There s a tremendous amount of cover here, Gulden says. During the cold months, that cover is used by white-tailed deer from miles around. As a winter refuge, Beaver Creek WMA allows the surrounding area to support higher deer numbers than it would otherwise. By providing food to hungry deer, corn crops on the WMA limit depredation on nearby farms. The mixture of oak forest and grasslands also provides habitat for southeastern Minnesota s common game birds.
Wild turkeys are numerous on the unit.
Pheasants and Hungarian partridge nest in the grasslands and find shelter in brushy draws. Canada geese and wood ducks nest along the creek. In the spring, ruffed grouse drum in the woods. Gulden knows of one bromegrass field that contains nesting Henslow s sparrows, a rare bird species. Virtually all of the WMA is managed using prescribed burns.