Planting trees does not improve deer hunting

How much has tree planting (for cover, mast or otherwise), improved your deer hunting


  • Total voters
    43
You guys better hope my wife never reads this. I disagree because anything that you do to improve habitat should increase the numbers and overall health of all species so in turn you should be able to utilize this to improve hunting
 
You guys better hope my wife never reads this. I disagree because anything that you do to improve habitat should increase the numbers and overall health of all species so in turn you should be able to utilize this to improve hunting
I think it really depends on your deer density - if you have a fair many deer, you probably arent going to attract or hold many more - the ones you have will probably just enjoy the new food source.
 
I don’t have a good buck on my private property so I was out scouting public yesterday. My expectations are always low, but I found two bedding areas with fresh sign and miraculously no hunter sign. I began strategizing how to attack these areas in the coming months and years and began to wish I had 5-10 more of these spots. But finding and prepping those spots takes a tremendous amount of time. I normally put a tremendous amount of time into habitat work in the off-season and have neglected the time to scout. Then I wonder what I spend all that time doing 🤔. And I have an epiphany. TREES! (and shrubs). I have bought, planted and protected hundreds of the damn things, and they haven’t helped my deer hunting for squat! Sure they help with aesthetics and have been a labor of love, but with no tangible payoff. Kind of like dating a succubus. I have no apples or crabs or pears or nuts or acorns or anything to show for my efforts, and my deer hunting isn’t 1% better. 7 years into “managing” ~70 acres and the only projects with significant ROI are chainsaw work and food plots, those definitely have helped. So therefore my conclusion is that planting trees and shrubs does not improve deer hunting success. It’s not a total waste of time because I do enjoy it, but from an effective, time efficient land management perspective, it is a massive waste of time and money. Ok, you can fire away. Hopefully I don’t get my habitat card rescinded for putting this thought out there.
There is a club for that, and we have secret meetings.


4 years on the saw has completely changed my habitat more than 12 years of tree planting, and so much so, I'm not even cutting after this season. I just wrapped up my browse and cover walk through this morning. The cover is in excellent condition, and the available browse is extremely high.
 
I don’t think you can expect and dramatic changes in your population by planting trees/shrubs and like Swampcat says a lot depends on your deer density to start with. I haven’t added it up by I’m sure I’ve planted several thousand trees of various types and my fruit trees are producing enormous amounts of fruit. Pears are covering the ground under my trees yet I have not had a single Buck on camera I would consider hunting. This is the second year in row of no shooter bucks showing up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The answer depends on the environment.

Planting 2-4 rows of spruce along the swamp edges and in some cases, leaving a gap and planting more spruce has made a big difference. Willows and tag alders have filled in the gap.

This land was mostly farm and meadow grass that was cut and sometimes burned annually before My wife and I bought it.I am surrounded by heavy ag with irrigated fields on 3 sides.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It depends on what you have and what you don't. I moved into this house 20 years ago this past Monday. 10 acres of mostly overgrown field surrounded on 2 sides by big open woods and the other 2 by crop fields. There are very few oaks anywhere near here. I'm only managing 5 acres for deer. The rest is "home", yard, house, barn, etc. Through the years I've planted dozens of oaks and some norway spruce. Every couple years I hinge some red maples and black gum and leave alot of brush to grow up. I have naturally occurring dogwoods and such. The English and sawtooth oaks have been producing for atleast 10 years and this has become "the" destination for deer when they're dropping. My neighbors are telling me there aren't any deer around, but I see tons on this little spot. The cover helps alot, but the trees I planted are provided something they weren't getting and it's obvious the change from years ago.
Planting oak trees is my favorite habit thing to do, but it takes an "all of the above" approach to really make a difference.
 
I could write a long story about this. I’ve planted 35,000-40,000 + trees on 148 acres . ..Survival maybe 80%

Sandy soil farm in Minnesota with nothing for wildlife when I bought it. An occasional deer, and I’d say 5-6 pheasants.

Fast forward 20 years and I have shelterbelts with trees 20 feet tall or more… ..spruce, cedar, pine, plum, chokecherry, oak, crab apple, tamarack, etc…..good numbers of deer, and pheasants are pretty thick . Although I’m not seeing as many this year . We were shooting 30 roosters a year.

I have one or more big bucks on this place each year… a few pics attached. Trees changed the property from nothing for wildlife to what I’d consider a really good farm for our county .D7C27596-1F5B-4AB7-BE30-3451650102AF.jpeg50D4EA17-DF46-43BB-9A02-CDB610B3F0AC.jpeg9ADA7391-98CC-4DF8-B5EE-251954E3FD3F.jpeg5BC1286E-E5A5-463F-9EFD-03E361B545A3.jpeg011ABD2B-DA3D-42D6-91C3-EEA3EB1462AE.jpeg
 
I had one more thought on this subject. You have probably read where I have posted this before - but planting some shrubs that you don’t have can cause them to spread via the birds pooping the seed. It has worked really well on my place where I kill undesirables and have better stuff pop up to replace them.
 
I had one more thought on this subject. You have probably read where I have posted this before - but planting some shrubs that you don’t have can cause them to spread via the birds pooping the seed. It has worked really well on my place where I kill undesirables and have better stuff pop up to replace them.

That has been a new part of my planting strategy, have not seen anything yet as those shrub clusters are only 1-2 years old with minimal to no fruits yet. Perhaps given more time it might help.

Blasting noninvasives is another love/hate neverending project that I wonder if it has any real effect….I suppose that’s a topic for another thread


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I bet I have added 20 acres of cover planting trees and shrubs as most of you have added cover and most of what we plant has a food value.Look on google earth and use the time function I bet every serious habitat person here sees a difference
 
I have experience with multiple properties apple trees in Northern Wisconsin on two properties planted 25 years ago most definitely have helped deer hunting. My home property in Kansas I planted apples, pears and peaches 20 years ago definitely have deer eating out of orchard bow season pretty much gone by rifle but our rifle season is early December. Peaches where a bust no longer have any of them pears had fireblight issues because I choose poorly on verities the trees I replaced them with have at least been better in that regard but drop earlier than I’d like. I’ve planted 60 apple and pear trees on one farm and many other oaks, chestnuts. On the new farm just purchased this summer I’ve already planted 30 apple and pear trees. Definitely I’m playing the long game in my tree plantings best bang for your buck or time spent is probably crown release of existing trees and thinning areas to promote undergrowth. I have time to devote to playing the long game and my kids will inherit all the farms even if they sold them my plantings should up the resale value.
 
Plan on 5-6 years before trees have an impact . .
 
Last edited:
My number one draw is a 12 yr old, 1/2 acre, 30 tree orchard with a food plot between the trees. Most apples are done by mid-November, but late droppers have recently been added. We see a good number of deer and some nice bucks throughout the year. We’ve had good luck harvesting some good bucks also. Conifer screens have also helped. Hardwood and conifer CRP planting is just starting to produce some cover and a few acorns at 10 years old. My property was mostly open when we bought it though. We also leave row crops and run a chain saw each winter. Be patient, with low pressure your property should start to produce soon. Low pressure is more important than anything else we can do though.
 
Since we started planting Norway and white spruce back in 1996 for cover & road screening, and then planted apple, crab & pear trees at camp, our deer numbers have gone up. The bodies and racks are bigger probably from our food plots and fruit drops. Some timely logging and subsequent natural regrowth, combined with planting spruce, oaks, maples, aspen, and other hard & soft mast trees has kept more deer on the property. We'll take that. Planting evergreens, fruit trees, and a mixed bag of deciduous trees has made a positive difference at our place. Every region can vary.
 
You guys better hope my wife never reads this. I disagree because anything that you do to improve habitat should increase the numbers and overall health of all species so in turn you should be able to utilize this to improve hunting

I think this is the impossible dream. It is a great example of an unrealistic goal. Increasing numbers and overall health of all species is impossible. We are dealing with complex ecosystems. When you manipulate habitat to benefit one species, there are other species that are negatively impacted. The best we can do is to identify a few target species and bend nature to favor them.

We have done habitat manipulation that does have a positive impact on our herd health that has a direct negative impact on hunting success. On top of that, different folks define hunting success in different way. One may need to reduce population to bring deer densities in line with BCC and may impose age restrictions on bucks to improve ages structure. This may improve the chances of an experienced hunter harvesting a mature buck, but at the same time, it reduces the chances a novice hunter will harvest any deer.

Everything in wildlife management is about finding the right balance for your situation.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I think a big part of it is the type of property it is. Big difference between all forested or heavy agricultural use.

I know for sure that planting trees and shrubs has made a huge difference on our properties.
All that said deer are not my #1 focus anymore…I want our properties to benefit ALL wildlife from bees to deer.

I am in a heavy AG area.
When we bought our farms they were part of commercial farming properties of rotated crops with hardly any winter food and sparse cover.
I retired them and started planting fruit trees conifers and shrubs, and the biggest thing native grasses and digging ponds. Now our places are almost 100% food and cover for wildlife and there is no doubt at all it has made a tremendous difference.
Used to see a few deer a week while in a stand and turkeys a couple times a year, now I see multiple deer CLOSE every single sit and turkeys year round. We have all kinds of birds and insects that thrive now due to our efforts.

Planting trees and shrubs that aren’t on my neighbors properties has definitely helped.
 
I voted >50 but with a caveat. I have planted hundreds of apples and shrubs but the greatest benefit has been releasing 40+ mature apple trees that were producing next to nothing. I didn‘t plant them, but I saved them and they are now a huge draw for the deer. I have shot a mature buck the last 5 years and probably had only seen 2 the 15 years before.
 
I have experience with multiple properties apple trees in Northern Wisconsin on two properties planted 25 years ago most definitely have helped deer hunting. My home property in Kansas I planted apples, pears and peaches 20 years ago definitely have deer eating out of orchard bow season pretty much gone by rifle but our rifle season is early December. Peaches where a bust no longer have any of them pears had fireblight issues because I choose poorly on verities the trees I replaced them with have at least been better in that regard but drop earlier than I’d like. I’ve planted 60 apple and pear trees on one farm and many other oaks, chestnuts. On the new farm just purchased this summer I’ve already planted 30 apple and pear trees. Definitely I’m playing the long game in my tree plantings best bang for your buck or time spent is probably crown release of existing trees and thinning areas to promote undergrowth. I have time to devote to playing the long game and my kids will inherit all the farms even if they sold them my plantings should up the resale value.
What pear varieties do you recommend?
 
I am not voting because I am very new to this deal.

But I have observed in my 10 years on my current property……having shade causes more pasture growth. Plus if I can get a sizable acorn crop in September……I believe the elk will jump the fence and eat them.

I think to improve hunting…..which basically means adult mature males in range.

One needs comfortable groups of resident does . To think trees and cover will not improve that deal ……seems odd.

But if it’s already a mature stand chocked out dense woods, adding more seems odd also.

Invite the does, leave it alone…..lover boy will show up.

I garuntee
 
I could write a long story about this. I’ve planted 35,000-40,000 + trees on 148 acres . ..Survival maybe 80%

Sandy soil farm in Minnesota with nothing for wildlife when I bought it. An occasional deer, and I’d say 5-6 pheasants.

Fast forward 20 years and I have shelterbelts with trees 20 feet tall or more… ..spruce, cedar, pine, plum, chokecherry, oak, crab apple, tamarack, etc…..good numbers of deer, and pheasants are pretty thick . Although I’m not seeing as many this year . We were shooting 30 roosters a year.

I have one or more big bucks on this place each year… a few pics attached. Trees changed the property from nothing for wildlife to what I’d consider a really good farm for our county .View attachment 47535View attachment 47537View attachment 47538View attachment 47539View attachment 47540

On your farm, would just planting native grasses have done the same?

I think I know the answer and just can not understand some of this management of government lands in northern areas that tend to get heavy snow cover. Some trees and shrubs make a tremendous difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Top