Will Cattails Add Value?

[ODH]

Long time reader here with a question about potential habitat improvement. On my hunting property in central NY there is a shallow bowl, roughly 8 acres in size, of spring fed wet marshy ground which feeds a small creek. Working from the center out the vegetation is primarily common reed (phragmites), giving way to neglected but productive apple trees and poplar on the north and south sides. Deer have always crossed the area but historically won’t bed here, perhaps it’s too inconsistently wet. They bed just to the east (overgrown field) and south (thick stand of scotch pine). That said, the area sees plenty of traffic as deer move from bed to feed (agriculture, far west), and the first stop/last stop is for apples along the way. This past fall a beaver moved in and dammed the west end of the area, at the mouth of the creek. The center of the bowl is now filled with water, covering roughly 4 of the 8 acres. I feel this is great since it will funnel deer travel around the north and south sides. Obviously a good chunk of the common reed is now gone, but a good amount still remains especially to the north and east. Now my question - is there an opportunity here for habitat improvement, to perhaps replace the common reed with something more attractive? Common reed serves little benefit. Should I introduce cattails around my new pond? Are cattails better than common reed? Will they help funnel activity by adding another transition line? Or should I try introducing something they will eat? My eye is on simple habitat improvement if it makes sense, trying to keep the area attractive and/or make it more attractive to deer and other wildlife. All thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance!

[Hawthorne]

I think cattails would be better than reed. They are more easy to establish by planting the bulbs than spreading the seed. Another great thing to plant is button bush. It thrives in flooded areas and the deer bed in it when it's not flooded and it's a preferred browse. Another option is willow or red osier dogwood. Red dogwood is a preferred browse also.

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[Stanley]

Welcome to the Beast.

[ODH]

Thanks to both of you, those are good ideas I will do some homework

[dan]

Cattails are better than reed for sure, but you do need dry spots for them to bed at within the cattails. They are not easy to grow though. Been trying to grow them at a farm I hunt for several years and we are just now finally starting to see some patches coming in.

[ODH]

Thanks, I had assumed they would be easy to grow but, like everything else we want, it's obviously not easy. I may try them along one line and try one of the browse ideas in another area and see we get.

[headgear]

If you get the cattails growing you can always try and make a bed in them by creating your own little hump of dry land in there if it is shallow enough. It would be a little bit of work but hey it sure would be fun to shoot one out of a bed you made. Even on public land I have pilled up logs and brush to make an already good bedding area better. Or to create a spot in a spot, sometimes when the bedding is spread out having one good hiding spot can help focus the bedding in that one area.

[DEERSLAYER]

Phragmites is an invasive plant that I wouldn't want. It's so thick it's useless unless it's funneling the deer where you want them. I would prefer cattails or red osier dogwood if it's not too wet.

Unlike Hawthorne I have never seen or heard of deer liking button bush as a food source, but it can be a good cover shrub in area's that are regularly flooded with a couple feet of water. I have found them growing in over 3' of water.

[ODH]

Thanks for the additional thoughts. I haven't had a chance to read up on all the suggestions yet but plan too. It would be nice to find a preferred browse which would grow in there.

Regarding bedding I've had some luck dropping a poplar or two in the right spots. But I'll try the raised bed idea too once I better understand the new travel patterns.

[DEERSLAYER]

Red Osier dogwood is a preferred food source. If you can find it somewhere you can check it out and see first hand how wet it can be before it quits growing. If you don't know where to find any check with your local soil conservation district and they should be able to help you out. They may even send someone out for free to give you advice on your situation. Your area wildlife biologist may be able to point you to a patch of it on public land as well.

[Rich M]

Cattails are an invasive species down here in FL.

I'm sure you can do better with what you plant.

[Rich M]

Cattails are an invasive species down here in FL.

I'm sure you can do better with what you plant.

[DEERSLAYER]

Cattails are an invasive species down here in FL.

I'm sure you can do better with what you plant.

Florida lists cattails as a native species that "provide protection and nesting locations for wildlife." Is there a specific type of cattail that you are referring to?

[Rich M]

They spray 'em on many of the WMA and NWRs. We've had 100 acres of cattails disappear in between ducks seasons - I figured they didn't like 'em.