Input on my new plan ?

[Bill]

I like Stu's idea.

If it were me, for now, I would work on one small doe bedding area just to see if it works. I've never worked in pines so?
I don't like the idea of cutting every third row, fifth row or what ever. Deer don't like rows. If it were me I'd experiment with clearing a 10 - 15 yard circle pile the pines around it partially. You can't have a circle with one way in or out. They won't use it.

Then I'd stop.. Check it out in few weeks to see if you had any guests.

Another thing that struck me was you mentioned it's so thick near the house deer won't walk through it. dont know if you want movement in that area but there is nothing better than cutting trails through an area like that to put deer "exactly" where you want them.

 

[nrowles]

All those "benches" to the north on that topo look like prime locations for bedding, but I think they are all on the adjacent property, so not much you can do there. That said, I would still try to encourage a few smaller bedding locations as opposed to a single large bedding area. Maybe don't take out so much of the "red" area(remove only the right half) and put in a bedding location to the WSW of the pin marked "920" in the top right?

I had the same feeling on the bedding to the north. That is a nice sunny bedding spot. You can see that on Google Earth when you change time of day. Also, that is directly where the few doe came from when I was hunting there the other week.

Taking out all that red is very important for our every day life. That give us a great view of the land at lower elevation and the mountain in the distance. We are confined within these wall of trees and need to see out.

I really didn't want to do too much disturbance on the northern part of my property because it is already a transition travel between food and bedding. But if I take a more conservative approach it shouldn't be too much destruction?

While an hourglass plot design is very useful in many situations, I don't see it being as effective here how it's drawn up. You are far enough from big food sources where some does are going to make it their primary place rather than just a staging plot as they traverse to other areas. I think this is going to concentrate does and make it hard for you to get in and out without bumping something. Totally eliminates morning hunts when that happens.

My suggestion would be to make it so you are not hunting over where there main plot(s) are but rather fingers coming off as they transition out. Hunting those fingers with good access routes will make it less likely you bump deer and will make your place hunt larger.

Having a neighbor that makes a disturbance that the deer are used to can be to your advantage. It will be helpful to use them to align access routes.

As others have stated, maybe study some of what other's have done in their threads before making a change that is hard to undo.

With that said, what you have drawn up will be better than what you got now.

Thanks for the input. I agree on the neighbors disturbance. That was already my main access to the back without spooking deer.

I like Stu's idea.

If it were me, for now, I would work on one small doe bedding area just to see if it works. I've never worked in pines so?
I don't like the idea of cutting every third row, fifth row or what ever. Deer don't like rows. If it were me I'd experiment with clearing a 10 - 15 yard circle pile the pines around it partially. You can't have a circle with one way in or out. They won't use it.

Then I'd stop.. Check it out in few weeks to see if you had any guests.

Another thing that struck me was you mentioned it's so thick near the house deer won't walk through it. dont know if you want movement in that area but there is nothing better than cutting trails through an area like that to put deer "exactly" where you want them.

My plot already cleared on the west end is about 55x70 and I piled the eedges with the trees, leaving many openings. They come in and out but I haven't seen any beds. That opening is a bit bigger than you mention though.

As for your last comment, the book I read said deer don't like to be confined without an escape route which is what cutting paths through that stuff would do. I like the idea of funneling them into that, but they may not use it if they don't feel safe. ??

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Here's my $.02 and it may not even be worth that much....
Slowwwwwwwww down

Got to agree. This is meant with the best intent. You are WAY TOO MUCH "giddy up" and not enough "whoa." You're going to give yourself high blood pressure for what you yourself said was purely supposed to be a hobby. Now you're "really frustrated" after "binging" on a habitat book for 4 days.

That book wasn't by Tony LaPratt was it? The idea of making 28 actual deer beds? I can think of few things that are a bigger waste of time. But if it makes you happy...go for it.

 

[TreeDaddy]

The journey IS the destination

Enjoy the ride and realize you will never be "finished"

Take your time


bill

 

[4wanderingeyes]

From one small land owner to another, I wouldnt get so technical about beds, deer will bed where they want, if you just make it more secure for them. My suggestion, grab a friend, and a couple saws, drop some random trees in areas to thicken up the ground, and to open the canopy. Let mother nature take care of adding growth to the ground. Drop the trees like there was a tornado that went through the place, but not to the point where it is unpassable. Start with a couple small areas of about a 1/4 acre. Then let it sit for a couple years and see what you created, and how the deer have reacted. At this point you could add a food plot, or if the small tornado sections you made are a hit, do another area. But take small steps, dont jump into it at a large scale. Small mistakes can easily be forgotten, or masked, large mistakes take time in nature to overcome, more time then hunters like to wait for, like decades.

 

[shawnv]

The topography you have leads me to believe you have decent bedding already and will see and increase just by having food there. Just by what I see I would keep that back clearing you like as a safe place for them to eat and draw them to a hub with a water hole in the center and a scrape tree. You could still make some doe bedding just off the fingers. You hint at not doing much North because they already move through there however I think you have an opportunity to draw more deer from the West moving North with some food and trail manipulation. Where you clear out for the view with a little work you could make a nice deer highway and pinch it down. All this would be much lower impact hunting.

Excuse the crude drawing but it's just to demonstrate the concept. It's a small parcel after all so if you get two good really stands you should be happy.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Read multiple books/sources before starting everything and then apply it to your situation. You will see many things are agreed upon and others are just personal preference.

Details are fine but the overall design of your property is way more important. On small acreage, you can't have everything ie-doe group bedding, buck bedding, transition, staging, destination plots etc. You need to use what is around you so they are using your land during daylight hours. Start with what the destination food(ie-ag field) is and move backwards towards your bedding to create some predictability. If there is no true destination area around, you may want to make a larger amount of acreage into food.

Without a broader image of surrounding properties, it is hard to say where things should be located.