Realizing A Dream

[Natty Bumppo]

I've posted before about finally getting a chunk of land gifted from my mother-in-law…a 21 acre chunk of land (together with my 7) my wife and kids and I can finally call our own. I've been hunting her 150 acres since 2001 when we bought our house, and in the past I've done some apple releasing and a little bit of trail work, but never any food plotting.

Well, today I got started on a lifelong goal of mine to create and manage a little whitetail haven. I have no grand illusions of growing monster bucks on my little 28 acres. My goal is to nurture a habitat that will create quality hunting experiences for my family and I.

My home and land are in northern Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts which Karl Miller cites in Quality Whitetails: The Why and How of Quality Deer management as sub-optimal whitetail range. I'm at 2,000 ft. elevation which causes some brutal winters…deep snow persisting from November through early April. There is no hard mast or ag for miles. The deer around here are truly browsers…wandering, feeding, and bedding with no real pattern. The one thing I do not lack is cover. I actually have too much of it.

This first group of pics is an overview of my land, and a sketch of some of my ideas for improvements.

Here's what I have to work with…..

Here are some of my ideas:

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Today I got out for the first time on my land to release some apples and to open up and area for one of the food plots I have planned. Had a great time. It felt great to be working towards a dream. I dropped about 25 or 30 large red maples, a few black cherry, and a few poplar…released about 12 apples. I've got a lot of work ahead of me bucking up the trees and hauling the firewood off the land. Going to burn the brush piles…then soil tests, lime, and at least rye or buckwheat planted, hopefully, by early August.

Thought I'd share a few pics. Dropping the trees around the apples was a bit tricky today. One wrong cut and the trees would come crashing down on my apples. I was fairly fortunate today…my trees all fell right where I wanted them to, didn't lose a single wild apple, and not once did I have to run for my life after making the felling cut. :)

This is a pic of the food plot carnage:

 

[Maya]

Looks great Natty, good luck creating your piece of heaven!

 

[tooln]

Looking good. Any reason why your burning the brush piles? I just pile mine up on the side and they make for great habitat cover. Rabbits, turkey, grouse & one last year I kind of made opening in it and a doe had her fawn there.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

I agree about the brush. It's a commodity at my place with the lack of cover. No need to burn it.

 

[j-bird]

Nothing like having your own place. Good luck Natty.

 

[Native Hunter]

Super cool! I'm looking forward to seeing your updates and progress. And, I might add - I envy all that cover you have!

 

[jwill1776]

Great start, here is to living the dream!

 

[chummer]

The more you post the more our places and situations look a like. Congrats on getting started. I think you have the best maps I have seen, love the apple tree markings. Wait till you see how fast those apples start producing.

 

[ELH]

Awesome looking property! Looks like a lot of fun. What are your plans for the newly released Apple trees as far as pruning goes? I have topped suppressed, tall and spindly Apple before with iffy results. Some actually died. Is it best to just leave them alone and let the extra sunlight do its job???

 

[wiscwhip]

Congrats Natty! Ground to call your own and a built in sanctuary on the in-laws.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Looking good. Any reason why your burning the brush piles? .

Thanks for the kind word guys. After reading this and the other forum for the past 3 or 4 years and learning everything I possibly can, it's fun to finally be able to participate a bit.

tooln…ya know, I'm not really sure why? As NH Mtns. mentioned, cover is not really a need that I have. We have tons of grouse and hares…lots of cover. I guess I just thought burning the brush piles would be the quickest way to get rid of it. But I do like the idea of leaving some in piles now that you mentioned it.

The more you post the more our places and situations look a like. Congrats on getting started. I think you have the best maps I have seen, love the apple tree markings. Wait till you see how fast those apples start producing.

Thanks chummer. I was thinking the same thing. You get WAY MORE snow than we get. But yes, I think we have similar habitat and management scenarios and challenges.

 

[Satchmo]

Careful Natty, this is an affliction you may never get rid of. hahaha

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Awesome looking property! Looks like a lot of fun. What are your plans for the newly released Apple trees as far as pruning goes? I have topped suppressed, tall and spindly Apple before with iffy results. Some actually died. Is it best to just leave them alone and let the extra sunlight do its job???

Thanks ELH. I released several dozen apples about 3 years ago on my MIL's land. I asked on the old forum about what I should do with them and I'm pretty sure it was Maya who gave me some good advice. The first year you don't do much. Prune back any damaged and rotten wood, and just allow the trees to respond to the light and see what happens. The 2nd year I began doing just what you did…pruning the tops back a bit. My trees were all bent over almost horizontal to the ground. I would only remove about 25% or so of the top and encourage more new vertical growth. Did the same thing last winter, and will do the same in March.

So yes, for these new trees I am releasing this winter I will just prune the damage and allow them to respond before doing and pruning next March.

 

[Lot2Learn]

I just LOVE how none of us have ever meet Natty and yet we're all PSYCHED for him!

Keep posting pictures and keep us posted Natty.

 

[scott44]

Congrats! Looks like a good start to your projects, good luck.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Great start Natty. We dropped one huge poplar that was in tight on 3 apples on Saturday. We have one more that is leaning back towards them. We are going to slowly winch it with a come along and hopefully it goes the right way. Any tips would be appreciated. We burn most if iur brushpiles too because thick cover isn't an issue for us. We are trying to make openings for plots.

Thanks NH Mountains. Dropping poplars is easy cutting, isn't it? Soft wood…easy cuts. I actually left 3 trees standing today that need to come down, a big poplar and 2 big red maples. But just as in your case, they are leaning the wrong way, and I'm afraid with my skills that if I try to fell them even with wedges I will lose some apples. I am going to do just what you are going to do. I've done it in the past with success, but have learned a few things. I bring a ladder into the woods with me and get up as high as I possible can on the tree to secure the rope. I then use a come-along to pull the tree ever so slightly in the direction I want the tree to fall. Then I make the notch cut and SLOWLY make the back cut. If I need to add some tension to the rope I'll do it then. Generally with the rope nice and high and good tension on the come-along the tree will go right down nicely. I should mention that I am using an old 150 ft. climbing rope, so I've got plenty of distance form the tree to my come-along.

One thing I have learned if the rope is too low! If the rope is low, and the tree is big….even if you have a lot of tension on the rope, if the tree begins falling the wrong way the rope will act like a pivot point and if the hinge breaks the bottom of the tree may kick out suddenly towards you. Don't ask how I now this. :p

Good luck NH Mtns!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I just LOVE how none of us have ever meet Natty and yet we're all PSYCHED for him!

Keep posting pictures and keep us posted Natty.

Thanks again for the warm words gents.

Lot2Learn…thanks man. Appreciate the support!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Congrats on the land Natty !! Have a blast doing what you want to do with it. I think a lot of us will be doing some cutting & thinning this winter. All good work for the future!

 

[sandbur]

Good work, Natty.

You can put those brush piles in certain positions to direct deer movement to the apple trees or foodplots.

Sit down at each location for a bit and figure out your stand access and wind directions. I have even used smoke bombs a time or two to look at wind flow. Maybe even pick out your stand site before positioning the tree tops.