How do I find out past weather and wind conditions?
Habitat Consultants - MN
- Thread starter Wind Gypsy
- Start date
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Thank you! There is a little (pretty nice actually) prefab’d shack on skids just west of the river on the southern property border already. I don’t anticipate it getting much “cabin” type use as we have a great family lake cabin set up and like to go to the mountains or north shore for backpacking or camping trips. My dad lives 15 minutes away as well. I’m going to leave the very south/southwest of the field open for family stuff. My wife is a green thumb and I see pumpkins, fruit trees, Xmas trees, and honey bees as likely ways the family can enjoy it.
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BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
You have a killer funnel setup. I'd move the plot, screen it, and take advantage of that. It would also take advantage of variation of a W wind. It also gives a buck a way to check out the food based on wind. You'll just be on the off side of him, and he'll think he's safe. Just another idea.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
........agree with Ben
The setup he describes is almost straight out of "Mappimg Trophy Buck" A must read in my view
In the photo , there is an inside field corner,multiple saddles between peaks, a converging hub of multiple terrain features, and a strip of forest connecting 2 large tracts of woods
bill
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
From what I can find, predominant wind on wind finder is almost straight from the west.
The field is roughly 7 acres. I really like the idea of some standing corn on the south end of the food plots as another visual burier and late season food. Don't really want to till up the pasture and would probably try to find a neighbor with a drill who would accept some $ to plant. Not sure what my odds would be on that, neighbors seem great so far.
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
Geez that seems like a lot. Most of his information is online anyway. My only advice is get feedback or a plan from someone that has owned land for many years, in a similar region.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Over the last week i've ordered his book habitat by design, started reading dr Harper's food plot book, ordered mapping trophy bucks, and done plenty of other reading. This is all becoming a reminder of my problematic inability to take hobbies in moderation and the issues that causes for the important things in life like my family and job. I'm not good at tip toeing into things and I saw this consultant deal as a possible way to feel confident with habitat plans/improvements quick without investing time i'm already lacking to have the knowledge myself.
Basically, the time to gain the level of knowledge I want is in shorter supply than another $3k. I understand that you can't always buy your way to the promise land but I saw it as a possible shortcut to a good start. The feedback about someone with local experience makes a lot of sense.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
If I was looking to hire someone, Land and Legacy would be on my short list. Get references from whoever you hire from clients in your region. https://landandlegacy.tv/consultation/
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
If your goal is nice bucks ….
Remember we are still at the mercy of the State of Minnesota . I have nice farms in Minnesota, do all the things you should & then some , still tough to get a buck past age 3. Season structure sucks and lots of hunters.
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s just reality.
But it sure doesn’t hurt to try !! I enjoy the challenge.
Remember we are still at the mercy of the State of Minnesota . I have nice farms in Minnesota, do all the things you should & then some , still tough to get a buck past age 3. Season structure sucks and lots of hunters.
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s just reality.
But it sure doesn’t hurt to try !! I enjoy the challenge.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Minnesota surely isn’t Iowa and you and I have discussed this for eons. I have never hunted your area, but I find 4.5-6.5 year old bucks do show up. Maybe one chance per year at the best.
Two keys for me have been having adequate fawn replacement to have good numbers of deer and secondly, to just stay out until the rut.
I suspect each property may have peak times to hunt based on cover, cover on surrounding lands, crops, and migration/movement traditions of the local dominant does.
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jsasker007
5 year old buck +
Brown and down mentality all around where I hunt(it's their choice) but then after they shoot 13 fawns and 9 does they bitch about not seeing monster bucks. If I even see a nice buck I sure as hell don't dare tell anyone about it. Trespassing is bad enough already.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Oaks make up a good portion of the timber on the east side of the river. Very few on the west.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I'm not blind to this. That said, i didn't realize the hunters per square mile in this permit area were near tops in the state when i bought it. Priority was to have a place of my own that I could control within an hour of home. If 3 YO's is the best I get out of it, it's better than what I had before. Can't be as bad as our families property in the middle of wolf country.. If i'm going out of state on a hunt I'd much rather go west where access doesn't cost a penny and I can roam actively instead of trying to keep myself awake in a tree.
That said, i realize i might have an uphill battle but I know there is plenty of spots in the right neighborhoods of MN where mature bucks are not all that rare. I have friends that kill em annually west of milaca a little ways and my best friend's 220 acres by long prairie kills a monster every few years and they do everything wrong. Pack it full of 15 people for gun season, stomp around it all archery season, etc.
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
Not saying you can’t/won’t shoot a big one either … just saying odds are tough with the pressure. However, there are pockets of great hunting in Mn … depends on who Is hunting, do they pass bucks, good food and habitat will help!
Some areas have such good cover that bucks do survive !
Some areas have such good cover that bucks do survive !
b116757
5 year old buck +
I’d inventory your oaks for the best acorn producing trees over the next coupe three years at least and when your relatively confident which ones produce more reliably than others release the canopy on the good producing trees. Now if you have some oaks surrounded by ash, maple,birch etc.I would thin those trees leaving all the oaks behind. I would even consider doing a 5 acres clear cut west of the creek. Then in 7-14 years clear cutting another 5 acres I would personally leave any oaks even in the clear cut sections. The oaks are your best low maintenance asset learn to use them to your advantage and protect the best acorn producing trees. I have a similar property to yours in Kansas I own most of the forest surrounded by ag fields my 35 acres has a lot of mature oaks and they produce like crazy most years but I’ve been here 20 years and new which one produced reliable year to year and opened the canopy around those trees. About 12 years ago I clearcut 4-5 acres that was mostly coming up in brush and ash since the clearing I’ve gotten a good amount of chinkapin oak regeneration in that area. I really need to do another clearcut section in the next year or two. Where your at a clearcut could just as easily come up in poplar slashing regeneration but that is some fantastic hunting.
AtomApple
5 year old buck +
It’s tough to say what the ground West of the river/creek has. From the topo, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is tag alder, birch, tamarack, or other swampy trees. With the drought this year, the ground may be a lot drier now than it is in usual years. All the more reason to scout hunt it for a few years. This years deer movement might be a lot different than others, based on the drought conditions.
