June 25, 2024 - Written By Geswein Farm and Land - Kristen A. Schmitt
NICHES Land Trust’s Deer Management Program, A Benefit to Indiana Hunters
Land stewardship and conservation are part of the ethos that make up the hunting community. And with good reason. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, there are 14.4 million hunters across the nation. These individuals help fund local and national wildlife conservation programs and initiatives through the purchase of licenses, ammunition and other gear, which allows for continued wildlife restoration, conservation and hunter education and safety programs within U.S. states and territories.
In Indiana, where there are approximately 209,189 deer hunters, according to the National Deer Association’s 2023 State of the Deer Report, a portion of deer hunters are paying it forward at a local level by volunteering with the NICHES Land Trust’s Deer Management Program. This program, which began in 2010, provides access to thousands of acres to deer hunt each fall in exchange for helping maintain the land by pulling invasive weeds like garlic mustard, assisting with firebreaks and prescribed burns, and removing undesirable trees to create quality habitat not only for deer, but other native wildlife.
“We implemented our deer management program on one property and it’s just steadily grown over the years,” said Justin Harmeson, NICHES Land Trust stewardship manager. “When I took over the hunting program in 2019, we had roughly 80 hunters hunting about 2,500 acres and that number’s increased tremendously within the last five years. We now have 176 hunters participating in the program and around 3,200 acres, and will continue to grow as more properties are added.”
For Harmeson, an Indiana native, the role was the perfect blend of his background in wildlife biology and life-long passion for hunting and fishing. As a senior at Wabash College, Harmeson completed an internship with NICHES Land Trust, which snowballed into his current role.
“I learned that you can manage for entire ecosystems and fell in love with that concept,” said Harmeson, who took a position with NICHES upon graduation. “It’s been incredible because I’ve been able to stay local within my community and still be able to do the work that I love.”
That work includes managing conservation and land stewardship projects that keep the acres healthy. In fact, in 2023, volunteers contributed over 1,700 hours, providing roughly a $54,000 value to the nonprofit.
“NICHES deer management program has helped change the public perception of what NICHES does for local land management and the local community,” said Johnny Klemme, co-owner of Geswein Farm & Land Realty. “NICHES is a valuable addition to conservation-forward programming while also giving local hunters access to land to feed their families and help our rural communities continue to thrive.”
Through the deer management program and other outreach opportunities, NICHES Land Trust has worked to educate surrounding communities about the components needed to achieve a well-balanced ecosystem, which includes maintaining a sustainable number of deer for the region.
“NICHES deer management program is essential for retaining balance in the ecosystems we manage, but it means much more than that for our organization,” said Bob Easter, NICHES Land Trust stewardship director. “The program connects us to the rural communities that we serve by engaging local volunteers, not just in reducing the deer population, but also in other tasks throughout the year.”
Easter added that the volunteer hunters allow for “a better understanding of what NICHES mission and goals are and allows for first-hand, word-of-mouth promotion of NICHES as a grassroots, community-based organization, which provides examples of well-managed local natural areas that are free for local families to enjoy year-round.”
For Harmeson, he’s excited to see NICHES Land Trust meet its 2030 goal of growing the deer management program to about 10,000 acres – as both a stewardship manager and outdoorsman.
“With my background as a hunter, I’ve spent my time really connecting with our community and seeing where their interests are,” said Harmeson. “We’ve brought in this whole other community of outdoorsmen and women into the NICHES mission, and it’s been fantastic to meld people of all different backgrounds and viewpoints into the same community.”
Links:
https://deerassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/NDA-DR2023-FINAL.pdf
