Mock power line

[pinetag]

I know power lines can be good places to hunt and plant food plots as they are typically wide enough to get good sunlight to the ground, but has anyone ever cut out a small mock powerline (a glorified shooting lane)? I was thinking of putting in an additional micro plot on my place and connecting it to some mock powerlines to create a wagon wheel effect. The hope is that it will guide deer to and around the hub for shooting opportunities at multiple stands, as well as promote native regen for even more food and cover. Anyone ever done this? Thoughts as to how successful this might be?

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[Jack Terpack]

That is a very familiar tactic in this part of SC. They show up real well on Google Earth. People will create a wagon wheel with multiple spokes and put a shooting house at the hub. Most of the spokes are normally about 150 yards long and about 30 feet wide. See the a lot in pine plantations.

 

[BoneCrusher20]

my own experience with wide shooting lanes is old bucks love to travel just on the far edge of the shooting lane so next year i cut it 50 yards longer and they are again on edge of shooting lane, rinse and repeat until i'm out of range or land ha. now i have resorted to much smaller lanes that are skinnier and less noticeable by a passing buck.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I like the idea of creating powerline type of habitat areas. They provide a lot of browse and edge, which is why deer are always found close to them.
I do prefer an H shape over a wagon wheel shape. Farming/ mowing plots works best with rectangular shaped plots vs pie shaped plots, and if the spokes of a wagon wheel plot are rectangular in shape the amount of trees and shrubs at the center points tends to get too slim for cover and access. For this reason I like an H shaped plot layout, or a variable thereof, to allow for easy mowing shapes and more cover options for hunting and access. I have an H shaped plot and can see all corners from a hunting blind located just off the middle of the H.

 

[BenAllgood]

Really popular in Louisiana too. You don't even have to plant them.

 

[pinetag]

Thanks for the input guys.

What do y'all think about this proposed setup (green wagon wheel)? As some of you mentioned, older bucks sometimes like to walk on the far edges which is where my stands are, situated just on the downwind side about 30-40 yards from the ends of the NE and SW lanes in this pic. The orange lines to the SE that filter up in front of the stand/blind are existing deer trails that come from the blue hinge cuts and the green clearing i made with some 3 year old planted chestnuts. The orange line to the W of the proposed hub will be an extension trail I cut that meanders up from the creek bottom. The far northern stand is already a natural travel corridor so I'm not worried about the stand being close to the lane there, it's mostly to increase the food volume. The main reason for the wider lane coming from the chestnut clearing in the SE is to let more sunlight into the hub area. The whole wagon wheel will be seeded with some sort of clover, rye, brassica type blend. Hopefully my layout explanation makes sense.

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[Mennoniteman]

I think that it looks like a great plan. When you said wagon wheel I was envisioning more spokes, I would call this more of a crossing style, which I like. In fact, I can't think of any way to improve on it. Maybe connect the ends of the spokes with deer trails where you want them to travel...

 

[pinetag]

I think that it looks like a great plan. When you said wagon wheel I was envisioning more spokes, I would call this more of a crossing style, which I like. In fact, I can't think of any way to improve on it. Maybe connect the ends of the spokes with deer trails where you want them to travel...

Yea, it's not as many spokes but I wasn't sure how else to describe it with the hub in the middle. I guess it's really more of a cross with a "fat" center. LOL. Thanks for the feedback.

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[Jack Terpack]

I think that it looks like a great plan. When you said wagon wheel I was envisioning more spokes, I would call this more of a crossing style, which I like. In fact, I can't think of any way to improve on it. Maybe connect the ends of the spokes with deer trails where you want them to travel...

Most of the "wagonwheel" plots have 3 or four spokes.