Constantly Evolving

[trampledbyturtles]

As the page turns closer to 2019. An the winter season closes upon us. I wanted to open up a discussion an take a look back. To find out how everyone advanced an evolved as a land manager/outdoorsman/hunter over the previous 11 months.

Knowledge is power
I find some of best lessons are learned through trial an error. An I know I had plenty of both this season.

Everyone on this board is in a different stage of growth on their journey.

If someone can pick up one bit of info to apply going into the new year, then the evolution continues.

 

[Boll Weevil]

It was re-reinforced that with land management, most projects (and the associated improvements) almost always take longer than anticipated. Don't get in a hurry as there's really no point; it only serves as a potential source of aggravation. Ma'Nature moves at her very own pace and there's little we can do to hurry things along.

 

[Tap]

The entire concept of tree saddles, climbing methods and platform options that go along with saddles is the single best thing that's happened to me as a hunter for in the last 20 years. Saddles have reignited a fire in me that's started to wane over the last dozen years. Being in a tree, or tinkering and improving my gear has become as fun as it was when I was in my early bowhunting life.

I've taken my understanding of wind to a new level.
Going back slightly longer than 11 months, I would say that hearing about the weather website Windy.com 2 seasons ago has allowed the lightbulb to finally go off for me when it comes to really starting to understand wind patterns. I've used milkweed for a long, long time and I thought I was paying close, almost obsessed, attention to wind forecasts on some other web sites. But it wasn't until I watched the Windy.com animation of prevailing wind over the topo map on their website, and I then compared the actual surface wind behavior to the prevailing wind and boom!!...so many things made sense all of the sudden. I used to think the prevailing wind forecasts were often wrong. They weren't wrong. The prevailing winds were doing what the meteorologists said it was doing. But it was the surface winds that didn't always jive. I coupled my experience of reading whitewater to wind-eddy patterns and it was a huge eye opener. If I would have got that lesson through my thick skull years ago, I can promise you some bucks I wanted wouldn't have made a fool of me.

A habitat lesson that has been sinking in for a few years now, but finally hit home for real, was the need to be able to identify plants on my property when they 1st appear. The amount of labor and effort I now spend trying to eradicate things like Mile-a-Minute and Oriental Bittersweet is due to me not knowing what they were when they first showed up. Instead of doing constructive projects, or fishing, or sitting on the porch with a beer, I'm out in the jungle fighting invasive crap.

 

[H20fwler]

A little bit of triple 10 or triple 13 is a good thing...to much is not. Chestnuts do not like triple anything!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I've learned that land management & habitat improvements are not "set-it-and-forget-it". Woods, fields, meadows & swamps are constantly growing and changing. Those are natural processes, and we must adapt to those by shifting our efforts as nature works along her set path. As Boll Weevil said above, you can't rush things or you'll just be frustrated.

Look at the big picture in your locale. See what your situation is, what nature has given you, and make smart decisions based on those starting points. One question that's vital is - how much sun does the area get that you want to improve ?? Ample sun vs. more shade will dictate what actions you should take & what things to plant. Wetter soil - or dryer ?? What critters do you have that may eat / rub / otherwise destroy what you plant ?? Are the things you want to plant native to your area / climate ?? Doing plenty of research, asking local state agencies ( forestry, ag, county extensions ), and universities can save loads of time, money and labor.

One thing I learned ( and I mentioned on a thread about spruce planting ), is to plan for caging some things you plant. After losing some evergreens to deer nipping & rubbing, I've concluded that the only way to insure a plant will survive to become established is to cage it. The evergreens I plant now I categorize as "hopes" or "locks". Trees I want to definitely survive - "locks" - I cage. The others are the ones I "hope" will make it. Unless one has unlimited $$$ and time - you can't cage 'em all !!

Take notes and be organized. Being your own record-keeper pays dividends. Make maps and lists of what you plant and where. Having bears - we do - makes this a necessity. Lessons learned from which food plot plants do well and which ones don't saves headaches.

Early training of apple trees for branch structure makes life easier a few years down the road.

 

[scott44]

I've learned that most of my projects have taken longer than I thought they would to see results. I've learned to be patient, screens take time, thickening bedding areas takes time.

 

[j-bird]

The only thing I see from year to year is how nothing stays the same. Last year we saw very few deer...this year was much better. We didn't take a single female deer this year so hopefully next year will be even better yet AND we can take a doe or 2 if needed. I also see how deer react to what I have done...and like was mentioned above...it tends to take time. I am finally seeing some use of my turnips...after several years of planting. However I think this use is coming because my corn plots are terrible (I will never waste my time with conventional corn again). So again it re-enforces my concept that the deer didn't eat them before because other..."better" options where to be had. I also see where some stands worked out while others need to change. The other thing I see is that as much as I love to gun hunt...planting oaks and fruit trees is good for the habitat, but has very little impact on my hunting...because those foods are long gone by the time I can hunt with a gun in my hand. I also see how the use of a rifle has changed the game a little bit over our previous seasons of being limited to smaller rifles or slug guns....being able to reach 150 to 200 yards with a high powered rifle vs 100 yards when your hunting large crop fields can make a big difference.

 

[roymunson]

1. Trail Cam Placement on trails is not as simple as hanging it and pointing it where you want it. Up and out of the face of a deer goes a long way. We watched too many deer walking a trail, only to have them duck behind a camera, then re-emerge on the trail on the other side. Had cameras on scrapes, and when the buck was walking "into" the camera, we'd get 1 pic, when he was on the scrap with the camera to his back, he's stay a while and we'd get multiple pics.

2. Set up your stands so that you can hunt deer as they're navigating your food plot. Hunt the trails that the big buck uses to wind check bedding and food, not the bedding and food itself. Everyone loves a lush, leafy throw n mow, but unless its super early or super late in the year, how many big bucks come out and stumble thru the middle of your food plots? Set them up so you can hunt the buck as he's wind checking hte plots.

No brainers, but those are 2 of the things that are easy to lose track of when you have big sexy food plots

 

[Telemark]

Wow, where to begin....

My awareness/knowledge/experience with habitat has grown exponentially. A lot of hard-learned lessons. Had a freakishly dry summer and lost most of my apple trees. I will just have to plant more. I learned a lot about TSI, and that is my focus next year after planting apple trees. Luckily I have a lot of land to work with, and it is more diverse than I originally realized. Despite my setbacks, I am more enthusiastic than ever, but my expectations have been tempered. I need to plan more, follow my plan, and be reasonable with my timeline. And I need to rent or buy a tractor.

I learned a lot about wind and scent control. This is one theme I will focus on more between now and next season.

I want to express my deepest thanks to this community and its contributors. This place is an invaluable resource for habitat and hunting information/wisdom.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

All good stuff so far

Learned a couple hunting leasons the hard way this season from one strange hunt.

Just because a hunt starts bad, dosnt mean it can't finish with a bang, don't hang your head, always stay positive that something can happen at any moment.

1. Had a perfect weather day an kicked a target buck out of his bed on the walk in.
Was not thrilled.

2. Always make sure your phone is on silent...
was walking into the stand using onX to make sure I was on my target line. Well, was putting it back in my pocket and must of bumped the side volume button... Dang thing goes off on what sounds like full blast as a doe an fawn are walking directly under the stand. Wish I could describe the look they had on their faces. Moral of the story, always screen lock your phone before it goes back into the pocket.

3. Stay calm when the moment arises...
Had just done a light tickling sequence on the horns (figured I had nothing to lose at this point). An a spike walked under an past the stand. 30 seconds later a nice deer runs out of the tree line harassing some does then back out of sight (within 80 yards). In a panic I grabbed the horns an crashed them together for a quick 5-6 seconds. Realized a few soft grunts would have been the smart thing to do, cause the buck reappeared an proceeded to head back to where he came from.

4. Trim a shooting lane on the side you don't think they will come from...
Turns out 5 min later he showed back up. Dead down wind of my stand entrance.
10 yards, with a n assortment of plum branches covering his vitals.

Wish I could have that buck back...

Alot of small things that might seem elementary, until they jump up an slap you in the face, then I seem to take notice.

Always hear you learn more from your failures than your successes. Dang true this year. Ha

 

[Scott S]

The entire concept of tree saddles, climbing methods and platform options that go along with saddles is the single best thing that's happened to me as a hunter for in the last 20 years. Saddles have reignited a fire in me that's started to wane over the last dozen years. Being in a tree, or tinkering and improving my gear has become as fun as it was when I was in my early bowhunting life.

I've taken my understanding of wind to a new level.
Going back slightly longer than 11 months, I would say that hearing about the weather website Windy.com 2 seasons ago has allowed the lightbulb to finally go off for me when it comes to really starting to understand wind patterns. I've used milkweed for a long, long time and I thought I was paying close, almost obsessed, attention to wind forecasts on some other web sites. But it wasn't until I watched the Windy.com animation of prevailing wind over the topo map on their website, and I then compared the actual surface wind behavior to the prevailing wind and boom!!...so many things made sense all of the sudden. I used to think the prevailing wind forecasts were often wrong. They weren't wrong. The prevailing winds were doing what the meteorologists said it was doing. But it was the surface winds that didn't always jive. I coupled my experience of reading whitewater to wind-eddy patterns and it was a huge eye opener. If I would have got that lesson through my thick skull years ago, I can promise you some bucks I wanted wouldn't have made a fool of me.

A habitat lesson that has been sinking in for a few years now, but finally hit home for real, was the need to be able to identify plants on my property when they 1st appear. The amount of labor and effort I now spend trying to eradicate things like Mile-a-Minute and Oriental Bittersweet is due to me not knowing what they were when they first showed up. Instead of doing constructive projects, or fishing, or sitting on the porch with a beer, I'm out in the jungle fighting invasive crap.

I wish I could like this post more than once. I had never heard of windy.com. I just checked it out and I absolutely love it.

A million thanks.

 

[Bill]

Literally just had the best season I’ve ever had. I killed the biggest deer of my life. Didn’t post it but my brother also killed the biggest of His life
And it was within inches of the deer I killed score wise and location of kill.

I’m pretty certain I could make up a grand story and send some pics to a magazine and get published. But it would just be magazine hero B.S. and just further add to making my play ground more like Pike county.
No thanks!

Our youth hunter scored a good one and my son who got exactly 4.5 days to hunt took a 4 or 5 year old heavy 8.
100% success!

I should be patting myself on the back about how I’ve got this all figured out.

But that’s not the case!

I tagged out in mid September and from then on I didn’t hunt but was present for “All” hunts on the farm. It was eye opening to just observe and not be out there obsessing over getting it done.

What I learned is I don’t really know crap about killing mature deer!

Some farms have shooters show up only during the rut. Some places have shooters until the rut. I just figured out I have shooters until the rut. But some may come home or drift by during the rut. That’s been keeping us waiting for the rut so things can turn on. You know, like everything We’ve always read and learned.

Not the case at my place. Kill them before October 15... or Hope and pray that it works like we’ve been taught.

If not and if a good one makes it, kill him late season. That’s what I learned about my farm.

Other locations may be completely different. And this is a new theory:)

But I agree with a recent thread. “I hate the rut”.

 

[Bill]

From a habitat stand point I learned a few years ago, forget about your projects working as planned.

I’ve spent years going gang busters only to be disappointed when things failed.

Life got much easier when I slowed down and found joy in just trying to accomplish something.

 

[Tap]

I wish I could like this post more than once. I had never heard of windy.com. I just checked it out and I absolutely love it.

A million thanks.

You betcha Scott!
That site is the best site I've found for wind analysis.
We could have a separate thread just discussing it.

 

[bigbendmarine]

For those that might get the reference, afraid mine might come across like SNL's "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" that aired back in the day...

If you don't have hogs and you think you want them, YOU'RE WRONG. Quickly confess any / all past sins you've committed, sin no more, and pray God doesn't send a pair of hogs your way.

When working with contractors on any project, you've got 3 pieces of pie to weigh... quality, cost, and speed. The worst contractors might not even give you a single piece of pie you like. Mediocre ones might give you one good piece of pie. If you're lucky even GOOD contractors only can give you any 2 of the 3 you want as getting all 3 is rare... so pick the best contractors you can find and IN ADVANCE CHOOSE WHICH TWO YOU MOST WANT.

Weeds aesthetically bother us humans WAY more than they bother wild game. Granted I'm in Florida but here some provide browse, some are used for bedding, and some are capable of standing tall enough to serve as security travel cover. If you can't beat them (or don't have the time and inclination to do so) at least aim at using them as strategically as you can.

Clover is a gift from God.

Unless you've got tons of land management under your belt when you first buy a piece of property spend about a year getting to know it / see how game interacts with it through the seasons before rushing to enact changes. Then with an appreciation that if you're blessed to own it long enough / live long enough it's a marathon to improve it and not a sprint, act on items such a tree plantings first before moving on to items that might show faster results. Most trees grow slowly and you want to give them all the time you can.

With the caveat to NOT RUSH TO DO ANYTHING for a year or so while learning your property, once you actually get started on land management understand perfection will be tough to ever reach / the land will change on you as time goes by and some projects will succeed more than others. Appreciate imperfect progress beats postponed perfection, start toying with changes as time allows, learn from them, and whenever possible "fail faster and succeed sooner". I've employed that last one OFTEN in the business world... hire someone that proves to be a BAD apple, QUICKLY replace them with a GOOD apple and move forward versus fighting with failure until you can't take it anymore and in the meantime it drags all your efforts the wrong way.

 

[Bill]

I've employed that last one OFTEN in the business world... hire someone that proves to be a BAD apple, QUICKLY replace them with a GOOD apple and move forward versus fighting with failure until you can't take it anymore and in the meantime it drags all your efforts the wrong way.

Very off topic but I used to be amazed at how many didn't take this route in the business world. When I ran a company I was often though of a a prick because I had no problem letting people know that firing people was my strong suit.

Very early in my career I was faced with the daunting task of firing someone for the first time. A very special mentor, who could have done it for me but didn't, explained that while yes you were ruining a single someone's day you were also saving many others jobs and increasing their chances of future success. Once that concept sunk in, clipping a weak link was easy.

 

[JFK52]

2. Always make sure your phone is on silent...
was walking into the stand using onX to make sure I was on my target line. Well, was putting it back in my pocket and must of bumped the side volume button... Dang thing goes off on what sounds like full blast as a doe an fawn are walking directly under the stand. Wish I could describe the look they had on their faces. Moral of the story, always screen lock your phone before it goes back into the pocket.

This is one pre hunt task that has become a standard part of the check list at my deer camp. We mostly text each other while in stands and the sound of a ringing cell phone at exactly the wrong moment would be upsetting. Mine vibrates and the green light flashes which is plenty to alert me to an incoming text.

 

[Tap]

2. Always make sure your phone is on silent...
was walking into the stand using onX to make sure I was on my target line. Well, was putting it back in my pocket and must of bumped the side volume button... Dang thing goes off on what sounds like full blast as a doe an fawn are walking directly under the stand. Wish I could describe the look they had on their faces. Moral of the story, always screen lock your phone before it goes back into the pocket.

This is one pre hunt task that has become a standard part of the check list at my deer camp. We mostly text each other while in stands and the sound of a ringing cell phone at exactly the wrong moment would be upsetting. Mine vibrates and the green light flashes which is plenty to alert me to an incoming text.

I changed my ringtone to a recording of a flock of turkeys. I don't worry about silencing my "ring" in the woods anymore.
When I use to silence it, I always worried that if I dropped it, I couldn't just locate it by calling with another phone. I dropped it while running my tractor in my plot last summer. All I could think of was the possibility that I ran it over. It was quite comforting when I dialed my number with my wife's phone and heard "turkeys" in my plot. Lol.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[pinetag14]

This is my first year of actually doing habitat work since I've always hunted with a club on leased land. I've learned a ton from this site and deerhunterforum about property layout, stand access, plant identification, soil, playing the wind, food plots, and too many more to list.
#1. Probably the biggest thing I learned is things always take longer than you think. Almost every single project/task took me twice as long to complete as I had planned out in my head, with the exception of some small hinge cuts.
#2. Playing the wind is much more difficult than I thought. I've heard folks talk about using milkweed seeds to help identify your scent cone and show you where your scent actually goes while in the stand. Well I didn't use milkweed seeds but I did take cotton balls and pull them apart and stuff them in a ziploc bag. It works the same way so if you pull a tiny, feathery piece off and let it fly, you can see where scent cone is truly going. There were a couple instances where I actually got down early because the wind shifted enough to carry my scent in an unfavorable direction. I would have never done that in the past.

I look forward to learning many new things in the future and improving my habitat based on all the great advice provided by this forum!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Easy one for me. As a hunter I have pledged to start using lifelines in my ladder stands next year.

Besides that, while I often bemoan my poor soils, total lack of acorns, low deer density and lack of old bucks, reading and participating in this forum reminds me, as a land manager and hunter and outdoorsman, how much I have to be thankful for. I am thankful I don't have hogs and/or wolves. I am thankful I don't have any trespassing issues. I am thankful for a fairly consistent prevailing west wind. I am thankful I can walk out my back door and still hunt all day and never see another hunter or even a boot print in the snow. Thankful for good joints and muscles...for good stamina and eye sight....good hearing and.....a GREAT wife who lets me disappear every mid October to end of November to pursue whitetails.