The Kanati (Amazon) Experience

I drove to Colorado in September 2021 for my annual archery elk hunt and I had plenty of time to think about the most random of topics on the 15-hour, 45 minute drive.  My wife often says, “Where did that thought come from?”  She often has a puzzled look on her face.  I wonder why.  In the “new” world we live in, humans have everything at their fingertips with the push of a button.  COVID has changed our way of thinking.  If I need something, I can have it delivered to my house in minutes, hours, and no longer than 2 days (depending on shipping and availability).  I began to think about how this relates to the natural world we live in.  

Why do some properties hold wildlife and other properties struggle?  

I think it has something to do with what I would call the “Amazon Experience.”  For the sake of this blog, let’s call it the “Kanati Experience.”  The Kanati Experience is defined as the opportunity to get all that you desire with minimal effort as it relates to wildlife survival and sustainability in terms of property and land management while considering income, habitat, wildlife, landowner goals, and several other factors.

The difference between Amazon and habitat improvements is that it can take time for these changes to take hold on your property.  However, the Kanati Experience provides you with the tools and resources to start on these improvements now, so you don’t have to wait.

Kanati Experience for Landowners

First of all, we give landowners the Kanati Experience by providing them with a plan of action to improve their habitat to give wildlife everything they need on their property.  Why would you go out and start flinging seeds and cutting trees without a plan in place?  Some advantages of the Kanati Experience for Landowners include:

1. Comprehensive Habitat Management Plan

Give Kanati a call to action and we can deliver a comprehensive habitat management plan for you in less than 2 weeks.  We focus on a dedicated think-tank approach to land management. It includes a site visit, drone footage, high resolution maps, and all of the narrative to complete the plan yourself or a guide for someone else to follow.  

Don’t have time to enroll in land programs or complete the physical work of habitat improvements? The Kanati Experience can help with program enrollment, equipment and seed sales and project implementation to fulfill plan objectives and goals.

The Kanati Experience Comprehensive Habitat Management Plan is not just one person’s opinion, but rather a team of experts helping you design your property.  Our team of dedicated professionals includes industry hunting representatives, hunting guides, real estate professionals, biologists, farmers, and others to develop the best possible plan.

2. Government Funding Options

By sorting through the tangled mess of government programs and agencies, the Kanati Experience can provide you with the options for funding to improve habitat conditions and possibly open your eyes to income-earning opportunities. To learn more about figuring out if you may be eligible for a government program, click here.

3. Investment Opportunities

Like residential real estate, vacant and rural land can be improved in hopes of selling, or knowing that your hard work and dedication can result in a higher land value when and if you ever decide to sell.  Land is like a financial portfolio.  Someone who is not experienced in financial matters knows enough to realize that diversification of your portfolio is critical and land is no different. Putting all of your “eggs” in one basket is not a great idea.  With the Kanati Experience, we can help identify these investment opportunities.

Kanati Experience for Wildlife

We give wildlife the Kanati Experience by providing habitat improvements that require minimal effort to get food, cover, and water. We help landowners with the “availability” of products desired by wildlife.  If you are in need of bedding cover, we may be able to help create it right around the corner.

Some advantages of the Kanati Experience for Wildlife include:

1. Provide Diversity of Resources/Availability

This approach to wildlife is simply to diversify your property.  When browsing Amazon, you can find everything from soup to nuts to fruit cups. Just like Amazon provides several options, it is important to provide wildlife with several food source options like annual and perennial crops in addition to multi-cropping.  Give them every possible option and make those “products” available to wildlife so it’s easy for them to access.  Place them in a location where wildlife feels safe when entering and exiting.  Some of these habitat improvements (“products”) include, but are not limited to:

  • Edge Feathering
  • Water Holes
  • Wetland Restoration
  • Tallgrass Prairie Establishment/Restoration
  • Tree Planting
  • Food Plot Development and Sustainability
  • Timber Stand Improvement

2. Plan for Challenges

We cannot control some factors like precipitation, disease, or animal pressure on food, water, and cover.  In the movie Field of Dreams, the quote “If you build it, they will come” applies in this situation.  For example, you may need to irrigate those critical food plots or fence certain areas until the hunting season.  As you build your property, it will put greater pressure on those food sources because you will have more wildlife using your land.  Make a plan to adapt.  Land management should never stand still and should be revisited every year.

Conclusion

The Kanati Experience is one that can also be shared across property boundaries. 

Do you really want to make an impact?

Even though you may not agree on how to manage wildlife with neighbors, you can agree to improve habitat and increase the overall Kanati Experience for Wildlife by giving them everything they need on the property.  Looking over the fence, what does your neighbor have that you don’t?  After all, don’t you want to be the “Jones’” in the area?  You want to hold wildlife on your property.  You can have it all with the Kanati Experience.  If we are all Jones’, hunting and the outdoor experience will get better for everyone!  Create that legacy and give us a call to start that journey.

–Nate Hylla has over 20 years of conservation and land management experience that includes land surveying, engineering, real estate, and conservation including serving as a lobbyist for conservation programs and public speaker on land use decisions.  He is also a licensed Real Estate Agent with Central MN Realty, Hunting Guide, and the CEO of Kanati Land Management in Central Minnesota.