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Spring is one of the most critical — and overlooked — periods for creating great duck hunting in the fall. In this episode, host Matt Harrison is joined by experienced land manager Guy Halbert to break down what spring land management really looks like and why the work done now sets the table for the entire waterfowl season.
From one of the driest springs in recent memory to drawing down moist‑soil units, improving timber stands, controlling invasive vegetation, and planning for planting season, Guy shares real‑world experience, practical advice, and hard‑earned lessons from managing duck habitat year‑round.
In this episode:
- Why spring is the foundation of successful duck season
- Managing through an unusually dry spring
- Timber stand improvement: thinning, girdling & releasing oaks
- Why sunlight and diversity matter in duck woods
- How to read vegetation & decide when to plant vs. let it grow naturally
- The value of keeping management notes & logs year‑to‑year
- Crop rotation concepts for duck food
- Moist‑soil management vs. planted crops like corn & millet
- Water control: the single most important management factor
- Advice for first‑time landowners and new duck managers
- Common mistakes & why slowing down saves money and habitat
If you’ve ever said “duck season will take care of itself,” this episode explains why spring is when the real work — and success — begins.
Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Send feedback: DUPodcast@ducks.org
SPONSORS:
Purina Pro Plan: The official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, this episode is packed with valuable insights into the world of waterfowl hunting and conservation.
Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails:
Whether you’re winding down with your best friend, or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award-winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
Creators and Guests
Host
Matt Harrison
DUPodcast Outdoor Host
What is Ducks Unlimited Podcast?
Ducks Unlimited Podcast is a constant discussion of all things waterfowl; from in-depth hunting tips and tactics, to waterfowl biology, research, science, and habitat updates. The DU Podcast is the go-to resource for waterfowl hunters and conservationists. Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands conservation.
Can we do a mic check, please? Everybody, welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. I'm your host, doctor Mike Brasher. I'm your host, Katie Burke. I'm your host, doctor Jerad Henson. And I'm your host, Matt Harrison. Welcome to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, the only podcast about all things waterfowl. From hunting insights to science based discussions about ducks, geese, and issues affecting waterfowl and wetlands conservation in North America. The DU Podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
Matt Harrison:Hey, everybody, and welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. I'm your host, Harrison. And today, we're gonna be talking about springtime land management. And we have a guest with us today that isn't a first time guest. We've had him on the Ducks Unlimited Podcast before, and he is rejoining us today.
Matt Harrison:And that guest is mister Guy Halbert. Guy, how are you doing?
Guy Halbert:Doing great, man. How are you doing?
Matt Harrison:I'm wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. Awesome. Last time we talked, it was duck season.
Matt Harrison:We were chasing ducks, and it was a lot colder. Now it's springtime. But how's everything been going on the farm and this time of year? I know it's it's very, busy for you and and for your family, but how's everything been going so far?
Guy Halbert:It's been good. We, you know, as as you probably know this, it's it's one of the drier springs I can remember since I've been doing this. So, normally, this time of year, you're kinda letting it dry up, and it's raining every two or three days, and kinda just piddling in the shop, doing maintenance or whatever. But this year is a lot different, man. We're really I'm trying to tackle some bigger goals that I had laid out for later in the summer, know, development stuff and just, you know, cleaning up stuff.
Guy Halbert:And so it's we're a little forward on that, which, you know, I there's good and bad to it being dried. Who knows what it's gonna be like when we, you know, get into July and August. It may be so dry we can't do anything. So that's where we're at.
Matt Harrison:Yeah. I was I was came across a social media post the other day talking about how dry it was, and this time of year, like you said, normally, we've got rain every couple days. You know, here in where I live in the South Mississippi, you know, we're chasing turkeys right now, and we haven't just had a ton of rain here either. We did get some yesterday, but that was kinda the first little bit of rain that we've had in a little while, and it it's been sparse, like you said. It's been a very, very dry spring, and I know that that can cause some some hard times as far as land management goes because there are certain things that you need to be doing, and I know that that that can cause some hiccups in that.
Matt Harrison:But we're gonna be talking about springtime land management. And, you know, a lot of people, whenever you think land management, especially for waterfowl like you do, Guy, a lot of people just think of duck season, right, and the weeks leading up to duck season. And, you know, a lot of people think that a lot of times it's just show up and, you know, the ducks are there, show up, and things are things are done. But springtime is really, really one of those times of the year that is so vital, so vital to to duck season and, you know, the months that we get to get out there and chase them. So can you explain to our listeners just a little bit why is spring such an important time of year for managing land for ducks?
Guy Halbert:It just kinda goes goes back. You know, it's it's kind of a primary organ to the body of your operation. I mean, you know, your spring is for you know, obviously, you know, it all it's all got a season. Right? Like, duck season is duck season.
Guy Halbert:Mhmm. Well, then when we get in the spring, you know, it's springtime. That's a whole another season for for what you're doing. It's a year round deal, especially for what I do. You know, it's a full year round deal.
Guy Halbert:You know? Yeah. Usually, the spring, early spring, we it's when we start planning. You know, we start planning. We're figuring stuff out.
Guy Halbert:What we're gonna do, I make a yearly goal list. A yearly work list is what I do, me and my boss. And we go over it, and we just add stuff, or we, you know you know, I access everything and and just try to figure out, you know, what we need to be doing in early spring. And then, you know, there's there's so much you can do in the spring even when this year's dry, so it's a little different. But, you know, with with a wet spring, you know, we I do a lot of timber stand work.
Guy Halbert:I do a lot of, you know, everything that involves just like, you know, before the leaves turn green and stuff like that with, you know, spraying chemical or whatever it may be. There's there's so much you do this time of year.
Matt Harrison:So For sure. And you talked a little bit about the timber stand. Can you can you talk a little bit about that, like, what that looks like as far as the land management side goes whenever you're out there taking care and working on on that?
Guy Halbert:Man, yeah, I'm not a forest or anything like that. You know, I don't I didn't go to school for anything like that, but I've always been very, like, intrigued by that stuff because, you know, there's so much you can do for so little money as far as your timber stand improvements. You know, whether it's ducks, deer, turkeys, whatever, it's it's really good for everything. But, you know, like, right now, one of the farms I take care of, we we had a a CRP contract, and it's like a 130 acre CRP contract. Well, we had them come out and look at it because it just it it was too thick, and it just it wasn't growing.
Guy Halbert:It wasn't producing acorns, you know. So we went in, and we did what they call a girdle cut, and we did a thinning like that, and they go around and hack and squirt, and they'll girdle cut, and they'll release, you know, they'll kill these trees around these certain trees that they mark, like these certain oaks, they'll go in and mark these trees, and then anything around it, you know, we'll try to kill off. That way, you know, those trees can really thrive and they're not choked out, and it really helps the really helps the, you know, the the habitat in there. You know, in a couple years, it'll be real thick and nice, and there'll be plenty of cover. Right now, it's just, you know, you can look there's a lot of top cover, but you look down through there, and it's just a I call it a a biological desert because there's there's nothing.
Guy Halbert:There's no cover. You know, there's no there's no cover. There's nothing like that. So, you know, there's a lot of stuff I do. Like, I do a lot of hinge cutting, you know, in certain bedding areas for the deer.
Guy Halbert:And then for the ducks, you know, I'm trying to I'm trying to get the best oaks and the most producing acorn trees to do right. So, you know, we'll we'll go in and and release, like, you know, the same thing. We'll cut or kill or hack and squirt in certain areas and just try to open that and get some sunlight down on that ground and, you know, that helps everything. Helps It everything. It just makes it so more diverse and not, you know, not a desert is what I call them.
Guy Halbert:So
Matt Harrison:No doubt. Alright. Well, Guy, you did talk a little bit about how this time of year has been very, very dry, which can be very good because you're able to get a lot of work in, you're able to get a lot of things done, but I imagine that it also probably wears you down a little bit, being able to have this much great opportunity this time of the year to get out there and get things done. But what does it allow you to really focus on this time of year since you can get out there and get a lot of work done?
Guy Halbert:Man, just just like what I said earlier, you know, it normally, it's not like this. Right? You know, the last five springs have been so wet, You know, we're not I'm not even thinking about duck food and planting till, you know, May or so, but this year, we're a lot earlier. So, you know, I've been drawing down all spring till now, and I'm trying today is like my I went around today and kinda pulled my last boards on some of my moist soil units and stuff like that. But, you know, positively, you know, normally, I I got a molture rendered right now, and I'm in there cleaning up my duck woods.
Guy Halbert:And normally, that's not even a thought because you're sinking to the belly pan of your skid steer. You know? It's and then that just turns into a fiasco. But and it it it you have to really pace yourself with this stuff because when it's dry like this, you wanna you wanna just rush and just get try to knock out as much as you can, and you start getting too fast and stuff starts breaking. You know?
Guy Halbert:So you have to pace yourself, but it's a really positive thing because, you know, you can get ahead of those big summer tasks in a hurry, especially this time of year. Like, I'm I'm I was gonna do I was gonna clean up our duck woods in July. Well, it's it's just now April. You know, today's April 1, so so that's been kinda cool. Maybe I can take that time and and later and really focus on my my duck food or whatever it may be or or other management practices.
Matt Harrison:And now let's talk a little bit about water management. You just said just a minute ago that you pulled your last board for for one of your moist soil units. So walk us through a little bit about that. Like, how are you deciding on when is the right time to pull that last board? What are some key things that you're looking for to make those decisions?
Guy Halbert:Well, you know, every unit is gonna be different no matter what you where you're at, where you know, however you do it. But every unit's kinda different to me. I just have to look at them and say, hey. You know, what do we want here? What kind of food do we want?
Guy Halbert:Mhmm. Are we you know, to me, I wanna be as diverse as possible. When I look at a unit, you know, depending on what's coming up, what's not coming up in the spring, that that that will tell me whether I need to, you know, manipulate it, if I need to break the ground up, if I need to leave the water on it, if I need to take the water off, if we need to plant something and do a disturbance. You know, it just all depends. Like, the one I just that while ago, it's got a bunch of alligator weed in it coming up.
Guy Halbert:Well, alligator weed is not good for ducks, you know, to an extent. There might be a little bit of bug life in it, but but alligator weed I I have I have one unit that's really bad with it. I have to spray it every year. So I'm trying to get the water off, and I'm gonna try to burn it down and spray and kill that stuff off without harming my other stuff. You know, I'll spray a chemical that just targets broadleaf.
Guy Halbert:So I'll I'll do my research on that. They come out with something there every year. So anyways but so I'll try to target that, and we'll try to it it just it's like that with every unit. You know? If I wanna Yeah.
Guy Halbert:You know, you're kinda familiar with our stuff a little bit. You know, if that stuff that's kind of over by the sanctuary, you know, if I you know, I had real good luck with with the kind of a stripping corn in there and stuff like that and then leaving moist soils. You know? You know, I'll try to you know, obviously, I don't want it wet too wet so I don't I can get in there in time, so I'll pull my water off a little earlier. You know?
Guy Halbert:It's it's all it just you know, there's no riot, no silver bullet for how you do it. You just gotta kinda manage it yourself. So
Matt Harrison:And it's one of those things too, right, that, like you just mentioned, many people use different tactics. You know, they've had success doing it one way, and they may continue to do it that way, or they may wanna try it different this year, plant something different this year, let, you know, something grow back out that, you know, that they didn't plant the year before, whatever it might be, you know, there's different rhymes and reasons that many people, you know, use and have the set way that they do it, and it's not one specific way that you have to do it to be successful, right? And like you said, it's just one of those years that, like you said, you may be able to get in there and get a lot of work done. You get your work done, and you may wanna try something different. Or if it's worked for the past five years, you may get in there and do the same exact thing year after year because it's worked.
Matt Harrison:Right? Or maybe where it didn't work, you tried something new, and it didn't work, and you want to try something different this year. So I can totally see where you're coming from whenever you're making those types of decisions, and, you know, I can see where you have really just gotta trust your gut, trust your experience, because I know that you've done it for many years, guy, and done a great job at it. So
Guy Halbert:You know, in the first couple years when I first cut into it, didn't know I was, you know, young. But, man, if you keep a log with you when you do this stuff, like, you know, the water temperature not the water temperature. The the temperature outside or, you know, the time of year, the temperature in the air, you know, log that stuff when you're doing this. You know? If you're drawing down and it's March, whatever, you know, what what's the temperature outside?
Guy Halbert:What what's the date? You know? And then when you like today, I pulled my last board while I logged it. So I know, you know, going forward, what what kind of response am I gonna get from that? And I can look back over the data and say, hey.
Guy Halbert:If I if I can meet this timeline or I can meet this deadline, I'm pulling this board next year, you know, I can have the similar results if that's what you want, you know, or whatever. So I I kinda do that, and that that helps me a lot. Just just jotting it down and you know what I'm saying? So
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Matt Harrison:Well, I'm sure that we may have some listeners to the podcast, you know, who have done this for a very long time, been very successful at it, you know, and as I just mentioned, there's a lot of people out there that that manage land for ducks. What would you say to someone that is just starting out that may have bought a piece of property, inherited a piece of property, or, you know, got into a lease that they're gonna have to do some land management? What is something you would encourage them to do as far as learning about land management if they've never done it? Right? So what would you recommend to a person that is just starting out in land management?
Guy Halbert:Obviously, you need to kinda look at your property, you know. But I would I would look into, like, reach out. I would reach out to people, like, you know, programs or, like, extension agencies, and there's stuff like that. I would reach out, talk to people that do this, you know. Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions because most questions are stupid.
Guy Halbert:So but you know what I'm saying? Like, just reach out and figure out and just educate yourself and and then just take your property and break it down one by one and just get multiple opinions and make your own, know, make your own guess at what you wanna do. Because it you know, any every property is different. You might be doing whatever, but, you know, that's that's what I would say. Just when you're first starting, don't just break out and start, you know, doing something.
Guy Halbert:Try to try to get some opinions and and how to do it right or whatever's gonna work for your property. You know, consult with somebody, whatever. But there's a million ways to to do that. So
Matt Harrison:No doubt. What is one common mistake that you see guy in land land management?
Guy Halbert:Man, like what I kinda said earlier, my this is my opinion. It there's so many variables to managing land. Right? There's so many different thing, moving parts, a ton of moving parts. And, man, I I've I'm I don't have very much patience.
Guy Halbert:I'll just be honest with you. I just don't. I pray for it all the time, but I just don't have much patience. I got a bunch of kids, blah blah blah, whatever. So but I learned that if I'll just slow down a little bit, slow and just take day by day, it can get overwhelming, man, especially when you start getting into some bigger acreage.
Guy Halbert:I mean, it it can be overwhelming because you you know you got a thousand things to do. That's the thing about land management too. It never ends. It it you always have something to do. Know?
Guy Halbert:Always have something that you could be doing. So just slow down. Like, just slow down, you know, with what you're doing. Take your time and do the task right. And, you know, because like I said earlier, when you start rushing and stuff, man, stuff starts breaking, you start making mistakes, and it starts costing a lot of money.
Guy Halbert:That can go with anything. Like, you know, if you don't if you're trying to rush and you you may pour the wrong chemical in your tank and you go out there and spray, you know, $300 an acre corn. Well, you you know, there's $10,000 right there, you know, stuff like that. You know, that's that's a major effect, but you know what I'm saying? So just slow down.
Matt Harrison:Well, like you said, anytime you're looking at the big picture, I'm sure that it can get overwhelming, right, when you truly think of the whole year in itself, how, you know, you're working for something where you don't see the benefits until I mean, literally, nine months. You know, whenever you whenever duck season ends, you're you're starting right back, right, in many different aspects. You're right back to it. It's not like, oh, okay. I can take off for six months.
Matt Harrison:I mean, you're getting right back in there and and, you know, working on things, fixing things, putting things up, you know, making sure everything's in line for the springtime and getting, you know, your planners ready, the whole whatever it may may look like, you know, and I'm sure that that can be overwhelming whenever you start looking at the really big picture versus, you know, taking a step back, taking it day by day. So that's a very good piece of advice to other land managers of, you know, really just taking it day by day. And as you said, it's really with anything, whether it's, you know, any type of job you have, any time you look at the big picture, it can it can really get overwhelming, so that's a great piece of advice. Well, we are specifically talking about springtime. So, Guy, what are some things you are focusing on these next upcoming weeks that you have going on that you really want to tackle?
Matt Harrison:And as you said, you've had some really big goals that you've written down for this year, so tell our listeners what it is that you're facing these next couple weeks for the springtime.
Guy Halbert:Yeah. So, you know, like I said a while ago, right now, we're I had it planned to do it in July, but I was gonna we're we got a GTR, we're cleaning it up. And, man, it it went as smooth as possible, and I got finished with it. So, know, my next task, I'm I'm gonna start I'm getting ready to start planting. So I'm letting some units dry out.
Guy Halbert:You know, I'm working a few units, discing them, whatever. And then I'm, you know, drawing down a few units that that I'm not gonna touch just for natural you know, moist soil, what I call. And so, you know, I'm gonna start planting my dove field, and there's a million things that go with all that. So, you know, getting everything ready and, you know, just just trying to get ready to to to get the I call it planting season. That's what I call it.
Guy Halbert:So that's what we're trying to get ready for, and that's what we're gonna that's what we're gonna start tackling. So
Matt Harrison:And I know that we spoke on this a little bit a moment ago, just talking about where experience comes in and where you try things. But how do you kinda base off, Guy, of what it is that you're gonna plant that year? Right? Like, I know that it varies some here and there depending on what you may plant in certain areas. So how do you kinda go about choosing what it is that you're gonna plant that year?
Guy Halbert:Well, I I can't you know, I kinda have a farming background a little bit. Like, I've I've just been around it my whole life. And, you know, in in in conventional farming, you know, we they call they got something that's called crop rotation. So I try to always rotate my stuff. I try not to plant the same consecutive thing every year.
Guy Halbert:Just depend depending, you know. But I like to be as diverse as as humanly possible with my with my duck food. You know, I don't have, you know, I don't have 3,000 acres of of water that I, you know, that I plant. All my stuff's in ten ten to 20 acre units. I don't have, like, big 100 acre units that I plant.
Guy Halbert:So I need I wanna be as diverse as possible because for one, you know, you gotta be under the ducks too, in a sense, you know, kind of in a line with them. Under under them is what I call them. You know, we're on the White River here, so it's definitely a ducky area. And, you know, close to a it's close to a may a may close to a major sanctuary. And so I just kinda wanna be as diverse as possible.
Guy Halbert:I don't I don't I wanna have everything. I wanna have my carbohydrates. I wanna have my protein, you know, your bug life. I wanna I wanna have cover, and I wanna have everything I can possible that makes sense. So I'll look at a unit and say, hey.
Guy Halbert:I grew, you know, a moist soil crop last year. I didn't touch it. This year, I wanna get in. I'll I'll do some strips in it. You know, I'll do some disturbance in it.
Guy Halbert:Because with what I found with moist soil is every three or four years, probably like three years, you'll start getting a different a different kind of, you know, vegetation in there after about three years without no disturbance. Like, right after so you you can go in in the spring right now and say you're dry, and you can work your unit, and you can put a little water back on it and then draw it back off, and you'll get, you know, you'll get a bunch of natural, like, you know, millets and stuff like that. After about year three or I I say millet. You'll get all kind of, you know, good your good grasses and your and your kinda really desirable waterfowl food, know, year one and two. But once you start getting into year three, year four of not no disturbance, you start getting into your wooded stuff, you know, that it's not very beneficial.
Guy Halbert:So you have to kinda keep that on a cycle. So you have to keep it on a cycle. So it just depends, you know, what I look at. So
Matt Harrison:As far as planting crops goes, Guy, what is your favorite thing to plant?
Guy Halbert:Man, I I don't really have a favorite plant. Like like I said, I really love. I I mean, it's all about the same, really. I mean, you know, corn's very expensive. You know, any all the anything you plant is gonna be pretty expensive, but, you know, corn is extremely expensive.
Guy Halbert:But I like I like more soil. I just like managing more soil. You know? Mhmm. And, you know, I'll I'll manipulate that a little bit with I'll do strips and stuff like that or whatever it was, and it just depends how my depends how it lays out, like I said before.
Guy Halbert:But I don't really I like managing moist soil because it's it's a lot cheaper, and, you know, you you kinda you can take it like, say say a good moist soil crop, you're getting a good you're getting a good response from your drawdown in the spring. Well, you go in there and you hit it with a little nitrogen and a little bit of water, and you can just watch it explode, man. And and it's it's pretty much maintenance free after that. You know, you just kinda gotta keep a little water or or however you can do it. Just kinda just kinda watch it because, like, with millet, you know, millet's kind of my last resource, like, Japanese millet or brown top, whatever.
Guy Halbert:It's like my last resort because, you know, millet's kinda your your what everybody likes to plant, and millet's great, but, you know, it's it's just one it's not very diverse, is what I'm saying. And, you know, you gotta keep the armyworms out of it, so it can be pretty, you know, tedious when it comes to that stuff. But I I I like managing more soil.
Matt Harrison:Alright. If someone listening guy wants better duck hunting this fall, what should they be doing right now? Like, what is one thing that you would specifically say, here's something that you 100% should be doing right now?
Guy Halbert:One of the most crucial things to me is just your water control. That's like one of the most important things to me. Like, if you don't have good water control, I mean, you you know, and you can literally, if you have to get out there with a rake, a potato rake, and and clean out beaver dams in a swamp, if you can control that water the best you can, that's that's a big thing to me, like, just water control. You know, that's what I would be doing right now, just getting your water right. You know, you may be dry or whatever, but, you know, that's that's that's what I would be focusing on this time of year is just making sure the water's you know, your water's off and getting ready for planting season.
Guy Halbert:That's what I would be doing, just water control.
Matt Harrison:That's some good advice. You heard it here first. Well, Guy, well, thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy day. I know that you have a lot going on, especially this time of year of all what we've just talked about. There's a lot to do and a lot on your plate right now.
Matt Harrison:So thank you so much for taking some time out to hop on the Ducks Unlimited Podcast and talk about springtime land management. Keep up the good work. Keep getting after it, and I can't wait for this fall to chase some ducks. Maybe we can get on a hunt together this year.
Guy Halbert:Well, Matt, I'm still waiting on my turkey invite. So
Matt Harrison:Hey. You just come on down to Mississippi anytime you want to.
Guy Halbert:I appreciate you having me on. I always enjoy this, so I really appreciate it.
Matt Harrison:Absolutely. Thank you so much to all of our Ducks Unlimited Podcast listeners, and also thank you so much to our Ducks Unlimited Podcast producer, mister Chris Isaac. Thank you all so very much for tuning in to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. Y'all take care, and god bless.
VO:Thank you for listening to the DU Podcast sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show and visit ducks.org/dupodcast. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, stay tuned to the Ducks.