providing cover

UnlistMe
Inventry
Tennessee Deer Sporting & Deer Hunting Community Forum

Help Support TNDeer | Tennessee Deer:

H

hunter3405

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
1,889
City & State/Province
Columbia, Tn. USA
how do you provide cover in an open field? Down in my bottoms I figure I can hinge cut the trees a bit and kind of close that in. But the field and hill tops have me baffled. Do I leave them alone and let them grow or trim them down and plant some wheat or oats?
 
Some of the best cover available is over-grown fields. Generally, if old fields are left to grow for 3 or 4 years, they grow into a jungle of weeds, saplings and briers, which is excellent cover.
 
BSK said:
Some of the best cover available is over-grown fields. Generally, if old fields are left to grow for 3 or 4 years, they grow into a jungle of weeds, saplings and briers, which is excellent cover.
Click to expand...

well it is overgrown, So I will do nothing....I like it
 
The hard part about over-grown fields is keeping them at the point of "good cover." Eventually, they will grow into a forest as saplings dominate. I recommend to clients that they bush-hog portions of these old fields on a rotational basis so they are kept in the "early" regrowth phase (weeds, briers, young sapling).

Depending upon how long it takes to get to the best stages of cover (usually either 3 or 4 years after bush-hogging), I have them divide the field into that number of sections (3 or 4) and one section gets bush-hogged each year, on a rotational basis. This means each section gets bush-hogged once every 3 or 4 years, allowing the regrowth to be restarted in that section before it gets so "woody" that a bush-hog can't be used anymore.
 
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
See price on Amazon
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks Outdoor Cooking Fuel, 4 lb – Premium BBQ Smoking & Grilling Chips for Rich, Subtly Sweet Flavor – Ideal for Beef, Lamb, Poultry & Pork – Long Lasting
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Smoker Wood Chunks 13-16 lbs for Grilling, Smoking, and Wood Fire Cooking ~ 2 x 3 Inches, (Hickory, 790 Cu in.)
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
See price on Amazon
Hickory Pizza Oven Wood 6 Inch, 15 lbs Box – Kiln Dried & Bark-Free Firewood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ Smoking & Grilling – Premium Hickory Wood Logs for Ooni, Gozney, Solo Stove, Bertello
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 8” Splits (Approx 39.5 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
See price on Amazon
Firewood Central Kiln-Dried PA Hickory – 6” Splits (Approx. 42 lb) – Bold Smoking Wood for Pizza Ovens, BBQ & Fire Pits – Easy Light, Low Smoke, USA Sourced
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
See price on Amazon
Greenworks 24V 6in BL Pruning Saw w/Auto Oiler, Tool Only
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
See price on Amazon
Old Potters Kiln Dried Firewood - Cherry, 1100 Cu. in, 16-18 Logs ~ 8" x 2.5" Logs. Solo Stove and Cooking Wood for Grilling, Smoking, and Firepits, Cherry.
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
See price on Amazon
Heritage Smoke Wood Hickory Pizza Oven Wood with Fire Starter - Kiln Dried Firewood 6" Hardwood Logs for Brick Fire Pizza Ovens & Grills, 6 lb, Low Smoke, High Heat, Competition-Grade Clean Burn
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
See price on Amazon
39" Fire Pits with Wood Storage for Outside, Large Wood Burning Outdoor Fireplace with Chimney, Mesh Spark Screen & Fire Poker, Idea for Backyard, Patio, Party, Camping, Picnic
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
See price on Amazon
Smoak Firewood Cooking Wood Mini Splits - USDA Certified Kiln Dried Pizza Oven Wood, Grilling Wood, Smoking Wood, BBQing Wood (8inch Pieces, 25-30lbs 1728 Cubic in - Hickory)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change.
You also need to identify what is currently growing in these fields. If it's just a thick monoculture of fescue, then you need to use herbicides to "release" the native plant communities. Just letting a fescue field become overgrown is not providing quality food/cover.
 
Quailman said:
You also need to identify what is currently growing in these fields. If it's just a thick monoculture of fescue, then you need to use herbicides to "release" the native plant communities. Just letting a fescue field become overgrown is not providing quality food/cover.
Click to expand...

EXCELLENT advice Quailman.
 
This question regarding "ridge & hollow" land.

Most of my most productive "fields" are in the "hollows".
What I'm talking about are some creek bottom "fields" that tend to be narrow, but still get enough sunlight to be better food plots than those ridgetop plots, and usually have good soil moisture even when rainfall has been lacking.

Am thinking about letting some of these "bottomland" fields go from "food plots" to more of a "cover" area.

So here's my question:

Will deer use these low-lying cover areas as well as they use cover areas at higher elevations?
 
Wes Parrish said:
Will deer use these low-lying cover areas as well as they use cover areas at higher elevations?
Click to expand...

In my opinion, yes. From my rub research in ridge-and-hollow hardwoods, open hardwood valleys actually produce very low rub densities (bucks weren't rubbing there much). However, if a valley contained good cover, they became focal points for rubbing. Valleys with cover produces some of the highest rub densities I recorded.
 
Thanks, BSK.
Makes sense that bucks would rub more if we provided them with more nice-sized trees for their rubbing. ;)

I was actually thinking more in terms of "bedding" in that cover.
Seems most deer prefer to bed in cover at higher elevations than at lower?

BSK said:
Wes Parrish said:
Will deer use these low-lying cover areas as well as they use cover areas at higher elevations?
Click to expand...

In my opinion, yes. From my rub research in ridge-and-hollow hardwoods, open hardwood valleys actually produce very low rub densities (bucks weren't rubbing there much). However, if a valley contained good cover, they became focal points for rubbing. Valleys with cover produces some of the highest rub densities I recorded.
Click to expand...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top