bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Praire,
That place looks awesome. LEave the edges brushy like they are. Maybe every year mow closer to the trees in a spot or two with the deck up high. Let those edges continue to be 4-6ft tall stuff.
Any soil tests done? You have spots where compaction is an issue? Since you mntioned brassicas, how late in the year do you hunt. Certain plants die around28 degree nights, other plants die during like 15 degree nights. All of us are from different areas. How cold does it get at night during your late season hunt. The soil test might tell you what would grow better in there. Or, make you want to plant certain plants that can help you with certain low nutrients. Besides the exception of a bag of winter rye, you can spend a better $25 bucks or so on your food plot over a soil test. When using equipment keep in mind roots easil ygo 15 feet past the trunk of most apple trees.
One thing I do is make entry/exit spots for deer. That first pic of the deer around the growing goldenrod. Where he came out from I would back in that brush hog 10 yards or so. You make comfortable little pockets like that, they use them. My big backyard i right behind some good cover. They use to pop out of anywhere. With 2 or 3 little seclusions pockets, now they consisently go in and out of these spots. Make bow hunt a bit easier. Also makes gun hunting a little more predictable where to look, especially when you head is not the the game that well after hours in a stand. The deer come a little earlier in my experience, and if they get spooked, come back quicker too. Sometimes in a minute or two vs like a half hour or so.
Entry for you on the location. .Scent is a factor of wind direction/speed and how long the scent is in the spot. Make a good clear path you can get to your stand quickly. Wide enough to use it in the dark easily. Do not make it too stragiht, every 70 yards or so, make a bend in the trail. sometimes you bump into deer walking back for lunch, or walking in for a evening hunt. Scooting in with a electric vehicle can be an option then too.
I have just about ran into deer on these paths a few tmes. Public hunting land vehile paths, footpaths from the backyard, etc. Even the snowmobile trail on my hunting clubs property. During daytime scoot down each section, but slow work around the corner of those bends.
Also, keep in mind where you park your car, make a nice little spot for that. Do you camp there, or just drive in to hunt? Got kids getting older? They may want a little spot to camp out there.
Going back to the orchard, I would be tempted to clear back one tree all around. MAke every tree around the food plot accessible to clear vines from. You'll have tons of great trees and not really upset that seclusion area. A thought might be if you have to retrieve a wounded deer in there. May want a trail or two for that, or a path cut deeper in. Doesn't have to go through one side all the way to the other.
That place looks awesome. LEave the edges brushy like they are. Maybe every year mow closer to the trees in a spot or two with the deck up high. Let those edges continue to be 4-6ft tall stuff.
Any soil tests done? You have spots where compaction is an issue? Since you mntioned brassicas, how late in the year do you hunt. Certain plants die around28 degree nights, other plants die during like 15 degree nights. All of us are from different areas. How cold does it get at night during your late season hunt. The soil test might tell you what would grow better in there. Or, make you want to plant certain plants that can help you with certain low nutrients. Besides the exception of a bag of winter rye, you can spend a better $25 bucks or so on your food plot over a soil test. When using equipment keep in mind roots easil ygo 15 feet past the trunk of most apple trees.
One thing I do is make entry/exit spots for deer. That first pic of the deer around the growing goldenrod. Where he came out from I would back in that brush hog 10 yards or so. You make comfortable little pockets like that, they use them. My big backyard i right behind some good cover. They use to pop out of anywhere. With 2 or 3 little seclusions pockets, now they consisently go in and out of these spots. Make bow hunt a bit easier. Also makes gun hunting a little more predictable where to look, especially when you head is not the the game that well after hours in a stand. The deer come a little earlier in my experience, and if they get spooked, come back quicker too. Sometimes in a minute or two vs like a half hour or so.
Entry for you on the location. .Scent is a factor of wind direction/speed and how long the scent is in the spot. Make a good clear path you can get to your stand quickly. Wide enough to use it in the dark easily. Do not make it too stragiht, every 70 yards or so, make a bend in the trail. sometimes you bump into deer walking back for lunch, or walking in for a evening hunt. Scooting in with a electric vehicle can be an option then too.
I have just about ran into deer on these paths a few tmes. Public hunting land vehile paths, footpaths from the backyard, etc. Even the snowmobile trail on my hunting clubs property. During daytime scoot down each section, but slow work around the corner of those bends.
Also, keep in mind where you park your car, make a nice little spot for that. Do you camp there, or just drive in to hunt? Got kids getting older? They may want a little spot to camp out there.
Going back to the orchard, I would be tempted to clear back one tree all around. MAke every tree around the food plot accessible to clear vines from. You'll have tons of great trees and not really upset that seclusion area. A thought might be if you have to retrieve a wounded deer in there. May want a trail or two for that, or a path cut deeper in. Doesn't have to go through one side all the way to the other.
