My property tour

[jlane35]

I also found what I believe to be a white pine growing. I threw some brush off to the side of a field and it acted as a cage and kept the deer from nipping it.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I also found what I believe to be a white pine growing. I threw some brush off to the side of a field and it acted as a cage and kept the deer from nipping it. View attachment 18677View attachment 18678

You may have given the white pine a death sentence by exposing it. Deer seem to thrive on them. As I believe I said earlier, brushpiles are what you need if you like rabbits. Large brushpiles, and lots of field edges.

 

[jlane35]

You may have given the white pine a death sentence by exposing it. Deer seem to thrive on them. As I believe I said earlier, brushpiles are what you need if you like rabbits. Large brushpiles, and lots of field edges.

I didn’t expose the pine anymore then it already was. The pile you can see around it was from a shooting lane cut 3 or 4 years ago. So it was already breaking down. Maybe if I get to our place sooner then later I could build the brush pile back up and give the tree more protection for a few more years.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The only white pines that seem to be able to survive deer is when they are sprouting by the thousands in one location. White pine are nice to look at but not really a desirable wildlife tree anyway so it's not worth much effort to save it. As soon as they get a little height they open up and loose all their branches at the bottom.

 

[badgerfowl]

That'll be a great stand tree in 40 years. Love white pine for stand trees.

 

[jlane35]

I put a lot of thought into tree placement and I still couldn’t decide if I was making the right decision or not. We don’t want to lose tillable acreage and we don’t want to put trees in spots that are unhuntable. So I decided to cut the majority of a hedgerow down that is on the west side of a 1 acre field. My uncle does the majority of his archery hunting between these fields. I think this will work for two things. It will be new nut that we don’t have on the property and thicken up the hedge row making the deer feel more comfortable. On the down side, I cut down a few large oak trees that produce every year. But on a normal year our entire property produces so many acorns it’s like walking on marbles.

I have enough space on that edge to plant one more tree next year.

On the other side of the hedgerow are a bunch of blue spruce that I planted a few years ago.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I put a lot of thought into tree placement and I still couldn’t decide if I was making the right decision or not. We don’t want to lose tillable acreage and we don’t want to put trees in spots that are unhuntable. So I decided to cut the majority of a hedgerow down that is on the west side of a 1 acre field. My uncle does the majority of his archery hunting between these fields. I think this will work for two things. It will be new nut that we don’t have on the property and thicken up the hedge row making the deer feel more comfortable. On the down side, I cut down a few large oak trees that produce every year. But on a normal year our entire property produces so many acorns it’s like walking on marbles.

I have enough space on that edge to plant one more tree next year.

On the other side of the hedgerow are a bunch of blue spruce that I planted a few years ago.

View attachment 18690 View attachment 18691

That's a real tractor. What number?

 

[jlane35]

That's a real tractor. What number?

5045E

Its a nice machine but for some of our smaller plots or road work it’s a touch to big, that’s why we bought the Kubota last year.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The red dot is roughly where the enclosed blind is and the green dot is the destination plot.




The stand he shot out of and the field in the rear right is the corn field

I purchased one of the first hunting blinds that 360 made. You must have been one of the early buyers as well, that looks like about their second model?

 

[jlane35]

We bought two at the Early Bird Sportsman Show in Bloomsburg his first year in business. I don’t remember the exact number of our blinds but he said he hadn’t sold many at all at the time.


He had a few different window options at the time but now they have a lot of options, windows and blind style.

We did buy a third a year or two later but stuck with the same blind style. However we did build our own steps to get into the blind. I didn’t have an issue climbing the ladder but my wife and any kids hunting our place weren’t very comfortable with it. Now he has a metal frame for the blind to sit on I believe.

When we picked ours up he didn’t even have any instructions available to put everything together. I called him from the field to ask a question or two. I’m sure you can’t get in touch him now with all the salesman or distributors he has.

 

[Chainsaw]

The only white pines that seem to be able to survive deer is when they are sprouting by the thousands in one location. White pine are nice to look at but not really a desirable wildlife tree anyway so it's not worth much effort to save it. As soon as they get a little height they open up and loose all their branches at the bottom.

I agree that on the surface a white pine doesn’t seem to have wildlife value but the deer do have some connection to them at least here. The few we have here grow along established deer trails. It could be a coincidence but I’m not taking any chances; all white pines here are safe from my saw.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I agree that on the surface a white pine doesn’t seem to have wildlife value but the deer do have some connection to them at least here. The few we have here grow along established deer trails. It could be a coincidence but I’m not taking any chances; all white pines here are safe from my saw.

A thick stand of pines provides thermal cover for deer. And, although I'm not sure why, maybe someone else can explain this, but our turkeys are always scratching in the pine needles. And I enjoy the aesthetics of having some conifers around. So I don't cut down pines either. But I'm not going to the trouble of putting wire around a pine tree.

 

[Mennoniteman]

We bought two at the Early Bird Sportsman Show in Bloomsburg his first year in business. I don’t remember the exact number of our blinds but he said he hadn’t sold many at all at the time.


He had a few different window options at the time but now they have a lot of options, windows and blind style.

We did buy a third a year or two later but stuck with the same blind style. However we did build our own steps to get into the blind. I didn’t have an issue climbing the ladder but my wife and any kids hunting our place weren’t very comfortable with it. Now he has a metal frame for the blind to sit on I believe.

When we picked ours up he didn’t even have any instructions available to put everything together. I called him from the field to ask a question or two. I’m sure you can’t get in touch him now with all the salesman or distributors he has.

Mark still answers his own phone at his office. The early window slides were cloth material, and her swaps those out for the vinyl slides if you ask him. All of their wooden towers now have steps with railings too.

 

[jlane35]

Mark still answers his own phone at his office. The early window slides were cloth material, and her swaps those out for the vinyl slides if you ask him. All of their wooden towers now have steps with railings too.

Yep, that’s what we have. The cloth style. I do need to call him though, we have a window that broke right where the rope attaches to the window. And yes switching to steps instead of a ladder was the right move on their part.

 

[jlane35]

I did a little more work this weekend. I cleared around some more apple trees. I probably have 8 more or so wild overgrown trees to clean around. Then next winter I could access them much easier to trim them.

I didn’t take a before picture but what you see to the left right and front is exactly what was choking the trees out.

 

[jlane35]

I also cleaned up around some of the first trees I planted. I made plenty of mistakes when planting these. I didn’t use weed mats, and they don’t get nearly enough sun. I planted 10 Dunstans total and 6 are left. I don’t know exactly how long they have been in the ground, but if I had to guess it would be 6 years.

I cleared all competition from inside the cages to put weed mats down and cut down as much as I could around them. Some are putting out new growth after the original tree died while others are shooting skyward reaching for light. Hopefully the weedmats and their vertical growth allows them to get more sunlight and more nutrients necessary to eventually put out a crop.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I also cleaned up around some of the first trees I planted. I made plenty of mistakes when planting these. I didn’t use weed mats, and they don’t get nearly enough sun. I planted 10 Dunstans total and 6 are left. I don’t know exactly how long they have been in the ground, but if I had to guess it would be 6 years.

I cleared all competition from inside the cages to put weed mats down and cut down as much as I could around them. Some are putting out new growth after the original tree died while others are shooting skyward reaching for light. Hopefully the weedmats and their vertical growth allows them to get more sunlight and more nutrients necessary to eventually put out a crop.
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It seems like trees like to be fussed over. The trees that I pay the most attention to seem to thrive the best.

 

[jlane35]

It seems like trees like to be fussed over. The trees that I pay the most attention to seem to thrive the best.

Yeah, I’ve never really fussed over any tree. And that’s where most of my problems lye. I’m hoping the weed mats and cutting competition back helps. Any new trees I’ve planted I have started taking more precautions before they go in the ground.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Yeah, I’ve never really fussed over any tree. And that’s where most of my problems lye. I’m hoping the weed mats and cutting competition back helps. Any new trees I’ve planted I have started taking more precautions before they go in the ground.

I was trimming orchard trees at 6 yrs old, tree trimming is almost a hobby. So I have to be careful not to trim mine too hard. And I lime and fertilize, spray Gramoxone for weed control, paint the trunks latex white with sand in it, cage them, use tree protectors, and attach praying mantis egg sacs to trees for insect control. I guess that I could be accused of fussing over my trees?

 

[jlane35]

I was trimming orchard trees at 6 yrs old, tree trimming is almost a hobby. So I have to be careful not to trim mine too hard. And I lime and fertilize, spray Gramoxone for weed control, paint the trunks latex white with sand in it, cage them, use tree protectors, and attach praying mantis egg sacs to trees for insect control. I guess that I could be accused of fussing over my trees?

I’m always nervous about trimming my trees. I don’t want to take to much off. So again, another problem of mine.

What does the white paint with sand do? Keep rabbits and mice from eating the bark?

So how hard should I trim the large existing apple trees next year? Could I trim them to hard?