Old Farm, New Hunter / Farmer

[Mainedrifter]

Hey Habitat Talk crew, I am a recent convert from the former QD site and have read both forums for a while.
I am a new hunter and fortunate to have been living on an old farm for quite some time but only recently have been making any habitat improvements. I'm in Maine and still have much to learn. Thanks for having me.

I wanted to start a thread of my habitat project and to hope to be helpful to someone new starting out. I've learned so much from reading your threads and am thankful for all of the information that is being shared.

I started being interested in whitetails late in life, I'd never hunted before this season and am fortunate to live on an old farm that hasn't been hunted in many years. I found this forum before I had completed at hunter's safety course at the ripe age of 33.

The area around me is heavy hardwood timber with very little AG land.
I read so many threads that detailed people's success with the LC mix and all of the info that Paul so graciously shared, I knew I needed to clear some ground and get some seeds down.

I started clearing about 1/3 of an acre in Feb of 2015.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I burned and chipped what I could but had many stumps to clear and called in a friend for that job.

Then it was weeks of picking rocks....

I recruited friends for that job as well.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I had limed and fertilized per my soil test and was able to get some LC mix in the ground just before a nice rain and soon I was happy and thinking I was a real farmer.

Soon I had visitors showing up and each camera pull was a lot of fun for my wife and I.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I had never seen a deer on our farm during the daylight but then again I had never been targeting them either so in my mind the plot was a real success even though I'm sure these guys were here all along.

 

[Mainedrifter]

The mix of winter rye, oats, Austrian Winter peas and Alta Swede clover seemed to work well for me.

 

[Mainedrifter]

Early October I pulled the cards and went home to have dinner with my wife. We scrolled through the images together and stopped cold on this photo.

Apparently we had a new night time visitor and my plans for the season changed dramatically. I called my buddy and started picking his brain about when and where to be in the woods and tried to figure out what a mature deer does as I had no experience.

 

[strawhead]

"Then it was weeks of picking rocks...."

I feel your pain. Your work looks really good.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I tried to hunt smart and hunted hard but he was always a step ahead of me.

Leaving the woods at 5 pm...

He was two hours behind me

I spent 14 days crazy and not really being able to pay attention at work but I was able to harvest him, my first deer and one that I will not soon forget.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I have no idea if the few improvements I made that season helped. The hinge cutting, new food plot, releasing some apple trees I found but I am thankful and blessed to have been a part of this chase.

 

[Mainedrifter]

Now, as I copy and paste this from the old forum... I know for certain that the improvements I made during last year made very little difference to this buck's life / growth. I know that I am exceptionally lucky to have a farm that hadn't been hunted in many years with very little pressure in the woods and good quality forage. Now my plan is to try to make it better.

 

[Mainedrifter]

So now, with temps in the teens it's time for me to get to work. I joined QDMA and started cutting more to expand the food plot and will keep the LC mix as is for some clover this spring and summer. Plans are for buckwheat in the new area about another 1/2 an acre and to expand the watering hole. Then some more hinge cutting and a few deep woods openings.

I wanted to again, thank people for the information they shared, it has been really helpful for me and I am sure others.

 

[Mainedrifter]

One of the things I learned this year while hunting, which will sound silly to most of you I am sure, is the power of apple trees. I watched as each afternoon deer poured along an old logging road to check for fresh drops. I knew I needed to prune and clean up these long forgotten trees.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I read that thread by CrazyEd and tried to think about only doing 1/3rd of the work this year.

Just tried to remove the suckers, dead wood and allow some more light to get to the trees. This logging road is lined with them and there is more work to do but it was a good day.

I also started my American Chestnuts today and am excited to see what they might become in 5 or 7 years.

Low 30's and a little bit of sunshine makes a big difference.
Thank you.

 

[Mainedrifter]

Spring has finally sprung here, 8" of snow on Monday but hopefully we are done with that.
Shed hunting has been slow but then again I don't really know what I am doing. But walking in the woods is always the answer.

My habitat plan is really very simple, I have a small food plan that I am expanding and working on adding some water features. I've been clearing small openings in the timber and will work on better regrowth in the under story. Small, simple steps.

I've been burning and clearing brush.

and watering chestnuts.

I should probably move these to a larger pot soon.

 

[Mainedrifter]

I have also been watching the locals as we are all getting ready for some warmer weather.

I hope all is well where each of you are, things here are looking up.
Thank you,

 

[Mainedrifter]

Just a few trail cam photos today as my weekend update....

I thought I had lost this guy, my wife and I had been watching him since July when he showed up on cam with a massive tumor on his gut. My wife named him "Arnold" and proclaimed it was not a tumor.....

He was a beautiful deer with an odd drop brow tine on his right side that may or may not have been related to that tumor ? I don't know enough about deer to guess but it was always cool to see him show up.

 

[Mainedrifter]

Then after this September photo he was gone, it is my first year watching for thins like this so I just assumed another hunter tagged him or that tumor was finally infected enough to cause him harm.

Then this morning at 6:42am I see this guy come through with an extended belly and what looks like a scar. I think it's him ? What do you think ?

Thank you,

 

[Mainedrifter]

Spring has finally sprung here in Maine and things instantly get busy, I know all of you can relate.
I took a trip north for some Atlantic Salmon and while I was fishing I kept thinking about my game cameras and hoping they were doing their job.

My LC mix is springing back to life and a little sunshine will certainly help.

I am most excited about the new food plot as my small first one got so much use. The wet weather have kept me out of it but hopefully one of these weekends I'll get a machine in to pull those stumps.

 

[Mainedrifter]

The boys are traveling together and show up for some clover first thing each morning.

After a mild winter I am hopeful us northerner's will have an exciting fall.

My American chestnuts are growing slowly and are part of the five year plan. I tossed some pumpkin seeds in there as well, I forget who I should thank for that tip.

Thank you for following along and I hope things are well.

 

[strawhead]

Awesome buck. Congrats