First Time Landowner ....Indiana

[hillHuntR]

Hello all,

Long time reader of Habitat Talk and the QDMA forum, but first post ever. I have been reading all I can, and before I make any major moves on my new land I wanted to run it by folks here. I bought 60 acres in southern Indiana 9 months ago, and am glad for the change after 23 years of mostly hunting public land. The land is primarily but not exclusively for deer hunting...I doubt many educated hunters would have purchased this parcel, but I loved its character and would still be happy if I never took a deer off of the place. Feel free to criticize and please offer any advice you can.

We did little this year on the land other than plant 1.5 acres of foodplots....mainly clover,wheat, oats, and some brassicas. I did plant 5 Dunstan chestnuts on a minor slope we did not intend to plant in the open valley also. Other than that we just hunted to try and learn about the area before picking up a chainsaw based on advice I read several times (this was hard to do for me). For the first time in my life I am excited deer season is over and am ready to get to work.

Our only access is at the NW corner of the property, from which we can head south on an ancient roadbed that roughly parallels the west boundary or by following the north fence line to the east. At first the prevailing wind issue bothered me (and it still does a little) but the winds there change so frequently (once you leave the high ridge) that I am not sure how much it really hurts us. On most of my hunts I noted major wind directional swings mornings and evenings and very often.

Our only real option for foodplots is our valley and I think at best we can squeeze 2 acres out of that. Hunting pressure surrounding me seems high. The surrounding area is mainly forested with scattered pastures...no row cropping for at least several miles.

Despite everything I was amazed at our hunting season sightings and trail camera success. I saw deer on 8 out of about 10 sits, I believe, and would've never have dreamed that possible in September. The foodplots and pressure undoubtedly worked in our favor. All of our foodplots were hammered flat....especially our modified LC mix plot (we couldn't get all the seed together in time this year). Despite this better than expected year, our place is not deer friendly...we have way too little cover and I want advice on how others would shape these cuts...just long narrow cuts with trails through or larger blocks or both.

Here is an aerial photo showing the boundary in orange, the named food plots, and some general descriptions of the cover...hope it works as I have never posted a photo online before

 

[hillHuntR]

Here is a poor quality topo map showing the actual 2 parcels that make up the property in yellow. From our highest point to the lowest is nearly a 200 ft change in elevation.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Welcome to the Forum. Lots of smart guys on here will help you out!

I hate NW access to hunting properties. I am a SE guy if it can be done myself!

 

[hillHuntR]

This aerial shows the road, access, cabin, and foodplots. The hinge/cut areas are going to be
started soon and hopefully completed by spring (dependent upon input I receive here...I know they probably look crazy on paper). It also
shows a foodplot in the SW corner to be removed as I just think it helps the neighbors. The
shrub/tree area has been started, with a lot to be added this spring . My hope is to give the
deer a better corridor (cover) to cross the valley, to break up the long views down the valley
across the plots, and some other food types. My only worry is I am trying some fruit (pear, crabs)
in the mix and wonder if the frost pocket phenomenon will ruin that. I will also put some
DCO’s, maybe elderberry/plum in that area.



This is what I mean by open woods...photo taken in late November on a south slope. This area has a lot of surface flagstone...I think it was either heavily abused cow pasture or a an ill-advised tobacco crop on a slope (common practice here way back) or both. I am not sure what will happen if I hinge here...maybe soil will be too poor for good regen? I have considered trying a little fertilizer if the results are poor in a couple years.



Here is another photo of a western facing slope of the same ridge sometime in August or September.

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[hillHuntR]

Try # 2.....Here is another photo of a western facing slope of the same ridge sometime in August or September.

 

[wiscwhip]

The bottom of a north facing slope may not be the best area for fruit trees.

 

[hillHuntR]

This creek runs the length of the valley and holds water pretty well except for July and August.
It did get down to one small pool, and in a worse year would dry up completely. There are drains
coming to this creek from the hollows that only flow shortly after rain events. Neighbors
have cattle ponds that are probably a draw during hot months and probably great for EHD
transmittal. We are debating the “if” and “where” of adding a water hole or 2

 

[hillHuntR]

I figured the valley...especially that side of it might be a really bad idea for fruit. Thanks wiscwhip...at least I have several months to make a plan.

 

[hillHuntR]

A view of the valley looking east down the "Strip" Foodplot



We do have some decent sized oaks....northern red and what I think is chinquapin. I believe our ash (we have plenty) just took a major hit from the ash borer. I thought an unknown trespasser had been heavily climbing the first one I saw...but now the missing bark is visible everywhere you go. At least my cover will improve when they come down...I will probably help down any that I feel I safely can.

Here is a photo of Dad, rolling seed in on the "Big Field". We can enlarge this plot, but just didn't have the time/energy this year. I started a new job in September and it has taken awhile to adjust to second shift again

 

[dipper]

Try # 2.....Here is another photo of a western facing slope of the same ridge sometime in August or September.

Perfect size to hinge.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Nice looking property! Beautiful in fact from your pictures.

Man that would be tough to hinge the piss out of! But if you want deer you need cover! Good Luck!

 

[wiscwhip]

I figured the valley...especially that side of it might be a really bad idea for fruit. Thanks wiscwhip...at least I have several months to make a plan.

Oh, I am certainly far from an expert in the fruit tree department, and they may do fine on south facing slopes, I just know the trees we planted near our creek bottom where on the bottom of a 30' slope and had too much shade from taller trees to the south, and they took almost 12 years to produce there first blossoms. The ones on the flat area near the house got blossoms at about 7 years. I don't know if either of those trees ever produced more than about 10 apples each season.

 

[wiscwhip]

BTW, I love the photos of your place! Great looking property! Congrats!

One thing to maybe consider. It would go against what you have started, but it may be worth a thought. Could you make that creek bottom area into a tangled up thicker than snot mess and use it for your primary bedding areas and put your plots on top. you could hunt them near the tops in the mornings as the rising thermals would help with scent control. Those lower, wetter areas should thicken up nicely with a little chainsaw work and some added sunlight.

 

[j-bird]

Hillhuntr - hello fellow hoosier! where are you at roughly? I can tell by the topo you ain't near me - way to much elevation change to be in my immediate area.

I suggest you plan, plan and then plan some more. Making improvements without an overall big picture plan will create issues. One thing that I know I overlooked early on was looking at my plan and then how I would access my stand locations. i quickly found out I was educating deer. You will need to have an idea of what you are starting with. Where deer feed, location of oaks and other mast trees. Where deer bed or at least where they come from, if it is beyond your property. And how the deer move thru your property and the general area beyond your place.

Firing up a saw can be a great tool, but it can also do alot of damage that could take a long time to recover from. That is again where the plan comes in. last thing you want to do is cut trees only to find out that wasn't the right choice or plant a bunch of trees only to wish you had done that in a different area. Also consider that the more of the property you can essentially stay out of the more likely you can keep that pressure low and allow the external hunting pressure to push the deer on to your place.

Most properties are set up one of 2 ways. Either you have central access or perimeter access. This access is for equipment or for hunters. Consider as you are walking to your stand and the wind comes from the west as you head south on the current roadbed your scent will be spread across a vast majority of your property. However say you have a trail along the north edge of the property you can head east along that trail with a wind from the west and not spread your scent near as much over your property. The key to this whole access thing is that it tends to drive where your plots will be located as well as your bedding areas. If you have perimeter access plots tend to be near the outer edge of your property with the central core of the property let to cover to hold deer. If you have and use central access then your plots tend to be centralized and the bedding is pushed to the outer edge of the property. The biggest difference in the hunting is how much scent you spread going to and from stands. May sound silly to think about that this early in the process, but hunting is what you want to do, so you might as well set the property up a best you can to accomplish that. Without a plan you can have and attract a ton of deer, but it does you little good if every time you show up the deer smell you over a vast portion of the property.

 

[tooln]

Welcome and great looking piece of property. Take your time and make small changes. Lots of knowledge here.

 

[wiscwhip]

I can tell by the topo you ain't near me - way to much elevation change to be in my immediate area.
Most properties are set up one of 2 ways. Either you have central access or perimeter access. This access is for equipment or for hunters.

You can look at that access from a different aspect as well when you are on terrain with that much elevation change, you could have top access or bottom access, whether that be perimeter or centrally located or both. hillHuntR has terrain similar to what we have in the area I live and turkey hunt(most of my deer hunting is done where a 40' hill is a huge terrain feature), only on a bit smaller scale. Terrain changes here can range from 400'-500' on a 60 acre piece. In these cases it is imperative to know whether your deer bed on the tops, sides, or in the bottoms and at what times of day you might find them in each area. As suggested by others, this intel should be gathered before you make any "permanent" changes, like hinging a whole hillside and such. Of course all the other aforementioned "normal" criteria need to be taken into consideration along with the thermals that I mentioned earlier. Lots of variables to consider with a place like this and rushing in may make you more frustrated than satisfied in the end.

 

[bueller]

The one thing I'd suggest is patience :) I'm going into the 4th spring on my place and am just now completing some of my hingeing/bedding/plots. I wanted a few years of hunting/observation before putting the full plan into place (and I'm still not sure if its gonna be "perfect"). Had I done what I thought I should do the first year or two...I would have been wrong :rolleyes:

That's not to say that somebody else wouldn't have done them right early on...but I needed a couple years before I felt confident that what I'm doing/going to do is as good as its gonna get.

Good luck and welcome to posting on the forum.

Excellent advice Stu.

 

[Jeff23]

One thing I will add: I find creek bottoms like yours difficult in terms of playing the wind, especially where the wind comes around a point (swirling can be incessant). You've marked where some of the thicker areas are, but can you share what you've found in terms of common bedding areas? Also, maybe an aerial that shows the broader area and how the deer relate to that area? My first reaction is that food sources unlike what they can find on nearby properties may be your best short-term focal point along with low hunting pressure.

 

[scott44]

Welcome to the forum, lots of info here and the right guys to ask, Congrats on the property and good luck!

 

[*Hawaii5joe*]

The one thing I'd suggest is patience :) I'm going into the 4th spring on my place and am just now completing some of my hingeing/bedding/plots. I wanted a few years of hunting/observation before putting the full plan into place (and I'm still not sure if its gonna be "perfect"). Had I done what I thought I should do the first year or two...I would have been wrong :rolleyes:

That's not to say that somebody else wouldn't have done them right early on...but I needed a couple years before I felt confident that what I'm doing/going to do is as good as its gonna get.

Good luck and welcome to posting on the forum.

This is good advice for anyone . I'm going to be spending too much time this spring fixing mess ups from when I was too Gung-Ho.