What's your biggest mistake/regret with land management?

Not networking with other forum members sooner. Just when I thought I had it all figured out with wind, access, plots etc, I realized I had not yet pulled it all together. Also dolgo crab seedlings. Wish I would have found them 5 years ago and planted 50 of them around the place.
 
My biggest regret is planting trees and not letting native trees colonize and take over. I planted pines on 22 acres as a screen from the highway and for bedding cover. That was in 2011 - 90% died during the drought that summer. Did it again in 2012 - drought killed them again. Did it again in 2013. Flood of record in spring/summer of 2015 killed every last one. Planted 15 acres blackland soil prairie/fescue with pines, white oak, shumard, and sawtooth - five years ago. One sawtooth alive today. I have probably $15,000 in tree planting and one little stunted sawtooth to show for it. I should have just selectively let native species come in.
 
SwampCat said:
My biggest regret is planting trees and not letting native trees colonize and take over. I planted pines on 22 acres as a screen from the highway and for bedding cover. That was in 2011 - 90% died during the drought that summer. Did it again in 2012 - drought killed them again. Did it again in 2013. Flood of record in spring/summer of 2015 killed every last one. Planted 15 acres blackland soil prairie/fescue with pines, white oak, shumard, and sawtooth - five years ago. One sawtooth alive today. I have probably $15,000 in tree planting and one little stunted sawtooth to show for it. I should have just selectively let native species come in.
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I agree with this^^^ There a reason stuff that doesn't grow here... doesn't grow here. With that said I'm still going to plant all sorts of trees that aren't native (like fruit trees) but I think focusing on native plants are best served for the long term. When I say native plants I don't mean just trees, I'm including native forbs, grasses, and shrubs.
 
Not starting sooner. I was 35 when I started trying to plant trees and really get into food plotting. If I had done this when I was 25 I’d be reaping the benefits right about now.


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SwampCat said:
My biggest regret is planting trees and not letting native trees colonize and take over. I planted pines on 22 acres as a screen from the highway and for bedding cover. That was in 2011 - 90% died during the drought that summer. Did it again in 2012 - drought killed them again. Did it again in 2013. Flood of record in spring/summer of 2015 killed every last one. Planted 15 acres blackland soil prairie/fescue with pines, white oak, shumard, and sawtooth - five years ago. One sawtooth alive today. I have probably $15,000 in tree planting and one little stunted sawtooth to show for it. I should have just selectively let native species come in.
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I’m going to have a side by side comparison of the two approaches in a few years-my niece is buying 10 acres from my sister to build a house on, and will let the acreage outside of the house lot go natural, without much intervention. Now her wonderful uncle might help steer a few things and remove some invasive, but I’m sure this will make awesome cover in a few years. Currently it’s a weed patch, with tons of foxtail and ragweed.



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I love this thread. Keep them coming. My biggest regret so far is having a farm I drive through to get into my in contract only to have an easement issue arise that put the purchase on hold. In the meantime the owner fixed the easement problem, bought 28 more acres and doubled the price on me pushing me well beyond my means to purchase. Dang. He's still got it. Still asking too much and I'm saving hoping to add 89 acres to my 50. Someday! Until then I'm stuck thinking about all the improvements and plantings I'd be doing on someone else's land. Ha.
 
I'm still too much of a newbie with only three years under my belt to have much in the way of regrets. But I'm learning from this thread and maybe will avoid some of the more common ones. Right now we're protected from development on three sides. I have a standing offer in on the fourth side if the guy ever decides to sell. So, hopefully that's not a regret in the making. And the ash borer has hit us hard, but that's just a problem to work through, not a regret. You could even say it's an opportunity with increased light reaching the ground.
 
The Bruce said:
I love this thread. Keep them coming. My biggest regret so far is having a farm I drive through to get into my in contract only to have an easement issue arise that put the purchase on hold. In the meantime the owner fixed the easement problem, bought 28 more acres and doubled the price on me pushing me well beyond my means to purchase. Dang. He's still got it. Still asking too much and I'm saving hoping to add 89 acres to my 50. Someday! Until then I'm stuck thinking about all the improvements and plantings I'd be doing on someone else's land. Ha.
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I had a little of the same experience. I started looking for a piece of land but wasnt keen on financing. Found my current place but couldnt pay outright for it. Started saving money and bought the same place for twice as much money - ten years later. Should have financed and bought cheaper and used the land for ten more years.
 
Starting on this whole habitat improvement madness - sometimes I think I enjoy it more than actually hunting now :)

As with most of us, not starting sooner - had property for a couple years and had pretty good success so thought I was golden, couple bad winters changed that real fast.

Planting standard apple trees and $1 plug cedar trees into sod and you're looking at probably 10 years before you start reaping any benefits - I'm only 4 years in. Apple trees are 6', but probably a few years from any apples and tallest cedar is maybe waist high, but hoping they take off in the next few years. Sticking some new plugs in each year so I can't baby them - just hoping the shotgun method works and some can make it - sure they would be twice as tall if I babied them, but just don't have the time with the 1 hour travel to get there and 3 kids.

Even the plum and other shrubs I've planted seem to be so sloooooooooooow to take off - guess we only have a 100 day growing season up north :)

Sometimes I think I should have done less trees and taken better care of them, but still optimistic for the future.
 
One of my biggest regrets is getting too attached to my 2.5 year old bucks. I give them names and think about how big they’ll be at 5.5-6.5. 99.9% of them get shot every year and it’s devastating for me. It feels like I’ve lost my favorite pet even though they’re wild animals. When the next year comes around I do it all over again. This has been going on since 2003. Trying to let bucks reach maturity feels like a battle I’m never gonna win. I’ve tried making a cooperative and I feel like it’s help some, but I’m starting to think that some people are incapable of letting a buck walk. Everyone dreams of killing a big buck, but very few are willing to do the things that are necessary to make their dream a reality. People spend a fortune on land, food plots, feeders, supplements, etc.. when the most valuable management tool is free. Letting them reach maturity cost absolutely nothing, but it’s the hardest thing for most people to do.


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chadmyers said:
One of my biggest regrets is getting too attached to my 2.5 year old bucks. I give them names and think about how big they’ll be at 5.5-6.5. 99.9% of them get shot every year and it’s devastating for me. It feels like I’ve lost my favorite pet even though they’re wild animals.
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I do the same exact thing. You get to know a buck very well, you see his patterns, his personality or even certain bucks that he likes to hang out with.
I watched the 9 point in the background for 3 years, and his buddy 8 point for a second year. They stayed together all Winter and Summer, but then they both got shot by the neighbors on our rifle opener in 2015. What made the 9 point special was his 21 1/2 inch spread... Oh well
IMG_4799.JPG


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Love the picture. Looks like some great habitat in the background. What county in Northern Michigan?
 
I don't have too many regrets. Not planting more trees ten to fifteen years ago is my biggest. The few apple trees I planted then are loaded with apples and deer magnets. Red Osier Dogwood thicket I planted is another deer favorite. Have lots of new tree and shrub ideas but it is sometimes discouraging thinking about how long it will be before I see results. I am not getting any younger.
 
KJS - ND said:
Starting on this whole habitat improvement madness - sometimes I think I enjoy it more than actually hunting now :)

As with most of us, not starting sooner - had property for a couple years and had pretty good success so thought I was golden, couple bad winters changed that real fast.

Planting standard apple trees and $1 plug cedar trees into sod and you're looking at probably 10 years before you start reaping any benefits - I'm only 4 years in. Apple trees are 6', but probably a few years from any apples and tallest cedar is maybe waist high, but hoping they take off in the next few years. Sticking some new plugs in each year so I can't baby them - just hoping the shotgun method works and some can make it - sure they would be twice as tall if I babied them, but just don't have the time with the 1 hour travel to get there and 3 kids.

Even the plum and other shrubs I've planted seem to be so sloooooooooooow to take off - guess we only have a 100 day growing season up north :)

Sometimes I think I should have done less trees and taken better care of them, but still optimistic for the future.
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Do you not get cedar apple rust up there? One of the reasons we have a hard time with apples and crabapples is because the cedars and apples complete the triangle for cedar apple rust. (eastern red cedar)
This is probably off topic for this thread. I was just thinking off the top of my head which can be dangerous.
 
My regrets are from long before I even had my property. Wasted my college years and about the next 15 years afterwards with too much partying and bad financial choices. That was before I was bitten by the hunting and habitat bugs. Took some serious work just to get credit scores good enough to buy a house with 5 Acres. Hoping to add a few more acres before too long.

My only habitat regret is not learning more about trees before jumping in. My first two tries at bare-root fruit trees were completely unsuccessful and totally my fault. The first try planting in Fall I didn't water them thinking they're dormant they don't need it. None of them grew even a leaf in the spring. And for my second try I planted them too deep thinking I didn't want the roots right at ground level. Finally got it all figured out now though.
 
Where to start ? I've committed several sins with my places, maybe even recently, but I guess the biggest was not planning better locations for my food plots on my 217 acres. I should have put them where they needed to be instead of where I wanted them. I'm about 75% satisfied with them, but with a little forethought before I climbed on my dozer, I'd be 100% satisfied !
 
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