Northern NY 175 acre swamp property

[outdoorstom]

In 2020, my stepson and I purchased this property. We initially bought 155 acres from a guy going through a divorce, for the price of $30,000. The total acreage of the swamp is 800 acres. Our property is bordered by ag fields and woods, so we approached the farmer who owns the fields and woods about selling us a 20 acre chunk of woods. Our thoughts were that we could put some stands and plots on the edge of the swamp and catch the deer coming and going. We also have a combination of ladder and hang on stands in the swamp itself. He agreed to sell us the chunk and the work began. My stepson lives in NH and has a wife and 4 kids, so he isn’t available all that much to help. I recruited a friend to help me in the summer of 2020 in exchange for hunting privileges that fall. We commenced work on a few plots and built two elevated blinds. We cleared the trees and I then hired a guy to come in with his bobcat and implements to remove stumps and level the plots. There are half a dozen small red oaks bordering the swamp that have been released and will hopefully grow well and produce. Apple trees and chestnuts are also going in. As you can imagine, the soil needs amendments in the plots and we’ve been liming and fertilizing. This has been challenging as all materials are being brought in on a small trailer pulled by the 4 wheeler, and it’s 8/10‘s of a mile off the road.
This summer my bobcat guy is coming back for plot expansions and to create a new plot next to an ag field. I believe the deer will stage here before entering the fields. Only one deer has been taken from this property since we bought it, a nice 8 pointer I shot in 2021. Game cameras show several mature deer on the property and we hope to take at least one of them this season. We’re definitely learning the travel and escapes routes and anticipate the hunting getting better and better as we learn more about the property and as our habitat projects come along. The video is from 2020, I put it on my YouTube channel today….hence, today’s date.

 

[Mennoniteman]

That place looks like a really great hunting spot to make some memories. Buying the woods was a smart move, because a swamp is a place with a lot of deer but difficult place to hunt. Getting deer movement figured out at a given time of day on any certain day of the season, and travel routes figured out on a new property is something that often takes many hunting hours during multiple seasons, I'd say ten years is typical of totally figuring out a new property, so anything that you can do to shortcut that time input or influence deer movement in your favor is huge.

 

[George]

Exciting stuff, swamp bucks, good luck.

G

 

[Cedar Ridge]

Looks awesome!

 

[KSQ2]

I don’t know what land goes for up that way, but I’d say you got a heck of a deal! Looking forward to hearing more about your place.

 

[outdoorstom]

Plot expansion and new plot underway! Scott came home from NH for the weekend and I had Northwoods Land Management lined up to come in. In preparation for the weekend, I had knocked down a lot of trees in the sweatshirt plot. The edge of the plot is 10 yards from the cattails. I won’t be surprised to see daytime use in both of these plots as the deer are only a bound or two away from cover. I’m now in the process of dragging, picking up debris, and fertilizing and seeding. My goal is to get seed in the ground by the middle of the month.

 

[outdoorstom]

And here’s the future plot.

 

[outdoorstom]

I bought a blind from the Amish on my road and they delivered it last night.

 

[Elkaddict]

There is lots $ and effort involved in turning woods into plots…. But it is so worth it. Glad to see you’ve hired some equipment operators to do the heavy lifting…. Things look great!