Plot length question?

[Mattyq2402]

Been pondering this for a while. I have property in hills. I have two one acre fields give or take and there is old logging roads that connect them right on a movement contour. In between the large plots I have small kill plots along the logging roads. Would you reccomend connecting all of these with a thin plot along the entire trail? It would create a horseshoe shape and the total plantable length is almost 900 yards.

Sturgis pushed thin plots along lines of movement. Some others tell u place small kill plots strategically. Would i be a fool to downsize those two larger plots making them a thinner plot attaching to the others by planting it all?

One end would end over a known buck bedding point, the other would end at a clear cut 13 year cutover regrowth. I will be hunting first week of november and thats typically when i visit the property. Also i will screen the plots where there isnt already screen.

 

[Rit]

I can’t speak to hunting the hills so I won’t know how deer travel in your area. I hunt property that has almost no elevation change. Long linear food plots do create good movement. If I had my choice I would have those versus some of the squared off plots I have. Some things to consider before you make any changes. How is the hunting with the current set up? Will these changes affect your access? If you are going to hunt this long linear plot there could be deer moving down it all times of the day and might get you picked off a few times. Also you may have does bedding anywhere along the movement because it’s close to food if there is adequate cover.

One thing I would surely do is make that a really strong travel corridor connecting the exiting plots. Sounds like they are already traveling it anyway. The ideal of hunting between the two plots on a well used travel corridor sound really good in November.

 

[Tree Spud]

Hard to comment without any details on your property. Where are you located at? can you provide an Arial? How many acres? What does surrounding properties & geographer look like?

If you have a "known buck bedding Area", that is the last place I would encroach on. Disturbing that area could be a long term fail that you may never recover from.

When I hear the name Sturgis, I cringe. Nothing new to offer and just wants to template your property with his VooDoo. Tried to connect with him a number of years ago, he was too busy to talk before his visit and didn't want any pre-visit info on my property. Hit the delete button with him pretty quickly.

Everyone thinks change makes things better, not always the case. What do you think you are lacking and what do you want from the changes?

 

[Mattyq2402]

I cant afford a consultant so Ive done most of my work on my own. I live in SE Ohio. My competitor lives about a mile an a quarter away. He has endless resources, corn/beans/orchards etc and has had the land mapped oit by habitat gurus. My block borders about 1500 acres of hardwood on the other side with no one working their ground. Im trying to build my 65, done tsi, have corridors cut out and the plot locations supplementing lines of travel. Really im trying to give myself some new locations along those lines by putting food there.

In the past my current plots have proven successful, for 10 years ive either killed or missed during my one week hunt on solid bucks. Just trying to pick yalls brains if the think long tractor paths on those movements should be planted to strengthen. Ive got a young orchard started in the largest plot. Ill see what i can do with a pic, the line would resemble a modified horseshoe with two finger ridges.

 

[Mattyq2402]

 

[Mattyq2402]

900 foot hills, plots that i currently plant are highlighted.

 

[Mattyq2402]

http://www.hillmap.com/m/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgICe6NavCww

 

[Mattyq2402]

So the second map shows the travel line which has a 8 to 10 foot wide trail connecting all the previous plots that were highlighted. The contour of the trail is close to the contour where I find a lot of sign on. The only downside is the electric line right away is wide open but I have the ability to screen. I have screened the plot beside the road for three or four years and it gets hammered in the evenings. My thought is connect those small kill plots to the two larger plots and this will create a better cruising corridor for my november trips.

The plot behind the house also gets screened and gets good usage with the screen. I'm planning on getting it plated wth a couple crabs this coming year. One last thing, the large eastern most field/plot has the orchard thats in year two.

 

[Bill]

Can’t speak to the hills. But I think you might have erosions issues if you tried to to connect the way you’re showing.

maybe your thinking to much winding plot. I have a 150 yard “ish” winding clover plot on a top that leads to a bean field. It’s my favorite feature. The farthest back in the timber portion is open timber so bucks use it during the summer velvet stage. Closer to the big plot is a hinge cut mess that they use during hard antler stage. I need to open it up for more sunlight but it’s only 20 yards wide most of the way.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Would tilling once and pitting down clover and maintaining create relief from erosion rather than till every year. Ive had a good thing going for years but ive also watched bucks skirt traveling right through the hard wood randomly. I thought this could provide more direction. Im no expert....

 

[Tree Spud]

I have always liked hunting on plateaus or ridges with food plots where there is a drop in elevation around. The lower elevation allows for the deer to have cover approaching and bucks will usually travel around to find access points so they can come up to visually check the field. This also allows you a protected approach to the plot.

You can hinge cut around the rise to manage where deer access and set-up ambush points.

I have tried long, narrow trail type food plots and have never had luck with deer using them in a way that gave me a hunting advantage. Deer tend to be browsers and would criss cross the trail in and out of cover browsing both the clover trail and woody shrubs. Even when I have hunted power line cuts deer always seemed to move perpendicular to the cut.

 

[Bill]

Would tilling once and pitting down clover and maintaining create relief from erosion rather than till every year. Ive had a good thing going for years but ive also watched bucks skirt traveling right through the hard wood randomly. I thought this could provide more direction. Im no expert....

Can’t say for sure. If you could get something growing before it erodes it would work. I just don’t like open dirt on a hill. Here in MO we can get some terrestrial rains in the spring and the ground slips pretty easily.

I have always liked hunting on plateaus or ridges with food plots where there is a drop in elevation around. The lower elevation allows for the deer to have cover approaching and bucks will usually travel around to find access points so they can come up to visually check the field. This also allows you a protected approach to the plot.

You can hinge cut around the rise to manage where deer access and set-up ambush points.

I have tried long, narrow trail type food plots and have never had luck with deer using them in a way that gave me a hunting advantage. Deer tend to be browsers and would criss cross the trail in and out of cover browsing both the clover trail and woody shrubs. Even when I have hunted power line cuts deer always seemed to move perpendicular to the cut.

Hope about that Spud. My deer also cross perpendicular (especially during the rut). But many evenings they just stroll right up the clover plot. Maybe because at the end of the clover strip is a 2 acre bean field. Kind of gives them a destination. That transition from clover to beans is one of my favorite spots. Actually hunting the strip is impossible. I’d be busted 75% of the time.

 

[Someday isle]

I have turned my logging roads into clover trails - my experience is along the same line as Bill’s. Most times the deer enter or cross them perpendicular to the trail and other times they feed right down the trail. My land is gently rolling to flat though so very different terrain. They’re a great feature on my property and we have harvested quite a few deer at the connection where the trail meets a harvest plot - but these aren’t usually mature deer. It’s great for us for antlerless harvests.