Just bought some land...now what? *Update

[Huntnbubba]

I just bought about 50 acres of land that is 100% timber. About half of it is open hardwood timber (mostly oaks and hickory)and the other half is rocky/cedars/small trees (but not really a thicket, fairly sparse). It is surrounded on all sides by over 1000 acres similar to mine. The nearest agriculture fields are about 3/4 of a mile away. There is a small pond on my property and there is a big creek about 1/2 mile away. My first thought was to clear out a few acres for food plots but the only area that isn't rocky is where my best oak trees are. Is it worth trading my best oak trees for food plots? For instance, if I cleared out a 5 acre spot in the best area, I'd loose about half of the oak trees on my land.

 

[BuckHunter511]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

No deer prefer the acorns to plots in my experience. They'll feed on the plots, but will spend most time in the oaks

 

[Football Hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Chainsaw will be your best friend

 

[Boll Weevil]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Chainsaw will be your best friend

Agree with FH...fire up the Stihl. I'd focus on cedars and combine burning and dropping some of those trees. Leave the mast trees.

 

[LA man]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Keep the oaks. Maybe do some thinning in them. Get rid of any crooked and sick trees

 

[treefarmer]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Your Stihl saw will become your best friend but create the overall plan before cutting trees. Learn to identify the trees on your property and invite your Area Forester with the TN Div. of Forestry to give you a free visit to make recommendations on how to manage your forest. Let him know what you want in the way of wildlife or timber etc. If you have areas with a half acre of junk forest consider cutting most all the trees to create clearcuts which will provide valuable cover and more food than a food plot. Cover is king for deer.

 

[MickThompson]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

TWRA also has biologists that will help you put a plan together.

 

[rem270]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

I would talk with a biologist and see what he suggests. They have a program where if you qualify they will pay for certain types of trees if you cleared some out.

Congrats on the land purchase. I just purchased some also and as soon as my deed comes in I will meet with the biologist for some advice to better my place.

 

[Football Hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Yes, cut them all down, great advice. NOT.

Daniel Son, chainsaw great friend. Is everyone just repeating what others say or what?

How can you guys tell him he needs to start cutting trees without seeing the property ??

I go in my place and pick out trees that are low to no value for deer or timber,and cut as many as I can,mostly beech trees cause they are easy to I D in winter.This has greatly increased the cover and browse on my place.

 

[diamond hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Newsflash-the native browse and cover created by cutting beech trees in most woodlots will far outweigh the nuts that they produce.If you have some spots with a few beech and some dang hickories and ironwood and elm and sasafrass and maple and poplar and locust and a few other undesirables,cut them in 2-3 acre patches and get back and stay out.The biggest bucks in the area will live there as long as you stay out of it,there will be an abundance of food and cover,several desirable trees will be released furthering their production.If its a real nice timber tree for the future by all means save it if you want a pretty tree there.If its a straight poplar you can climb next to 4 chinkapins,by all means save that tree.Them beech trees gotta go on my place.The ones I save are the middle aged ones.All the little ones get the axe and so do the huge ones ,unhealthy looking ones and the ones near trails that we drive on.The ones I kill are deep in the woods.

 

[Football Hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

OK keep cutting them since they're the ones you can identify.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your- ... ican-beech

Brilliant.

Thanks,I do feel brilliant,see many more deer each year with the habitat improvement ,and feel the browse and cover are far more beneficial than a few Beech nuts. THANKS!

 

[BlountArrow]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

TWRA also has biologists that will help you put a plan together.

Yep, been an awesome and edifying experience for me!

 

[BlountArrow]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

OK keep cutting them since they're the ones you can identify.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your- ... ican-beech

Brilliant.

Thanks,I do feel brilliant,see many more deer each year with the habitat improvement ,and feel the browse and cover are far more beneficial than a few Beech nuts. THANKS!

FH, would you not agree that it is almost miraculous how the under growth / under story and regeneration explodes? Its like its been pent up for decades and all of the sudden you give it a little sunlight and it breaks out of prison full bore with a fury. I'll say I wasted about 3 out of 9 years focusing on food plots when I should have been in habitat creation mode.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

OK keep cutting them since they're the ones you can identify.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your- ... ican-beech

Brilliant.

Beech produce good crops every 3-6 years as stated in the article. Cutting that tree will produce twice as much food EVERY year.

 

[diamond hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Now there is some math I like!My woods have plenty room for improvement.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Now there is some math I like!My woods have plenty room for improvement.

X2

 

[Football Hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

OK keep cutting them since they're the ones you can identify.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your- ... ican-beech

Brilliant.

Thanks,I do feel brilliant,see many more deer each year with the habitat improvement ,and feel the browse and cover are far more beneficial than a few Beech nuts. THANKS!

FH, would you not agree that it is almost miraculous how the under growth / under story and regeneration explodes? Its like its been pent up for decades and all of the sudden you give it a little sunlight and it breaks out of prison full bore with a fury. I'll say I wasted about 3 out of 9 years focusing on food plots when I should have been in habitat creation mode.

yep!

 

[Huntnbubba]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Thanks for the info. I've enjoyed the discussion. Keep it coming.

 

[Swampster]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Now what? - buy some more! 15 years ago, I bought 100 acres for $900 per. Four years ago I buy 60 more next door to it and pay 3 X that. Now, the county tax man says it is worth $900 acre more than I paid. If I were rich, I would let it all go back to sections of forest, brush, and grasslands, but I need the farm income. Still, about a third of it meets that description.

 

[diamond hunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

BSK said I think.."the whitetail deer is not a creature of the forest,he wants the thicket,briarpatch,weeds and woody thick cover." We keep the woods cause the trees are pretty,shade is nice and trees are valuable and we think its better for the hunting.Truth be known,we could probably just cut all trees on our farms besides quality oaks and soft mast and our hunting would be better than ever in 2 years.The place wouldn't be as pretty and our wives might divorce us but we would have great hunting.BSK suggests 3 acre patches with everything poisoned or hinged but mast trees.My goal this winter is to attack beech and sassafrass,all that are 30-40 yards inside the woods,especially in my sanctuary and larger patches of woods.Maybe in 2 years from then attack another species.I want layers of cover,thick,thin,none,woods with a full mix of mature trees,and places even a deer would hesitate to go into.I asked BSK about the hundreds of trees Ive planted.He said,"Its a fun exercise,something to do to get you to your farm to work and enjoy but Im not sure its worth it"Ive been looking at my old trees in the woods and looking at whats there and what can be released and now agree 10000%.Most of us already have what we need,it just needs tweaking site specific.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Yep that's spot on, deer are an "EDGE" animal, meaning they prefer thicket over grown areas with small openings rather than tall canopy forest.

The place I just bought was clear cut, I'm making about 5 acres plots, 2 acres of one ridge will be planTed in chestnuts, and sawtooth oak. I will have chestnuts and pears around the edge of the plots and let the rest do its thing

 

[Okatoba]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Select cut the hardwoods leaving the acorn trees and clear cut at least 15 of the 50 acres in 1 central spot and never go into the interior of that thicket. Hunt the edges and you'll be amazed the deer you'll see in that jungle. Deer are a thicket animal and they become more so the more pressure they are under.

 

[lpo1981]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

Yes, cut them all down, great advice. NOT.

Daniel Son, chainsaw great friend. Is everyone just repeating what others say or what?

How can you guys tell him he needs to start cutting trees without seeing the property ??

I go in my place and pick out trees that are low to no value for deer or timber,and cut as many as I can,mostly beech trees cause they are easy to I D in winter.This has greatly increased the cover and browse on my place.

Amen To cutting beech trees... I hate those things....

 

[lpo1981]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

BSK said I think.."the whitetail deer is not a creature of the forest,he wants the thicket,briarpatch,weeds and woody thick cover." We keep the woods cause the trees are pretty,shade is nice and trees are valuable and we think its better for the hunting.Truth be known,we could probably just cut all trees on our farms besides quality oaks and soft mast and our hunting would be better than ever in 2 years.The place wouldn't be as pretty and our wives might divorce us but we would have great hunting.BSK suggests 3 acre patches with everything poisoned or hinged but mast trees.My goal this winter is to attack beech and sassafrass,all that are 30-40 yards inside the woods,especially in my sanctuary and larger patches of woods.Maybe in 2 years from then attack another species.I want layers of cover,thick,thin,none,woods with a full mix of mature trees,and places even a deer would hesitate to go into.I asked BSK about the hundreds of trees Ive planted.He said,"Its a fun exercise,something to do to get you to your farm to work and enjoy but Im not sure its worth it"Ive been looking at my old trees in the woods and looking at whats there and what can be released and now agree 10000%.Most of us already have what we need,it just needs tweaking site specific.

Man this is some of the best reason and advice Ive seen or read... I couldn't agree more!!! What we perceive as a good looking hunting spot wide open woods with huge trees in fact is quite the opposite of what the deer prefer...

 

[FTG-05]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

TWRA also has biologists that will help you put a plan together.

I just e-mailed the TWRA Private Lands Biologist for my land based on this thread!

Thanks!

 

[Huntnbubba]

After 2 months of getting advise from you all, walking the property over and over, and reading every article I could find...the trees started falling today! Thanks to BSK and others for your comments and ideas. I'm really excited (and a little nervous) to see my plan come together. I guess time will tell if I made the right decisions. Here's what is happening:
1. All the non mast trees (hickory, ash, maple, etc.) larger than 14" above the stump are being logged.
2. A few of the largest red oaks are being logged
3. None of the white oaks are being touched
4. Three food plots are being created (total of about 4 acres)

Update...
This project has been a blast so far. I find myself thinking about it all the time...what should I plant, where should I plant, hard mast, soft mast, where should my stands be located??? I can only imagine how cool this process would be on a large piece of land.
The logger I hired finished up a few weeks ago and he did a great job. In fact, he did exactly what he said he would...what a crazy concept! He cut what I said cut and he left standing what I asked him to leave standing. He is a big hunter as well so he could appreciate what my goals are for the property.
Wow this place looks different...tons of light can now reach the ground. And the white oaks now have less competition so they should increase production.
As soon as the weather allows, another guy will come out and finish clearing the new food plots and clean out the old pond. It's getting easier and easier to visualize killing my first deer on this property.

 

[MMHunter]

Re: Just bought some land...now what?

:tu: Sounds good man. Keep us updated on progress. I love seeing pics of that coming together.