80 acres into prime deer habitat?

[AugustJ]

Exactly. Lightly discing it will kill some of the grass and allow other things to grow from the seed bank. Weeds will appear first. Then shrubs. Then trees. Natural succession. Instead of discing you could spray with glyphosate and likely achieve the same results.

Ok good, I was just making sure that you knew the whole field is a blank canvas and the lines are only ideas.

 

[jsasker007]

Should I plant some willow, alder and dogwood in the 2 wet areas with nothing but grass in them now?

That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. If you want to attract more than just deer you could do some different trees/shrubs for berries? Crab apples are good for lots of things and are pretty flexible on location.

 

[jsasker007]

The pond is the spot that holds water until August, not the field. The blank area is all high and dry, good for planting anything.

Alsike clover can take being wet as long or longer than most other clovers. I have some areas that get wet every spring and the alsike clover has done very well for me in those wetter spots and the deer and turkeys are in there quite a bit too.

 

[jsasker007]

How far North are you? I'm in central Minnesota about 5 miles South of Mille Lacs Lake.

 

[jsasker007]

If you are up by Hibbing or Cloquet I'm already jealous of location for big bucks.

 

[AugustJ]

How far North are you? I'm in central Minnesota about 5 miles South of Mille Lacs Lake.

5 miles south of Mille lacs? I hope you get into some of that awesome smallie action!
I’m up near Bemidji.

 

[jsasker007]

You're in a great area then. Location is over half of the battle. I would say though, take you're time planting/planning where you put anything permanent like trees. Plots can be changed or moved to a different location pretty easy but trees are a bigger problem if you don't like where they are.

 

[GMan5465]

I would try to work on planting some evergreens around the property border to give the deer a good visual screen from the neighbors. Wooded swamp is a great place for deer to go and spend most of their time in seclusion so that's a plus right there. Planting things like clover,chicory,rye,oats would give the deer something to eat most of the time and is easily maintained with simple mowings(except the oats). I would let the deer have the swamp area and don't go in there at all if possible. Beating your neighbors out to the stand is a big deal if you can do it. Let the neighbors bump and move the deer to you. Experiment with different ideas and keep what works for you.

The screen suggested above could also be used by you for access routes around your property.

 

[jsasker007]

The screen suggested above could also be used by you for access routes around your property.

That is an extremely important thing to get figured out. A great stand won't do you much good if you get busted trying to get there.

 

[Telemark]

For the wet spots, I would plant red osier dogwood and willows. Anywhere within that's not too boggy, I would spray the grasses and plant Alsike clover. Make sure you inoculate it. There is also a "wetland alfalfa" available that might be interesting.

 

[AugustJ]

Sow what’s a good rule of thumb for how big I should make the different sections of cover? 1/2 acre?

 

[AugustJ]

For the wet spots, I would plant red osier dogwood and willows. Anywhere within that's not too boggy, I would spray the grasses and plant Alsike clover. Make sure you inoculate it. There is also a "wetland alfalfa" available that might be interesting.

So alsike right in the wet spots too?

 

[Telemark]

So alsike right in the wet spots too?

There's a bit of nuance here. I wouldn't try to plant clover or alfalfa where it's too boggy. It's a good choice for the periphery of the wetter areas and any area that's on the wetter side of normal. Anywhere that is more like boggy muck, I wouldn't try clover or alfalfa. There I would just plant dogwoods and willows. I just think this is the best use of wet areas. I've seen deer come relatively close to inhabited buildings in such thick cover. It's not bedding because it's too wet, but it can be a daytime browse location where they feel safe from predators.

Before you plant anything, make sure to kill off whatever is already growing there. We often get a lot of grasses and reeds in the wet areas. Also horsetail.

Another benefit of having a bunch of big dogwood and willow shrubs is they can use up a fair bit of water in the summer. It can really help to regulate the moisture in the soil.

 

[Telemark]

Sow what’s a good rule of thumb for how big I should make the different sections of cover? 1/2 acre?

From what I have read, between a quarter and a half an acre in sort of a checkerboard pattern. I personally would not blend bedding with food if you are starting from scratch. I like the idea of having patches of switch grass with conifers for cover interspersed with patches of shrubs and forbs for browse. The cover gives them the confidence to move in daytime, and the checkerboard pattern necessitates the movement.

 

[jsasker007]

I don't know if there's such a thing as too much cover? Alsike can be wet for 4 weeks so anywhere that will dry up in a month would grow alsike alright. Depends on how you go about the cover planting. You could plant the thicker brush and make a perimeter for a "hidden" food plot or plant blocks of it with the plot planted on one or two sides? That's the fun of it is coming up with a few ideas and figuring out your custom combo. ENJOY!

 

[AugustJ]

I’m really excited about this and I truely appreciate everyone’s help! I’m so thankful for the internet so I can get info from people munch more knowledgeable that me.
For straight up deer bedding hardwoods a shrubs, what would you recommend? I’ve heard things like nine bark, hassle nut, and dogwoods.

 

[Mortenson]

We vacation near Bemidji. Some people we know up there have had some really good deer hunting. Plus one of my favorite legendary bucks of all time was from just north of there, the John Breen deer, killed in 1918. Good luck with your farm!

 

[Foggy47]

I'm north of Brainerd about 30 miles. A name comes to mind that you may want to check into. Jake Blow, Habitat Pro LLC. I think he is quite near to Bemidji. He does habitat improvement and consulting for hunting land and may give some good advice on how to make it good habitat. Look for his video's on YouTube. Seems to be a quality guy and connected with many companies that get it done. I talked with him once.....and he is quite aware of various money available for projects on your property. Knows the ropes. I have not used him but I think he is the real deal for Northern MN. Not sure of his price.....but often a consultant is the cheapest solution for your plans.

 

[sandbur]

I think that Sam from Purpose Filled Habitat Management gives good advice for that area. Some of his work is on FB and on YouTube.

 

[buckdeer1]

I would think about planting switch in big field with a 200ft wide switch north of house and a food plot running east-west north of the 2oo ft wide strip and this give good cover and allows sitting with north wind.It also gives a large area for deer to stay in when not pressured.You may want patches of spruce but you will have to mow around or protect if you burn SG.From what I see you may have a place alot like Don Higgins on Real World.