Stump removal/Deer plot, and land improvements

[Scott K]

I did end up going up this past weekend, nature was calling me, and I couldn't refuse. 

 

With not much on the agenda, we figured we could go up and relax, and if we got bored, we would knock off a couple of projects. 

 

It was a warm, wet, humid weekend, so we weren't very ambitious, but we did get a few projects done. I walked back and checked out my sons food plot, since I haven't seen it since it was planted 3 weeks ago, while I was back there I chased up a fawn that was bedded on the edge of the food plot. I am sure momma was there somewhere as well, but I didn't see her. My sons food plot came in pretty good I would say, and it is feeding several deer according to his camera. Here is a couple shots of his plot, along with my helpers. 

 

After taking a couple shots here I grabbed the memory card out of the camera, it had 1215 pictures of deer, and bear, and not one buck picture. I am getting a little concerned with that. But as I was looking at the pictures I noticed the time stamp on the last couple, at 11:18 there was a bear on camera, at 11:23 there was the picture of the fawn, and at 11:28 I pulled the card out. So as I was walking back there, the bear was there, and left, and the fawn came in. Pretty neat. Those pictures are on my laptop, and I will post a couple of my favorites from it later. 

 

I also cut out the electrical post in the old camper spot, because I figured it would spook deer being right in the middle of the plot. This one, I just chopped it off level with the ground. 

 

As as for food plotting I didn't do much, but I spread some white Dutch clover on the yard, I figured the yard would be a good place for a little extra spot for them to eat, and an easy spot for me to plant, all I did was spread the seed, and mowed the yard. I figured I am there only a few days a month, they are there every day. They can utilize the yard when I am not there. Hopefully we will also be able to view a couple from inside at times as well. Here is a shot of the back yard. The yard is about an acre, and I tossed out about 6 pounds of clover seed into it  

 

This was one of my other projects we did this weekend, go big, or go home right?

then after building the fire pit, we had an awesome dinner, thanks to my wife!

Sunday we went to my brothers and went on a trail ride with atvs. It was a perfect day for a ride, no dust, it wasn't to hot, or to cold. We put 88 miles on, and were a little sore when we got done. Then had another good meal at my brothers. After that we went back to the cabin, I put in a new heater in the cabin, then went to bed, we woke up fairly early Monday morning and headed home, and avoided traffic. 

 

It it was an awesome weekend, and I am so glad I didn't let the weatherman scare me off with their hot forecast. One lesson from the weekend though, my 3 dogs do not like thunder, or the noise of heavy rain on the roof. It was a little hard to sleep with myself, my wife, and 3 dogs in a full bed. I think we will need to upgrade to a queen soon. 

[Scott K]

I wanted to add a couple pictures of our stands, the first one is my sons stand, we wrap camo burlap around the outside every year, he doesn't want solid walls, because it blocks his view looking into the swamp behind him, and in front of him there is a low spot that it would block as well. I have asked him several times if he wants a roof, but there is so much cover from trees there, that he said even in a heavy rain, or snow, he stays dry. He likes it simple I guess  his food plot is off to the right of this picture.

 

I I am in the process of building a new stand, but it won't be completed this year, so I will be hunting from a pop up blind on the ground, behind a stump pile, or from this old stand. It is 8 foot by 6 foot, go big or go home right?

 

This stand over looks a swamp, and when it is windy, or after the first few days of rifle season they travel on the edge of it. I have gotten most of my deer from this stand. It will need a few repairs, and I will have to go up and fix it up a little bit in a couple weeks. 

I also have a portable that sits on a very heavy used trail that crosses over to my neighbors food plot, I have kinda changed things around a little in that area to keep the deer on my land, and hopes they will be using my food plots instead. I thickened it up even more then it was, and made trails from the heavy trail, right to my food plots. They have been using the new trails I made and have been going to my food plots. I don't plan on hunting this portable, unless I don't have any action elsewhere. I know they bed in this area, and if I go trampling through it, I am afraid I would just chase them into the neighbors land. 

 

There is also a stand/kids fort by the old campsite food plot. That is also a very good spot. This stand is about a 4 foot by 6 foot. But it sits up too high for the area, and it puts you in the tree tops, and you can't see the deer trails. I found it is actually better to sit under it. It is just to the right side of this picture, and it over looks the old driveway to the old campsite, and the deer use that quite often  

[Scott K]

After going through my sons camera pictures again, I narrowed down a couple of my favorites, rather then just posting pictures of fawns jumping, playing, and random pictures of does, this little 3 shot series gave me a little chuckle. Using my background as a back scratcher.

 

I think he thinks he is Rudolph! From the 1215 pictures in 3 weeks isnt the most of my cameras, but this seems to be the food plot they are most comfortable in, and the fawns like to run in circles, jump around, play with other fawns, ect.. This food plotting is fun to do, and watch the wildlife enjoy it. 

 

[Dotch]

Holy carp! You have a regular zoo there complete with action photos. 

[Scott K]

I pretty much have a free range zoo there, I have fishers, bears, deer, squirrels, crows, turkeys, mice climbing on the camera, random trespassers, and many more.

 

One thing I noticed this year is that the butterfly's are thicker then I have ever seen them up there, I am not saying my food plots are the reason, but I am sure it hasnt hurt.

 

Next year I am going to look into honey bees as well. I figured they would help in pollinating my apple trees, and if I am lucky, I may be able to harvest a few quarts of honey as well. I will just need to figure out how to keep the bear out of the apple trees, and the honey then. With the bees being a possibility, I broadcasted clover seed around my food plot where my apple trees are.

[Scott K]

Does anyone have an idea what this is that is flowering? Being new to all of this, I can plant stuff, but not know what is what once it grows. I have also seen some randomly on my property, so it may be something wild, that is flourishing in my food plots. 

 

[Dotch]

The closest I can come is large leaved wood aster. There are a bazillion asters so not betting the farm on the exact species.

https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/eurybia/macrophylla/?pile=composites

 

[Scott K]

That sure looks like it! I dont know if I should be concerned that it is growing in my food plots or not. It looks as though deer will browse it, but dont really prefer it. I am not looking for a weed free food plot, but I also dont want them taken over my food plots.

[Dotch]

Can't say for sure how invasive it might be. I know the asters in our CRP seem to be rather cyclical and not terribly aggressive when it comes to taking over where I'd rather they didn't. They are generally perennial so once you have them, you have them. The achenes (seeds) do provide some food value for non-game wildlife and that may be part of how the seed is dispersed.

[delcecchi]

There is always roundup if they get to be too big of a problem. 

[Scott K]

There is always roundup if they get to be too big of a problem. 

while it is an option, there are better ways to try first. That and if the deer do eat it, it can be part of the food plot. 

[Scott K]

If anyone wants an easy planting food plot, mix winter rye, winter wheat, and oats together, plant it from 8-15 until 9-15. The rye grows in any soil, even in the back of my truck with a topper on it, it will grow in temps below freezing. Great late fall early spring attractant, and food source. Winter wheat grows pretty well in most soils and comes on strong in the spring, oats stops growing after a frost, but it attracts the deer into your food plot and then they browse on all of it, and will continue to come even after the oats have froze and died off for the winter. Not to mention it is cheap! A bushel is approximatly 50 pounds, and between $6-$17 per bushel. With a bushel of each it will cover an acre, but I went with a bushel and a half of each per acre, and it is coming in strong. 

Rye growing in my truck box  

 

And what I planted a month ago, is almost a foot tall, with heavy browsing. 

[Dotch]

Any deer trying to get in your topper? Amazing how tough that stuff is. I had corn growing in the box of my pickup a few years back in all the mud that fell off the 4 wheeler. Got about cab high when the wind finally snapped it off. 

[Scott K]

I don't have much to update, other then the deer are using the food plots around the clock now, and I will get pictures with 5 deer in a small area of the food plot, and I am sure there are more outside of the cameras view. I still haven't gotten a buck picture. And it is getting a little concerning to say the least. 

 

I am going back up this weekend, to do some archery hunting, and while we are up there we will also clear shooting lanes for rifle season, and I have to drop a couple trees over the old campsite driveway. I was told by the neighbor that with a 100 yard shot down a driveway into a food plot would just invite poachers, and I agree, so I am going to drop a couple well placed pine trees over the old driveway.  Thinking this may make it more safe feeling for the deer as well to hold them on my property longer. 

 

One of my new cameras has a foggy lens so I will have to look into that as well hopefully I won't have to send it in, with hunting season  apon us, I like to have fresh inventory of what's moving through my land. Including trespassers, poachers, predators, and of course deer. I still have some wheat seed to spread on the logging road that I will try to just broadcast on it. Earlier in the year when I put the ag lime on my plots, I had an extra ton of lime to use up, so I spread it on the logging road for future use, thinking I would someday end up planting it. Not thinking it would still be this year.  

Here is what my pictures all look like lately during the day

[rundrave]

Scott for the record I have enjoyed this thread and its been fun to follow your hard work and effort. Out of curiosity how often or frequently do you get trespassers? Do you do anything about it?

Again just curious to how you handle it or if you have any recourse?

[Scott K]

I have gotten pictures of  a couple neighbors walking through my land on camera carrying bows, walking from my stand. I assumed hunting my stand. I talked to him  then and just told him he can hunt it in December but not before rifle season. He said he doesnt rifle hunt, and just bow hunts. I guess my biggest concern is the neighbor across the road shooting deer at night, I have gone up there and found gut piles, and drag marks going down my driveway. So I have thicken the road edges, and I am now going to block the old driveway with a couple downed pine trees. During rifle season these hillbillies across the road will grab a bucket, and sit on the road and hunt, if a deer runs across, they shoot, and keep shooting as it goes into my land. I have witnessed this first hand. The bucket hunting, I have called the warden they came out and ticketed him, but they were back at it the next day.

 

The neighbor I gave permission to bow hunt my land in December, 2 years ago pissed me off, and rifle hunted and set up 3 stands on the property line, and shot and retrieved both deer on my land. I informed him if he shoots a deer, and it goes on my land, wait until dark, then get a hold of me and let me know he is going on my land, rather then tracking his deer at 8 am on my land with 4 people. I try to be neighborly, but he shoots more deer off my land then I do. After that, I have told him he cant hunt it. Last year I had 3 pictures of him walking through my land, and this year one picture of him standing in the middle of my food plot. I have called him and left a message.

[Satchmo]

I have gotten pictures of  a couple neighbors walking through my land on camera carrying bows, walking from my stand. I assumed hunting my stand. I talked to him  then and just told him he can hunt it in December but not before rifle season. He said he doesnt rifle hunt, and just bow hunts. I guess my biggest concern is the neighbor across the road shooting deer at night, I have gone up there and found gut piles, and drag marks going down my driveway. So I have thicken the road edges, and I am now going to block the old driveway with a couple downed pine trees. During rifle season these hillbillies across the road will grab a bucket, and sit on the road and hunt, if a deer runs across, they shoot, and keep shooting as it goes into my land. I have witnessed this first hand. The bucket hunting, I have called the warden they came out and ticketed him, but they were back at it the next day.

 

The neighbor I gave permission to bow hunt my land in December, 2 years ago pissed me off, and rifle hunted and set up 3 stands on the property line, and shot and retrieved both deer on my land. I informed him if he shoots a deer, and it goes on my land, wait until dark, then get a hold of me and let me know he is going on my land, rather then tracking his deer at 8 am on my land with 4 people. I try to be neighborly, but he shoots more deer off my land then I do. After that, I have told him he cant hunt it. Last year I had 3 pictures of him walking through my land, and this year one picture of him standing in the middle of my food plot. I have called him and left a message.

One word Scott.........."Prosecute"   It will stop or get very expensive for repeat offenders.

[Scott K]

If it continues, I will. But I with it being so rural, and not many people living in the area, I would hate to have enemies right next door. 

[Scott K]

A live update from the stand, this morning I saw 4 does and a fawn, and every doe busted me. Sat and hissed at me. I may have to rethink building a stand yet for this year, this sitting on the ground is for the squirrels. 

My brassica plot is getting browsed pretty heavily now, they have everything mowed down to a couple inches tall. Except a very pretty looking flower that has over taken my plot now. 

i was also reminded yesterday how bad my arachnophobia is after seeing a huge black spider in the outhouse.  I would have taken a picture but my boot was in to much of a hurry to squish it.  But that is ok, staying up itching all over, and thinking stuff was crawling on me all night was more exciting then sleeping anyhow.  Hopefully my next check in includes venison. 

[Scott K]

Sorry about the subway pictures!

 

A frustrating weekend of hunting, but I still consider it a success. I saw 8 deer, 7 of them busted me, hissed at me and ran off. The other was a fawn. I didn't even go out this morning, I figured I scared enough deer away. I am not sure if it was from being on the ground, having my dog get scent on my hunting clothe, or if they all just smelled me. The winds were swirling in the area. Regardless I took it as a learning oppertunity.  I decided I am not going to just sit on the ground this season, and I am going to build a stand yet before rifle season. After hunting this weekend, and being busted so many times, I learned where the deer are coming out, which direction they came from, and that I needed to back away from the food plot, so I think I found the perfect spot. So this morning I started working, first clearing some shooting lanes out for my sons plot, then to start the build of my new stand, even though it was just digging the holes for the posts in the ground. I will build the base at home and bring it up with me next time I go up. Then get 4 posts and just mount the floor to the posts, and attach my portable hunting blind to it, and hunt out of it this year, then finish the rest next summer. The holes for the posts. 

A little visitor while I was busy spooking deer, this little guy didn't mind me being there  

 

The deer pretty much have my brassica plot mowed down to the ground 

Saturday night a nice meal, chicken breasts grilled and had chicken breast sandwiches.

Then it was time to relax by a little campfire, with a relaxing beverage. It's funny, how you throw a chunk of a pine tree in the fire pit, and it goes up like a Christmas tree

 

I then went out and dropped a couple trees over the old campsite driveway. 

The top one is from the road looking into the driveway, the other one is looking from the food plot to the road. I dropped one pine on each end of the 100 yard long driveway. The one towards the food plot makes the plot feel more smaller, and secluded. I left the trees in an area where the deer can still trail along the side of them, but they block the driveway. 

 

 

[Scott K]

I few other notes from the weekend.

I inspected my camera, and it was saturated with water, so I took it home, I need to call Covert to see what they want to do with it, since it is just a few month old.

 

While I was out wandering around this weekend, I had a pleasant surprise, I kicked up 4 pheasants, 3 hens, and a rooster. In the 12 years I have owned the land, I have only seen 1 prior to this. Usually many quail, partridge, turkeys, but this is the first time I saw multiple pheasants.

[Scott K]

I got ahold of Covert, and they just said ship it back, and they will ship me a new one.  So it is in the mail. Hopefully I get the new one before I go back up again. 

 

I started working on the new deer stand, I have the floor, or base built. I made it out of 2x6 green treated, and green treated plywood. It is 6'x6'. It will sit 10 feet off the ground, with 4 4"x6"x12' green treated posts. Then I glued outdoor carpeting to it. I will be installing a boat seat mount in the middle of the floor, and use one of my boat seats for my deer stand chair, they swivel easy, and are much more comfortable then a folding chair. 

[Scott K]

The base for the stand is already to go now. Now I just need to go up there and cement the posts in, and lift the base up 10 feet. This may be tough, being it weighs a lot. Over 300 pounds I am sure. Then I just need to bolt it on, and set up my portable blind on top of it. This will be only temporary with the portable blind for this season, then next summer I will finish it off with walls, and a roof. 

The portable I am using is the Clam elite hunting blind. Mostly because it was the only one I found that is insulated. I use to be able to rough the cold of Northern Wisconsin while hunting, but I am getting a little less liking of the cold, and I figured if I stay warm, I will stay in stand much longer. Here is the blind I am using.  http://clamoutdoors.com/store/quick-set-by-clam/elite-hunter-ground-blind.html

 

[Scott K]

With plans on going up again next weekend, my game plan is to  not be busted by every deer I see. Preferably my son is the one to stick one, because I would prefer to save my tag for rifle season. While I am up there I am going to surface broadcast some wheat in my brassica plot, with the intention of getting some growth out of it yet this year, because my brassica plot is getting pretty thin, and I would like to have something in it during rifle season. Then hopefully have some of it grow early spring as well. I guess if it doesnt germinate, no loss, since I get wheat for free. I guess the birds, squirrels, and mice will get a good start at food then

 

I am going to get my stand set up, but I wont be bow hunting out of it next weekend. But I will be hunting in a different spot, so hopefully I dont get busted by every deer in the woods. I also will resupply my mineral pits, so the mineral will get a chance to soak into the ground a bit before spring. This may be my last trip up until rifle season, because I think I will have everything as good as I can get it this year. I will also wander through the woods and mark some trees that I will be thinning out around oak trees in the late winter, early spring.

 

The last time I was up, I wandered through my sanctuary, which is something I rarely have ever done. It is for the deer. But I just wanted a map of how the food plots have changed their trails, and how many beds I found, what I discovered was there is several large oak trees that is back there, that I never noticed before. I want to open the area up for the oaks to branch out more, and while doing so, make more cover by dropping some of the competing trees, and letting them lay on the ground. This isnt an overly large area, maybe 5-6 acres at most, with about 20 oaks that are fairly large in size, and most years should supply a good supply of food for wildlife.

 

I have been already trying to plan for next year, I wont be making any new food plots, but I will be improving the ones I already have, by removing stumps, removing rocks, trying to get them a little more level. I will be trying to improve soils to get them where they need to be. I may expand around the edges, and work on blocking off entrance points, to force deer into entrance, and exit lanes. There are a few trees that need to be removed because they shade some of the plot. My sons plot still has a few more trees that need to come down. As I mentioned before I plan on thinning  the canopy around oak trees, and by doing that, it will make more cover, and offer browse from the tree tops in early spring. I plan on planting 10 more apple trees, half crab apple, half regular apples. I am going to relocate a few dozen wild pine trees that I have a much better spot for them then where they are growing. I also plan on finishing my deer stand. Although the list sounds long, it wont take long to complete, unlike this years. But this year I didnt really have a plan, and just winged everything. But I am sure the list will grow as time goes on.

 

I will have to say, of the 12  years I have owned my land, I havent enjoyed it as much as I have this year. Working my tail off, sweating, dumping a lot of money into it. But I can tell already that my work is paying off. Deer are bedding there, feeding there, and it is nothing to have 4-6 deer on camera at a time. I have seen more pheasants on my land then I have in the past 12 years combined. Turkeys have been regular visitors, along with many others critters. I could do without all of the bear though! The best part is, I can improve it every year. I will update this post through deer hunting season in late November, just to keep everyone up on if my labor has paid off, and if it will put some meat in the freezer as a reward.

 

To anyone following along this year, if you have land, and are on the fence with improving it for wildlife, every little bit helps, and you will notice the difference. You dont need to spend a bunch of money, or have a bunch of equipment. A chainsaw was probably my most used tool all year, and it has probably helped draw, and keep the deer on my land more then anything else I have done. Open up the canopy to allow new growth, and create cover for them to feel more secure. If you choose to want to plant something, winter wheat, winter rye, and oats is probably is a very cheap, and easy crop to grow. You can pretty much spread it, and let it grow. Or just let Mother Nature choose what grows in the new open sunlight. Deer love fresh growth, and will eat most new plants as they come up.

 

 

[delcecchi]

Bear are good eating too.