111 acres in South Central KY "The Ridge"

[skindog1]

I purchased this place last oct with big plans. It was grown up, neglected, ugly and just kinda forgotten about. Google earth showed that back in the 90's there was actually about 25 acres cleared. When I got it there was roughly 1 acre total open ground in 3 small clearings. All the rest of the pastures were over run in ash, cedar, maple, etc. The property is mainly a long ridge that runs E-W on the north side and the head of a long holler on the south side. The overall goal with the property is to enhance the already natural deer movement along the ridge, add access roads for deer retrieval from the holler, and add 4 food plots ranging from a micro plot inside a bedding area up to a 4 acre bean plot centrally located on the ridge. Here are aerials of what I started with as well as a historical one that shows how it changed over the last 20 years.

 

[weekender21]

Clean slate!

 

[skindog1]

First things first, on closing day I hung a couple cameras on mock scrapes and got busy posting the property. Here's a few of the surprises over the following weeks.

 

[skindog1]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1219937451400378

The link is to a video that I took my first day as a landowner. Trying to figure out how to embed facebook videos. Not sure thats possible.

 

[skindog1]

This video was taken during the early planning/strategizing phase. I love spots like this that allow you to beat a deers nose without worrying about the possibility of deer being downwind. I'll only hunt this big destination plot once the rut hits and the chances of success are high. The rest of the season I'll be hunting entry and exit points or one of the other small staging type plots.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1219962124731244

 

[Mennoniteman]

This video was taken during the early planning/strategizing phase. I love spots like this that allow you to beat a deers nose without worrying about the possibility of deer being downwind. I'll only hunt this big destination plot once the rut hits and the chances of success are high. The rest of the season I'll be hunting entry and exit points or one of the other small staging type plots.
https://www.facebook.com/kywhitetail/videos/vl.752436458266739/1219962124731244/?type=1

Getting in to a stand to hunt without being busted is critical. And like you said, having stand sites where you can beat a deer's nose with the prevailing wind direction is unbeatable. You have a very nice looking property there! Watched part of the video, keep us updated with more pics.

 

[Seabee]

Nice farm! You're starting off with deer that some people have spent years trying to grow. Location, location, location. I see great things to come with this piece off dirt. Well done.

 

[Jeff H]

Awesome set up skindog. That's one big ridge your place sets on and it looks to be oriented to favor a SW and NW wind. Also love the plan to utilize your deep ravine as natural funnel. No doubt you're starting to figure things out. I don't want to be critical of your plan but I'd be careful about bringing in a dozer just yet. My advice would be to study this property and it's deer movement for a year before making any changes. Your trail cam pics suggest you already have some very nice bucks using the property. I'm not sure I'd want to clear off an area that is already being utilized.
One thing I learned the hard way is that deer absolutely love old overgrown fields. I cleared my old field and almost immediately regretted it. Once you clear it off you can't go back and then you've got to figure out how the deer have changed their pattern.
best of luck to you. I look forward to following your progress.
Jeff

 

[gut_pile]

Looking forward to following along skindog. From the bucks you're getting on trail cam, not sure you need to change too much. Those are some nice ones!

 

[skindog1]

You guys are right. I could've hunted it and probably killed big deer without doing anything, but I enjoy manipulating them as much if not more than killing them. Hunting it as is woulda taken all the fun out. I feel strongly I can make it much more attractive to deer. Very few deer were using the property outside of the rut last year. Hoping that changes!

 

[gut_pile]

Skindog...did you use to hunt Kalen Watkin's place in Butler county back in the early 2000's?

 

[Native Hunter]

Super looking place - with the most important factor for big deer - lots of cover!

 

[buckdeer1]

Very nice,looking forward to what you do

 

[skindog1]

Skindog...did you use to hunt Kalen Watkin's place in Butler county back in the early 2000's?

I was friends with Kalen. Not sure I ever actually hunted his property but was on it a lot back then. Who are you?

 

[gut_pile]

I was friends with Kalen. Not sure I ever actually hunted his property but was on it a lot back then. Who are you?

My dad (Bubba) and his good buddy Mike camped at Kalen's place for a couple of years. Mike bought 300 acres from Kalen probably in 03 or 04.

 

[skindog1]

I remember Mike and Bubba. Did they sell that and buy over in metcalf or somewhere like that? Seems like BUBBA called me a few years ago about Banks Blinds or something.

 

[gut_pile]

Yep. Mike has 300 acres right on the little barren river in Metcalfe county.

 

[skindog1]

Food plot #1 at "The Ridge". This is the shooting alley, 175 yards long, about 25 yards wide. Right through the middle of a doe bedding area.

That strip through the cedars left of the pond would eventually be tripled in width and planted to clover with a banks blind on the north end (bottom left)
Before:


After. This shot is taken from the opposite end of the plot after the plot was widened. More on how and why this plot is here later. It's 3/4 acre in size and has deer in it every morning/evening and turkey use it regularly.


Doe from this morning. It rained most of the day and deer were in and out of the plot all day. The clover was frost seeded after clearing the trees with no soil prep other than lime and fertilizer. I'm battling grass and broadleaf weeds but I think it's gonna turn out good. Gonna mow for the first time next week after spraying with cleth and butyrac 2 weeks ago. You can see the top of the Banks on the far end. It will eventually be set 8' high behind the cedars at the end. With any south wind I can walk from my parking spot, down the black top then up the trail 75 yards to the blind. Easy in, easy out, morning or evening, no busting deer.

 

[skindog1]

Video of the clearing process:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1344464658947656

There was already a little bit of a clearing here, but I chose this spot because of the orientation for wind direction, the fact that deer across the dirt road on the neighbors routinely cross over to drink at my pond and cross through the clearing, and the main ridge kinda gathers at the far end of this plot with the head of the main holler creating a bit of a natural intersection. I'll mostly rifle hunt this spot but have some ideas for bow stands that I'll finalize by late summer. I'll need to pinch them down some with some creative hinge cuts but I think I can direct their traffic by one of a couple different trees and still be able to hunt an evening sit and get out again without getting busted.

 

[skindog1]

Another video dealing with this plot discussing how it was planted and the early results.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1410632078997580