates that there is phytoplankton blooms happening which is the basis of the food chain and is ideal for fish production. If the water is shaded brown or white looking the turbidity is caused by suspended soil particles, most likely clay. This is undesirable because that will prevent phytoplankton blooms hindering fish production. This leads us into the water turbidity.
For ideal fish production you want to have a depth of view, usually measured with a secchi disk, to be between 18-24 inches. If the water is too turbid from too much phytoplankton there may be a shortage of dissolved oxygen in the water after awhile, stressing the fish. However if it is due to soil particles, light cannot enter the water column to entice phytoplankton growth limiting productivity. This can also cause low dissolved oxygen levels because aquatic plants cannot get enough light for photosynthesis. However if the water is too clear, depth readings greater than 24 inches, the phytoplankton productivity is inadequate for proper fish growth and you run the risk of problems with aquatic plants taking over the pond bottom.  

Finally this brings me to dissolved oxygen content. You can buy meters to check your dissolved oxygen or have a biologist come do it for you. Dissolved oxygen will be lowest in the mornings due to lack of photosynthesis overnight. Ideally you want dissolved oxygen to be at or above 5mg/L, in fact some studies show that largemouth bass growth is best with about 8mg/L. Fish growth will slow and there will be a higher risk of disease if the concentration falls between 2-5mg/L and anything less than 2mg/L becomes lethal and a fish kill is likely. Some signs that your waters dissolved oxygen may be dwindling is if your water begins to stink like rotten eggs and if you are seeing fish at the surface gasping for air. In both situations the outcome is likely not good.

Although it is tough to understand water quality is the number one limiting factor to having a successful fishing pond. Watch and monitor your water closely to observe any potential changes. The more records you keep and the longer you keep them, the more likely you may see a problem arising before it becomes a serious issue and it may be able to be corrected with minimal expenses.

Manage today for a better tomorrow!

Brett Kleinschmit

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Brett Kleinschmit

     Owner of Antelope Creek Wildlife and Ponds.

    Land Specialist for Whitetail Properties Real Estate

    Archives

    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    January 2020
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    Food Plots
    Habitat
    Hunting
    Population Management

    RSS Feed

    Enter your Email Below to Learn What, Why and How of What we do!

Subscribe to Newsletter
Picture