2023 Agenda

[UCStandSitter]

Was it Covid, RSV, something else? Although as far as I know I haven't had Covid, in the last couple of years I've had RSV twice. The hacking dry cough lingered for a month in both cases. Hated it.

It was the flu actually. Really whipped my tail. My youngest had it as well but she was over it in a week. My fatigue, etc. lasted about 10 days and then the cough. Ironically similar to when I had Covid just before archery season in 2021.

 

[Rockhound]

I also have a pile of does, I've seen as many as 15 in my plot at once, killed one this morning, but I hate shooting them, I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot.

 

[Ski]

The improvements I made this year brought in (or dumb luck did) more mature bucks than I've ever seen on that property. I worked hard and I think it paid off.

Not luck. Hard work. Sounds like you're on the right path for sure!

 

[Ski]

I also have a pile of does, I've seen as many as 15 in my plot at once, killed one this morning, but I hate shooting them, I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot.

My brother refuses to kill does because he thinks as long as he has them, bucks will flock in from surrounding areas during the rut. Problem is he's been thinking the same thing for many years straight now and each year there are more does & less bucks. They're getting bred alright .... just not on his place. They leave to get bred then come back to raise fawns on his ground. Now he's got a downward spiraling situation that's ruining his hunting.

My property is complete opposite. Any given year I have 2 or 3 mature does on 100 acres, and each one has a yearling or two and fawns. I have the same number and age structure of bucks any given year, and often more bucks than does. I've got legit chance of killing a mature trophy buck any time of season, not just the rut. My brother catches one or two mature bucks cruising his place per season, and it's usually at night. Before he began the habitat work to create what I call his "women & children shelter", he'd regularly kill a good buck. On paper the only difference between his place and mine is that he doesn't keep his does under control and I do.

It's been my experience that the years when I have the fewest does, I have the most bucks. And it makes complete sense. The land only has so many resources and those said resources are depleted by hungry mouths and bodies looking for cover. Doesn't matter what sex or age the deer is. It's consuming resources. If I didn't have does & fawns then those resources would be not only available to bucks, but inviting to bucks. My neighbors will still have plenty does.

I know that's not the popular "QDM" approach, and maybe even borders radical. Most folks want balanced sex and age ratios. I want a bachelor pad. That's just my experience and how I made sense of what I've personally experienced. I'm not trying to persuade you into killing off all your girls. All I'm doing is offering an example of a different perspective for conversation sake.

 

[deerhunter10]

I also have a pile of does, I've seen as many as 15 in my plot at once, killed one this morning, but I hate shooting them, I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot.

We kill our does at the end of the year that 5 day doe season imo is awesome. But if Temps look better we will shoot some before then. Our farm we live on doesn't have a high deer density at all and ratio while we guess at it seems to be pretty good overall. One of our other places is high deer density and we take that into consideration along with how many bucks we have killed and how many does and bucks we are seeing. It's probably not the technical way, but it seems to work for us. Thay place does have a high carrying capacity with the acres food and cover and also water. But we do our best. we have taken as many as 12 one year and some years zero. Honestly I cannot tell a difference to be honest. But I don't think the ratio has ever been out of whack. But I have hunted places with the ratio way way out of whack and the rut was always bad. Seeing decent to big deer was a challenge as well. Some people like to shoot them early some late. I am a late person as I hate intrusion, pressure and honesty during November to Christmas I want to shoot a buck and not a doe. I personally don't think you are hurting yourself at all by shooting a few.

 

[Lost Lake]

Most spare time is spent just keeping the farm tended in a somewhat normal manner. It's a 2+hour drive over, so that eats up a lot of time.

Take down any hang on stands, and move the ladders in a few places and tweak them just a little as far as placement. I do a lot of shooting lane trimming in late Winter right before greenup, and again in late August.

With so much thick regrowth in the three major blocks of woods, it's a constant battle to keep entrance/exit routes chopped to our stands. That pretty much has to happen year round to stay on top of it.

The bunkhouse needs new floor treatment, and other fixes in general in there as well. Always something to do.

 

[DoubleRidge]

That's a great idea. The food benefits of timber thinning are short-lived. It peak around the 3rd summer of regrowth and then rapidly decline as saplings begin to form a low canopy that blocks sunlight from the ground. Keeping some of the cut-over in perpetual early-stage regrowth is a great idea. I'm going to try to do the same, but with broadleaf herbicides in a backpack sprayer.

2023 will be our fourth year following our TSI project which included hack-n-squirt and certain areas have good patches of grass and forbs....but after three years there are other areas where saplings are thick and taking over....poplar saplings in particular....and we do have a couple of areas that are not too steep that we hope to burn in the future...but in some other areas I'm interested in the herbicide application using a backpack sprayer....I would like to treat patches or blocks....with multiple acres in each block...then later compare it to non treated areas....and then the following year add more blocks....have different areas at different stages of early successional growth.

Still working on my 2023 list of projects...but creating more natural food and cover is certainly on the to-do list.

I heard a quote the other day...may have been Al Brothers who was quoted...can't remember...but it was said:

"Land managers need to manage habitat for the bad acorn years...so when you get a good crop...it's a bonus"

After this year I understand that statement clearly.....and knocking back the sapling canopy with spray and burning both support that statement.

 

[BSK]

2023 will be our fourth year following our TSI project which included hack-n-squirt and certain areas have good patches of grass and forbs....but after three years there are other areas where saplings are thick and taking over....poplar saplings in particular....and we do have a couple of areas that are not too steep that we hope to burn in the future...but in some other areas I'm interested in the herbicide application using a backpack sprayer....I would like to treat patches or blocks....with multiple acres in each block...then later compare it to non treated areas....and then the following year add more blocks....have different areas at different stages of early successional growth.

Still working on my 2023 list of projects...but creating more natural food and cover is certainly on the to-do list.

I heard a quote the other day...may have been Al Brothers who was quoted...can't remember...but it was said:

"Land managers need to manage habitat for the bad acorn years...so when you get a good crop...it's a bonus"

After this year I understand that statement clearly.....and knocking back the sapling canopy with spray and burning both support that statement.

I would love to use fire. Biologically, that's the best practice. But I've been a part of burns in very steep terrain, and to use the word "scary" would be an understatement. Plus, creating fire lanes on steep hillsides requires serious equipment I don't have easy access to. I'm going to try the herbicide treatment as a "Plan B."

 

[bjohnson]

1. Prescribed Fire on 3 blocks ranging from 10-20 acres.
2. Clearing 3.5 acres of pine and junk trees on a ridgetop in preparation for alfalfa. Will plant in sunn hemp to build up soil this coming summer and lime accordingly.
3. Thin a 6.5 acre block of pines and burning. Hope to turn it into a pine savanna in 2024.
4. TSI on some drainages full of poplar
5. Converting 2 acres of pipeline into NWSG.
6. Converting 3 acre food plot into a pollinator meadow in the bottom of hollow next to a year round stream.
7. Planting some plum trees to form thickets and some allegheny chinquapins.

Going to be a busy year.

 

[UCStandSitter]

1. Prescribed Fire on 3 blocks ranging from 10-20 acres.
2. Clearing 3.5 acres of pine and junk trees on a ridgetop in preparation for alfalfa. Will plant in sunn hemp to build up soil this coming summer and lime accordingly.
3. Thin a 6.5 acre block of pines and burning. Hope to turn it into a pine savanna in 2024.
4. TSI on some drainages full of poplar
5. Converting 2 acres of pipeline into NWSG.
6. Converting 3 acre food plot into a pollinator meadow in the bottom of hollow next to a year round stream.
7. Planting some plum trees to form thickets and some allegheny chinquapins.

Going to be a busy year.

Dang! You aren't kidding!

 

[bjohnson]

Dang! You aren't kidding!

Luckily we don't have to worry about spring/summer food plots due to 60 acres of beans. Our perennial plots will get them through till the beans are up.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Luckily we don't have to worry about spring/summer food plots due to 60 acres of beans. Our perennial plots will get them through till the beans are up.

That's the good and bad of hunting thick timber for me. Only so much I CAN do. I did a lot this year but not nearly that much. Doesn't help that my work is solo either though.

 

[bjohnson]

That's the good and bad of hunting thick timber for me. Only so much I CAN do. I did a lot this year but not nearly that much. Doesn't help that my work is solo either though.

It's nearly impossible to keep up with everything by yourself. Just have to prioritize what will be the biggest bang for your buck (no pun intended) for habitat management.

 

[Ski]

1. Prescribed Fire on 3 blocks ranging from 10-20 acres.
2. Clearing 3.5 acres of pine and junk trees on a ridgetop in preparation for alfalfa. Will plant in sunn hemp to build up soil this coming summer and lime accordingly.
3. Thin a 6.5 acre block of pines and burning. Hope to turn it into a pine savanna in 2024.
4. TSI on some drainages full of poplar
5. Converting 2 acres of pipeline into NWSG.
6. Converting 3 acre food plot into a pollinator meadow in the bottom of hollow next to a year round stream.
7. Planting some plum trees to form thickets and some allegheny chinquapins.

Going to be a busy year.

That is quite the agenda! Please post pics if you get a chance to snap some before & after.

 

[UCStandSitter]

It's nearly impossible to keep up with everything by yourself. Just have to prioritize what will be the biggest bang for your buck (no pun intended) for habitat management.

That's effectively the best I can do and what I opted for this year. I feel like I made some quality improvements and the work showed results. Now if the other "gentleman" who has access to the same property would respect the work or just retire from hunting, I'd be all set...

 

[JCDEERMAN]

It's been my experience that the years when I have the fewest does, I have the most bucks. And it makes complete sense. The land only has so many resources and those said resources are depleted by hungry mouths and bodies looking for cover. Doesn't matter what sex or age the deer is. It's consuming resources. If I didn't have does & fawns then those resources would be not only available to bucks, but inviting to bucks. My neighbors will still have plenty does.

I have seen this as well. The years when we have really hammered the does, the following year, we have seen a huge influx of buck numbers, antler size and unique antler characteristics. We haven't exercised this out in several years due to our big 2019 ehd die off, but numbers are steadily climbing and 2023 appears to be the year we will need to hammer them again.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

2023 will be our fourth year following our TSI project which included hack-n-squirt and certain areas have good patches of grass and forbs....but after three years there are other areas where saplings are thick and taking over....poplar saplings in particular....and we do have a couple of areas that are not too steep that we hope to burn in the future...but in some other areas I'm interested in the herbicide application using a backpack sprayer....I would like to treat patches or blocks....with multiple acres in each block...then later compare it to non treated areas....and then the following year add more blocks....have different areas at different stages of early successional growth.

Still working on my 2023 list of projects...but creating more natural food and cover is certainly on the to-do list.

I heard a quote the other day...may have been Al Brothers who was quoted...can't remember...but it was said:

"Land managers need to manage habitat for the bad acorn years...so when you get a good crop...it's a bonus"

After this year I understand that statement clearly.....and knocking back the sapling canopy with spray and burning both support that statement.

It's typically this time of year I can't wait for deer season to be over to get started on our projects….and you aren't helping my patience DR

I keep getting maps out and color-coding them for TSI and burning projects. Lots to do and not enough time to do it.

Love that quote BTW

 

[bjohnson]

That is quite the agenda! Please post pics if you get a chance to snap some before & after.

Will do!

 

[Ski]

It's typically this time of year I can't wait for deer season to be over to get started on our projects….and you aren't helping my patience DR

I keep getting maps out and color-coding them for TSI and burning projects. Lots to do and not enough time to do it.

Love that quote BTW

Two peas in the same pod

I can't wait for habitat season so I can get started. And I spend way too much time looking over map layers and making appropriate changes to the property plan. It's like "hunting" isn't even the objective anymore. Hunting season only serves as testing for how well my habitat improvements worked and to expose flaws that I need to address. I'm constantly sitting on stand seeing something that I need to tweak or change altogether.

I think my days of looking through the woods to spot a deer are over. I'm now looking AT the woods and sometimes a deer interrupts my concentration! It's so bad hahaha

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Two peas in the same pod

I can't wait for habitat season so I can get started. And I spend way too much time looking over map layers and making appropriate changes to the property plan. It's like "hunting" isn't even the objective anymore. Hunting season only serves as testing for how well my habitat improvements worked and to expose flaws that I need to address. I'm constantly sitting on stand seeing something that I need to tweak or change altogether.

I think my days of looking through the woods to spot a deer are over. I'm now looking AT the woods and sometimes a deer interrupts my concentration! It's so bad hahaha

Very well said - same. I'll be sitting on stand counting all the beech trees I can whack with an axe and squirt herbicide. Next thing you know, I'll be carrying that stuff with me in my hunting pack