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Q:
Anyone have any tips on cutting 55 acres into a nice deer area. Was going to put in trails, food plots and hopefully create some funnels... also has power lines running through, lots of buck rubs, and a natural pond... any advice would be great on how many trails to cut, how far to keep food plots, etc.
thanks.
Ross
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Question by rossmorrone. Uploaded on October 12, 2009
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Answers (10)
55 acres is not all that big for hunting, of course it may adjoin another area. Plenty food plots I'm thinking.
If there is all ready a lot of deer sign, dont go changing much, especially for this season. Would think a few small food plots could not hurt for next year though.
I have plenty of tips and suggestions, but without knowing what the parcel of land and the neiboring properties surrounding it look like, it's hard to give exact prescriptions.
Here are some ideas to toss around...
1. deer are generalist feeders and will eat just about anything. If the surrounding properties already have enough food (food plots, agricultural crops, etc), you may want to concentrate your efforts on creating a bedding area, or creating a longer-term food supply by putting up a deer exclosure. A secondary benefit of an exclosure is it will increase the value of your property by allowing trees of value to start growing. The third benefit is an exclosure creates a funnel...deer travel along the fence to get around it. Do not plant a food plot if you do not need to, there are better ways to make the landscape work for you economically. If you need or really want to put one in...put it where the powerlines are. No area will need to be cleared (saving you money) and it will give deer an excuse to stay in the powerline right of way long enough for a good shot.
2. Increase your timber value by doing a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) cut. Invite a forester to walk your property and show you the high value timber tree species, and the characteristics of trees that make them valuable. Once your high value timber trees are identified, cut all the low value trees within a 10 yard radius (may want to check with a forester to make sure 10 yards is an accurate estimate) to open up the canopy. Doing so will allow the high value trees to increase their wood production, and make them even more valuable. It will also create browse on the forest floor for deer.
3. If there are trails that the deer are already using quite heavily, then use the ones that are already there to your benefit. I have gone as far as blocking off a trail with brush, and cleared a new extention to the trail that goes right by my stand where I want the deer to travel. It works...try it!
I have tons more tips, but these should get you started in the right direction.
Print off a satellite pic of your land off of Google earth, it really helps see natural funnels, and mark all the important stuff you find (beds, good stuff to eat, rubs, scrapes, trails, water, creek/ditch crossings). Try it, it's cheap, and all it takes is a printer, and a good walk through your land. Good stand spots will show themselves guaranteed.
i would put a 1 acre food plot in aways from the pond and where thy bed down that way they will have to travel aways and give you a chance to get them
The problem I have with google earth is theres not a picture recent enough to help a lot of changes have taken place on our farm since the last picture was taken,so i would check the accuracy of the picture
BioGuy gives good and sound advice. A professional forester is invaluable in your effort. I struggled for a long time with my land and really never had a good plan. Like you my area was small (120 acres) and I never thought that this property could be a dependable producer of quality whitetails. The forester looked over my land and made what was to me stupid and childlike comments. He suggested that I clear cut a big section and burn off another section and dig in water features. Careful consideration was given to fruit and berry trees as well as Oak and Beech trees. I did as he desired and the results have been nothing short of tremendous. All wildlife species have thrived here and every year we take very nice bucks from this small piece of land. I hope that my son will be a good steward of this property and enjoy it as much as I have. Good luck with your project.
NWTF website: NWTF.org Check it out. Local DNR/DGIF website Look at habitat improvement sections.
You can select cut, control burn, plant desired trees, grasses and fruit bearing plants/trees (Native plants work best)
Ross,
Your best bet is to consult a state wildlife biologist.
But here are three pointers
1. The earth is a closed system- consider the positive and negative of any management decision,it is harder to restore habitat from poor decisions than you think
2. Don't do too much at once- you should work in increments allowing wildlife to adjust to your management.
3. Technology can't accomplish everything
Take time and seriously consider any action before doing it!
Excellent advice by WTXWildlifer +1. I noticed several people (including myself) suggested food plots, and although they are a great way to pull deer in and are the current rage in private deer herd management, there are several disadvantages that should be considered. For one, they can be very expensive to create and maintain. Second, large food plots sustained over time can create an artificially increased carrying capacity, which is bad for both the deer herd and the surrounding landscape, especially if the food source suddenly disappears. Third, clearing large areas for food plots can change the quality of habitat for other less common species, thus decreasing the wildlife diversity on the property.
So if you do choose to plant a couple of food plots, my advice would be to keep them very small to keep things cheap and minimize the impact on the landscape. Use them to pull in the deer that are already there rather than support an unnatural carrying capacity. To prevent deer from destroying your small plots, you can protect them with an 8 foot tall wire fence that is also burried into the ground about 8-12 inches.
Post an Answer
I have plenty of tips and suggestions, but without knowing what the parcel of land and the neiboring properties surrounding it look like, it's hard to give exact prescriptions.
Here are some ideas to toss around...
1. deer are generalist feeders and will eat just about anything. If the surrounding properties already have enough food (food plots, agricultural crops, etc), you may want to concentrate your efforts on creating a bedding area, or creating a longer-term food supply by putting up a deer exclosure. A secondary benefit of an exclosure is it will increase the value of your property by allowing trees of value to start growing. The third benefit is an exclosure creates a funnel...deer travel along the fence to get around it. Do not plant a food plot if you do not need to, there are better ways to make the landscape work for you economically. If you need or really want to put one in...put it where the powerlines are. No area will need to be cleared (saving you money) and it will give deer an excuse to stay in the powerline right of way long enough for a good shot.
2. Increase your timber value by doing a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) cut. Invite a forester to walk your property and show you the high value timber tree species, and the characteristics of trees that make them valuable. Once your high value timber trees are identified, cut all the low value trees within a 10 yard radius (may want to check with a forester to make sure 10 yards is an accurate estimate) to open up the canopy. Doing so will allow the high value trees to increase their wood production, and make them even more valuable. It will also create browse on the forest floor for deer.
3. If there are trails that the deer are already using quite heavily, then use the ones that are already there to your benefit. I have gone as far as blocking off a trail with brush, and cleared a new extention to the trail that goes right by my stand where I want the deer to travel. It works...try it!
I have tons more tips, but these should get you started in the right direction.
55 acres is not all that big for hunting, of course it may adjoin another area. Plenty food plots I'm thinking.
If there is all ready a lot of deer sign, dont go changing much, especially for this season. Would think a few small food plots could not hurt for next year though.
BioGuy gives good and sound advice. A professional forester is invaluable in your effort. I struggled for a long time with my land and really never had a good plan. Like you my area was small (120 acres) and I never thought that this property could be a dependable producer of quality whitetails. The forester looked over my land and made what was to me stupid and childlike comments. He suggested that I clear cut a big section and burn off another section and dig in water features. Careful consideration was given to fruit and berry trees as well as Oak and Beech trees. I did as he desired and the results have been nothing short of tremendous. All wildlife species have thrived here and every year we take very nice bucks from this small piece of land. I hope that my son will be a good steward of this property and enjoy it as much as I have. Good luck with your project.
Ross,
Your best bet is to consult a state wildlife biologist.
But here are three pointers
1. The earth is a closed system- consider the positive and negative of any management decision,it is harder to restore habitat from poor decisions than you think
2. Don't do too much at once- you should work in increments allowing wildlife to adjust to your management.
3. Technology can't accomplish everything
Take time and seriously consider any action before doing it!
Print off a satellite pic of your land off of Google earth, it really helps see natural funnels, and mark all the important stuff you find (beds, good stuff to eat, rubs, scrapes, trails, water, creek/ditch crossings). Try it, it's cheap, and all it takes is a printer, and a good walk through your land. Good stand spots will show themselves guaranteed.
i would put a 1 acre food plot in aways from the pond and where thy bed down that way they will have to travel aways and give you a chance to get them
The problem I have with google earth is theres not a picture recent enough to help a lot of changes have taken place on our farm since the last picture was taken,so i would check the accuracy of the picture
NWTF website: NWTF.org Check it out. Local DNR/DGIF website Look at habitat improvement sections.
You can select cut, control burn, plant desired trees, grasses and fruit bearing plants/trees (Native plants work best)
Excellent advice by WTXWildlifer +1. I noticed several people (including myself) suggested food plots, and although they are a great way to pull deer in and are the current rage in private deer herd management, there are several disadvantages that should be considered. For one, they can be very expensive to create and maintain. Second, large food plots sustained over time can create an artificially increased carrying capacity, which is bad for both the deer herd and the surrounding landscape, especially if the food source suddenly disappears. Third, clearing large areas for food plots can change the quality of habitat for other less common species, thus decreasing the wildlife diversity on the property.
So if you do choose to plant a couple of food plots, my advice would be to keep them very small to keep things cheap and minimize the impact on the landscape. Use them to pull in the deer that are already there rather than support an unnatural carrying capacity. To prevent deer from destroying your small plots, you can protect them with an 8 foot tall wire fence that is also burried into the ground about 8-12 inches.
Post an Answer