The Dead Zone.....

[wiscwhip]

Had a conversation with some guys over a beer and we got on a topic that we seldom discuss directly, unless it involves an improvement in that area. So, do you have any "dead zones" on your property? If so, how do you deal with them? Do you try to "improve" every one, leave some to their own? Do you use your "dead zone" to your advantage, such as stand access, if not, could you? What makes it your "dead zone" in the first place?
The solution was pretty simple for us, and I will discuss that later on...hitting the pillow for now.

 

[sandbur]

Dead zones are great for access. A sandhill or plowed cropland work pretty well.

 

[bueller]

It's not on my property but I believe I have identified a large dead zone NW of me. Not sure on its exact borders or size but the people in the area refer to it as "MN" :confused:

 

[bat man]

I would not want to improve the whole place. Not even close. My dead zones are roads, the cabin area, tornado type cuts, blockades, mature open forest, and grass areas of swamps. And they are all spots I look to for access to get in my stands.

 

[wiscwhip]

It's not on my property but I believe I have identified a large dead zone NW of me. Not sure on its exact borders or size but the people in the area refer to it as "MN" :confused:

I was thinking the same thing as well bueller, ;)and I was going to put something in the OP to the affect of the MN guys might not have a response typical of what others might have, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, felt too much like rubbing it in. :p

 

[bueller]

Had a conversation with some guys over a beer and we got on a topic that we seldom discuss directly, unless it involves an improvement in that area. So, do you have any "dead zones" on your property? If so, how do you deal with them? Do you try to "improve" every one, leave some to their own? Do you use your "dead zone" to your advantage, such as stand access, if not, could you? What makes it your "dead zone" in the first place?
The solution was pretty simple for us, and I will discuss that later on...hitting the pillow for now.

Patiently waiting :cool:

 

[j-bird]

My ag fields turn into huge dead zones once harvest is complete. Harvesting equipment has become super efficient and there isn't much left behind. I try to use the lack of cover and lack of food in these areas to my advantage. Hunting before the harvest (especially when there is a lot of corn) is extremely difficult. Once the corn comes out it pushes the deer back into the cover where we hunters at least have a chance.

 

[Native Hunter]

I have a dead zone and use it to my advantage for access to my primary stand (tower blind).

A road ends at my gate, and even though its not busy, it has just enough human traffic to make deer cautious being near it. Neighbors walk the road with their dogs and kids, and stop at my gate and then go back the other way.

I've made sure not to plant any food or trees between that spot and my primary stand 150 yards away. The area is mid height native grass - just tall enough to give me waking cover but not attract bedding. I keep a road mowed from the gate to the tower blind. I can get into the tower and 99% of the time not have to worry about running up on deer. Once up there, I can see every place I want to see.

I once watched a bunch of city folks (visiting neighbors) taking pictures of their babies at my gate while watching deer feed in my food plot the opposite direction.

This dead zone works really good for me to get in and out without being detected. The prevailing wind does blow from me entering toward the plots, but I have elevation on my side. I'm 20 feet higher than the plot and 120 yards away. Frequently I climb up in this tower and see deer at several different places at once. Then I can walk right back out and they never knew I was even there.

I planned this out before building the tower and it works.

 

[wiscwhip]

Patiently waiting :cool:

Sorry bueller...:oops: but it has been a ridiculously busy day and half at work and then at 2:00 this afternoon I got some news that made me want to snap on somebody...and the fine gentleman just happened to be from Chi-town...:mad:;):p anyway time for some relaxing habitat talk, and sorry about Bart Simpson and his bad luck but "I will be having a 'Cow', man!" or 3 or 4, 'Spotted' ones anyway! LOL

It didn't take us long to figure out that we had areas on our land that were basically devoid of deer 90% of the time. Sorry about the grainy old cell phone pics, but these are from like 8 or 9 years ago with a flip-phone and have been scanned. :oops: Many guys on here have areas that look similar to ours.

Really simple and you won't be impressed at all, but on our place, when the areas looked like the photos below, which was about 50% of our acreage south of the river, we pretty much just left them be. It was next to impossible to even find a half decently used deer trail in these areas. Most of the time, if deer used these areas at all, it was primarily at night and they totally wandered through them at random.



The 2 pics above are of an area that we left alone other than we hand seeded Canada wild rye and little bluestem into it. It already had a limited amount of both growing naturally, so we knew we could get it to grow there. The primary reason to even do that, our main access trail is directly behind where the photos were taken and we just wanted a little taller cover between the trail and the trees.

The next photo is of the area where our shop ladder stand sat overlooking our south plot. The red
x marks the spot where the stand was tucked into the jackpines. The plot is directly to the right and behind where the pic was taken. We chose to put the plot there because it was so open and easy to clear. The pic was taken while standing on the plot edge, another part of our main access trail runs beyond the distant snow patch.

I will post some photos of the north side of the river in another post, to give an idea of the difference in the areas.

 

[PackerBacker]

I'm sure I have existing dead spots on my property but the new plan calls for built in areas to both access stands and the property but to also better control the deer flow on the property.