Looking for ideas

[eyeseeker]

Okay, I'm looking for some ideas on how to further improve my propertys attraction to deer. I have 100 acres with 9 small foodplots, mineral sites, waterholes and the entire property is red/white oak and hickorys. The property was logged to 18 inches 4 years ago with the exception of 7 acres of 8 year old clearcut. I have cut funneling trails into the clear cut, stacked slash from the most recent cut into large piles, and ordered persimmons to be planted after season.My place has great bedding areas in the places that were most heavily cut. The property to the East is a 1175 acres of broken fields and farm that is leased to guys from AL every year, the property to the West is being cut to 14inches starting this week. I have owned the property for 3 years and have now gotten to the point that the foodplots are established, stands are in, cabin is built, and all of my major projects just need time to show fruit.I prefer to manage from a habitat perspective as food alone will not hold animals.Does anyone have any ideas of something I may have overlooked that will be benificial to attracting and holding wildlife ?

 

[Football Hunter]

What part of the state?If your not seeing deer,maybe its to much human intrusion.Sounds like you have plenty of cover

 

[LA man]

imo 100 acres is not big enough to hold to many deer

 

[eyeseeker]

The property is in Hickman cty (Unit L) and we have plenty of Deer and Turkey. Interestingly enough, when I first bought it we never saw rabbits, but did see tons of yotes. Now we have a good rabbit population and the yotes have vanished ! I know that they are still there, but we just aren't seeing them anymore. We really have been bad about the intrusion thing this year. We have been in there twice a week expanding foodplots as we have been doing it all by hand. Chainsaws and throwing out rocks while cutting brush with a ditch blade made for some very long hot days this summer, but we knew that the next door property was being logged in the fall. We are hoping that by stopping unnecessary traffic in there now, the loggers will push the deer over and they will seek refuge in all of our newly created deer paradise! My main issue is that we have run out of things to do down there! I'm planning on expanding a few of the plots after season is over, but for now that is the only thing left. The old lady has banned me from starting a chainsaw or riding the quad within 1000 yds of her stand so I'm pretty much done until after season, but come spring ?

 

[Football Hunter]

imo 100 acres is not big enough to hold to many deer

HMMM,maybe not "hold many" but sure could attract a bunch

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Good size orchard with apples that will drop from June- December. Throw in pears, Sawtooth Oaks, Chinese Chestnuts, Allegheny Chinquapins, etc etc etc. Sorry just had to get my plug for tree plantings in there lol
Maybe establish a large feeding plot 5 or even 10 acres in size if you dont have one? If you have that size of ground that could be cleared. Never clean the table, always have some sort of forage in food plots with perennials and annuals. Sounds like the natural browse and cover part may be covered already.

 

[eyeseeker]

Unfortunately I don't have an area that size that could be cleared. I'm working on the orchard, but choosing a location is what is stumping me right now. My choices are to clear a portion of the clearcut or integrate the fruit trees into my plots and work around them. All of the plots are old log decks and they will be utilized again in 15 years or so (yeah I'm thinking long term !)to cut again when the existing trees will be ready. I guess I could just scatter them around, but I like the idea of having them in an orchard and just keeping that area off limits to a logging crew. It would be a shame to get those trees producing only to have them removed/damaged due to equipment and access issues.
The property is already drawing tons of deer. We took 7 off of it last year(2 kids took their first deer!) and the pressure didn't seem to faze them much because we continued to see the same amount of deer at end of season as in the begining. This year we are seeing as many, if not more, as last year. I'm worried that the logging next door will change that. Nothing I can do about it though.

 

[Football Hunter]

I wouldnt worry too much about the logging,if you get a chance,go by a place that has heavy equip working like dozers,trac hoes etc.You will be very surprised at the deer tracks you see.

Back in the day,when I did that kind of work,I would just sit on top of the dozer I was clearing with all day and hunt.Killed several that way,an hour or less after the diesel shut off.

 

[Boone 58]

Sounds like you have been very thourough to me.....

 

[ttf909]

sounds like a good problem to have. 100 acres with lots of potential !