j-bird
Well-Known Member
So nothing to report in my northern card pulls today... I did however take a few pics...
This is my road screen...the red is a woven wire fence that I have vine honeysuckle growing on. To the left of the fence is the county road (and thus the desire for the screen). The green are transplanted red cedars. The yellow is some MG I grew from cuttings. These different "layers" if you will I leave room to mow as I don't want any bedding in this area. I like multiple layers because as one fills in others fades away the others help pick up the slack so to speak. The MG here is also where I pull my rhizomes from and distribute to other screening projects. The cedars I simply transplant from other places on the farm in the early spring and they do fairly well as long as they are roughly 3 feet or less when moved.
Some other things that I noticed was how you can learn and see a lot if you just look. I love a fresh snow fall for seeing deer tracks, but the melt can also tell you some things. Below a new and active deer trail was easily found, and on the right you can see where the sun hits the ground the best in this wooded area and as such this is where the deer will bed to soak up some of that sun shine. You can also see the drainage that is right there hat allows the deer to slip away if so desired as well. I have jumped deer out of this area in the past during the winter. But the snow here shows you EXACTLY where those places are and can help you narrow down areas if you so desire for future habitat projects if you wish. All that point needs is a few tree tops drug in there and the deer will be there time and time again. This is a "bad" location however for me as it is less than 50 yards from my access trail. As such I try to leave it fairly open to hopefully make the deer bed further away. This location is also a prime example of where buffers and edge feathering can help you. That spot...if you sit on the ground you can see thru the wood 75 yards or so and then see out into a wide open ag field so the deer would be able to see an approaching hunter from a long distance. And they used to do that. A weed/grass buffer of 3 or 4 feet cuts down that line of sight for the deer and keeps them from watching me from a distance....the less they know the better.
And lastly...the value of beech trees. Many people don't like them as they are shade tolerant and when mature have huge canopies. I like younger one for their mast and the fact that they hold their leaves well into the winter...as shown here. Those leaves can really help make a wood lot feel a whole lot bigger. I like a few bigger beech for tree stands (the leaves really help hide a hunter) and the mature trees tend to hollow out and create cavities for other wildlife as well. I don't want my woods covered in beech...but some, and keeping them managed can be an asset.
This is my road screen...the red is a woven wire fence that I have vine honeysuckle growing on. To the left of the fence is the county road (and thus the desire for the screen). The green are transplanted red cedars. The yellow is some MG I grew from cuttings. These different "layers" if you will I leave room to mow as I don't want any bedding in this area. I like multiple layers because as one fills in others fades away the others help pick up the slack so to speak. The MG here is also where I pull my rhizomes from and distribute to other screening projects. The cedars I simply transplant from other places on the farm in the early spring and they do fairly well as long as they are roughly 3 feet or less when moved.
Some other things that I noticed was how you can learn and see a lot if you just look. I love a fresh snow fall for seeing deer tracks, but the melt can also tell you some things. Below a new and active deer trail was easily found, and on the right you can see where the sun hits the ground the best in this wooded area and as such this is where the deer will bed to soak up some of that sun shine. You can also see the drainage that is right there hat allows the deer to slip away if so desired as well. I have jumped deer out of this area in the past during the winter. But the snow here shows you EXACTLY where those places are and can help you narrow down areas if you so desire for future habitat projects if you wish. All that point needs is a few tree tops drug in there and the deer will be there time and time again. This is a "bad" location however for me as it is less than 50 yards from my access trail. As such I try to leave it fairly open to hopefully make the deer bed further away. This location is also a prime example of where buffers and edge feathering can help you. That spot...if you sit on the ground you can see thru the wood 75 yards or so and then see out into a wide open ag field so the deer would be able to see an approaching hunter from a long distance. And they used to do that. A weed/grass buffer of 3 or 4 feet cuts down that line of sight for the deer and keeps them from watching me from a distance....the less they know the better.
And lastly...the value of beech trees. Many people don't like them as they are shade tolerant and when mature have huge canopies. I like younger one for their mast and the fact that they hold their leaves well into the winter...as shown here. Those leaves can really help make a wood lot feel a whole lot bigger. I like a few bigger beech for tree stands (the leaves really help hide a hunter) and the mature trees tend to hollow out and create cavities for other wildlife as well. I don't want my woods covered in beech...but some, and keeping them managed can be an asset.
