Tynimiller's Piece of Dirt...Property Thread

[tynimiller]

Ty, was just checking out your web site. I like the videos and the podcasts. I have flagged it as a favorite for now. Look forward to seeing more, if you are still going that route. Sounds like you are involved with other media outlets as well. I need to check out the FB page as well.

On your 22 acre property you seem to embrace the bush honeysuckle you have. I realize you are working with what you have, but do you have any plans to try to move towards a more native plant based bedding area/sanctuary? Have you implemented the bedding in a bag? My switchgrass planting was actually that product, but only the switchgrass really did anything.

I liked the food plot pod cast as well.

Yeah, the bush honeysuckle is embraced to the extent I am not allowing to spread and will begin to tackle it chunk by chunk as I go. I despise the stuff once it matures because it truly becomes useless to the deer outside of some cover...Once I get the logging done and the wood areas are thickened to true bedding options, I am gonna focus especially on the 2-4 acre bunch of honeysuckle bush areas I have there on the West side of the property. Love to go native grasses there or at minimum slam a bunch of highbush cranberry, arrowwood, serviceberry and whatever else. I personally struggle clearing that section out now and truly losing over half if not 2/3 of my best bedding cover on my property (great options on neighboring parcels but not on yet)....but once I get timber bedding done, I have even thought about dozing the section and going Miscanthus or Switch.

I did plant the bedding in a bag blend this past week....however not the whole thing. They bag the switch inside the bag separate from the Indian and Bluestem and I planted all the switch and just 2/3 of the rest via broadcast method on about .7 acre spot on the East side of the pond (food side of the property). If on that side of the property it is the NW spot of the brush hogged openings....last season I planted cereal grains and dusting of brassicas....lot of exposed soil so hoping the grasses will have plenty of soil contact and time yet to stratify and settle and germ. Plan is to spray with Simizine or Atrazine (atleast that is what I've been told...first year doing grasses myself...other than MG) before switch pops and I'll brush hog high over the grass should any weeds try to take over.

 

[bjseiler]

My forestry plan / EQIP required two years of invasive work before doing TSI and a harvest. Forester said the honeysuckle would explode after harvest if I didn't try to get a handle on it before.

 

[tynimiller]

My forestry plan / EQIP required two years of invasive work before doing TSI and a harvest. Forester said the honeysuckle would explode after harvest if I didn't try to get a handle on it before.

Yup, many if enrolled in a forestry planned will require this. I already fully expect some serious chainsaw and hack/squirt visits will have to be conducted in the two primary logging areas that will occur at sometime this year. Not much is growing within (only edges) of these sections and I fully plan on not allowing it to spread as the stuff truly will take over a place.

 

[j-bird]

Controlling the competition of your grasses is key for success - especially in the establishment year. I had mine drilled in mid summer and I sprayed to control broadleaf weeds and mowed to try to keep the grass in the sunlight. At the end of that summer I thought I was screwed as the foxtail just exploded! Turned out I was OK and I now have a good stand of switch. I didn't get squat out of the bluestem or indiangrass. Now I just let the ragweed and other "weeds" grow in the space between the drilled rows. This allows for diversity and easy movement of other game animals as well. I won't mess with the other grasses any more. I'll plant switch and be done with it from a native grass stand point.

That bush honeysuckle is some nasty stuff. I have been on a constant state of war against it on my place. I actually hunt it from time to time, with a hand saw, loopers and a bottle of tordon! I seem to be able to spot it pretty easily now. The neighbors place is covered in it and the critters keep bringing it to me. The only natural way to fight it that I have seen is dense shade.

 

[tynimiller]

Man gotta get better about updating here, few things since last time....

-Logger never worked out sadly but I'm still full steam ahead with that even if it is this fall...want the mature timber tree gone so I can start scultping and hinging and exploding the forest floor in more desirables.

-Pear tree grafting never happened...mixture of crazy life and hesitancy I'm sure but fully hope to do it to the half 100 of em out there LOL

-Discovered all my work in the bedding area last year yielded a ton of bedding action...saw it from stand but actually got back into the bedding for my one day of work in there a year re opening and checking and some of those beds are just worn clean and hair covered. AWESOME!

-Sacrificing some areas this year of cover by stripping the low non desirable grasses and saplings in areas by clearing them and planting beans in preparation for frost seeding switch.

-Working on getting a hold of a back hoe and digging some drainage water holes as my incredibly high water table is great until it rains and floods half the one entire side of plots throughout.

Will share some pictures soon!

 

[Tree Spud]

Man gotta get better about updating here, few things since last time....

-Logger never worked out sadly but I'm still full steam ahead with that even if it is this fall...want the mature timber tree gone so I can start scultping and hinging and exploding the forest floor in more desirables.

-Pear tree grafting never happened...mixture of crazy life and hesitancy I'm sure but fully hope to do it to the half 100 of em out there LOL

-Discovered all my work in the bedding area last year yielded a ton of bedding action...saw it from stand but actually got back into the bedding for my one day of work in there a year re opening and checking and some of those beds are just worn clean and hair covered. AWESOME!

-Sacrificing some areas this year of cover by stripping the low non desirable grasses and saplings in areas by clearing them and planting beans in preparation for frost seeding switch.

-Working on getting a hold of a back hoe and digging some drainage water holes as my incredibly high water table is great until it rains and floods half the one entire side of plots throughout.

Will share some pictures soon!

None of us are in a hurry, thats why it is Habitat and buckin up against mother nature ... enjoy the ride ...

 

[j-bird]

Tyni - if your at all like me the "to do list" never seems to end so just pace yourself. There is only some much we can accomplish in the time we have AND it's a hobby! Don;t suck the fun out of it by making it work! I live on my place and I still only tend to get to 1/2 the things I plan on! Some of it is time, some of it is funding and some of it is seasonal timing.....whatever the reason.....just remember it's the journey, not the destination. Besides....if your where "Done", then what?

 

[Lee Haakenson]

Tyni - if your at all like me the "to do list" never seems to end so just pace yourself. There is only some much we can accomplish in the time we have AND it's a hobby! Don;t suck the fun out of it by making it work! I live on my place and I still only tend to get to 1/2 the things I plan on! Some of it is time, some of it is funding and some of it is seasonal timing.....whatever the reason.....just remember it's the journey, not the destination. Besides....if your where "Done", then what?

100% true!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[tynimiller]

Tyni - if your at all like me the "to do list" never seems to end so just pace yourself. There is only some much we can accomplish in the time we have AND it's a hobby! Don;t suck the fun out of it by making it work! I live on my place and I still only tend to get to 1/2 the things I plan on! Some of it is time, some of it is funding and some of it is seasonal timing.....whatever the reason.....just remember it's the journey, not the destination. Besides....if your where "Done", then what?

You literally just described my embrace the journey series LOL! Yup, we only can do what we can do as we can do it. The journey is glorious!

 

[j-bird]

You literally just described my embrace the journey series LOL! Yup, we only can do what we can do as we can do it. The journey is glorious!

Sometimes I forget myself. I get wrapped up in the stress of life and even the fun things become things I HAVE to do and it sucks the fun out of it..... For some reason, we all seem to forget from time to time and we just need a friendly reminder!!!

 

[tynimiller]

I will self-admit I have not done all the updates and history of all we've done since purchase but figured for a second I'd share my greatest success I had Friday...I will sit down in the coming days and type out the full story in text version for those that enjoy reading it. However, shared this post hours ago on Facebook page so that touches on it some:

So the full story will be shared at a later date once all the trail cam images, videos, day of the hunt videos and recovery footage is all connected...however last night was one I'll not forget anytime soon. I will be telling the story and how it all came together very soon on the Habitat Podcast...so be sure to go subscribe as to get alerted when it occurs.

Cicero was a buck we knew had existed for a few years, but was always the type that would pass through, check it out but move on. However, re-vamping some bedding area options, carving individual bedding holes out and getting some solid clover options tucked basically in the bedrooms Cicero set up shop in a major way in 2018.

Worried once velvet dropped he would vacate the area, the excitement grew as that first shed picture popped up...then another...then another and pretty soon it was very clear when he set up shop in June/July, he had done so with every intent of not leaving. He had food, he had water and bedding...but MOST OF ALL SECURITY.
He illustrated that last night getting up out of his bed well before sunset and entered the clover/chicory plot just yards behind the stand...what ensued was packed with multiple times coming to full draw, a shot at less than 10 yards and a tree shaking from buck fever after hearing him crash seconds after the shot...

God is incredible, blessed me beyond anything I deserved. Huge thank yous to Lisa Miller for the incredible support of this hobby she finds crazy...to Jim Miller aka Pops for being the greatest hunting partner and father I could ask for along the way...and to Sean Riley & Ryan Kats for making the nearly 2 hour trip over to assist in the trophy photos and see this joker!

So much more to be said, but for now I'll share some trophy photos (the rain didnt' make for best conditions...but we got a few good ones)!

 

[Someday isle]

Awesome!

 

[Bill]

Beautiful deer! Congratulations.

Looking forward to the whole story.

 

[Tree Spud]

Congrats ... nice buck with great character, always fun when a plan comes together!

 

[tynimiller]

Appreciate it fellas. I'm working all night on video story of it all but also going to do a text version, which I'll share here when done.

 

[H20fwler]

Very nice, congrats!

 

[tynimiller]

Well I'm hoping to hit this thread up more...but some updates, albeit all not great.

No overhauls really occurred this year, but definitely some noteworthy instances:

-Logger failed to show again...I have already gotten numbers of other loggers after waiting multiple years on the same one. Also if none will come and hit our smaller project (bout 100-120 loggable trees) we have decided to begin doing it ourselves if nothing else.

-Portion of an area I wished I had never brush hogged in 2016 thinking food plot back to early successional bedding/cover area. Hinged some of the invasive callery pears (deer candy hinged over or mineral sprouted), cottonwoods and maples in this small section to intantly give it depth and security pockets. Shoved gray and red dogwoods, arrowwood and a few other bushing varieties escaping me ATM in this section as well. Clover was frost seeded back in 2017 so this spot is slowly being taken over by grasses and broadleafs with clovers in the understory. It borders a couple thicker bedding options deer love during the colder months and this section of now overgrown grasses was being bedded in this summer (tucked in and amongst hinged trees) sunning themselves.

-More miscanthus was planted for long long term borders and blockading between plots, trails, sections of property...creation of depth

-Also as more of my planted apples continue to grow and mature they are encouraging other apple trees that were already present and we've discovered and uncovered/released multiple apple trees around the property. Watching habitat wake up is incredible!!!

 

[tynimiller]

I just realized I completely spaced adding to this thread the best harvest story from the property last year, I know hard to believe with Cicero 175" giant falling. I did a video telling the story of why Dovahkiin means arguably more than any buck Pops or I have harvested ever so I'll just share a picture and the link to the video as to not spoil it for anyone wanting to see it.

I'll share a brief write up of the story and meaning in a few days.

 

[tynimiller]

Well while I continue to be terrible about habitat updates A LOT has happened and will be happening this next year yet again at the property. I touch on some of the 2021 planning options and have had some discussions with many forum members HERE

Last year (19') we finally got around to some pretty significant logging in the upper NE corner of the property and a 2-4 acre section to the southwest corner as well.

Planted a half dozen more apple varieties and two pears (one is one of the Asian kind).
Shoved 24 Red Osier Dogwoods in the ground in a section I really want to get a ROD "thicket" started

However, this was all done in passing and the sad thing is logging we chose to do a lot of the hauling of logs out ourselves to save money so TONS of days spent clear through April on our Ford 3000 tractor hauling one section out at a time....then I moved my family in May to a new house (closer to land) spring and summer stole habitat wise as I spent months getting family settled and stuff built and moved...Pops my right hand man in deer hunting/habitat also moved then in September....so needless to say attention to detail was not happening this year.

Plots were partial failure in that the brassicas were planted too late, weren't able to mature before devoured - BUT thankfully I'm a heavy over seeder of cereal rye and it saves any plot and the deer love it.

On the habitat horizon for 2021, this urban area farm of mine is going to hopefully continue to get better and better. Eradication of bush honeysuckle in some areas is going to start, slight carvings out of plots more will get done, more apple trees going in the ground, want to grab some plums to get a plum thicket started in one spot....and gotta circle back to the logged areas and hinge some to thicken them up a touch now that canopy is gone - south section did not regrow as well as NE section due to saturated lower soil types, hinging will be crucial there to get them comfortable bedding.

Next post will tell briefly the next success story off this piece I had last Thursday the 12th of Nov - 2020

 

[j-bird]

Really nice deer Tyni! I love seeing small parcel successes, especially Hoosier boys!!