Help with my property pleeeeaaaase

[sandbur]

Before doing anything, think of STAND ACCESS and predominant winds.

Second, why does nothing grow when you drop trees? Do you have too many deer? Drop some trees in an area, get sunlight to the ground and browse/ soft mast should grow. Leave the oaks.
Third, are those white cedar or red cedar? Important difference when considering dealing with apple tree choice.

I like Steve Bartylla for advice on Habitat. I believe some of his associates are doing Habitat plans without visiting the site. It would at least be a starting point.


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[Telemark]

There is a spot that was cleared out, and about 90% of the regrowth was maple. There were a few raspberry bushes and some grass, but those are getting crowded out by the maple.

In the bog it's just grasses that lay down in winter.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Ditto what Sandbur said on Steve Bartylla.

Steve and his crew do aerial analysis and put together EXTREMELY detailed plan suggestions, but only after a quite thorough process where they work with you to understand your PRECISE priorities for the land use.

I was in the identical place you now are three years ago, and though I had read lots of habitat books I really wanted the comfort of having a solid plan before starting to make any changes on my place. I can't say enough how pleased I've been with the detail of the plan Steve and his group put together for me. After giving me a chance to review the finished plan for a few days Steve called me and allowed me a TON of time to ask every single clarification question I could think to ask.

Sharing a snapshot picture below, but without blowing it up and speaking to the micro-detail it doesn't begin to do justice to the plan... it identifies ideal stand sites (and type of stand for each site), best entry paths to stands, suggested plantings for different areas of property, ideal locations for bedding sites, edge feathering, etc, etc, etc. Truth is over a two year period I've only had the time to incorporate about 1/3 of the changes he suggested and take it for whatever it's worth but the past two seasons I've harvested 4 bucks qualifying for Florida's buck registry (100 score or better), taking 2 per season (my own self-limited goal) and doing so with only a half dozen sits in my stands each of those years. Don't regret for a single second having paid the $500 for the plan, as having the chance to pick Steve's brain was well worth the cost.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Link to Steve's group it ends up being of interest...
http://food-plots-for-deer.com/

 

[Telemark]

That's not a bad price. I will probably do that next year when i go back to work full time. I'm not doing any work on the place till bear season ends this year, and even then mostly just cutting trees and putting in some smalle food plots for the fall.

 

[Telemark]

Bigbend, that map is awesome. Your property is amazing too. What are the yellow "NG" areas and what is their purpose?

 

[bigbendmarine]

What are the yellow "NG" areas and what is their purpose?

Recommended areas for native grasses to address several purposes. First, with my home site being darn near in the open middle of the property the grasses would help with cover / increase deer comfort in the area. As a result would also provide additional bedding and chase areas.

 

[Telemark]

For a food source Id look into small burnett. Grows well on low ph ground and stays green under snow cover. I believe its also very low maintenance.

Oh! Thanks for the tip. That should be perfect on the higher elevation areas.

 

[Telemark]

Thanks for all the information. I have been playing with ideas on the maps the last few weeks. I think my opportunities for bedding are limited, but I will do what I can on the property.

I think I will focus on food, as that seems to be lacking over the entire area. If I can get a lot of food and a good variety, I think I can get a lot of deer to at least visit the property. That ought to help too with my secondary goals of bear and grouse hunting.

There are steep cliffs that help direct deer traffic, so that should help me find good stand sites.

 

[Telemark]

Here is a bit more about the place as far as movement. They tend to move Willy-nilly, but there are a few places where I noticed regular movement with concentrations of scat and tracks.

The yellow lines are the trails I noticed over the years. The red line is an existing ATV trail that is used almost daily by deer(usually the same does and fawn). Blue is impassible cliffs. Orange is very difficult terrain that deer can traverse.

 

[Telemark]

I want to start with the bog. I want to excavate out the waterway so that the water can flow out more quickly, preventing the place from getting too soggy.

 

[Telemark]

So here is what I was thinking for the bog:

The white spot will be a tower blind. Probably about ten feet high at the floor.
The green is the main grazing area, presumably clover, brassicas, WW, WR, etc.
The orange is early season apples near the blind for archery hunting before the rifle season.
The purple is late season apples for rifle and muzzleloader seasons in November/Dec.
The red is red osier dogwood, for general browsing and to break up the open space a bit.

What do you think?

 

[Telemark]

Here is an overall plan for the long term:

Yellow are food plots. All will have a variety of foods, depending on what the deer seem to like and how things grow over the seasons. All will have fruit trees eventually.
Orange is an oak grove where I see a lot of activity and traffic.
Green is where I want to plant small burnet. The area is thin dry soil on limestone bedrock.
Red circles are wet areas where I want to plant hundreds of red osier dogwood.
Purple spots are springs where I would like to put salt licks and dam up the spring to provide fresh drinking water.
Blue areas are where I will try to improve the space for bedding.
White would be my stand/blinds.
Black is the trails I use to access stands. With a north wind I can walk in at the southeast corner. With a south wind, I can access one rocky beach by canoe.

Well, what do you think?

 

[Bowman]

Yellow is mostly maple and beech, some oak.

Blue is a bog that used to be a beaver pond.

Green is red oak.

Pink is beech and red oak.

White is a tight pinch point with cliffs on both sides.
View attachment 16376

I would consider planting buckwheat and annual clovers in the pinch point area if possible. Use a camera. If you have growth and activity, I would fall plant cereal rye and clovers. Both should regrow in the spring.

 

[Telemark]

That pinch point is on a very steep slope. I'm not even sure I could get equipment up there. But I will keep it in mind.

Rye and a clover mix are what I was thinking to plant for the most part. I generally can't get up there in Spring. Anything perennial is good for my needs. And I can plant some annuals in late June or early July, which is typically when I am there.