Tsi entire property?

[jakattack1987]

I've started doing tsi on about a 4 acre section of 32 acres total. I'm thinking about doing the whole 32 acres because it's all closed canopy and while there are a lot of white oaks it's not ready to be logged yet. I know it will spread the deer out, but would start putting in trails, plots, and bedding after. Should I do it this way or do sections at a time.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

My 2 cents....I wouldn't personally do TSI on all 32 acres. I would put your food plots in first and see how deer begin to use your land and utilize the plots. Hunt for a few years and learn about your local deer movements. Then go in with a TSI plan. I like having larger forested stands downwind of my plots and tree stands that are intentionally left alone as deer deserts. I don't want to give the deer a reason to use that stand and risk them getting downwind of me. It's very tempting to go in and make improvements on every square inch of habitat. But sometimes having places deer don't go and don't utilize can't be just as beneficial to the hunt as TSI.

 

[gjs4]

Would it be great for deer (and game)? YES
Would it be great for your hunting? Prolly' not

 

[BenA]

If you want to get a headstart, go through your property removing invasives. That way, you won't have an explosion of them when you do start full on.

 

[jakattack1987]

As far as I can tell multiflora rose is the only invasive I have seen and there's not many so invasive shouldn't be a problem

 

[BenA]

As far as I can tell multiflora rose is the only invasive I have seen and there's not many so invasive shouldn't be a problem

My next step would be finding the species that don't belong there and taking those out. On the web soil survey site ( https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx ), many areas have an "ecological sites" paper on the tab labeled for it. In that document, they will list species of trees that would have been historically found there. You could take an inventory of your property's trees, and start taking out some that don't belong there. Wildlife in an area adapted with certain plants and trees and those species are beneficial to the wildlife in that area.

 

[bigboreblr]

I got tons of state land around me in the catskill mountains. A few years back I walked the edge of a 250ish acre parcel of nice mature maples and a few oks. Was about a week after a snow storm. Not a signle footprint.

mature trees dont offer deer much. Even oaks dont provide for too long for them.

Good deer property is TSD. Timder tand destruction.

I got a good food plot in my backyard. Deer do not touch it from january to late febuary. They're living on tree buds and shrubs.

Deer will center around where thay can live year round. Some deer do herd for certain seasons in certain places. But, very often they're full time residents.

Cover, water, geen food during the growing season, shrubs for the winter season.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

As far as I can tell multiflora rose is the only invasive I have seen and there's not many so invasive shouldn't be a problem

I hear what your saying but don't be surprised if after you open up the canopy shit that you never had growing will more than likely start popping up. Not all invasives are as shade tolerant as others. For those that are shade tolerant sometimes they just sit there until there is disturbance before exploding.

 

[jakattack1987]

I got tons of state land around me in the catskill mountains. A few years back I walked the edge of a 250ish acre parcel of nice mature maples and a few oks. Was about a week after a snow storm. Not a signle footprint.

mature trees dont offer deer much. Even oaks dont provide for too long for them.

Good deer property is TSD. Timder tand destruction.

I got a good food plot in my backyard. Deer do not touch it from january to late febuary. They're living on tree buds and shrubs.

Deer will center around where thay can live year round. Some deer do herd for certain seasons in certain places. But, very often they're full time residents.

Cover, water, geen food during the growing season, shrubs for the winter season.

Tsd so true lol

 

[RGrizzzz]

I would do chunks every few years. Then you have ESH in different phases across the property. (But keep some mature oaks)

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'd keep some mature hard mast trees around in places for the fall food and seed they produce. In my experience, deer like diversity, which for fall acorns & other nuts, it means keeping some mature trees around. IMO, a good mix of mature trees and shorter, brushier, browse & cover will get deer there.

I agree with guys above advising taking out any invasives as a 1st step.

 

[bwoods11]

If you like to Turkey hunt, they like open oak timber ? I don’t like to TSI all of it …

 

[jakattack1987]

Definetly keeping the mature trees only killing smaller competing trees.

 

[jakattack1987]

This is the property in ? Almost exclusively oak, hickory, maple, and persimmons. How would u guys do your tsi if u did it sections at a time

 

[Brian662]

I would not TSI anything near my access locations.

I like the above idea of putting in the plots, figuring out how deer utilize them and then create bedding areas with TSI so you can take advantage of the predictable bedding to food movement pattern.

 

[bigboreblr]

How is the roadside view? Might want to thin near the road to make it less visible to road hunters, if thats an issue.

Take advantage of that right of way. Make that brushy on the sides. Foodplot down the right of way if it's ok to do. That alone you 'd probably be happy for 2 folks hunting.

Like brain said, set up n access point. MAybe even a little spot for a camper / campsite.

Clearcut some chunks / strips as needed. MAke sure the logger have their own access and not through your plots. Keep a few good trees.

How many folks hunting here? Neighbor hunt out back? Any trouble makers you worry about?

what is that thing back there, a pond / island?

 

[jakattack1987]

Roadside is pretty thick with cedars and young trees, I plan on getting it thicker by knocking out the older cedars with no low branches and keeping the younger ones. I have talked to the power company no problem planting food plots. It is just me hunting. That is a pond in the back

 

[jakattack1987]

The areas in green are about my only option for food plots. The red area is an already cut possible food plot. Orange is the dozed pond use area, and the red is my access road. The food plot by the road is the flattest but I'm not sure about a food plot that close to the road I would leave a decent strip of woods for a screen.

 

[b116757]

That centrally located green area would be my choice for a food plot keep it off the roads to minimize prying eyes. I’d canopy release any of your oaks and persimmons and protect them from any logging operations even in any clear cut areas if you choose to clear cut any areas. Doing a clear cut strip or area about every 7 years wouldn’t be a bad deer managment plan on many properties.

 

[Brian662]

The areas in green are about my only option for food plots. The red area is an already cut possible food plot. Orange is the dozed pond use area, and the red is my access road. The food plot by the road is the flattest but I'm not sure about a food plot that close to the road I would leave a decent strip of woods for a screen.

Is that an ag field in the far NW corner behind your proposed food plot? If it is, I would put a smallish kill plot back in that corner.
I don't necessarily like your access coming past that proposed big plot in the middle, you'd want to screen that very heavy if you went that route.