| In order for a healthy population of any species of | | | | cover and nesting cover. |
| animal to thrive, good habitat is required. The basics of | | | | Escape cover offers protection from predators. |
| food, water and shelter apply to all animals as well as | | | | Animals must be able to get to escape cover quickly, |
| humans. The term 'good' habitat varies depending on | | | | therefore, it needs to be close to the feeding areas. If |
| the type of animal. Some need food and water daily, | | | | suitable escape cover is not near by animals will not |
| others can live for long periods in very harsh conditions | | | | live in that area. Small animals like pheasant and quail |
| with little food and water. Some need grassy areas, | | | | can use thick, low lying brush and grass as cover. |
| others wooded. | | | | Deer and elk need thick stands of smaller trees and |
| The best type of habitat for most game animals has a | | | | larger bushes for escape cover. |
| variety of plant life. An area with mixed plant and tree | | | | Bedding cover must offer protection from the |
| species will support more species of animal at high | | | | elements as well as from predators. Areas of thick |
| population levels than a habitat that contains primarily | | | | vegetation are generally where animals will bed. Small |
| one species of tree or plant. | | | | game will use very thick smaller brush type areas, |
| A good example of a singular species habitat is a | | | | where as deer will use a hillside that offers thick cover |
| stand of pine trees. The heavy cover of pine needles | | | | and takes advantage of prevailing winds to scent |
| on the ground makes it very difficult for other | | | | potential threats. |
| vegetation to take hold. Couple the needles on the | | | | Loafing cover is the area where animals will hang out |
| ground with a heavy canopy that does not allow much | | | | between feeding and bedding. This area is typically |
| light to get to the ground and very few plants will be | | | | fairly thick, but not so much as they can't move around. |
| able to grow. An area where a stand of mature pine | | | | It offers some protection, but not as much as escape |
| trees live is usually devoid of game animals. | | | | cover or the bedding cover. |
| An area where there tends to be a lot of plant | | | | Shelter cover is used for protection from extreme cold |
| diversity is what is known as edge habitat. This is an | | | | and wet conditions. This cover tends be very thick and |
| area that changes from one type of habitat to | | | | not easily accessible even by the animals that use it. |
| another. Good examples are large a hardwood forest | | | | Look for vine type bushes for small game, and small |
| and a field; forest and a swamp; power line clearings, | | | | conifer or thick swampy areas for larger game. |
| and mountain slopes where grassy foothills meet | | | | Nesting cover is where animals have their young. This |
| hardwoods. This edge habitat will often contain berry | | | | area must be dry and protected from the weather, but |
| producing plants for food and enough thick cover for | | | | also very difficult for predators to get to. Most animals |
| the animals to hide and live in. | | | | have their young in the spring when the wet areas |
| When looking for game animals, search out edge | | | | tend to be more wide spread. Nesting cover is less |
| habitat and look for cover the animals can use. Hunting | | | | important to the hunter due to the fact that most |
| is all about finding the most likely spot the animals will | | | | hunting is done in the fall (turkey hunting is the |
| live and hunting in that location. Published studies | | | | acception), but knowing that nesting is done in a certain |
| suggest 70-90% of all game lives in edge habitat. | | | | area will almost always mean animals will be in that |
| Once you have identified an edge habitat, you now | | | | general area in the fall. |
| need to look for the kinds of cover animals need. | | | | When you learn to identify edge habit and the different |
| There are different kinds of cover animal utilize: | | | | types of cover game animals use, you will be well |
| Escape cover, bedding cover, loafing cover, shelter | | | | along your way to a successful hunt. |