A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[omicron1792]

Three more things are happening near me that could change my hunting. Time will tell how much and whether for better or worse:

1. Bordering me on the southeast they cut timber this spring in a 20 acre woods. This will be a grown up jungle soon. I'm not sure if the guy who hunts it will know how to hunt it. It doesn't take much human pressure on 20 acres to keep the good ones from bedding there.

2. Bordering me on the south - the farmer is letting his crop field edges go fallow. It will be heavy cover, but it will be narrow strips not over 40 yards wide. The guy who hunts there is constantly driving an ATV all over the place, so I doubt the good ones will try to bed in it.

3. About 1/2 mile to the southwest on another farm that doesn't join me - they sold out and the new owners are putting in 8 chicken houses. I'm hoping it ends the hunting there, because some of my best future prospects we passed have been killed on that farm.

1. Those clear cut pockets can be great. I have them all over my farm. You are right they can be difficult to hunt.

2. Hopefully those strips will hide the atvs

3. Chicken coups often increase the predators. Keep your thermal cooking those yotes.

Last night.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

The guy who hunts there is constantly driving an ATV all over the place, so I doubt the good ones will try to bed in it.

Don't know if this helps with that particular property you indicated - but around here, when the ATV's start to motor around properties in September, the nicest bucks we've seen on cams all summer get really scarce. They go deeper into thick cover, or go nocturnal. Might be different in AG country where deer are more used to tractors & other farm equipment moving around all year long. IME - the more mature bucks don't like much disturbance. You may be right about good bucks not bedding in an ATV-disturbed area. They might just love your thicker cover though!

 

[TreeDaddy]

We all have a different perspective based upon experiences in our own area. I worked hard to get fields of nwsg - they ended up being a big nothing. No animal I know of uses them on a regular basis - here. I am having success converting some nwsg to pollinator and the deer usage is much increased. Within that open ground of nwsg, I have about ten acres I planted in beans for a few years - the deer swarmed them in the summer - I like the protein for both the bucks and does. They ate the beans in fall. It was a win - until they started eating the beans shortly after they came up and I could no longer grow them.

But, I think the reason nwsg was so ineffective is cover is everywhere in this country. That is the least needed component of habitat here. Food is king - it gets them out of cover. There is one row crop farm in the county. If it was on my ground - planting the field in food would be a no brainer - especially if I didnt have to do it and it cut down maintaining 30 acres of field. At my place - fields are high maintenance - the fields see the surrounding woods and that is what they try to be - the fields want to be woods - and it is a job keeping the fields from becoming woods.

Open fields/plots left alone are Sweetgum/elm magnets in east texas

Gotta keep em mulched, mowed ,or burned

bill

 

[SwampCat]

Open fields/plots left alone are Sweetgum/elm magnets in east texas

Gotta keep em mulched, mowed ,or burned

bill

I have calcareous soil in SW AR - high PH. Persimmon, honey locust, and cedar is what likes my ground

 

[MN Slick]

Is the subject area preferred bedding for mature bucks and/or does? If so, I'd leave it as is for sure.

 

[Native Hunter]

Is the subject area preferred bedding for mature bucks and/or does? If so, I'd leave it as is for sure.

Some of it is bedding in the fall but not all year long. Since my land is gently rolling, deer will bed about anywhere. I see beds scattered everywhere. I think the deer would just move over a little from the crops.

 

[Native Hunter]

I’ve not posted much lately but have been doing lots of work outside. I have cleaned up storm debris and trimmed all my roads. I also have my field mowing finished, and I’m close to having shooting lanes cleared.

This is a good fruit year. Most all my trees are loaded up. I believe the deer below is the old mainframe 8 I’ve passed the last 3 years. Just shows that age can change things.











My plans to sell this big walnut log and buy NVDA fell through when it turned out to be hollow.

 

[BenA]

That buck has some impressive growth, and isn't close to being finished with those big, bulbed ends!

 

[Native Hunter]

That buck has some impressive growth, and isn't close to being finished with those big, bulbed ends!

Thanks Ben. I agree that he could be nice.

 

[omicron1792]

I’ve not posted much lately but have been doing lots of work outside. I have cleaned up storm debris and trimmed all my roads. I also have my field mowing finished, and I’m close to having shooting lanes cleared.

This is a good fruit year. Most all my trees are loaded up. I believe the deer below is the old mainframe 8 I’ve passed the last 3 years. Just shows that age can change things.

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My plans to sell this big walnut log and buy NVDA fell through when it turned out to be hollow.
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Love seeing this native.

You decide on switching some native to ag yet?

 

[Native Hunter]

Love seeing this native.

You decide on switching some native to ag yet?

I’m still considering it. It definitely won’t be this year, so I have time to think about it more.

 

[Mortenson]

Sorry about the big tree. Maybe could get a quarter sawn gun blank from it still? Leave it to you to have an early June giant buck throw junk conveniently for tooln's meat cleaver contest.

 

[Native Hunter]

Sorry about the big tree. Maybe could get a quarter sawn gun blank from it still? Leave it to you to have an early June giant buck throw junk conveniently for tooln's meat cleaver contest.

I had a deal with a guy that we would each get a percentage of the walnut log if he would cut it and take it to market. When it turned out like it did, I decided to just give him my part. He is a good fellow, and I didn't want him to end up losing money on the deal. He was very appreciative of it.

The beech tree went down in dad's yard, and me and him cut it up and drug it off into the woods.

 

[Native Hunter]

 

[goatman]

Nice buck Native. I find myself looking at bodies first then rack these days. You have got me using a few Gardepro and I like them. I'm going to try their cell cam next. One on the way. Us ole Reconyx guys are hard to change. Hard to believe how much it has changed since homebrew cams.

 

[Native Hunter]

Nice buck Native. I find myself looking at bodies first then rack these days. You have got me using a few Gardepro and I like them. I'm going to try their cell cam next. One on the way. Us ole Reconyx guys are hard to change. Hard to believe how much it has changed since homebrew cams.

Thanks goatman. That is so true. My first cam used film rolls. It took one picture of a doe, locked up and never worked again. When I finally started using Reconyx it was like living on another planet. I don’t think the cheap cams will last as long as our old HC600s, but they do a pretty good job for the money.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Those Gaurdpro pics are impressive Steve!
I may have to pick up a couple of those!!!

In reference to your hollow walnut! I had a real good friend buy a farm that was loaded with nice white oaks. He has bought, logged and sold allot of places and this place looked to be next level! His logger started in on the timber and 75% of the trees were hollowed out.... He pulled the plug on logging it. Trees all looked healthy! You just never know! I have heard of loggers hitting them with a sledge to determine whether solid or hollow. But all the loggers I know are near deaf from running saws and equipment

 

[Bowsnbucks]

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Pics are really clear, Native. Looks like another good year coming, judging from that buck. You have it rough .....

 

[Native Hunter]

Checked Cams at my 20 acre place this morning. This looks promising: