When are we going to start talking about habitat again?

[dipper]

13 of the 20 threads on the general discussion are about too many deer, too few deer, and all the politics around the topic. Where is all the fun stuff?

 

[kabic]

My guess is in the spring when people can start on their projects.

 

[bat man]

Sorry Dipper. Our stakehoider teams start making decisions in 10 days and we have momentum with elected and the press.

I assure you I would rather be talking habitat right now, but there is some time sensitivity.

 

[Alaskan]

13 of the 20 threads on the general discussion are about too many deer, too few deer, and all the politics around the topic. Where is all the fun stuff?

What's the best MN habitat type for increasing deer numbers and holding them on your propert? Prairie, conifer or hardwood forests, farmland, woods with plots?

 

[bat man]

What's the best MN habitat type for increasing deer numbers and holding them on your propert? Prairie, conifer or hardwood forests, farmland, woods with plots?

Transition zone from NW to SE. Further south you get the more recruitment and no winter issues. Mix of young thick cover with thermal for winter and enough food to get them through every season of the year.

And some swampy areas that no man wants to walk through as additional sanctuary.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Pretty hard to think about Habitat when you have wind chills about 30 below with drifting snow.

 

[biglakeba$$]

Prairie, conifer or hardwood forests, farmland, woods with plots?

I have all that on 120 acres.

 

[TMIL]

Yep, not too long until spring projects start. I can't wait!

 

[wklman]

What's the best MN habitat type for increasing deer numbers and holding them on your propert? Prairie, conifer or hardwood forests, farmland, woods with plots?

Personally I like a big swamp/river bottom next to ag with some hardwoods mixed in. Without some sort of big,thick,nasty lowland for the deer to escape to there's no chance of building the herd.

 

[chummer]

I am putting in a deep woods plot, atv access only. What would you plant that requires the least amount of maintenance. No ag within miles. Plot size 1 acre.

 

[bat man]

I am putting in a deep woods plot, atv access only. What would you plant that requires the least amount of maintenance. No ag within miles. Plot size 1 acre.

Are you going to hunt it? I don't like going deep anymore but maybe a couple sits a year. Does the spot have good hunter access?

 

[chummer]

Are you going to hunt it? I don't like going deep anymore but maybe a couple sits a year. Does the spot have good hunter access?

It is a blank slate. 67 acres of mature hardwoods. I close in 20 days, I will be having it logged and having loggers clear the plot and be using their skidder trails for access. No matter where the plot goes I would consider it deep woods. It is 8 miles from my camp so I will be using what ever fits on the ATV. Unlike our camp property I want to keep human intrusions to a minimum. Ideally I would like to stay out from August till hunting season.

 

[bat man]

How about some pretty pictures with some pretty lines and such.

 

[chummer]

How about some pretty pictures with some pretty lines and such.

I will bump it to top of habitat thread. I don't have any pictures yet because the only time I walked it there was 3' of snow but there is a pretty map.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chummer - With it being " new ground " getting disturbed for the first time as part of logging, the 2 things that come to mind are buckwheat and Alsike clover. Alsike grows on poorer soil that is more acidic than other clovers. Buckwheat is what old - time farmers seeded on newly opened ground that wasn't in the best condition. We've grown both on some of the poorer ground at my camp ( 50 minutes south of N.Y. border ) and both did fine. The clover will put N into the soil ( you prob. know this ) and the buckwheat is food and soil-builder when mowed or decaying naturally to add organic material. I'd spread some lime - if you can - just to get the pH started. Even if you just toss it around - it all helps. Pelletized is easy to toss with a plastic cup or empty can of corn. That's exactly how my sons and I started one of the crappy fallow fields at camp - tossing pelletized from cans & whipping it around. Field is now a big producer. We threw it down on top of the last snow of the winter season in late March as I recall. Keep us posted.

 

[chummer]

I have some small plots in the woods at my camp that I limed that way. It took about three years of liming a couple bags here and there until they took off. Not looking forward to doing an acre that way.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Gotcha. I didn't know if you had a way to get any equip. in there. Quad spreader would be the ultimate.

 

[chummer]

I do have a heavy duty push spreader I bought for salt this year. Just going to be a pain to get all the bags of lime there.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Here are some habitat pics.

 

[bowhunternw]

Wow did that atv disc really work the ground that nice?