Northwoods Habitat

[PackerBacker]

I bought my property last March so only going on my 1st year owning land. I did a couple small habitat improvements last year but have been doing a lot of research.

So far I met with a private forester and the DNR forester. Got the land enrolled into MFL. Met with USDA and have grant requests in for cost share for reforestration. Had a wildlife biologist out for his recommendations. Lastly, hired Steve B to do an photo eval for me to put it all together. All said and done - there are a lot of things that I need to do to improve the property from putting in new food plots, planting trees and shrubs for cover and browse, building access roads and trails, putting in screens, watering holes, licking trees, hinging deer trails and bedding areas and the list goes on.

How do you guys prioritize the different projects? The sooner I get trees in the ground, the sooner they grow. At same time - food is needed in the area and I'm told bedding is important too.

 

[sandbur]

You have to think of the lowest hole in the bucket and work on that first.

In all truth, economics and what you can actually afford has to be involved. For me it has been nearly about 25 years of work where I live. Remember to keep it fun and it all can not be done in one day, or one year, or probably not even in one lifetime.

Just keep it fun!

I have done many projects with minimum tools and smaller amounts of money. I would select an area and plant 25 to 50 spruce in that area. Maybe plant 5 plus apple trees in another area and call spring planting good for that year.

With time I have placed less emphasis on foodplots and more on crab apples and cover. Just my preferences.

 

[sandbur]

There is a benefit to planting trees like Stu does. A few ever year to generate uneven stands of spruce for cover, or it could be red cedar or jack pines. You need to plant for 5 years down the line, but also for 10 and 20, and maybe even 30 years down the line.

Taking care of fruit trees also takes time and start with a few if you are interested.
Look at Steve's plan and pick an area to start working on.

 

[Buckly]

How many years do you think it will take to accomplish everything? I went with a quesstimate of 3 for my property, and that is pushing pretty hard. If you do 5 years it's a little easier. Year one I did all the bedding areas first as I started in March and that was a good time to do that. Started planting some spruce for screens in May and will continue to plant spruce every year until completed. In the summer I brought in a dozer and did all the access roads and new food plots. That took 3 days. In the Fall I put in the licking posts and set tree stands. I also did a few sidewalks where it was easy at the time while I was there. Year 2, I will start hinging the perimeter in March. Work on the roads that were really wet and need touch up. Plant more spruce and put in the water holes. Year 3 I will finish the blocking and sidewalks. I don't figure much difference in size of the spruce screens between year one and two. The only thing not scheduled is planting some apple trees in the plots. I have hundreds of wild apple trees so I am kind of leaving that until last and get to that when I get to it but, almost all of the existing and new plots already have several mature apple trees.

 

[sandbur]

You will never accomplish everything. All of the deer barriers begin to settle and degrade. Deer trails need mowing and maintenance, clearing of dead falls. Things change as the forest grows over 5 and 10 years time. You begin to rework areas that had previously been done. Browse areas grow out of reach and will need work. You might read or hear of a new plant or procedure to try and will modify your plan of several years back.

 

[sandbur]

That's the part I love. When I bought this place I had a 5 year plan in mind...and that's about how long its going to end up taking. However, once I've got that part of the plan implemented...I'll have to start re-doing/tweaking/fine tuning things I did in years 1-3. For a guy who loves being and working in the woods...it just doesn't get any better than that :)

I would much rather be in the woods than on a tractor planting a foodplot, or than mowing the lawn, or even mowing a clover plot. Catching a few walleyes to eat takes priority once in awhile, though. If I could ever catch any.

 

[Greta&Gus]

I bought my property last March so only going on my 1st year owning land. I did a couple small habitat improvements last year but have been doing a lot of research.

So far I met with a private forester and the DNR forester. Got the land enrolled into MFL. Met with USDA and have grant requests in for cost share for reforestration. Had a wildlife biologist out for his recommendations. Lastly, hired Steve B to do an photo eval for me to put it all together. All said and done - there are a lot of things that I need to do to improve the property from putting in new food plots, planting trees and shrubs for cover and browse, building access roads and trails, putting in screens, watering holes, licking trees, hinging deer trails and bedding areas and the list goes on.

How do you guys prioritize the different projects? The sooner I get trees in the ground, the sooner they grow. At same time - food is needed in the area and I'm told bedding is important too.

You can prioritize your time based on the time of year. Right now get your chainsaw running to work on your bedding. Come April you will be planting trees and then in may and June you will be working your plots. If you spent one weekend a month at your property you can still get a lot done. In a place with no food you will have deer flock in with new food plots. I would look at stand locations last after you get a feel for deer movement based on your habitat improvements.

Congrats on the property.

 

[sandbur]

Hey, Packer, get us some pictures of your habitat!

 

[dipper]

What did steve say? What do you need us for if your getting his advice?

 

[PackerBacker]

What did steve say? What do you need us for if your getting his advice?

Steve put together a very comprehensive plan for everything that needs to be done but it doesn't really list the order the projects need to be done. He offered to continue to be a resource but the photo eval only costs $500 so I want to be respectful of his time and not continually go back to that well. He has exceeded my expectations for what I thought I would get for that money and obviously put a lot of time into the plan and in addition spent 1 1/2 hours on the phone with me going through the plan in detail. The man needs to make a living so in addition to getting all your feedback - I do plan on emailing him to see if I can essentially have him break the plan in pieces and pay him each year for his feedback and assistance until the project is complete.

 

[PackerBacker]

Hey, Packer, get us some pictures of your habitat!

I plan getting a few put up once I start the main work. Last year, I planted 3000 white pines, put in 6 apple trees and four dunstan chestnut trees (not sure if they will survive).

I put in 2 food plots but based on Steve's plan, I need to take those out and put in other ones in different locations to get better flow so that work was wasted.

 

[dipper]

Much easier if u post the plan and map

 

[PackerBacker]

That's the part I love. When I bought this place I had a 5 year plan in mind...and that's about how long its going to end up taking. However, once I've got that part of the plan implemented...I'll have to start re-doing/tweaking/fine tuning things I did in years 1-3. For a guy who loves being and working in the woods...it just doesn't get any better than that :)

I agree - there has been nothing that I found more relaxing, enjoying and gratifying than doing habitat work.

I thought if I have the time, I could get everything done in 5 years too The property is only 80 acres with 30 acres that is an old farm field so a large chunk is essentially a blank slate to work off of.

In addition to the 3000 white pines and few apple trees and chestnuts I planted last year - this year I have to complete a MFL cutting on 17 acres of the property, I ordered 9000 red pine and 500 spruce (spruce will be planted for at least next 5 years) from the state nursery, crab apples from the NWTF and 25 wild apples from North Forty up in Florence.

My buddy owns portable sawmill and dropped it on me that he has been cutting boards for a small hunting cabin on the property so that will be going up in September too.

 

[PackerBacker]

Here is the map. Solid green block on north is the white pines that I planted last year. Other dark green is going to be the red pines and blocks of spruce for thermal cover. Pink is shrubs and bush for browse and cover. Orange was warm season grasses but after discussing with Steve, going to use some of the existing grasses and plant spruce with hybrid willow and poplar for screen. Purple is food plots, greenish color is clover, red is apple trees.

Property is surrounded by Nicolet on 3 sides and north side by road. Property to north is only other privately held piece in area.

 

[wiscwhip]

That map is very busy, which means you will be very busy! LOL I would get out there ASAP and start hinging any of those sidewalk areas that need to be addressed, as there are a lot of them, and that will help direct movement regardless of the other improvements. How are your food plots and orchard area being cleared? You or a logger or is it already done? That would be next if need be. After they are cleared or if they are already done, get the soil tested and get them limed ASAP. Then start prepping those areas for the willow/poplar screens and the shrub areas, whether that means spraying or mowing or whatever, they will be able to go in the ground before you know it. It looks like a lot of small clover areas, so do the most strategic and huntable ones first, you can leave some others for future years if you run out of time or funds for that. Whatever order you do it in, I would find my primary bedding areas and do any improvements in those areas first, to minimize close proximity disturbance later in the year, get those areas done now. If you are working a hundred yards away the deer aren't going to care. If you are cutting and such in their bedrooms, they might not appreciate that too much later in the spring, especially the does with fawns.

On second thought, forget everything I just typed and do it exactly how Steve tells you to.

 

[Buckly]

How is your access set up and where are you putting stands? just curious as the layout has all the food in the front.

 

[sandbur]

Mo- Did you ever find that clover did not get much use, or is that a low deer number problem specific to central Mn? Imperial Whitetail used to be great for me when we had more deer. Now my clover gets little use, just like turnips.

 

[PackerBacker]

How is your access set up and where are you putting stands? just curious as the layout has all the food in the front.

The suggested stand sites are on the map as little red dots but access is the properties biggest weakness. The north border is a county road with the driveway right on the property line where the one acre is cut out of the property on the west side. On the east side, there is a logging road that is right off the property line that starts to slow run away from the property line buts past the back side of the property so I can use that for access too. Steve B recommended a few access roads be cut in. Since the MFL cutting has to be 2015-16 winter, I'm going to have the logger take care of those for me.

 

[Buckly]

The suggested stand sites are on the map as little red dots but access is the properties biggest weakness. The north border is a county road with the driveway right on the property line where the one acre is cut out of the property on the west side. On the east side, there is a logging road that is right off the property line that starts to slow run away from the property line buts past the back side of the property so I can use that for access too. Steve B recommended a few access roads be cut in. Since the MFL cutting has to be 2015-16 winter, I'm going to have the logger take care of those for me.

I see it now after I blew the picture up. Lots of work there.

 

[j-bird]

You are way ahead of where I started already - you have a plan from the start - and you picked a wonderful person to help you with Steve B!

How long it will take and what to do first will all depend on the different variables involved. Just keep in mind it's a work in progress and it will more than likely take time - Rome wasn't built in a day. Now if you have the resources you could do this in a year or two, but plantings like orchards, screens, NWSG and thermal cover will still take years to mature to the point of being useful.

Access and screening from prying eyes is where I would start. Beyond that I would start with cover related projects and then add the food later - but that will depend on which is actually more critical to your property (lowest hole in the bucket).

Just something I will add (because I fell for it) is to do any project right the first time. If it means you need to wait to support a project properly than do that. The saying,"If you don't do it right the first time, you will have the chance to do it again" comes to mind.

All just my 2 cents worth.