A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[DLH]

You might have to start cutting all your big trees you have planted so news ones can be put in that way you can follow the progress again:)

 

[Native Hunter]

You might have to start cutting all your big trees you have planted so news ones can be put in that way you can follow the progress again:)

I know that you won't let me stop.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Native - Weren't you going to quit mowing / hogging the " jungle " area in your bigger fruit & nut trees ?? I thought you mentioned that on a past thread. Or did you change the plans ?? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

 

[Native Hunter]

Native - Weren't you going to quit mowing / hogging the " jungle " area in your bigger fruit & nut trees ?? I thought you mentioned that on a past thread. Or did you change the plans ?? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

Yes you are correct. I actually stopped mowing part of it last year. There are still a few places in the oaks and pines I can get through but less and less each year. The part with apples, pears, etc will continue to get work each spring.

You have a great memory.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

My memory is selective, Native !! Things relating to outdoor interests, habitat work, location of buck travels, scrapes, etc. - stick like flypaper !! Also the anniversary, wife's birthday, etc. .......... a man can't be reckless !!!

 

[Native Hunter]

I spent the whole day yesterday pruning apple trees at home. I did my home trees and my in-laws trees - probably about 20 trees.

You may recall that we moved some 12 foot semi dwarf trees with a backhoe due to a new road coming through, and we have/are grafting some of the old full sized trees to save them.

My FIL had a little grafted tree that a neighbor gave him a few years ago. We didn't move that tree, and he had kind of forgotten about it. When the dozer came through it pushed that tree out - and it just lay there screaming to be replanted. It had a big trunk coming out below the graft from the rootstock that he had just let grow. I cut the rootstock trunk off and we planted that tree. It will be a miracle if it lives, but we did it anyway.



This is what the old orchard looks like now. The old trees were 70+ years old and still pumping out the fruit.



Sad, but life goes on.

This is a wild pear at my farm that I'm saving for DLH to graft. When we get to this one, I'm going to lay back in my lawn chair and drink RC Colas and eat Moon Pies and just watch him have fun. He loves grafting, and I will take a stopwatch and time him too. This will be while I stop for lunch and rest and relaxation. He's a young guy so I don't figure he needs to rest and eat. I might take some pics of him when he does this one.

 

[DLH]

You wanting to cut it low or work all the branches over? Good thing you got some scions from those apples by your house they leveled all those trees

 

[Native Hunter]

You wanting to cut it low or work all the branches over? Good thing you got some scions from those apples by your house they leveled all those trees

Work all the branches. I might actually help a little...lol.......

 

[DLH]

Could get atleast 30 different pears on that bad boy. I thought about just getting a bunch of Bradford scions to top work while you drank RCs and ate lunch:)

 

[Native Hunter]

Could get atleast 30 different pears on that bad boy. I thought about just getting a bunch of Bradford scions to top work while you drank RCs and ate lunch:)

You sure know how to worry a guy..............................

 

[Native Hunter]

Well, it looks like I'm going to own another piece of land. The pic below shows it. This is just 14 acres but in a remote area with lots of deer and especially turkey. Facts:

• This is a 6 minute drive from my 100 acre farm.
• Top half (field) will remain in a relative's name for right now but is willed to me.
• Bottom half (little inset and woods) I am buying in 2 weeks.
• Land drops off to a creek on the south. Gets steep behind the little inset but more gradual slope at the edges. Right behind the inset looks like might be a good pinch point for deer travel. I will need to check that out.
• Land to the north and west is family land that no one else hunts - I can hunt it too.
• Land to east is hunted but not that much.
• Fields are farmed in soybeans and this will continue
• I've turkey hunted here for years but just hunting family land. The hardest part of turkey hunting here is spooking deer everywhere you try to walk. I've never deer hunted here but some big ones have come from nearby. I don't know yet how much I will actually hunt here but will figure everything out as I go along (I'm just set up too good at my other place). I don't really plan on doing much habitat work here - other than cutting some shooting lanes and maybe building a couple of blinds. Timber was cut a few years ago, so woods are pretty thick.
• No sweet gums here...LOL...

Give me your ideas about hunting this. I would be interested in your thoughts.

 

[Bill]

That's a sweet little spot. You know the back of that little inset is where a lot field access starts.

Lots of ways to skin a cat. And as always you'll know when you see it.
I see two stands. Don't pay attention to my arrows that was for wind but I screwed one up. You know how to hunt the friggin wind.

I would discourage deer from being in the green. Just make it a PIA to crawl through. Give them clear easy walking on the yellow lines from the timber to the sides and the shallow banks of the creek. Put stands (white dots) 40 - 50 yards into the woods and flip a coin on what stand to go to on what Afternoon. Sure some will give you slip and bust out in the big field. But more should play the game.

It can be nice to have a new place to sit once in a while.

 

[Bill]

Worst case if you follow my plan, you made an angry face for the people flying over in airplanes.

 

[DLH]

Just when you thought you were running out of room for trees. I see more pears persimmons chestnuts and maybe apples in your future.

 

[Native Hunter]

That's a sweet little spot. You know the back of that little inset is where a lot field access starts.

Lots of ways to skin a cat. And as always you'll know when you see it.
I see two stands. Don't pay attention to my arrows that was for wind but I screwed one up. You know how to hunt the friggin wind.

I would discourage deer from being in the green. Just make it a PIA to crawl through. Give them clear easy walking on the yellow lines from the timber to the sides and the shallow banks of the creek. Put stands (white dots) 40 - 50 yards into the woods and flip a coin on what stand to go to on what Afternoon. Sure some will give you slip and bust out in the big field. But more should play the game.

It can be nice to have a new place to sit once in a while.

View attachment 12409

Thanks for the ideas Bill. I'm going to look it over a little closer when I get a chance. I've turkey hunted there a lot but the woods are so thick I usually hunt the edges and haven't walked the woods very much. I think from the very back of the inset a guy could also clear the underbrush in the woods toward the creek and see all the way to the water. It will be fun to figure things out.

 

[Native Hunter]

Just when you thought you were running out of room for trees. I see more pears persimmons chestnuts and maybe apples in your future.

Oh boy - here we go again...LOL...

 

[Native Hunter]

I haven't updated this thread for a while. Just wanted to share a few recent pictures.

I had briers invading my NWSGs pretty bad this spring. Did a spraying with Remedy Ultra, and it seems to be doing the job.



A few food plot pictures from this spring:

 

[Native Hunter]

Some fruit pictures:

 

[Native Hunter]

Grafting pictures:

 

[Native Hunter]

Some New Trees Set this spring: