Swampy 21 Acres SW Michigan - Land Tour/2020 Plan

[Telemark]

Did you have to buy Office for that feature?

 

[MattDDO]

Did you have to buy Office for that feature?

Yes, I guess? My computer came with all the Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint Etc on it. You could try Open Office, I think you can still download that for free. Should have similar features.

 

[MattDDO]

Alright, wrapped up (for the most part) all of the hinge cutting along my transition line. Overall, I'm really happy with it. Before, during and after working on the last section, I found 10-12 beds without trying very hard. Granted I know its still spring/summer and a lot can change in the whitetail woods come fall, but the amount of deer bedding on my property is WAY up compared to previously years, regardless of the time of year. I know this video is kinda long, but he's a walk through of the area after I finished:

 

[MattDDO]

Alright, starting to setup my stands/trails/mock scrapes. Here's the game plan for my North property line. Essentially, i'm trying to pull deer into my property from my west swamp transition line by offering a small trail off the mail travel corridor, mock scrape, micro food plot, then another mock scrape situated between the micro food plot and my big main food plot. That second mock scrape will have a stand.

 

[MattDDO]

Got another stand setup finished the other day. Really excited about this one. Low impact, easy access. I created a little "horse-shoe" shape food plot trail (not yet planted) that starts and ends at my main food plot. Where the trail turns, I setup a Jeff Sturgis vine licking branch/mock scrape. 20 yards from that mock scrape is a ladder stand that tucks in very nicely into a giant, multi-trunk tree.

 

[bjseiler]

Do you order your food plot seed or do you have a place in SW Mich that stocks it?

 

[Telemark]

Looks good. I would try to make some secondary trails that parallell your main trails. Mature bucks seem to avoid the most heavily travelled trails. I would also rely a lot more on shrubs and stump sprouts for browse instead of just clover and annual crops.

There are a lot of tree species you can plant that make excellent browse if you keep them coppiced every few years. Maple, ash, oak, willow, mulberry, etc.

A lot of shrubs make good browse as well. This will give you more permanent/perennial browse, which will reduce the time you have to be in the hunting area and give you more variety and more attractive food sources.

 

[MattDDO]

Do you order your food plot seed or do you have a place in SW Mich that stocks it?

I've done a little bit of both. I've had good luck with the Plotspike Clover from Tractor Supply ($16 for a 4lb bag). I've also bought bulk seed from Family Farm and Home which isn't too bad. I really like www.deerseeds.com, there clover/chicory mix works well and is priced well. There is also a farm bureau in Battle Creek I've bought bags of winter rye from. This year in my main plot I'm going to try Northwoods Sweet Feast brassica blend, then overseed that with winter rye around labor day. The two smaller plots will be Plotspike Clover and winter rye.

 

[MattDDO]

Looks good. I would try to make some secondary trails that parallell your main trails. Mature bucks seem to avoid the most heavily travelled trails. I would also rely a lot more on shrubs and stump sprouts for browse instead of just clover and annual crops.

There are a lot of tree species you can plant that make excellent browse if you keep them coppiced every few years. Maple, ash, oak, willow, mulberry, etc.

A lot of shrubs make good browse as well. This will give you more permanent/perennial browse, which will reduce the time you have to be in the hunting area and give you more variety and more attractive food sources.

Thanks, Telemark. Totally agree!

 

[MattDDO]

Got another stand setup! Between location and access, I think this may be my best stand this year. Lemme know what ya think!

 

[MattDDO]

Well, got all the food plots in! Did a modified no-till method: Spray, broadcast, weedwack dead stuff down on seeds for a mulch layer.
Main Food plot - Northwoods Sweet Feast Brassica Blend. Will overseed winter rye in September
Horse Shoe Food Plot Trail - Plotspike Clover. Will overseed winter rye in September.
Stand #1 Trail - Feed oats (experiment) and Plotspike clover in a small area.
NW Food plot - Plotspike Clover. Will overseed winter rye in September.
SW Food plot - Plotspike clover and winter rye. Not going back to that food plot until end of season.

We'll see what happens! Here's a video with more details.

 

[SD51555]

With some savy excavating, you're sitting on a gold mine there, provided you aren't prohibited from digging by a wetland designation.