Need some advice

[Owl city]

I’am looking at taking 4-5 acres out of ag field and converting to a deer bedding area. I had my mind made up with planing Norway and black hills spruce . I was going to use a tree planter just for speed and ease and possibly spraying or mowing around them, but now thinking about tree plugs just so I don’t have straight rows and look more natural. The highlighted area is the field in question. Looking for advice using tree planter vs plugs, and should I be thinking about switch vs spruce planting ?

 

[buckdeer1]

Do you plant food in brown area?If you are looking at planting trees in marked area, do you access from house? If so I wouldn't want the bedding area there

 

[Owl city]

Yes the other field is all food plots, and yes we access from the house. I have planted spruce close around the house and some deer do bed in that.

 

[Owl city]

The biggest buck I ever killed would bed 100 yards from my house , I really don’t think it bothers the deer that much

 

[Bill]

Predominant fall winds? Where do the deer enter the plot now?

 

[Mortenson]

Unless the neighborhood looks different than your picture, looks like you potentially have a lot of bedding already. Are the woods not good bedding? Is it lowland? Trying to draw deer away from certain lines? Depending on where the bucks like coming from, even if you made some of that area bedding, I'd probably still keep the cups in food because they'd set up for different wind options.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Welcome to the forum! Prepare to be entranced...

 

[Angus 1895]

I would not make it all conifers.

Are there oaks around your deal?

 

[Owl city]

Predominant fall winds? Where do the deer enter the plot now?

Deer pretty much come mostly from the north , my property runs from west to east the house is west. I can’t hunt with any south winds on my plot

 

[Owl city]

Unless the neighborhood looks different than your picture, looks like you potentially have a lot of bedding already. Are the woods not good bedding? Is it lowland? Trying to draw deer away from certain lines? Depending on where the bucks like coming from, even if you made some of that area bedding, I'd probably still keep the cups in food because they'd set up for different wind options.

My neighbor to the north logged his woods about 5 years ago and the deer like to bed there right now. I should say we live a 1/2 mile from public land and deer pile in once duck season starts and all the way thru rifle season. I do draw a lot in with my plots

 

[ruskbucks]

What state are you located in? I like the idea of going with plugs. You can get so much more creative. I always wanted to do a bedding areas with white pines in the middle surrounded by a circle of norways. I don't have a lot of white pines but the deer bed under every single one. The norways would provide good thermal bedding blocking the wind and snow. I'm not sure why the like the white pines but it could be they keep the snow of their back or possibly even the soft bedding of the needles? I had clear cuts done I my property. Some areas came back thick with trees and shrubs and the other spots have scattered trees/ shrubs with tall grass and weeds. The areas with the grass and weeds are awesome bedding areas. It's not even close which areas the prefer. I would highly recommend trying to establish tall grass or weeds mixed in with your spruce.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

If the deer bedded in the red area highlighted area next to the buildings, wouldn't it be tough to walk to your food plot on a west wind without spooking deer in that new bedding area?

I've helped a friend plant trees once with a pull behind tree planter and it was awesome. You can easily plant several thousand trees per day without breaking your back by planting plugs or bare root trees. I haven't found the straight tree rows to be an issue with deer bedding. If they aren't disturbed in that area, they will bed there. I would recommend leaving some scattered pockets (maybe 20 yard circle) with no trees. Those openings will be quite a draw years down the road when the other trees canopy and are less of a draw.

 

[Mortenson]

And check in with Buck's pages and others... you'll need to cage those spruce trees. I lost all my Norway plugs. Bud caps weren't good enough.

 

[Owl city]

I’am located in Wisconsin, really looking to utilize every inch of my property to make as good as it can be. Leave it as it is ? Plant switch? Or plant spruce and shrubs ?

 

[Bill]

Deer pretty much come mostly from the north , my property runs from west to east the house is west. I can’t hunt with any south winds on my plot

That's what I was afraid off. if you add bedding to the south and some deer use it you won't be able to hunt any north winds either if you sitting on or near the long plot to the north. Not saying don't do it but think it through, pick your best hunting spots and build from there.

 

[buckdeer1]

I would plant some screen and make it so you can access stand spots and food plots.With the public and the extra deer I would fill the hole in the bottom of bucket which looks like food

 

[bwoods11]

Tough call without seeing it ! Looks like you have a lot of cover already, but spruce trees are a game changer when they get 4-5 feet tall .

Good luck !