First post here. I have already received a wealth of knowledge here. I have searched and have not really found a thread that addresses my question. How to improve a stand of older poplar trees with out cutting it all down. A little background. I have a 40 acre piece in northern MN that I am trying to improve. I have about 2 acres of food plots on it currently. The rest is forested. The property is really flat very little elevation change. About 1/3 is 8-10 year old poplar. The other 2/3 is 20/30 year old poplar. I am just guessing at the age of the trees I know the older trees are about 8-10 years from harvest. About 400 yard to my south is a 70acre alfalfa field and 1/4 mile to the north is another row crop ag field. the rest is forested.
I don't feel like my property is holding the numbers of deer I need/want it to. Most of deer pass through, even the ones that use the plots come from off the property. The young poplar does not seem to hold much maybe because it is located next to the Highway and a neighbors house. I never access the middle and north half of the property, I hear about high stem count in regards to bedding and deer comfort. What is a high stem count, what does it look like. On the older poplar when the leaves fall I can see 50-70 yards The property where the deer come form looks like mine. How do I hold them on mine with out clearcutting. What bedding options do I have.
Stem count is the number of trees, and diameter classification measured per sampled area. This allows foresters, loggers, etc. to measure & compare different areas of a wooded lot for density& volume of marketable wood. They will sample multiple 100' x 100' square areas to estimate overall timber stand. Given the maturity of your trees and overhead canopy, you can have a low stem count compared to early successional forests. Deer, especially bucks, prefer high stem density with canopies of 10' - 14'. This is why edge feathering is a good tool. lower canopies can often have good plant & shrub growth. This type of area also reduces visual lines.
Stem count changes, where there are trails of higher density of stems and lower height trees/shrubs can exist in mature woods. These can become travel corridors in mature woods with high canopies.
I don't know anything than what you described about your property so I will share my experiences. My first property was 40 areas, very different property to hunt than the larger land i own know. On a small parcel such as yours, you need to have realistic expectations ... deer need 3 things ... water, food, & safe cover ...
- First ... understand that timber stand mgmt for pulp production and deer habitat mgmt are not mutually supportive goals.
- Second ... On a small parcel, unless there are truly unique features such as secluded access, minimal intrusion, heavy low story cover, lots of pines, rolling topography, etc. holding deer is very unlikely.
Forget what you have read or videos you have watched, believe what you eyes are telling you observing your property. IMHO ... small properties should be managed as travel/transition areas where you
can connect bedding, water, food etc. and intercept deer moving from point to point. Find existing travel trails and enlarge those to say 10'-15'. If you can get light in these areas you may see some
edge cover and browse grow enhancing the security & use of the trail.
- The young poplar does not seem to hold much maybe because it is located next to the Highway and a neighbors house. .... You have a noise & visual disruption issue
. I would plant this entire property line
with spruce trees. Creating edge feathering and spruce screens along you property lines would also help.
- If you can see 50-70 yards, the deer can see twice as far, and hear your movement even farther. You need lots of pines/spruces, or low canopy trees/shrubs in your property to break up visual site lines.
Noise is different issue. Deer have amazing ears Huge sound receptors that can move in any direction. A car door closing, twig snapping, waking in rustling leaves cab be heard a long way by a deer.
- As stated above, you have a monotype with little or no diversity, very little browse, etc.
- Bedding? - I have watched deer bed in mature forests as long as they feel safe. A deer looks for visual sight & hearing to be alerted by an approaching threat. Very hard if not impossible to achieve on a
small property. You may have deer bedding on your property, but given it's make-up, good chance you are bumping them when you enter the woods.
- Stand placement & wind ... big consideration for any property, especially smaller ones. Wind may travel very easily in your situation.
There are a whole bunch of hunting strategies I could go into, but the most important would be to decide how and when you want to hunt (rut, early/late season, etc.) and reduce the amount of time you are on the property a month or two before hunting. Doesn't matter what you have on the trail camera if you enter too much and disturb the property. Or hunt when you ant and enjoy.
I have seen big deer taken off of small properties, takes a lot of discipline and specific tactics for the particular property.
Not trying to be negative, but unless your expectations are inline with your property characteristics, you will continue to be frustrated. The problem with planting internal shrubs & spruces is you will loose them when the loggers move in. If you want more deer, clear cut an area sooner. You'll be amazed at the browse that will pop up. You can then start to plant more cover.
Good luck!
