2021 North Central Wisconsin “Lake Farm” - 35 acres on two lakes and surrounded by National Forest

You might consider piling the logs/trimmings to the INSIDE of your perimeter access trail to provide visual screening as you travel around the farm. This is assuming you are trying to set the property up for deer to be bedding inside your property. The key point i am trying to make is to use those logs to your advantage to screen you from where you think the deer you are hunting will be while you travel the perimeter trail.


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I have them on both sides...
 
Great looking place. looks like a fun tag along. Some times it doesn't hurt to sit back for a year to get a feel for what deer already do and plan your management around what already exists. Good luck.
This is my thinking exactly. Sounds like you're a hard one to slow down but I made some mistakes with chainsaw and dozer that I can never get back.
 
Sitting by the fire with my Lab debating on the direction to cut tomorrow. I absolutely understand holding off on wildlife enhancements, but I honestly have a month of cutting access trails around this property. Those need to be done before the survey ribbon disappears. I noticed one section of ribbon disappeared in the last two weeks! Glad hunt x was spot on.

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-9 F outside without windchill. So, no ice fishing and no cutting this weekend and probably next cause this cold spell is here for 10 days or so. I love the cold, but -9 sucks! LOL.. 15-25 F is perfect.

I'm sitting here wondering what you guys all do with the stumps in your food plots? Grind them down when time permits? Let them rot away, dump some sort of mineral goo and let the deer eat them (LOL).. or? I plan to probably just cut the trees this year/open the canopy in an area and plant around those stumps.. I would love to hear other options/thoughts.
 
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Sitting by the fire with my Lab debating on the direction to cut tomorrow. I absolutely understand holding off on wildlife enhancements, but I honestly have a month of cutting access trails around this property. Those need to be done before the survey ribbon disappears. I noticed one section of ribbon disappeared in the last two weeks! Glad hunt x was spot on.

239fce74d667856b2780852f20ab91c2.jpg



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I'd advise painting the property lines quickly before the survey ribbon dissappear. This will save you a lot of money in the future.
 
-9 F outside without windchill. So, no ice fishing and no cutting this weekend and probably next cause this cold spell is here for 10 days or so. I love the cold, but -9 sucks! LOL.. 15-25 F is perfect.

I'm sitting here wondering what you guys all do with the stumps in your food plots? Grind them down when time permits? Let them rot away, dump some sort of mineral goo and let the deer eat them (LOL).. or? I plan to probably just cut the trees this year/open the canopy in an area and plant around those stumps.. I would love to hear other options/thoughts.
Depends on how many you are talking....day rental for mini excavator up here is about $300. I've done it where i find other guys 2-3 i know that may need some work and we get the mini for a week about $1000 for the week, split it 1-3 days we each get it and you would be amazed at what you can get done in 8 hours on the right sized mini. Best money ever spent (~$350 for basically 15 hours of mini) and only spend it every 5 or so years to clean up new food plots or pick rocks from trails, dig new water holes, etc.
 
It's currently about -18 out at the property. My wife and I are taking a trip up there today to putz around a bit. We've owned the place almost a month and its just been too cold to accomplish anything or even take a drive to it. Hopefully, we get to spend some to clean up the sheds, change some locks a little chainsaw work where the ribbons disappeared if it warms to zero.

I doubt I'll get it out this weekend, but I did buy a new Exodus Render Cell cam to play with. I haven't bought a game camera like this in probably 10+ years. Jeez they got small! Love the solar panels available as well.
 
It's currently about -18 out at the property. My wife and I are taking a trip up there today to putz around a bit. We've owned the place almost a month and its just been too cold to accomplish anything or even take a drive to it. Hopefully, we get to spend some to clean up the sheds, change some locks a little chainsaw work where the ribbons disappeared if it warms to zero.

I doubt I'll get it out this weekend, but I did buy a new Exodus Render Cell cam to play with. I haven't bought a game camera like this in probably 10+ years. Jeez they got small! Love the solar panels available as well.
I'm intrigued by the Exodus Render camera. Let us know how it works for you.
 
Depends on how many you are talking....day rental for mini excavator up here is about $300. I've done it where i find other guys 2-3 i know that may need some work and we get the mini for a week about $1000 for the week, split it 1-3 days we each get it and you would be amazed at what you can get done in 8 hours on the right sized mini. Best money ever spent (~$350 for basically 15 hours of mini) and only spend it every 5 or so years to clean up new food plots or pick rocks from trails, dig new water holes, etc.
Yep.
 
Finally a temp (mid 40's) I could get some work/scouting done in. However, snow was 3-4 FEET deep in many areas.

Found this nice rub before a transition to some lowland.. This is also a really nice bedding area.

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13 deer beds in this little location.. This area is saturated with urine and deer crap.
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One of the residents was walking away You can kind of see her int his picture.
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Work/adventure continues.....

I did get my buddy to make me up 15 "No Trespassing", street grade quality/reflective backing, w/my name this week. I plan to curb any wandering folks right out of the gate. "Most" neighbors all have good intentions and just like to walk, but I'm not a fan of any trespassers and I mentioned a few weeks ago pink survey ribbon was removed from a section of property which really pisses me off and that takes quite a bit to do.

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Cutting one of the property borders in. This was a stretch to the small private lake.

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Maybe time for a little duck hunting out here? ;)

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My wife and lab after 60 minute chainsaw cut to this small lake.


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Work/adventure continues.....

I did get my buddy to make me up 15 "No Trespassing", street grade quality/reflective backing, w/my name this week. I plan to curb any wandering folks right out of the gate. "Most" neighbors all have good intentions and just like to walk, but I'm not a fan of any trespassers and I mentioned a few weeks ago pink survey ribbon was removed from a section of property which really pisses me off and that takes quite a bit to do.

571f2c89f7cecb5b5d7b55ce18ebcb6e.jpg

Cutting one of the property borders in. This was a stretch to the small private lake.

2d93fd648e777cde5af1bad1652982a0.jpg


Maybe time for a little duck hunting out here? ;)

ae28cf1374766488f6ce5100bea13aa7.jpg

My wife and lab after 60 minute chainsaw cut to this small lake.


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I like what you are doing. Random neighbors walking around all the time can ruin a lot of things for deer hunters. Keep up the good work.
 
Tree Purchase update 3/8 (Documenting here)

I've never been into purchasing or planting OAK trees because they grow like weeds in Wisconsin and I just prefer food plots/spruce/apple varieties, but I purchased a few of these Manna Oaks. I do plan to use a tree tube for each one or the deer will kill them for sure.

Variety: Zone 3-8

Oikos description

Quercus macrocarpa Ashworth x hybrid

Manna Oak is the first selection of oak that has no detectable trace of tannin or bitterness when eaten fresh off the tree even in the green stage. The green stage of acorn development is the highest point of tannin found in an acorn as it prevents predation. Even squirrels rarely eat green acorns. Manna has none and leaves no trace of astringency or dryness on your tongue. The acorns are not bitter and can be eaten without leaching.

This rare find was created by oak breeder Miguel Marquez as he provided us with acorns of crosses he did using the original "Ashworth" but oak. The tree did self pollinate and produced a viable acorn. That viable acorn we planted at our farm about 25 years ago where now it has been producing for the last decade.

Manna is a good producer of 1 inch sized acorns that cluster near the ends of the branches. . To find an acorn with no discernable bitterness is extemely rare. For this reason, it is worthwhile growing from seed this unique find to create similar seedlings as the parent trees surrounding Manna are also low tannin Ashworth seedlings. Scionwood will be available in the winter of 2022 as this unique find is very rare.
 
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Tree Purchase update 3/8 (Documenting here)

I've never been into purchasing or planting OAK trees because they grow like weeds in Wisconsin and I just prefer spruce, but I purchased a few of these Manna Oaks. I do plan to use a tree tube for each one or the deer will kill them for sure.

Variety: Zone 3-8

Oikos description

Manna Oak is the first selection of oak that has no detectable trace of tannin or bitterness when eaten fresh off the tree even in the green stage. The green stage of acorn development is the highest point of tannin found in an acorn as it prevents predation. Even squirrels rarely eat green acorns. Manna has none and leaves no trace of astringency or dryness on your tongue. The acorns are not bitter and can be eaten without leaching.

This rare find was created by oak breeder Miguel Marquez as he provided us with acorns of crosses he did using the original "Ashworth" but oak. The tree did self pollinate and produced a viable acorn. That viable acorn we planted at our farm about 25 years ago where now it has been producing for the last decade.

Manna is a good producer of 1 inch sized acorns that cluster near the ends of the branches. . To find an acorn with no discernable bitterness is extemely rare. For this reason, it is worthwhile growing from seed this unique find to create similar seedlings as the parent trees surrounding Manna are also low tannin Ashworth seedlings. Scionwood will be available in the winter of 2022 as this unique find is very rare.

I thought I had heard of about all oaks, but that is one that's new to me. I've also heard that many Chinkapin Oaks have acorns sweet enough for humans to eat, but I've never tried it. I have a lot of them that are producing acorns, so I might give it a try this year.
 
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