All Things Habitat - Lets talk.....
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Wanted staging area...
- Thread starter Davewp70
- Start date
Davewp70
A good 3 year old buck
No recent pic, but i Started the plot in ealry July. Intention was not just to have the green come in, but I wanted the brassicas to max out on bulb size (Purple turnip, radish, and sugar beet) to help break up the ground.
j-bird
Moderator
That hinged area should explode with growth over the course of the next we years. As long as there isn't some sort of grass or sod there to slow it down. You could also plant some shrubs and the like to add to the diversity of that area as well.
Does this staging area connect in some way to a bedding area or sanctuary type area and linked with at least some cover to help facilitate that movement? A thick island of cover may not provide what you are after. You need to consider the connecting cover if you haven't already. Updated pics would be awesome to see.
Does this staging area connect in some way to a bedding area or sanctuary type area and linked with at least some cover to help facilitate that movement? A thick island of cover may not provide what you are after. You need to consider the connecting cover if you haven't already. Updated pics would be awesome to see.
Davewp70
A good 3 year old buck
There is a ridge to the west about 150-200 yds. I have been hinge cutting a couple of years now. The pic was from the spring. I tried to do specific hinging and bedding area on ridge, but have not intruded into that area since spring. I treat it as a sanctuary. Within that Pic , deeper into woods are several caged chestnut trees. South of area, is thick strip buffer before open field, apple trees and large food plot. The field tree line border has roughly 85 fruit trees. I will be trying to diagram out an overhead pic to better show.
j-bird
Moderator
Cool - I just have seen folks over-think a specific location before and then not think of how the deer will get there and then get frustrated as to why it isn't working. "Flow" and controlling deer movement is why a plan is so important and why scattered improvements can be counter productive or not productive at all. I wasn't trying to be critical, I was just trying to confirm that portion of it was considered. It sounds like it has been. Understanding the big picture is critical to being successful with projects like a staging area. A staging area at the end of a trail of cover from bedding right near a food source may be a dynamite location to hunt for those bucks that refuse to step out into that plot in daylight. Should be a great place for rubs and monitoring the progress of the rut as well.......I need to see if I can squeeze one in on my place:D
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
If you want to create a " safe " area for bucks to check the surroundings before stepping out in the open, plant some spruce where you might want them to " hang back " until they feel safe. If you want quick results, get some B & B spruce and plant those. 3 or 4 footers should do it. You don't need a big block of spruce if you have some hinging and natural regen. 5 or 6 trees of that size ( 3-4 ft. ) could be enough to give the deer a little cover to feel safe, combined with your other growth.
