Scott's habitat improvements

[scott44]

On our place we shoot the most mature bucks we have and let the younger bucks walk, no APR's no shooting according to width just the most mature no matter what the rack looks like. This year on of our more mature bucks happens to be a 6pt and we have followed him all spring/summer and fall on the trail cam. Last weds was my first encounter with him, I have good sightings all night 8 does and fawns and 3 of the fawns were button bucks then at ten to seven I saw antlers coming out of the woods and it was a really nice 2.5 year old 8pt and this 6pt behind him. After only a few minutes the 6 was at 30yds and drinking out of one of the kids pools I burried in the ground, broadside. I'm thinking to myself this doesn't happen to me so I pulled back and shot hitting him with what I thought was a good shot. I waited a few minutes and got down and checked the arrow and good red blood so I stood the arrow up and went to the house until about 8:30. At 8:30 my son and I went back and started tracking him. At the spot I shot we found very little blood and my heart sank, I saw where he entered the woods and went there and found a decent blood trail and tracked him until he crossed the fence, by this time it was close to 10 and I didn't want to wake the neighbors so I waited till morning. The next day I tracked him another 2-300 yards and lost the blood and it started to rain, in that 2-300yds I found where he laid down and there wasn't much for blood in the bed. I went back to where I shot him and found a ton of white hair and figured I shot low and just grazed him. Thurs night the farmer to the east found him when he stared to chop corn about 1/2 mile away. I know if you hunt long enough this will happen to you but it still isn't a good feeling, been 20+ years for me on not finding a deer. I did get the head back, a rollercoaster of emotions.





This is the watering pool, 30yds from stand



My last trail cam pic of him

 

[huntall]

Yep...it happens, but it still hurts! At least you got to put your hands on the rack!

 

[SD51555]

Was that a week ago Wednesday? Was the meat bad by then, or did the coyotes chew em up?

 

[scott44]

Was that a week ago Wednesday? Was the meat bad by then, or did the coyotes chew em up?

Yea it was a week ago wed.and the farmer found it a day later. I didn't get to see the body but they said they yotes had got to it already. I think we may have to get Native Hunter's dad up here with his 220 Swift.

 

[scott44]

Monday was going to be a all day sit but I had things going on the A.M. so I didn't make it out until noon, from noon till 4 there wasn't a whole lot going on so I snapped some pics from the stand. the pics start looking SW and move to the NE.

Looking SW, miscanthus/ewheat screen from the wheat field.



Looking W



NW, looking into a 6 acre 2yr old switchgrass field





N



NE, food plots beyond the trees






the next time I show you a pic of this I hope there will be a pond here.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Ground looks really good for deer. Your pix look just like Northern Pa. where I do most of my hunting. I like the brushy thicket type areas and high grassy, weedy areas. Green food plots and tubed trees ought to draw them in. Looks like plenty of hardwoods in the distance in some of the pix and some evergreens sprinkled in them. Sure looks great to me !!! How big of a pond are you thinking? Is there a little swampy creek running thru that brushy strip in the upper right in your last pic?

 

[scott44]

Ground looks really good for deer. Your pix look just like Northern Pa. where I do most of my hunting. I like the brushy thicket type areas and high grassy, weedy areas. Green food plots and tubed trees ought to draw them in. Looks like plenty of hardwoods in the distance in some of the pix and some evergreens sprinkled in them. Sure looks great to me !!! How big of a pond are you thinking? Is there a little swampy creek running thru that brushy strip in the upper right in your last pic?

Thanks! I would really like to make this whole area a pond but we'll have to see how much $, this area is just a low spot where everything runs, it's wet in the spring and drys by Aug. there's no creek there but it's wet a couple months.

 

[scott44]

Checked on some things yesterday and it looks like last winters hinge cutting is paying off, I hinged the edge to try and funnel them towards this area and it seems to be working.





These 2 trails come out on the right of this plot.

 

[scott44]

Had some decent young ones make it through our rifle season.







Seen this guy in person a couple times and he's only a fork horn.





This little guy is going to have one funky rack.

 

[SD51555]

That is the biggest forkhorn I have ever seen.

 

[scott44]

That is the biggest forkhorn I have ever seen.

Yea me too

 

[scott44]

Our hunting season ended today, habitat season starts tomorrow. I would like to get out and get some hinge cutting done tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

 

[shawnv]

That's great to see your hard work has been paying off!

 

[scott44]

So cool to see things working for you. Congratulations on a beautiful piece of land!

Thanks!

 

[scott44]

If you don't mind sharing, what are your top management projects for the off season?

Here's a couple pics of what my plans are for this year.

Over all view of our properties.
Green is property lines
Red is what I've worked on improving so far
Blue/Purple is native warm season grasses
Yellow is food plots
White are my plans for this year



More blown up pic



Plans are to plants Red Cedars pockets in the switch grass field upper left and hinge cut the white box on the right basically cover



Plans are here are to take some of my hay field and and plant trees , shrubs and try to make habitat. The small white square upper left is going to be an orchard, last year I planted some apple and pear trees there and I want to plant more this year.

 

[scott44]

this is the 2yr old switch I'm planting the cedars in.

 

[scott44]

This is the orchard that I started this last year, all the tree tubes are oaks or chestnuts.

 

[scott44]

I made it out today and did a little hinge cutting, lots of trails in where I hinged last year. I have more to do but at least it's started.

I didn't get but this one before pic but this is what most of the woods looks like.



After





I found most of my 2yr old Norway Spruce are doing well, trying to screen the neighbors in the background




Switch grass in doing good but e-wheat isn't.

 

[Bill]

Looks good Scott.

I'm sure you know this but I have to point out just in case some one comes along sees that and goes to town.

Low hinge cuts like that are a blockade. Deer walk around them.

Shoulder high 5+ feet hinges allow the deer to walk under and bed in the hinge cut area. I made that mistake when I started and had to go back and cut trails through my low hinges.

 

[scott44]

Looks good Scott.

I'm sure you know this but I have to point out just in case some one comes along sees that and goes to town.

Low hinge cuts like that are a blockade. Deer walk around them.

Shoulder high 5+ feet hinges allow the deer to walk under and bed in the hinge cut area. I made that mistake when I started and had to go back and cut trails through my low hinges.

Thanks Bill! Thats what I was trying to do was funnel the deer here, I should have said that instead of calling it hinge cutting. I'm standing in a small plot and trying to get them to come in more to the right of the pic. I appreciate your feedback.