Extreme Deer Habitat E-Book

[nrowles]

Is anyone aware of this e-book and what are your thoughts? Do you have any other literature suggestions based on my info below? There are a couple pictures of my property at end.

If you are not aware of my other thread created a few days ago requesting input into my plan, I have 13 acres of plantation pine with house built on it with a 2 acre finger of very thick young hardwoods to the north. The pine is pretty mature and has absolutely no undergrowth. I'm glad I made the post on here because now I am taking a new direction. I think I may buy the e-book Extreme Deer Habitat but I'm not sure how effective it will be for my situation. The first half of the book seems it could be informative, especially the Micro Property Design chapter, but many of the following chapters have to do with hinge cutting and the trees that you have on your property. Most of what I can see has to do with hardwoods and I would think the only thing hinge cutting could do for me is cover since hinged pines provide no other benefit.

It is only $20 so I will probably just go and get it, but wanted to check in here first if anybody was aware of another book that may be more beneficial given my situation, most specifically the small acreage.

 

[j-bird]

I don't know about in a e-book format but Jeff Sturgis book whitetail success by design is a good read. You will have to adapt some of the topics to your pines. I also am expecting Steve bartylla new book from Santa that should be good as well.

 

[nrowles]

I don't know about in a e-book format but Jeff Sturgis book whitetail success by design is a good read. You will have to adapt some of the topics to your pines. I also am expecting Steve bartylla new book from Santa that should be good as well.

ok thanks. E-Book is not a requirement, that's just the only format that book is offered.

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

I bought the e book last year and found it very informative. I considered it a good investment. I just re read it last week.

Like anything else take what you can from it an apply what makes sense for your situation.

 

[bueller]

I think someone mentioned Grow Em Right by Neil and Craig Dougherty to you in another thread. I received the same recommendation a couple years ago and after reading it I feel it's a must read for anyone new to owning and/or improving a deer property.

 

[Booner21]

I loved the ebook format, I am a very big visual learner and during the book you click on a hyper link and it brings you to videos showing exactly what he is describing. Definately worth the investment I have read it through twice

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[MoBuckChaser]

Just making sure you know that evergreens can't be hinged and survive?

They ain't evergreens, but I have had some success hinging ER cedars here in Missouri. About a 40% rate. The only reason I hinge them is if they are too thick or are crowding a mast tree. I cut above the lowest bottom branches. So if the hinge does not work, the tree will still stay alive!

 

[rocksnstumps]

I think someone mentioned Grow Em Right by Neil and Craig Dougherty to you in another thread. I received the same recommendation a couple years ago and after reading it I feel it's a must read for anyone new to owning and/or improving a deer property.

This book has been out for quite awhile and likely can be checked out from your local library network. Can always buy a copy later for a reference if you want.

 

[UP Powers]

Just making sure you know that evergreens can't be hinged and survive?

hmm I have had decent success with some Balsams. full hinge?? No.. 3/4 leaner..... yea decent. they eventually start to get closer to the ground.

I feel that cutting some lower branches under some balsams making a (my kids call it a fort) deer bed inside the balsams and hinging around it for visual barriers seems to work for me.

 

[Lee Haakenson]

I have the extreme habitat ebook as well as Jeff Sturgis books. I like Jeffs books (whitetail success by design and mature buck success by design). The extreme deer habitat is alright but does put a heavy emphasis on alot of hingecut cover. With Jeffs approach, there are alot of habitat managment ideas without wrecking your woods. I followed Jeffs hunting strategies starting this year and killed my biggest buck in 18 years, in 5 hunts. His methods do work well.

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[nrowles]

For those of you that are recommending other books, do they provide good information on habitat for micro properties? Mine is only 15 acres, of which my house is situated taking up a couple acres and I have a 2 acre "finger". I also want to keep a good barrier on the south side due to the neighbor living there. So I'm really only looking at maybe 5 acres to work with. That is my biggest problem. Even if I had 30 acres it would be so much easier to provide food and bedding on the same property.

Just making sure you know that evergreens can't be hinged and survive?

I am aware and that's why I said as far as I know it would not provide any benefit other than bedding.

I think someone mentioned Grow Em Right by Neil and Craig Dougherty to you in another thread.

Yes you are correct. That thread had me going haywire so forgot about that recommendation.

They ain't evergreens, but I have had some success hinging ER cedars here in Missouri. About a 40% rate. The only reason I hinge them is if they are too thick or are crowding a mast tree. I cut above the lowest bottom branches. So if the hinge does not work, the tree will still stay alive!

Would you agree though that my plantation/jack pine cannot be hinged and stay alive? Even if they could, what would the benefit of keeping that type of tree alive benefit? Continued bushy cover?

hmm I have had decent success with some Balsams. full hinge?? No.. 3/4 leaner..... yea decent. they eventually start to get closer to the ground.

I feel that cutting some lower branches under some balsams making a (my kids call it a fort) deer bed inside the balsams and hinging around it for visual barriers seems to work for me.

Interesting. I may be able to utilize this or similar concept.

 

[Lee Haakenson]

Yes, Jeff Sturgis books are geared towards smaller acerage parcels. It doesnt hurt to read books from several authors and employ a mix of tactics.

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[Lee Haakenson]

You may not get alot of bucks bedding on small acerage close to the house, but some cover and late summer/hunting season food sources will keep doe groups around. The bucks will cruise thru during the rut if you have does bedding. Just limit any hunting pressure until cold fronts and ideal winds. I dont head to my stand until the last weekend of october. Hunter pressure will be #1 on a property that size, followed by a balance of food & cover. Also with limited acerage, i wouldnt worry about feeding deer jan thru july.

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[MoBuckChaser]

On small properties we concentrate on creating doe bedding. get that accomplished and the bucks HAVE to show up at some point! Bucks and does bedding on small properties almost never happen so don't fret it!

 

[UP Powers]

On small properties we concentrate on creating doe bedding. get that accomplished and the bucks HAVE to show up at some point! Bucks and does bedding on small properties almost never happen so don't fret it!

thats kinda my thought... make it decent, have the food, make some paths. they seem to walk the paths, set up on those routes based upon wind.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Your property certainly has some challenges. I forgot if you mentioned this in your other thread, but what are the prevailing winds?

I am on small acreage too...though not quite as small as 5 acres. I have found the Sturgis books and the Dougherty book very helpful. I also really enjoy a book called Quality Food Plots by Kammermeyer and Miller and Ultimate Food Plots by Ed Spinazola. The latter has much info about the creation of small hidey hole plots with basic hand tools.

I'll throw this out there. I wonder if on your property you might be best to do a long narrow plot? Sturgis is a big advocate of this design for small acreage. A narrow meandering plot gives you lots of edge habitat (which deer love) and many places to hunt. A long narrow plot is easy to access via parallel entry routes which reduce accidental deer encounters. Long narrows plots tend to make deer feel more safe and secure and they might tend to enter them during daylight hours. Long narrow plots also facilitate the movement of deer through the plot and past your stand, thereby reducing the chance they will loiter and end up busting you or trapping you in your stand for hours after dark as they feed.

A few guys suggested a plot near your house. How about a relatively larger plot near your house...plant your apples on the edge of this plot...and then a narrow plot that leads from that clearing you already have (I'd make it a bit bigger and plant some apples) to the new plot near the house? 30 yards wide? Lots of corners? Then do some edge feathering along the entire length of the plot.

Yellow dots are apples...blue are stands. You get the idea. Just something I threw together quickly. Not knowing your prevailing winds makes it kind of a toss up.

Good luck man. Fun stuff!

 

[nrowles]

Your property certainly has some challenges. I forgot if you mentioned this in your other thread, but what are the prevailing winds?

I am on small acreage too...though not quite as small as 5 acres. I have found the Sturgis books and the Dougherty book very helpful. I also really enjoy a book called Quality Food Plots by Kammermeyer and Miller and Ultimate Food Plots by Ed Spinazola. The latter has much info about the creation of small hidey hole plots with basic hand tools.

I'll throw this out there. I wonder if on your property you might be best to do a long narrow plot? Sturgis is a big advocate of this design for small acreage. A narrow meandering plot gives you lots of edge habitat (which deer love) and many places to hunt. A long narrow plot is easy to access via parallel entry routes which reduce accidental deer encounters. Long narrows plots tend to make deer feel more safe and secure and they might tend to enter them during daylight hours. Long narrow plots also facilitate the movement of deer through the plot and past your stand, thereby reducing the chance they will loiter and end up busting you or trapping you in your stand for hours after dark as they feed.

A few guys suggested a plot near your house. How about a relatively larger plot near your house...plant your apples on the edge of this plot...and then a narrow plot that leads from that clearing you already have (I'd make it a bit bigger and plant some apples) to the new plot near the house? 30 yards wide? Lots of corners? Then do some edge feathering along the entire length of the plot.

Yellow dots are apples...blue are stands. You get the idea. Just something I threw together quickly. Not knowing your prevailing winds makes it kind of a toss up.

Good luck man. Fun stuff!

Prevailing winds are from west / northwest.

I didn't really detail this in my other thread because I don't have concrete/lengthy data, but I know a bit more than I lead on and after owning this property for a year and half I have made the following observations. I don't know when/why on the movement though. See picture below. There is basically non-existent deer activity in the red. For one, it is that extremely thick with these little pine trees I cannot even crawl thru it and the neighbor has about 15 different species of animals scattered around her home (it's a shed). The green has very slight activity mainly NE/SW movement. The yellow has movement N/S and this is where I see the bucks rubbing and scraping. The blue has a lot of trails and they are E/W. The white inside the blue is the only spot I have ever noticed bedding deer, and that was only a few times.

I understand this is all hypothetical, but it's nice to see these visuals and look at it in different ways. I like your plot map but have a couple questions. I suppose you don't feel that is a risk putting a larger opening that close to the house? When we first moved in we had a few times where deer came in to the yard, but that quickly stopped. I'm just afraid if I put a plot that close to the house they will avoid it. How would you incorporate cover? The other thread of mine, creating cover seemed to be the #1 goal.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Notice that your shaded areas where you see the most sign all have one thing in common....edge. It doesn't matter what kind of edge...just edge, and the more of it, and the more diversity the better. It doesn't surprise me at all that the area in yellow has the most sign. Then the closer you get away from that edge into the interior of that homogeneous pine stand the less sign you see.

I personally would have no problem putting in a plot close to your house. I've mentioned this before in other threads, but my back yard is basically a 4 acre food plot in which we see deer every night and every AM. Mostly does and fawns...lots of them. They become so habituated to our presence that they really take little notice of us. I can walk by them on my way to go logging at 35 yards and they just watch me go by. At night when I go to get the chicken eggs they'll watch me walk to the coop at 35 yards or so and they continue feeding as if I wasn't there. We spend a lot of time on our land...kids, dogs, ATV's, tractors. I only hunt bucks so having a bunch of calm and tolerant does on the land is a huge benefit.

Also, a larger food plot near your house doesn't necessarily have to be a hunting plot. It can simply be a destination...both for food and for social interactions. In your case you'll never be able to feed and bed deer for 12 months. And really there's no need to. Make your land as attractive to bucks from Oct. to December. Give them a reason to pass through (IMHO this means does) and design your land to facilitate their passage through it and to maximize your chances of ambushing them when they do.

This is basically my exact plan on my 30 acres. Lots and lots of cover for does and their fawns. Some small food plots. Lots of diversity. Lots of edge. I don't see many bucks on camera all summer...but come mid October they begin showing up and I enjoy some relatively good quality hunting in an area of the U.S. that's considered very poor whitetail habitat.

With a NW wind you could access the stands south of the narrow food plot I drew through that pine that from your observations is a deer desert anyway. You couldn't ask for a better scenario when accessing stands.

Cover is a whole different topic. I personally would start knocking down that pine and get some sun on the ground. Do some massive TSI. Maybe have a logger come in and sell the pine for pulp. Prescribed burns. Plant trees.

Got to go for now...heading out to track a big buck down in a spruce swamp somewhere (in my dreams).

 

[shawnv]

Here is another possible variation. You say that area to the NW is the only place you've seen deer bedded so keep it that way and make some enhancement. They already have top cover so cut some tree to lay down, alive or not the deer will like the side cover. You cna have plot close to the home and the deer will be ok with it if you never hunt the main large hub and stick to the skinny fingers. I would have those with screening and run one where you said it's useless, give them a ready to use that area with advantage to your stand. White lines would be deer highways that you cut leading to specific entry points. around where you have edge feathered/screened.

Add a couple water holes on the North and SW end and plant scrape trees and I think you'll be happy.

 

[nrowles]

View attachment 11845
Here is another possible variation. You say that area to the NW is the only place you've seen deer bedded so keep it that way and make some enhancement. They already have top cover so cut some tree to lay down, alive or not the deer will like the side cover. You cna have plot close to the home and the deer will be ok with it if you never hunt the main large hub and stick to the skinny fingers. I would have those with screening and run one where you said it's useless, give them a ready to use that area with advantage to your stand. White lines would be deer highways that you cut leading to specific entry points. around where you have edge feathered/screened.

Add a couple water holes on the North and SW end and plant scrape trees and I think you'll be happy.

Just so I understand your sketch. The red dots are hunting locations. Green is food plot. Brown lines are screening. Brown circles are bedding. White are cut in deer paths.