Habitat Philosophers, Learned Deer Hunters, Esteemed Land Managers
- Thread starter FarmerDan
- Start date
Bassattackr
5 year old buck +
Unless you place a higher priority on learning to hunt, unlikely habitat changes will improve your success.
Remember, any habitat change you make to your land will impact deer behavior ... sometimes to your benefit, but often times it won't.
Sanctuary, cover, and road screening are more important than food plots.
A mature buck picks a home core area because of the lack of human presence. . . hint, hint ...
Develop a 5-10 year plan as opposed to a 1 year plan.
Th Ox is slow but the earth is patient. . .
Great advice TS!
More specific to hunting than habitat but I'll add.. Figure out how to give the wind to the buck while being safe yourself. Also, spend time with some milkweed learning how thermals work.
- Under 40 crowd
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River-X
5 year old buck +
Everybody likes an overhead picture of their hunting land to help them dream up improvements.
My advice…when looking at your property, focus on the 1-2 miles SURROUNDING yours and see what is missing or in short supply as far as habitat and food sources go. If you can build or provide what’s missing, focus on that.
47 yo
My advice…when looking at your property, focus on the 1-2 miles SURROUNDING yours and see what is missing or in short supply as far as habitat and food sources go. If you can build or provide what’s missing, focus on that.
47 yo
j-bird
Moderator
#1 - dead deer don't grow. So if your after antlers....this is critical.
#2 - our properties are not islands.
#3 - safety, food, water, procreation....life basics for a deer. Focus on those (and focus on the lowest hole in the bucket)
#4 - Far easier and faster to cut a tree down than it is to grow one...so plan accordingly.
#5 - best habitat tools are a chainsaw, match and back pack sprayer (a good clearing saw is great option too).
#6 - you have to have a plan....and it needs have a high priority on stand access.
#7 - do it right the first time (even if it means on a smaller scale) vs cutting corners and having to do it twice.
#8 - 2 minutes is all it takes to change a crappy deer season into a great one!
#9 - hunt and work smarter and not harder....because sometimes...less is more.
#2 - our properties are not islands.
#3 - safety, food, water, procreation....life basics for a deer. Focus on those (and focus on the lowest hole in the bucket)
#4 - Far easier and faster to cut a tree down than it is to grow one...so plan accordingly.
#5 - best habitat tools are a chainsaw, match and back pack sprayer (a good clearing saw is great option too).
#6 - you have to have a plan....and it needs have a high priority on stand access.
#7 - do it right the first time (even if it means on a smaller scale) vs cutting corners and having to do it twice.
#8 - 2 minutes is all it takes to change a crappy deer season into a great one!
#9 - hunt and work smarter and not harder....because sometimes...less is more.
hesseu
5 year old buck +
1) Forget about food plots
2) Sun = Energy. Get that energy to the forest floor where deer can utilize it. Heavy timber cutting on south and west facing slopes where sun is most prevalent. That energy to the forest floor gives FOOD AND COVER
3) Get rid of (eradicate) non-native grasses and forbs in open areas. "Round Up" in march during spring green up, and "round up" in October when natives go dormant.
4) Learn to properly manage with controlled / prescribed burns.
You can fine tune from this.
2) Sun = Energy. Get that energy to the forest floor where deer can utilize it. Heavy timber cutting on south and west facing slopes where sun is most prevalent. That energy to the forest floor gives FOOD AND COVER
3) Get rid of (eradicate) non-native grasses and forbs in open areas. "Round Up" in march during spring green up, and "round up" in October when natives go dormant.
4) Learn to properly manage with controlled / prescribed burns.
You can fine tune from this.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
Everyone on here has already said everything that immediately came to mind, so mine would be less important but still beneficial and it's benefit will pay dividends.
Document everything, regardless if you are or not sharing with a community (like this one). Photos, videos, notes, planning, and random thoughts. It could be to keep track of the variety of apple or its rootstock, or just a casual observation you make one morning sit in the deer stand. This practice will save you money, time, and also be a fundamental part of the enjoyment so many others have mentioned already.
Document everything, regardless if you are or not sharing with a community (like this one). Photos, videos, notes, planning, and random thoughts. It could be to keep track of the variety of apple or its rootstock, or just a casual observation you make one morning sit in the deer stand. This practice will save you money, time, and also be a fundamental part of the enjoyment so many others have mentioned already.
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
1) Have FUN and enjoy your land as you see fit
2) Set realistic goals
3) Food
4) Cover
5) Water
6) Low impact stand locations with easy access
2) Set realistic goals
3) Food
4) Cover
5) Water
6) Low impact stand locations with easy access
bwoods11
5 year old buck +
Two key areas I wish I would have concentrated on 20 years ago...apple trees and small wildlife ponds. I would tell any young guy to have both!
Note: Do not listen to habitat guys that say Oaks are a waste of time! I have planted many oaks that are producing acorns now!
Note: Do not listen to habitat guys that say Oaks are a waste of time! I have planted many oaks that are producing acorns now!
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I should clarify these so no one thinks I'm being a wise guy:
Don't plant trees: Hopefully you bought a property with trees on it. There has got to be desirable species there. Release those, chainsaw the ones that aren't. Mother nature is the best site and species selector. I spend years plowing money into the ground and killed thousands of tree seedlings. Get a chainsaw and a silky and start subtracting.
Don't spray: That always seems to end badly. You'll quickly find out what you can't kill, and then you've got to go harder with iron and chem, or abandon the thought.
Don't till: Same issue as spraying. Kills everything and forces you to put your soil on fertility welfare. Ruins your water infiltration, makes your soil lumpy, overly dry, packs it, or any other of the modern ailments of conventional methods.
Don't fertilize: When we add, we displace and kill normal biological soil function. We acidify the soil, and that necessitates the addition of lime, and if you don't have the dollars or equipment to get it on, you'll find yourself backed into a corner.
Do less: Not many habitat improvements add value. The further we get away from natural design and the gentle had of mimicked natural disturbance, system function goes down hill.
I do have to second what BWoods said. Dig ponds. Man has that paid off big this year.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Visit some other hunters land in your neighborhood , hopefully guys that have been at it for years. Then ask them what they might have done differently.
Then think seriously about what they told you. Will it work on your land or not? Is the cover different? Is the soil different? Are the food sources different?
Next step, develop a plan! Wind and stand access are critical.
Close to 67 here.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Then think seriously about what they told you. Will it work on your land or not? Is the cover different? Is the soil different? Are the food sources different?
Next step, develop a plan! Wind and stand access are critical.
Close to 67 here.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Unless you own a large chunk of land you are not improving the herd. You are at the mercy of the neighborhood which can be good or bad. You can potentially attract deer but a bag of corn is more powerful than a field of clover. You can do everything “right” and be burned by the neighbor who has a bait pile. So do this cause you love working on the land. Your results will be fun and rewarding if you take the time to look back on what you have accomplished but be realistic. Couple hinge cuts and a 1 acre plot isn’t going to change a whole heck of a lot though it can make for some cool hunts watching deer utilize what you did.
*I reread that and it sounded negative. I meant that to mean you will get frustrated quickly if you think you are going to have 150’s running around everywhere cause you implemented a few changes on 50 acres. Trust me….learn to love the process of releasing your specific lands potential.
Try not to run a chainsaw by yourself. It can go sideways fast.
Throw and mow on a 1/4 acre plot isn’t regenerative ag. Disc if you need to or want to. Plenty of really good production ag and food plots come at the result of a plow. *I love regen ag but let’s be realistic on small stuff
Get ready to spend 9 months working and 3 months sitting in the stand dreaming about working! It’s an addiction.
*I reread that and it sounded negative. I meant that to mean you will get frustrated quickly if you think you are going to have 150’s running around everywhere cause you implemented a few changes on 50 acres. Trust me….learn to love the process of releasing your specific lands potential.
Try not to run a chainsaw by yourself. It can go sideways fast.
Throw and mow on a 1/4 acre plot isn’t regenerative ag. Disc if you need to or want to. Plenty of really good production ag and food plots come at the result of a plow. *I love regen ag but let’s be realistic on small stuff
Get ready to spend 9 months working and 3 months sitting in the stand dreaming about working! It’s an addiction.
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Troubles Trees
5 year old buck +
Ya'll gave the advice I would have mentioned so....
No matter what critters you are managing for they all need 3 things, food, cover/security and water.
What works well for one person in a different area/State might not work as well for you even though you are in the same hardiness zones.
No matter what critters you are managing for they all need 3 things, food, cover/security and water.
What works well for one person in a different area/State might not work as well for you even though you are in the same hardiness zones.
FarmerDan
5 year old buck +
Like many things in life I don't think I will ever be able to understand wind and thermals. They go this way and that way...all within seconds and maybe even all at the same time! I'm busted when I think I should not be and the opposite when I think I should be! Bird hunting anyone?
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Don’t believe what you see on tv. Don’t let them think that is the norm, and doable in all areas. Shoot what makes you happy and sleep at night, as long as it is legal.
Sometimes does need to be thinned out. Sometimes they piss you off, and you need to take revenge, when legal, it is part of managing.
Sometimes does need to be thinned out. Sometimes they piss you off, and you need to take revenge, when legal, it is part of managing.
roymunson
5 year old buck +
It won't all happen this year, and doesn't have to
Have fun
Use the equipment you have and can afford
Spend more money on habitat than you do on guns and equipment to kill the deer (I'd rather hold the deer and kill em with an old 20 gauge, than have a slick gun and no deer)
Let you kids "drive the tractor" as much as possible. It's good bonding
Have a goal where you want to be, but enjoy the small victories.
If you want your wife to spend time at the cabin, make sure you keep the snakes out.
Have fun
Use the equipment you have and can afford
Spend more money on habitat than you do on guns and equipment to kill the deer (I'd rather hold the deer and kill em with an old 20 gauge, than have a slick gun and no deer)
Let you kids "drive the tractor" as much as possible. It's good bonding
Have a goal where you want to be, but enjoy the small victories.
If you want your wife to spend time at the cabin, make sure you keep the snakes out.
SWIFFY
5 year old buck +
Theres no better teacher than at the School of HARD KNOCKS! Dont be afraid to get your hands dirty. You can read on the internet and YouTube all you want, but if you dont know how to apply what you see and what you read to your situation, its useless knowledge. Maybe you fail at food plots, maybe you kill your fruit trees, maybe you miss big deer, you cant control your thistles, you got a sliver in your finger and you got your boots dirty!.... But in the end, it will all make sense and youll feel like you do half the work for twice the reward. Theres no short cutting it. Keep on!
