The correlation between whitetail and fish habitat is undeniable. Amuse me and follow along as I try to help folks create a plan for their whitetail properties. I know a lot of hunters are also fisherman that can appreciate the similarity between these habitats. Rest assured, I will not be recommending that you hunt out of a boat, in fact, we will be fishing from the shore.

The first order of business is designing and figuring out your access into the huntable portion of your property. Your access is the shore line and you want to improve the areas on the inside of your access – the water. The fish in the lake are very skittish, you do not want them to see you coming. Screening access to stands is critical, as well as not being skylined while fishing/hunting. Because of the brush and cattails along the shoreline, it is often necessary to bushwack your way around the lake to access fishable spots (stand locations). Over time these access routes become well delineated and easy to follow.

The entire lake at this point is your sanctuary. All the improvements that should be made should be inside your access routes. The beauty of a manmade lake is that all the features can be created to enhance fish populations. But even natural lakes can be manipulated to create fishing hot spots. In winter, it is common for fisherman to place brush piles, logs, pallets or other structures on the ice to create instant fish habitat. In the whitetail woods we create hinge cuts to create instant structure. A bedding log may act like a stump in the lake. Whitetails relate to structure similarly to fish. The most important aspect of creating whitetail habitat is that all the components work in conjunction with all the other improvements.

A large weed bed that hides and feeds fish equates to switchgrass, tall grass prairie habitat, or natural succession. Whitetails and fish are both attracted to humps and many other topography features. Topography can be used to enhance bedding or cruising habitat. I often find pike cruising along channels just like a whitetail cruises during the rut. Natural springs can equal water holes in hot weather.

The big question is how to improve habitat that can be capitalized on. Obviously, if you are fishing from shore, your improvements should not all be made in the center of the lake. In the same way, whitetail improvements should be balanced so deer are utilizing the area in front of your stand sites. I like to use food and travel corridors to put whitetails in specific places. Similarly to a fish following a channel, I want a whitetail to follow a created path in front of my stand.

Fish will be found in different parts of the lake during different times of the year. In the spring, fish are up on the flats to spawn. In summer, they may be found in weed beds. In winter, fish may be stuck to the bottom on the deepest portion of the lake. Whitetails habitat requirements also change throughout the year. I strive to have my property in peak attraction during the hunting season. I have been diligently working to create thicker cover and fall food to enhance my hunting potential.

The biggest difference with the comparison between fish and whitetails is that a whitetail can leave your property. This magnifies the challenge of being a small property owner in a hard-hunted state like Michigan. Having a solid management plan before any whitetail improvements begin is the most important consideration.

I've never read another habitat article that compared fish and whitetails. Obviously, there are some folks that can read a lake map and determine the exact spot their targeted species are located. In the same sense, whitetails relate to structure and it’s your job to put together the pieces of how well your property will flow. The flow will determine how successfully your property can be hunted. Improvements such as access, bedding, travel, water, food, etc. can all work for you or against you. Trees can’t be uncut, money can’t be unspent, and some big buck opportunities never materialize.

MS