Deer · Food Plot · Hunting ·Oct 15, 2012

Newell Wildlife Services — “Creating Healthy Huntable Habitat”

Big bucks and long beards have always been a passion of Mark Newell, owner and operator of Newell Wildlife Services. Fueled by this passion, Mark pursued a degree in wildlife biology to further study the critters he loves to hunt. Mississippi State University, one of the premier schools in the country for its natural resource innovations, became his home for several years. However, some of the professionals and professors at MSU told him that a wildlife degree is not enough to be a good biologist. They emphasized diverse experience in the natural resource realm is necessary. For Mark, this experience came from on-the-job training. Between semesters, Mark worked for Tara Wildlife Management, a leading white-tailed deer outfitter near Vicksburg, MS. During that time, he also worked for Timbercraft, a forestry and land management company in DeKalb, MS. After graduating from MSU, all of the skills and knowledge he had compiled quickly landed him a job as the biologist and manager of Bayou Pierre Outfitters, near Jackson MS.

Now, Mark has put all that experience into his own company, Newell Wildlife Services. NWS is primarily a wildlife consulting company that targets white-tailed deer and eastern wild turkey. Furthermore, NWS formulates a hunting strategy that is included in the management plan. However, unlike most consulting companies, NWS does implementation also. In other words, they put answers into action. NWS also aids its clients in managing any marketable forest resources on their property. NWS also manages a property called The Hills. It is their showcase property that is used to display management techniques to their clients. The Hills is also their personal hunting property upon which a limited number of hunts are sold. The motto of Newell Wildlife Services and goal on any property they manage has always been, “Creating Healthy Huntable Habitat.”

Wildlife Consulting

In today’s world of easily accessible information, almost anyone can gain the knowledge necessary to manage any desired wildlife on their property. However, there is no substitute for having a seasoned wildlife professional come on site to your property and assess the challenges that you face personally on the land base. No matter how good your information may be, every property is different. Therefore, a specific plan of action is always better in order to maximize the effectiveness of your property and to achieve your desired outcome.

This is where Newell Wildlife Services come in. Mark will personally come to you and examine the target property thoroughly. There are two major factors that he will be assessing. First, the main concern is always the habitat’s condition. A variety of factors are carefully studied to accurately assess this condition. Practices include: compiling a basic species inventory of the native vegetation and evaluating their condition, collecting and testing soil samples, assessing current food plot practices, along with other case sensitive procedures to analyze the habitat’s condition. The second concern is the target species’ condition. You may be thinking, “Why is his primary concern on the habitat and not on the target species?” The answer is simple; ultimately the habitat condition will dictate the condition of any animal that you wish to manage. Density surveys, harvest data analysis, health checks, and other techniques are employed to get an idea of the target species’ condition.

After all of this data is examined, a plan is compiled for the client to set into motion that should begin to produce his or her desired outcome. Mark, along with every other wildlife consultant, would like to guarantee that the management plan they generate will be perfect. Realistically, the initial management plan is just a good starting point. Remember every property is different. From a good management plan to a good hunting strategy, the critters do not always follow the script. Every plan on every property will have to be tweaked to some extent. This is where follow up visits, emails, and phone consultations come into play to best achieve what the property is capable of producing.

Hunting Consulting

The focus at Newell Wildlife Services is to provide consultation on hunting properties. NWS will give as much quality information as possible to grow big bucks and lots of long beards on their clients’ properties. Within the information they provide, a detailed plan is included that will manipulate the habitat in a way that makes it “huntable.” Huntability is a term Mark has coined to describe the condition of the habitat through the eyes of a hunter. It is simply a good balance of quality habitat and seeable ground from a hunting position.
For example, this is very important when managing and hunting white-tailed deer specifically in southern habitats. The Deep South is filled with pine jungles and thickets with very low visibility. These habitats maybe full of deer, but if you can’t see them you can’t kill them. Many times only 1 to 2 percent of a property is open in these situations. On the flip side of that some regions of the delta have hundreds if not thousands of acres in crop fields and catfish ponds. These properties produce little cover for deer causing populations to be low at best. Both of these situations have low huntability. There must be a balance of these two. Newell Wildlife Services strives to achieve that balance on its clients’ properties.

As part of making a property more huntable for white-tailed deer, Newell Wildlife Services helps its clients with a strategic hunting plan in hopes of making the hunter more successful. The placement of food plots, shooting lanes, and access roads are all major parts involved with this plan. NWS finishes its plan up with stand placement, wind direction, and other tid-bits of information to hunt the property. Growing big bucks is only part of the equation. If you can’t pose in front of the camera with that buck of a lifetime that you grew on your property, you’re wasting you time and money.

Implementation

As already stated, the main emphasis at Newell Wildlife Services is consulting. NWS will do all it can do to give you all the information needed to get the most out of your property. However, there are certain cases where the client does not have the means to put the procedures into play. In many cases the client does not have the time or equipment needed to carry out the plan formulated. Whatever the case, NWS will step in if needed to put those management answers into action. NWS equipment can be used on local properties, and they can rent the equipment needed to use on properties requiring travel. NWS also offers combination packages for the client for both consultation and implementation.

Forestry Consultation

Forest management is another specialty that Newell Wildlife Services offers to its clients. In the South, the timber industry is big business. One of the first things NWS wants to establish in preliminary consultations is the clients overall goal for their property. When giving forestry consultation, there are two basic categories for every land base: first, to produce marketable timber with a secondary emphasis on managing the wildlife on the property; or to primarily manage the property for the wildlife with a secondary emphasis on timber management.

The Hills

The Hills is a privately operated land base located in Kemper County, Mississippi. This property is Newell Wildlife Services’ showcase and personal hunting property. For several years now The Hills has been operated and managed by NWS for quality white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. The property is used to show clients and potential clients management techniques that could be used on their properties. It is also a close family and friends hunting club. The property consists of 3000 acres of leased and private land that is made up of hardwoods and pine plantations with many food plots scattered throughout.

A limited number of hunts are made available each year to the public. These hunts are semi-guided by Mark Newell of Newell Wildlife Services and by other members of The Hills. The stand locations are set in hardwood bottoms close to acorn trees, thinned pine plantations, cutovers, food plots, and other set-ups. The hunters will stay in a comfortable heated and air-conditioned cabin equipped with 2 bunk rooms, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Each hunter has the opportunity to harvest as many as 2 bucks and 3 does during each hunt. Hunts are booked only in groups of at least 3 and no more than 5 people.

If you have a new property and need a good wildlife management plan to help get you pointed in the right direction, Newell Wildlife Services is the answer. If you have a farm that’s been in your family for years and you want to maximize its hunting effectiveness, Newell Wildlife Services is the solution. If you have been struggling with your current management approach, Newell Wildlife Services will help you find a remedy. You may have quality animals living on your property, but you need a better hunting strategy to put them on your wall. Newell Wildlife Services can assist you. If you have a property and would like someone to do all that is needed to make your property the best it can be within your budget, Newell Wildlife Services is who you need to call. If you have timber that needs to be managed along with taking care of the wildlife living on the property, Newell Wildlife Services is the company for you. Finally, if you would like an outfitted Southern hunting experience, Newell Wildlife Services will put you up at The Hills for a deer or turkey hunt. Tecomate Whitetail Nation, Campfire Stories TV, and Overtime Outdoors will be hunting with us during the 2012 and 2013 season.

Contact Newell Wildlife Services at:
Phone: (662) 419-6205
Email: bromarkanewell@aol.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Newell-Wildlife-Services/189860614459861