Christopher3
Yearling... With promise
I am fairly new to yearly deer hunting and prior to 5 years ago I had hunted deer two, maybe three times in my early teens (in the late 70’s) and about a half dozen times from 2007 to 2016 in my early to mid-40’s. With that being said, I offer my apologies ahead of time for the length of this post but being new, I want to try and give as much possible pertinent information as possible to help with my questions although it may well be overkill. (I have watched so many videos and read so many articles, many having conflicting information that I now feel like I have mental constipation.)
5 Years ago, I was granted permission to hunt a friend’s 40-acre plot that was sitting idle just north of Lake Mille Lacs (MN) in the state forest. It is a land locked parcel consisting of a mix of high and low, and about 95% hardwoods with a smattering of scattered conifer. To the west of me is a 40-acre parcel along the road. They have a large building close to the road and each year they plant a 1-acre radish plot directly behind the building and my access trail/easement runs 10 acres long down along the southern edge of their property to mine. The same people own the 40-acre plot south of me and they use their parcels only for hunting. To my east is over 600 acres of state forest and north of me is another 80 acres of state forest. Off my Northwest corner where 4 parcels meet, there is an 80-acre parcel along the road that is about 40 acres of ag (usually alfalfa), 5 acres of yard and 35 acres of woods.
On my property there are two shallow creeks on the property ranging from 2 to 8 feet across and they run about 6 inches to a foot deep most of the year and about two plus feet after the winter thaw. The south creek runs from the Southeast side to the Southwest side where it turns north and dumps into a slew that continues to the Northwest corner where it opens back up. The north creek runs through the center and also dumps on the Northeast corner. Both come together in an upper beaver pond on my property (I killed the 4 beavers living in it last year and drained about 1/2 to2/3rds of the pond) and a lower beaver pond which is mostly on state land (and seems to still have 1 beaver).
About 100 yards across my 1st creek, there is a semi-bowled area within an inverted U shaped ridge line that is roughly about 200 yards long and ranges from about 30-60 feet wide that had obviously been logged at one time and was filled with a few lager trees and a lot of tiny stick like trees that you could hardly walk through, most were 1-3 inches in diameter and 6-12 feet tall. It has a short ridge line to the West that boarders the slew, as well as higher ridge lines to the North and to the East. It had 5 trails going to/through it when I found it. I thought it should be a good area and cleared out enough of the stick like trees to have shooting lanes and a way to drag a deer out should I get one and hung a ladder stand. The 2nd season I cleared out a little more and put in a 16’ enclosed tripod. By the 3rd season, I thought it would eventually make a good area for a food plot. I cleared out an area (all by hand with a chainsaw and pruning clippers) that was about 40 x 30 and tried planting a small plot of winter peas. They didn’t take (mostly due to my method of planting- the birds got all the peas), disappointed and not wanting to ruin my chances to hunt it, I spread out a bag of Imperial Whitetail Clover. It grew sparsely but I think that was mostly due to the amount of canopy still existing at that time. Season 4 I got it cleared to about 85-100 feet long and 35-40 feet wide. I bought a soil PH tester from Mossy Oak (thinking it was a good brand that sold good stuff- as it turns out it was junk and even in vinegar it still registers 6.5-7 PH – so I have yet to get a soil sample) and the clover was fuller but still somewhat spotty. Sadly, I had an accident and fell 40 feet and broke both my wrists and hands and did not get to hunt. Last year (season 5) I planted a seed blend from a local seed company close to me as it was far less expensive than the bags of food plot blends at the sporting goods stores. Its’ make up consisted of:
Dwarf Essex Rape seed 25%
Ladino Clover 20%
Medium Red Clover 20%
Vernal Alfalfa 15%
Frosty Berseem Clover 10%
Aslike Clover 5%
Forage Chicory 5%
It filled in most of the bare spots but I am pretty sure I overseeded and most of the rape didn’t seem to pop up but the clover and some of the alfalfa and chicory did. Since we welcomed a child in the middle of deer season, I only got to hunt opening weekend (and it was 70 degrees here in MN-so no luck). It has filled in rather nicely (see progression of pics) but still has a few bare spots where leaves had piled up and killed off the clover or prevented growth. I went up this spring and raked out all the leaves and removed the last of the fallen trees and when I checked my trail cameras, I had more pictures of deer last year than all the previous 5 seasons but didn’t seem to get as many deer in the clover in deer season from late fall or winter as I did in the spring to early fall but this may have been from my friend hunting there and continually walking all over the property and not sitting in a stand or blind rather than deer moving off the property. So, now to my questions.
5 Years ago, I was granted permission to hunt a friend’s 40-acre plot that was sitting idle just north of Lake Mille Lacs (MN) in the state forest. It is a land locked parcel consisting of a mix of high and low, and about 95% hardwoods with a smattering of scattered conifer. To the west of me is a 40-acre parcel along the road. They have a large building close to the road and each year they plant a 1-acre radish plot directly behind the building and my access trail/easement runs 10 acres long down along the southern edge of their property to mine. The same people own the 40-acre plot south of me and they use their parcels only for hunting. To my east is over 600 acres of state forest and north of me is another 80 acres of state forest. Off my Northwest corner where 4 parcels meet, there is an 80-acre parcel along the road that is about 40 acres of ag (usually alfalfa), 5 acres of yard and 35 acres of woods.
On my property there are two shallow creeks on the property ranging from 2 to 8 feet across and they run about 6 inches to a foot deep most of the year and about two plus feet after the winter thaw. The south creek runs from the Southeast side to the Southwest side where it turns north and dumps into a slew that continues to the Northwest corner where it opens back up. The north creek runs through the center and also dumps on the Northeast corner. Both come together in an upper beaver pond on my property (I killed the 4 beavers living in it last year and drained about 1/2 to2/3rds of the pond) and a lower beaver pond which is mostly on state land (and seems to still have 1 beaver).
About 100 yards across my 1st creek, there is a semi-bowled area within an inverted U shaped ridge line that is roughly about 200 yards long and ranges from about 30-60 feet wide that had obviously been logged at one time and was filled with a few lager trees and a lot of tiny stick like trees that you could hardly walk through, most were 1-3 inches in diameter and 6-12 feet tall. It has a short ridge line to the West that boarders the slew, as well as higher ridge lines to the North and to the East. It had 5 trails going to/through it when I found it. I thought it should be a good area and cleared out enough of the stick like trees to have shooting lanes and a way to drag a deer out should I get one and hung a ladder stand. The 2nd season I cleared out a little more and put in a 16’ enclosed tripod. By the 3rd season, I thought it would eventually make a good area for a food plot. I cleared out an area (all by hand with a chainsaw and pruning clippers) that was about 40 x 30 and tried planting a small plot of winter peas. They didn’t take (mostly due to my method of planting- the birds got all the peas), disappointed and not wanting to ruin my chances to hunt it, I spread out a bag of Imperial Whitetail Clover. It grew sparsely but I think that was mostly due to the amount of canopy still existing at that time. Season 4 I got it cleared to about 85-100 feet long and 35-40 feet wide. I bought a soil PH tester from Mossy Oak (thinking it was a good brand that sold good stuff- as it turns out it was junk and even in vinegar it still registers 6.5-7 PH – so I have yet to get a soil sample) and the clover was fuller but still somewhat spotty. Sadly, I had an accident and fell 40 feet and broke both my wrists and hands and did not get to hunt. Last year (season 5) I planted a seed blend from a local seed company close to me as it was far less expensive than the bags of food plot blends at the sporting goods stores. Its’ make up consisted of:
Dwarf Essex Rape seed 25%
Ladino Clover 20%
Medium Red Clover 20%
Vernal Alfalfa 15%
Frosty Berseem Clover 10%
Aslike Clover 5%
Forage Chicory 5%
It filled in most of the bare spots but I am pretty sure I overseeded and most of the rape didn’t seem to pop up but the clover and some of the alfalfa and chicory did. Since we welcomed a child in the middle of deer season, I only got to hunt opening weekend (and it was 70 degrees here in MN-so no luck). It has filled in rather nicely (see progression of pics) but still has a few bare spots where leaves had piled up and killed off the clover or prevented growth. I went up this spring and raked out all the leaves and removed the last of the fallen trees and when I checked my trail cameras, I had more pictures of deer last year than all the previous 5 seasons but didn’t seem to get as many deer in the clover in deer season from late fall or winter as I did in the spring to early fall but this may have been from my friend hunting there and continually walking all over the property and not sitting in a stand or blind rather than deer moving off the property. So, now to my questions.
- Should I leave the clover alone this year as it is and see if it fills in even more on its own?
- Should I rake the plot and get some more of the seed mix from the local seed company and broadcast some additional seed to fill it in even more?
- Since I cannot lime until next spring when I will be able to use an ATV, should I spray it with some Antler King product like Plot Max, Jolt or Clover Fuel?
- Should/can I add in some Winter Rye with the established clover in late August to early September to fill the small bare spots, adding some variety and possibly get more action in the late fall and winter?
- With 40 acres, should I expand the size of my current food plot from its current size of roughly 85-100 long by 35-40 wide to about 200 feet long (next year) or leave it at its current size and add a few small kill plots instead (or both)?
- Being it is mid-June and temps are in the 90’s (and we have officially entered drought conditions), should I chance mowing the clover now, wait until end of summer or can I just leave it?
- Should I dig down farther and drain the beaver pond completely, then burn the old dam or leave it and make sure no new beaver move into it?
