-
Help Support TNDeer:
Moving Sanctuaries.
- Thread starter kholmes
- Start date
I have a couple of de-facto sanctuaries now that are neighbors property that they can't access without crossing the Forked Deer River so they aren't hunted. We have a combined 1000 acres of family land everyone is QDM minded and the little ones are passed up. It is divided up into sections and everyone hunts their own section with buffers in between. Are these buffer areas good enough? Thanks for any insight.
kh
kh
Greg .
Well-Known Member
sanc�tu�ar�y /ˈs�ŋktʃuˌɛri/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sangk-choo-er-ee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
�noun, plural -ar�ies.
1. a sacred or holy place.
2. Judaism.
a. the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.
b. the holy of holies of these places of worship.
3. an especially holy place in a temple or church.
4. the part of a church around the altar; the chancel.
5. a church or other sacred place where fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest.
6. immunity afforded by refuge in such a place.
7. any place of refuge; asylum.
8. a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.
[Origin: 1300�50; ME < LL sānctuārium, equiv. to sānctu- (r. L sānct-), comb. form of sanctus (see Sanctus) + -ārium -ary]
�noun, plural -ar�ies.
1. a sacred or holy place.
2. Judaism.
a. the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.
b. the holy of holies of these places of worship.
3. an especially holy place in a temple or church.
4. the part of a church around the altar; the chancel.
5. a church or other sacred place where fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest.
6. immunity afforded by refuge in such a place.
7. any place of refuge; asylum.
8. a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.
[Origin: 1300�50; ME < LL sānctuārium, equiv. to sānctu- (r. L sānct-), comb. form of sanctus (see Sanctus) + -ārium -ary]
BSK
Well-Known Member
Sanctuaries can be decided upon any way you like, but I work my sanctuaries by following the cover. The best cover is set aside as sanctuaries, and those areas change over time. We create our cover by cutting patches of timber (3-5 acres each), and as those cut patches regrow into impenetrable cover, they get designated as sanctuaries. Once they outgrow the cover stage, they are no longer sanctuaries, as new cuts will have been made to replace the ones growing beyond the cover stange and into the pole-timber stage. So a particular area remains a sanctuary for about 6-8 years, then is replaced with a new area of better cover.
Of course, we do this because the property is primarily mature hardwoods. If I had more old pastures and openings, I would keep those in perpetual states of usable cover.
Of course, we do this because the property is primarily mature hardwoods. If I had more old pastures and openings, I would keep those in perpetual states of usable cover.
BSK
Well-Known Member
It's more about the size of each sanctuary, although I certainly go to great lengths to produce particular types of habitat edges in particular locations. These specific habitat-terrain combinations produce very predictable buck movement patterns. But when it comes to the effectiveness of a sanctuary, the shape is much less important than the size.
TAS
Well-Known Member
kh,
How wide are your buffers/sanctuaries?
How wide are your buffers/sanctuaries?
TAS said:
Not to wide. Any where from 100 yds down to maybe 50 but they are very long and linear. They are basically ditches that seperated the crop fields and grew up overtime into some big timber. It was select cut 10 years ago and is really thick almost unhuntable. The ditches feed into the Forked Deer River which serves a superhighway during deer season. I really think these ditches if they remain unhunted can help funnel deer off neighboring properties on to mine while also serving as a sanctuary. I may be shooting myself in the foot by giving up the better hunting areas but I might give it a try next season.
TAS
Well-Known Member
100 yards wide should be wide enough. I have one like that, 40 acres stretched out for about 3/4 mile.kholmes said:
Knox Hntr
Well-Known Member
BSK said:
That brings up a question I've been wondering about for a while. What's the best way to get convert long-time pasture land into viable deer cover? Will it eventually grow in thick if grazing animals are removed or are other steps necessary to expedite the process?
TAS
Well-Known Member
Knox Hntr said:
As a cattle farmer, I can assure you it will grow up so thick you can't walk through it if not bushogged or cattle kept on it. If your gonna do that put some plots on it also.
DEER HUNTER 76
Well-Known Member
BSK
Well-Known Member
Knox Hntr said:
Correct, it will grow up on its own. The fallow field can then be matained in cover by breaking it up into sections and bush-hogging each section on a 3-4 year rotation. For instance, Section A gets bush-hogged in 2008, Section B 2009, Section C 2010, then back to Section A in 2011, etc...
Knox Hntr
Well-Known Member
Thanks TAS and BSK.
My parents have been looking at hunting land in SW Virginia and much of it has significant pasture on it. I was afraid of having too much 'dead space' and too little cover around. Sounds like that need not be a problem.
My parents have been looking at hunting land in SW Virginia and much of it has significant pasture on it. I was afraid of having too much 'dead space' and too little cover around. Sounds like that need not be a problem.
BSK
Well-Known Member
For me, as a habitat manager, I look at pasture as wonderful "blank slate" habitat. I love pastures because I can do anything I want to them. I can plant them or maintain them into anything I want. I can be as creative as I want to be. I can turn them into any type of forest I want; I can turn them into food plots; I can turn them into cover; I can make one pasture all 3 habitat types in any shape I want.
BSK said:
That beings up a serious question for me. We have a considerable amount of river bottom land on our property that we currently lease out to local framers. They plant corn and soy in them on alternating years. Right now, the fields have corn/soy in them just during the growing season and are pretty much fallow the rest of the year. Would we be better off letting these fields grow over (and including foodplots on portions of them) or continuing to let them be used for agricultrual purposes? Which would have the biggest positive impact for the herd?
Stick'n'String
Well-Known Member
Dennis,
Good to see you back on here. I'd think the ag crops really help your deer based on the parts of the property I've seen.
What percentages of your property would you say are in hardwood, pines (how old), foodplots/ag?
Daniel
Good to see you back on here. I'd think the ag crops really help your deer based on the parts of the property I've seen.
What percentages of your property would you say are in hardwood, pines (how old), foodplots/ag?
Daniel
BSK
Well-Known Member
dhines,
That depends on what the rest of the property's habitat is.
That depends on what the rest of the property's habitat is.
We have a total of about 1400 acres. About 50 acres are fields - maybe 35 of which are river bottom planted in corn/soy. The remaining fields are either food plots or left to natural browse. About 900 acres are rough, hilly 10 year-old clear-cuts and about 75 acres is a 4 year old clear cut. The remaining 300 or so acres are hardwoods.
Based on the replies, I'm guessing what you'd recommend is leaving the ag stuff and focus on continuing to open up hardwoods and the aging clearcuts?
Based on the replies, I'm guessing what you'd recommend is leaving the ag stuff and focus on continuing to open up hardwoods and the aging clearcuts?
