In 1975, I began planting trees and shrubs on 26 acres of flax stubble. The planting was for all wildlife, not any particular species or group of species. As a sport hunter, I wanted flushed or running game to quickly get out of view, so planted in curves, with blocks of the woodies five rows wide and 150 feet long. I changed species at the end of every block for maximum ‘edge effect’ that biologists say increases wildlife diversity. I began with 38 species recommended as hardy in North Dakota, and over the next 40 years planted 65 more species of trees, shrubs, and vines, a few hardy, but many listed as hardy only in more southerly areas. So far about 40% of those species have survived, even though as a few individuals. I also left three grassy openings in the plot, two for grassland birds and one for winter wildlife food.

Even though I lost many of the species to drought and animal damage, the wildlife response has been amazing. Breeding bird species increased from four in 1975 to 33 in 1999, and the number of breeding pairs increased from 13 in 1975 to 177 in 2008. Over the 41 years of surveys, 62 species of birds bred in the woodlot. Birds associated with shrublands and open woodlands showed the greatest increase; forest birds have always been rare, but have been increasing in recent decades. I’ve harvested quite a few deer and some upland game in the woodlot. One bad winter over a hundred whitetails survived there, stripping bark from trees up to four inches in diameter and leaving a browse line visible in the spring.

My black walnuts are about a foot in diameter now. At 82 and with bad eyesight, I don’t think I will be making any more gunstocks, but hopefully some day one of my trees will support the action of a firearm, of course preferably a double shotgun.