7th Heaven

[Chainsaw]

First congratulations on working a seven acre piece. It does have great looking cover though so you may do pretty well. I think the challenge is not alerting every deer each time you hunt.
A lot of ground is being disturbed to get to that stand and while on stand your scent is scaring off a good portion of the property. I'd consider not hunting the current plot but keeping it planted. Not knowing what is to the north of the property line on the east side I'd consider a stand 30 yards into the woods or right about where the M is on "Improved trail" hunting on a south and southwest wind.
A couple of plots on the west side with a bedding area or two in between connecting up the new north plot to bedding on the way to the new south plot with a stand twenty yards in from the open field to the west with the stand watching the new deer trail you put in. That would be an east only hunt. Each plot and bedding area would only a 1/4 acre or so.

The new deer trail could then go east fairly close but not too close to the south property line with bedding here and there and then turn up and head north to the north line running along the east side. Additional stands in the southwest , south east and north east corners each within sight of their perspective new deer trails would allow you to hunt the property with minimal pressure in different winds. And that would take a lot of screening cover along all of the open fields as that would be how I would travel. All of this depends on the terrain of the property but that would be one of the options I would explore. And there could be a thousand reasons why it won't work but I'd check it out. Making as much as possible of the property sanctuary that is not entered late summer until after hunting season will be a key here. Good luck and enjoy the process.

 

[Brent]

First congratulations on working a seven acre piece. It does have great looking cover though so you may do pretty well. I think the challenge is not alerting every deer each time you hunt.
A lot of ground is being disturbed to get to that stand and while on stand your scent is scaring off a good portion of the property. I'd consider not hunting the current plot but keeping it planted. Not knowing what is to the north of the property line on the east side I'd consider a stand 30 yards into the woods or right about where the M is on "Improved trail" hunting on a south and southwest wind.
A couple of plots on the west side with a bedding area or two in between connecting up the new north plot to bedding on the way to the new south plot with a stand twenty yards in from the open field to the west with the stand watching the new deer trail you put in. That would be an east only hunt. Each plot and bedding area would only a 1/4 acre or so.

The new deer trail could then go east fairly close but not too close to the south property line with bedding here and there and then turn up and head north to the north line running along the east side. Additional stands in the southwest , south east and north east corners each within sight of their perspective new deer trails would allow you to hunt the property with minimal pressure in different winds. And that would take a lot of screening cover along all of the open fields as that would be how I would travel. All of this depends on the terrain of the property but that would be one of the options I would explore. And there could be a thousand reasons why it won't work but I'd check it out. Making as much as possible of the property sanctuary that is not entered late summer until after hunting season will be a key here. Good luck and enjoy the process.

Thanks for the input Chainsaw. I think I'm understanding what you're saying. A couple of new plots inside the NW and SW edge with a trail connecting them would be easy access and would prevent my scent from drifting all over the property if hunted with an east wind. A trail along the east side of the property with stands along the river could be hunted with a west wind. Interspersing bedding areas throughout the middle of the plot would create a great sanctuary area. I've thought of similar layouts before, and I would definitely like to incorporate some of that design in the property. Good long term goals to strive for.

 

[dogghr]

Really like this piece of property. Idon't think you hunt this so much as an island, but more as a funnel deer probably use accessing these crop fields. I def would go no where near that swamp. What a great ready made bedding areas. As has been said, access from deep south or NE edge depending on wind. Controlling you scent access will mean everything. Probably wouldn't pressure your food plot and hunt them 50-100 yd off on down wind side to catch a scent checking buck. Hunting with prime weather fronts would help success. I think if not over hunted, and carful with wind, this tract could really produce in that type of country. And as said, just not fair on the soils you have!! Good luck.

 

[Brent]

Really like this piece of property. Idon't think you hunt this so much as an island, but more as a funnel deer probably use accessing these crop fields. I def would go no where near that swamp. What a great ready made bedding areas. As has been said, access from deep south or NE edge depending on wind. Controlling you scent access will mean everything. Probably wouldn't pressure your food plot and hunt them 50-100 yd off on down wind side to catch a scent checking buck. Hunting with prime weather fronts would help success. I think if not over hunted, and carful with wind, this tract could really produce in that type of country. And as said, just not fair on the soils you have!! Good luck.

Thanks Dogghr! The swamp really does create an excellent bedding area. If I remember correctly, I believe I counted approximately 6-8 individual beds when I was there last. Now to plan around them!

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[Brent]

Made it out to the farm today with my brother and hunting buddy to check on the plot and ground truth a new layout that I've come up with.

Current Layout:

Future layout:

The new layout will allow me to hunt the edges of the property and prevent my scent from drifting into any bedding areas or travel corridors. I'll have great minimal impact stand access and the potential to hunt almost every wind. I will no longer use the current stand or exit trail and instead use the established Durana/rye plot as an unpressured destination food source. The only time I plan on entering this plot or the interior of the property is for winter habitat work, spring turkey hunting and once or twice during the spring/summer to mow down the rye/clover and apply herbicide as needed.

After walking the property it appears that the lay of the land should allow for everything I have planned. We found two spots almost exactly within the stars on the map to establish a couple of small kill plots on the NW and SW corners of the property. Fortunately, there are good stand trees near each new plot location that should allow me to hunt both the plot and the field edge. The travel corridors I have mapped should work out nicely as they skirt the edges of the nearly impenetrable swamp in the interior of the property. I've found that the swamp actually extends farther south than I currently have mapped out, so I'll adjust my map to reflect that. The potential stand location that I'm most excited about isn't even over a food source. We found that the SE corner of the property already hosts a good travel corridor for deer as they pass through parallel to the river. With the right wind it should be an awesome location during the rut as bucks cruise through looking for does. I can't wait to get back out there and do some trimming to improve this area.

After about an hour of scouting we took down my stand, hung a camera and overseeded the established plot with some Durana to fill in the thin spots.

We spent the last bit of our time clearing out trees to make room for the new NW food plot. The chainsaw is down for the time being, so everything was done with handsaws and a little grit. After an hour or so of cutting we had created a good opening in the canopy that should allow for sunlight to reach the forest floor.

The edge of the plot is about 15-20 yards from the field edge and is much thinner than I'd like for it to be. Next time I'm out I plan on doing a little hinge cutting and edge feathering to thicken this area up a bit. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe the invasive Japanese hops will fill in some of the thin spots after I let a little more sunlight in.

A big thank you to Chainsaw and Dogghr for the advice and helping me to step back and reassess my property design. I'm really excited to put in the work and make this property into a great hunting location. Something about doing everything by hand without the use of heavy equipment makes everything even more satisfying.

 

[Brent]

A couple of weeks ago I spent about half a day out at the farm building/improving a travel corridor just inside the front edge of the timber. The goal is to create a corridor connecting two new food plots that will be placed just inside the timber on the 'top' and 'bottom' corners of the property. My hope is that the deer will utilize these small plots as staging areas before entering the crop fields in the evening. In the future, this should allow me to set stands that have shot opportunities within the plot or travel corridor as well as the field edge. Most importantly, this will allow me to hunt the edges of the timber with minimal disturbance while entering/exiting the stand.


There was already a faint trail with some fresh sign as well as several old rubs.

I'm trying to create a trail that is just barely wide enough to run an ATV through without creating impenetrable walls of vegetation. Hinging most trees perpendicular instead of parallel to the trail should providing them with plenty of escape routes and enough brushy cover to help them feel safe.

As you can tell from the pictures, vegetation is a little thin in some of the areas along the field edge. My goal is to eventually do a little bit of edge feathering to bring back early successional growth. That's on my list for next winter, but for now I dropped additional trees further off the trail to open up the canopy a bit more. Hopefully the combination of hinge cuts and a more open canopy will thicken things up a bit this spring/summer.

The finished trail is approximately 1/10th of a mile and a minimum of 10-15 yards inside the treeline.

Finally, here is a plot update from my first ever food plot.

The rye looks great and the Durana is starting to fill in. I may mow it down down a bit this weekend to prep for turkey season if I have a chance to get out. Unfortunately, my utilization cage is showing very little browse and my trail camera only got photos of one doe nosing the camera over the past two weeks. This is my first time leaving the cameras out over winter and I've been somewhat surprised by the lack of deer movement that has been recorded since last fall. That's okay with me I guess, as long as they're around during archery season.

 

[Jeff H]

Looking good Brent. Your Clover should be in really good shape by fall.

 

[Weasel]

Thanks for sharing your tour, neat piece of property you have. Is the S, SE wind the prevailing wind? With its shape and 360 access, I feel like you could do some great things with this piece.

 

[Brent]

Thanks Weasel! I've enjoyed reading your threads on both the old and new site. I would love to someday own 40 acres and a small cabin like yours.

According to WindHistory.com it appears that S, SSE seems to be our prevailing wind throughout the year. This website takes data from our nearest airport, which is still a ways away, so it could vary slightly. From my observations over the past year I would generally agree with it though. The prevailing winds and living 3 hours away makes early-mid season difficult to hunt unless I happen to get lucky. However, these winds should workout great for the spot I'm planning on hunting during the rut. We'll see!

It's pretty hard to access the property from the river side, but doable. The cut bank is the perfect visual screen for traveling to and from the stands on the east side of the property adjacent to the river.


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[Brent]

I was in town this past weekend and made a quick trip to the farm to mow down the plot. The rye has nearly doubled in height the past two weeks and was beginning to get a bit stemmy. Mowed it down to 6-10" with the weed eater and repositioned the utilization cage. It was nice to see the clover filling in. Hopefully knocking down the rye will help the clover along and provide good new growth for deer and a good place for turkeys to strut.

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[Triple C]

Good stuff Brent! Those pics from your swamp look like they came off of my place. Always cool to get in before full green up and check out swamp habitat.

 

[Weasel]

Thanks Weasel! I've enjoyed reading your threads on both the old and new site. I would love to someday own 40 acres and a small cabin like yours.

Thanks Brent, I appreciate that.

Plot is looking great. I'd accessorize that plot with a couple soft mast trees, disease resistant apples and pears. One of my biggest mistakes was not planting fruit trees my first year. Put a few more in any sunny openings you have or clear a few soft mast cuts. Sunny field edges are great places for them too. A few chestnuts wouldn't hurt either. Just make sure to screen the trunks and cage them.

 

[Brent]

Thanks Brent, I appreciate that.

Plot is looking great. I'd accessorize that plot with a couple soft mast trees, disease resistant apples and pears. One of my biggest mistakes was not planting fruit trees my first year. Put a few more in any sunny openings you have or clear a few soft mast cuts. Sunny field edges are great places for them too. A few chestnuts wouldn't hurt either. Just make sure to screen the trunks and cage them.

I have thought about adding soft mast trees, but it's something I'm not very familiar with yet. So far, I have been hesitant because:

1) This is bottomland timber adjacent to a river that tops its banks every 1-2 years. I'm afraid flood damage would limit my options tremendously.

2) The adjacent fields are managed with herbicides for production. I'm afraid that fruit trees on the field edge would be susceptible to herbicide drift.

Any suggestions that might be able to withstand these conditions? I've considered pawpaws and persimmons. Both and native and sound like they can withstand wet feet for a small amount of time. I've heard pawpaws can do well in fairly shady areas as well. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[lakngolf]

Healthy looking plot Brent. Good job. Hope the new plan gives the deer some good cover, and you some good hunts from the edges.

 

[Brent]

Thanks Lak! I've always enjoyed catching up on your thread. Really enjoyed watching your land transform. Good luck with that garden this year!


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[Brent]

Been a bit busy the past few weeks, so I'm little late posting these updates. A couple of weeks ago I made it up to the farm to check on the plot and see if the deer have taken to the new trail I opened up just inside the treeline. I had expected the plot to have grown a bit since I mowed it down the previous trip, but I was blown away by the amount of growth the rye and clover had put on. The rye had probably close to tripled in size in just a couple of weeks and the clover was beginning to fill in nicely.

The rye was headed out and the crimson clover I seeded last fall was blooming. I was able to count all three types of clover we seeded including crimson, red and Durana. We also found three beds within the plot. Glad to know the deer are enjoying our efforts.

The rye and clover were doing a pretty good job at shading out weeds, but I did see some Japanese hops beginning to poke through. If I don't take care of them they'll overwhelm the entire plot by the end of summer. Hopefully next weekends mowing will set it back enough, but if not I'll need to hit it with herbicide sometime in the coming weeks. What are everyone's recommended herbicides for use with clover?

We walked the new travel corridor along the inside of the western treeline that borders the field. We saw tracks and scat along the trail and we were happy to see the hinge cuts taking off. Should help to thicken up the edge a bit and provide additional browse along the travel corridor. This winter I'm hoping to do some selective cutting and edge feathering to help thicken things up along the field edge.

I just realized that I haven't posted any deer pictures to this thread yet. We pulled the card from the trailcam overlooking the plot and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of deer taking advantage of the new food source. Here's my favorite photo from the group.

This is a bachelor group that frequented the mineral site and plot last summer, even though it was nothing more than early successional growth caused by opening up the canopy. Since the plot wasn't much of anything last fall, I didn't record a single photo of a buck entering it during the season. Since I only have one camera on the property and I never hunted it last fall I'm not sure how much activity our little piece of property received, but I am worried that the deer are utilizing it as part of their summer range and passing through less frequently in the fall and winter. However, the number of rubs that we've found throughout the property would suggest otherwise. Hopefully these guys decide to stick around into the season this year. I've got my eyes set on a big 10 that ran with this group last year. Hopefully he's still around this fall.

 

[David]

Looking good! Keep that plot going this summer! With a tract your size it could be your best friend.

I recently used clethodium with good success to kill of the grasses in my clover plot. However I would follow others advice over mine as this is also my first year plotting.

There is a picture of the clethodium spray in my property tour.

Did the turkeys use the plot?

 

[CTM1]

"Hopefully he's still around this fall."

Hopefully the trail cams will reveal him over the summer.

 

[MarkDarvin]

My two best pieces of advice would be this:

1. Be very mindful of how you get in there based on the wind.
2. Any improvements to the quality of cover could make that a destination place to bed down in the area. Getting in without spooking will still be a challenge.

 

[Brushpile]

I live in SW Missouri, what town is nearby?