Creating benches

[hillHuntR]

I see the same thing as j-bird. Some beds on benches but beds usually on higher and better vantage points. Love the benches for concentrating deer travel on a steep slope though. I personally wouldn't make them on purpose though as others have said

 

[wiscwhip]

Did I confuse you? I was just trying to explain that my woods is a an exaggerated horseshoe and as you go out from it to the North it levels off so there is no South facing slope looking back at my North slope as Phil was commenting. There is a South facing slope on the other side of the ridge. Not sure if that clears it up or not.

So if you are standing at the top of the ridge looking down the slope, you are actually facing E/NE, correct? Only you can answer this next question,"How will putting in this "bench area" for bedding affect the huntability of the rest of the ridge to the west and the valley area to the E/NE?" I think there is a good possibility deer will bed there, given they can face east and see down into the valley and they will have the west wind blowing over the ridge and down to there locations, it makes sense that they would possibly use that location for bedding. On the other hand, if you have already hinged the whole ridgetop, and you are planning on cutting the valley, the benches on the slope may just be a novelty more than an actual improvement to your current setup? They could just as well choose to bed down the center of that ridgetop in the hinged area? The big question is, do the benches make it more huntable or less huntable with the other habitat improvements you are making? Give it some thought and do a sort of "cost benefit analysis" in your head as to whether or not this holds true value for your property. There are ways to curb the erosion issues if it appears to be an issue, so that can be dealt with on a reasonable scale if needed.

 

[shawnv]

So if you are standing at the top of the ridge looking down the slope, you are actually facing E/NE, correct? Only you can answer this next question,"How will putting in this "bench area" for bedding affect the huntability of the rest of the ridge to the west and the valley area to the E/NE?" I think there is a good possibility deer will bed there, given they can face east and see down into the valley and they will have the west wind blowing over the ridge and down to there locations, it makes sense that they would possibly use that location for bedding. On the other hand, if you have already hinged the whole ridgetop, and you are planning on cutting the valley, the benches on the slope may just be a novelty more than an actual improvement to your current setup? They could just as well choose to bed down the center of that ridgetop in the hinged area? The big question is, do the benches make it more huntable or less huntable with the other habitat improvements you are making? Give it some thought and do a sort of "cost benefit analysis" in your head as to whether or not this holds true value for your property. There are ways to curb the erosion issues if it appears to be an issue, so that can be dealt with on a reasonable scale if needed.

1) Yes, you are facing E/NE.

2) The back area is sanctuary all except for the gun opener where I am sit and watch the bedding area so if I made a bench it would not affect how I hunt it during any other time and I never hunt down in the bowl. 99% of the time the bucks travel either 5yds inside the timber at the top or 5yds outside of the timber in the overgrown field where I will be planting Norways heading East so I only push it as far as the Edge up top because I can cover it all.

3) My woods is pretty small so I'm thinking about ways I can maximize bedding options. It sure could be a novelty or maybe say overkill, thus one reason why I posted the thread and see what anyone might have for input about it.

4) They already are bedding on the top where is has been hinged but maybe 2-3 deer use it at any given time. Now the population is increasing so I expect more usage so I'm trying to do what I can to accommodate that. What I hinge this year should expand what I had hinged by about 1/3.

The problem right now is that the far West side is usually not holding bucks and does at the same time, it's one or the other on any given day so I think I just need to give the each a little more space and I was thinking adding a bench could help with that because they are not bedding on the slope at all right now. The ridge point in the center of my property seems to be holding both most of the time so I'm happy with that other than expanding that some too. Between the two ridge points is where I hinged where there is a little hump and deer bed there now too but only until the leaves are gone. Once clear cut I think that spot will be used quite a bit.

Ultimately what I would to like to see is each ridge point being able to hold a doe group and a buck on any given day and maximize the frequency that area is used by whatever number of deer that may be. When things do click it's easy to catch a buck transitioning between the two points running the top past my stands.

 

[wiscwhip]

How hard is that north line hunted?

 

[shawnv]

It's not hunted at all, neighbor just moves his cattle in there late August.

 

[wiscwhip]

IF I were going to do it I would try something like the pink areas. 3 or 4 smaller benches, 20' to 30' long and approximately the width of a dozer blade(6' to 8'). Ring it with conifers on the uphill(west) side.



Your other option would be to have them do the whole length, at least that way if they didn't use it for bedding, they could at least use it as a travel lane from the north line to the main east/west ridgetop, similar to what you drew.

 

[shawnv]

In the case of making smaller pockets a trackhoe might do better job of it where I could just scrap enough dirt to make a flat point. Good stuff to think about.

 

[wiscwhip]

That would be a good option shawn, if you have access to one. One thing about the smaller areas, you will have far less issues with erosion if you do small areas. A full length cut will start to erode far more quickly and severely than small sections with natural growth between them.

 

[Fall guy]

Are there natural deer trails along the upper 1/3 of that hillside?

Most areas in Bluff Country have been logged so good chance benches exist. I have found you can identify some by viewing on Wisconsin Historical Aerial Image Finder
http://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/#

As wiscwhip noted they will bed on these .First pic is on old bench I identified via historical maps on my own property.
Once identified I just clean up a little and they will get used for travel and occasionally bedding although points seem to rule.

Below is example property I was just scouting last week and was able to walk right in on high deer use area.
Current Aerial that I confirmed benches and pic from 1938 that showed location (pink dots were doe beds, yellow lines benches)
.

 

[shawnv]

"“Are there natural deer trails along the upper 1/3 of that hillside?"

The deer right now travel through the center or just on the edge of where it crests on the back ridge. If they dip down into the hollow they are pinched along the North line.

 

[NYHUNTER]

Hi guys at our place we have a south facing slope that has a bench(real old logging road)that travels east to west just below top of the ridge there is a bedding area on each end it is about 300 yds long.Mature bucks love cruising it during the rut from one end to the otherit is my go to when im not getting much action anywhere else especially first week in November

 

[NYHUNTER]

I have never had much luck with deer bedding along it but there is also not much cover on it maybe i should work on that

 

[shawnv]

I have never had much luck with deer bedding along it but there is also not much cover on it maybe i should work on that

I for sure would consider it as long as it's still huntable with them bedding there.

 

[wiscwhip]

Small clusters of conifers on any spots that are a bit wider or flatter than the surrounding areas will help your cause.

 

[j-bird]

This is the bench on my place from a few different angles. The deer use is but only bed on the knolls on the west end of it and NOT the bench itself. I am standing at the east end of the bench and facing west. to the right on top is a 30' CRP strip and then corn field, to the left and down the slope is another 120' CRP strip and then corn field. You can see the deer trail in the snow.




Here is a closer view of the knolls that the deer bed on at the west end of the bench. Still facing west.



This is the view from the knolls - its easy to see why the deer choose these as the view is great for detecting danger. I have seen many of these same trait where I find deer beds. It has some back cover, elevated and typically a view and the more cover the better.


The slope is south facing and is why much of it doesn't have snow while the flat area still have snow on them.

 

[wiscwhip]

Get a few small group clusters of 4 to 7 conifers growing along there and on the knoll! If they already bed there, it will only increase the likelihood that they continue to do so as the hardwoods mature and will help them during inclement weather as well.

 

[j-bird]

Get a few small group clusters of 4 to 7 conifers growing along there and on the knoll! If they already bed there, it will only increase the likelihood that they continue to do so as the hardwoods mature and will help them during inclement weather as well.

I need to do some hinging in the area and I have considered planting some cedar or spruce in there as well. The timber was logged a few years ago to get the real big stuff out, but I have only hinged the edges thus far. I have a few nice oaks along this slope as well. It's mainly a travel corridor but those knolls always have beds on them - it's a doe group, but it's deer! I have a trail mowed at the base of the slope between the CRP and hardwoods that they follow real well. The bench is so small it doesn't how up on any topo and I just find it interesting as much as folks talk about benches how they don't use mine, but use these knolls - simply because the view is better. Now I'm not is real rough country either so maybe that reduces the importance of the bench - I don't know.

All I know the deer here seem to like that "military crest" and a room with a view (that typically involves some sort of elevation).

 

[sandbur]

Are those 30 foot CRP strips a common thing?

Being a flatlander, I question if it is worth the paperwork and government influence.

 

[j-bird]

Are those 30 foot CRP strips a common thing?

Being a flatlander, I question if it is worth the paperwork and government influence.

I'm a flat lander myself. This slope is the only real elevation change on this end of my property. It's simply a transition from an upland type of area to a floodplain. Most of this area is flat row crop field. Are they common? Not so much in my area. Most folks in my area want to maximize every inch of soil with row crops. As such fence rows are gone, and wildlife buffers are nearly non-existent. My place sits between two branches of a decent sized stream and thus creates some elevation changes but not enough to even characterize as "rolling".

My "lowest habitat hole" is cover. So once I was able I started looking into expanding habitat cover without sacrificing monetary income. The only CRP programs that fit what I needed both required "no saplings" and ranged from 30' wide minimum to 120" wide maximum. By enrolling I added 15 acres of cover - and increase of 10 to 15%. I break about even between CRP payments and what the cash rental rate would be. So I ain't shooting myself in the foot financially AND improve my habitat for deer and other critters. The paperwork is minimal and I burn, mow or strip disc 1/3 of the acreage every year. The 30' wide areas function more as screens, while the areas that are 120' tend to actually get some bedding and then create a buffer from my hardwood cover to my plots.

By implementing the CRP field buffers I increased the depth of cover aspect of the area pictured with good stem density. As such the area pictured went from simply a travel area and now it actually is getting some bedding - which is a good thing as the area in the picture is much closer to the central area of my property while most of the other cover options I have are near the property lines.

My timber harvest and implementing my CRP buffers have been the two best things I have done to expand and improve the stem density and cover aspect on my property. I wish many more folks would implement CRP field buffers in my area - but traditionally farmers in my area see these programs as "farmer welfare" and as such tend to shy away from them unless they have an area that is just terrible for row crops.

CRP as it applies to me may not fit well for others.

I can go into even more depth if you want, but this thread is about benches. If your interested in my CRP story send me a PM and I'll make a thread about it in more detail - the biggest thing is that CRP is different for different states - I typically just tell people to check with their local NRCS office to see what is available to them.

 

[sandbur]

Thanks, J. I have not heard any of my farmers talk about CRP field buffers. It is all of the field or none.