Help me come up with a good land plan

[BJE80]

As discussed briefly on some other threads I have a select cut logging happening next winter and my land is really at a crossroads in terms of what I do. I have a ton of ideas but don’t know which ones are good ideas and bad ideas. Instead of just doing things based on what is convenient I want a plan so it all comes together.
Before I ramble for 3 pages I’ll just cut to the chase.
1. Where should I put in new plots?
2. How should I expand the existing plots
3. I would like some type of plot by the cabin mostly for viewing purposes and maybe to hunt off here and there.
4. Where should I try and create bedding with the logger
5. What funnels and travel corridors should I be trying to create?
I’ll give you some info and if any additional info is needed please ask away.
A basic aerial and topo of my land:

Here is what I have existing for habitat improvements:


-Pink is existing food plots. #1 and #2
-Orange is existing logging trails.
-Green is the land boarder.
-Blue on the right hand side is the cabin.
-Yellow is an existing old edge that was previously cut with a significate edge created there.
-Solid black is good soils for food plotting
-Dashed black lines are places I think I can get food plots to grow but not quite as well drained and would be fall only plots most likely.
-Apple trees (on north side of plot #1 and on SE corner of property in orange circles.
-Big red "H" is a mature hemlock stand with a mossy forest floor. This area is being under utilized right now and I think needs to get cut hard possibly to create bedding.


-Note water source is not important on this land because there is water everywhere in this area in the low "humps".
-Note neighbors to the north only gun hunt 2 days a year and are never there.
-Note 320 acres to the west is all closed Paper land. Last year it only got hunted opening weekend during gun on a lease.
-Note Land to the south has some neighbors that have a lot of food plots and they hunt pretty hard. I think they have 5 plots on their 120 acres.

I'll be adding another post.

 

[BJE80]

Here is what I have in mind right now.

- Light Blue dashed line creating a walking trail permeiter to allow for better access to the stands depending on the wind.
-New plots shown in light green
-Existing plot expansion in dashed light green.

New Plot #1 will be a hand created plot. I talked about that plot here: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.p...-to-plant-in-first-year-of-no-till-plot.2323/. Plot takes advantage of the inside corner and allows for quick access from the cabin along the road.
New Plot #2 would be a cabin viewing plot and maybe hunt off of once in awhile.
New Plot #3 would be a great plot location after this place gets logged. Not sure how big I will be able to go with it. Soils are iffy but I think I can get it to work with the dozer crowing the plot.
New Plot #4 the one I'm least excited about. Going to be hard to access to hunt by it the way I see it.

I'm not sure how I want to expand the existing plots. But I sketched an idea on there. I may just forget about 4 and just make those two bigger.

Here is what I am seeing for normal deer travel.

Red lines are strong travel routes.
Dashed red lines are travel routes but not as much as the non dashed lines.

 

[BJE80]

Lastely here are some alternatives for these plots.

New plot #1 I could make that one big plot with leaving the existing pines and trees for shielding from the road.
New Plot #2 I could make that a big plot by the cabin.
New plot #3 I could try and make that bigger in that area but this might be tough to make it that big.
New plot #4 Make a thin strip plot similar to what Ogema (sp?) did on his plot.
I also could make one big plot to connect existing plot #1 and existing plot #2 and just combine them.
Lots of ideas here and Not sure what to do and where to create bedding. As you can see by my deer travel route map I have a lot of deer travel but it is hard to pinpoint where they will be at a certain time. Makes hunting them tough. I need to funnel them more somehow.
I’ll hang up and listen. Feel free to ask questions if you need more info. Thanks.

 

[wiscwhip]

I like your idea of perimeter access, I would move the access trails as close to the property lines as possible and still leave ample "screening" from the neighbors, especially the heavier hunted south side. In those hemlocks, I might try to open up a small area with some heavy hinging first and see what kind of use you get before doing anything drastic in there, I think it could have bedding potential if done correctly. Make sure you take the south access trail into account if you choose a spot to do this, or you will have every deer that would bed in there on high alert if you were trying to use the south access to get to the stands on the west end of the property.

 

[BJE80]

I like your idea of perimeter access, I would move the access trails as close to the property lines as possible and still leave ample "screening" from the neighbors, especially the heavier hunted south side. In those hemlocks, I might try to open up a small area with some heavy hinging first and see what kind of use you get before doing anything drastic in there, I think it could have bedding potential if done correctly. Make sure you take the south access trail into account if you choose a spot to do this, or you will have every deer that would bed in there on high alert if you were trying to use the south access to get to the stands on the west end of the property.

Hinging those big hemlocks would be very very hard. They will just all get tangled in one another. Most are at least 10". And some much larger. To do anything drastic in there it would take a machine. A chainsaw isn't going to do much good. If I do something in there I would have to cut my access trail around it somehow.

 

[dipper]

two things first
Do the neighbors hunt, how much, their stand locations?
What their habitat like?

 

[BJE80]

The foods plots you put in take away from bedding. The parcel looks small, 80 acres maybe? I would concentrate on bedding first and only one food plot. I would want several bedding units with huntable trails between them.

Okay. Where locations would be the best? How? What do I tell the logger?

 

[BJE80]

two things first
Do the neighbors hunt, how much, their stand locations?
What their habitat like?

First off. I really appricate you guys taking the time to read through this and comment. I know I put a lot of stuff out there and that takes time to read. Thanks.

Neighbors to the north are old guys and only hunt first day or two of gun season. Otherwise not there. I think Habitat is about the same as mine. Getting pretty mature but still thick. Can only see 50 yards at most.

Guy that owns the open field to the south of me doesn't do much with it.

Neighbors to the west is 320 acres of paper land that is pretty mature but is starting to get cut 40 by 40 from what I've heard. They are starting from the next road to the west so don't know. The paper land leases it and I think they only have gun hunted it.

Neighbors to the south have 120 and have all 8 food plots in blue. They are mostly plot sitters and don't sit in the woods much. The 40 directly to the south of my west 40 is prime as it was cut hard 3 years ago. The other two 40's he has are better habitat than mine but not exactly new cut forest land either. He does have the creek and some more topography than I do so he has that going for him for bucks bedding on the slopes and he is also closer to Ag.

 

[dipper]

I agree with mo on focusing more on bedding habitat, and having one plot. Have it real easy to access from your cabin, but still far enough away so the deer feel safe in it when you are around. Sounds like you are pretty much surrounded by hunters, with spots of marginal habitat. You don't want your neighbors benefiting from your plots.
if those possible plots are already openings, orchards could really be slick. You could have one Orchard September ripening apples, one november, etc. I've hunted Apple trees in thick cover and it is great hunting when those apples are on the ground. I'm still dreaming of arrowing a stud around one of my apple trees but they aren't growing fast enough.

 

[dipper]

Where are u?

 

[BJE80]

Where are u?

Pm sent

 

[BJE80]

I agree with mo on focusing more on bedding habitat, and having one plot. Have it real easy to access from your cabin, but still far enough away so the deer feel safe in it when you are around. Snds like you are pretty much surrounded by hunters, with spots of marginal habitat. You don't want your neighbors benefiting from your plots.
if those possible plots are already openings, orchards could really be slick. You could have one Orchard September ripening apples, one november, etc. I've hunted Apple trees in thick cover and it is great hunting when those apples are on the ground. I'm still dreaming of arrowing a stud around one of my apple trees but they aren't growing fast enough.

The only existing opening is the area I am putting a plot in by hand this year on the south east corner with the apple aees already planted there. The rest would be cleared when I get logged. That is why this is so important to get that figured out for when I log.

I have a wife that gun hunts and two boys (age 5 & 7) that will someday be hunting too. I need to make sure I have 4 good areas to hunt so everyone has a place to sit during gun.

 

[BJE80]

I am planning on working with Whitetail Logging out of crandon just because they are not just loggers. Every tree they cut down they are thinking about deer and how it affects the deer hunting. He is willing to site down with me and help devolope a plan. Anyone with any experience with them?

http://www.whitetaillogging.com/