Property thoughts on switchgrass location/access

[SteveK]

Hey guys I want to get some opinions/thoughts on planting a field of switchgrass. I've owned my farm about 4 years now, and have a good idea how the deer travel. I've work on various projects since I bought the property, some panned out others not so much. I will attach some pictures so you guys have some perspective on my thoughts. My camp is where purple line starts on the west side of my property which is 111 acres in southern Ohio. I kind of break my farm into 2 farms from an access prospective being I have a big powerline running down the middle of it which is this with overgrown grasses besides my quad tractor path. I use the powerline to access the northern half of my property and my south border to access the rest. I can and do have permission to access through my neighbors cattle pasture for access which I currently use for certain stands. I have 3 fields you will see in the photos, the first 2 I have planted soybeans/corn last few years, which I will continue to do with a minor adjustment to a small portion of the second field. The third field used to be an overgrown brushy field when I bought the property and my first year I kicked a buck out of it, hence why I think I should plant it in switchgrass. I had previously planned to put crops in it, but am scrapping that after learning the land and realizing it makes getting in/out of stands difficult even with being able to access through neighbors pasture (which I am trying to minimalize as much as possible). Keep in mind we usually have a NW wind. I did plant muscanthius grass last year for screening on the south side of the field in question (Marked Orange in photo) with enough room on south side of grass for my quad/tractor. My questions are: Do you think if I plant the whole 3rd field in cave-in-rock switchgrass, (being it is south facing and to me seems natural for them to bed) will deer bed in it? (approximately 1.5 acres)? If so do you think I will be able to walk the south border undetected with deer bedding there? My plan is for deer to bed in it as well as their current bed above in woods, come to the food to the west. Hunting between switch and food in finger between fields, as well as being able to get to other stands past the last field. I have attached a photo of switchgrass I planted last year on the top of my powerline which was above my head and I am 6'2". The deer bedded in it like a magnet, but the terrain is also a high point and natural buck bed area. In the photo the open white areas are where I plan to plant the switch main one in question is the most south white area. The bright green area areas where I have food plots. The dark green are usually planted in soybean or corn, with the plan to take the bright green area in the second field for brassicas this year. The stripped white area is where I planted the switch last year and the circle red area is a big bed, which I cut some timber on 2 years ago. The Purple in the photo is my current/planned access with hopes to quit using the neighboring pasture. I tried to attach a photo with a topo so you could see lay of the land but not sure it will be easy to see contour lines. The dark green running along the top of the fields are overgrown cedars which I have started cutting/thinning. Any thoughts would be great!

 

[SteveK]

The yellow line in the topo photo is a quad/tractor path, not necessarily used for access through the woods in the middle of the farm.

 

[Mennoniteman]

That looks like a choice hunting property. Why aren't you planting switchgrass in the striped white area on the powerline if it worked so good last year? The front south area in question seems awfully close to your camp and trail. Deer don't tolerate being chased out of their bedding area too often. I'd try it as an experiment if you don't mind a chance of failure with that planting. Letting that field grow up in early successional habitat might also be an option.

 

[SteveK]

That looks like a choice hunting property. Why aren't you planting switchgrass in the striped white area on the powerline if it worked so good last year? The front south area in question seems awfully close to your camp and trail. Deer don't tolerate being chased out of their bedding area too often. I'd try it as an experiment if you don't mind a chance of failure with that planting. Letting that field grow up in early successional habitat might also be an option.

It has been a great property, especially for my dad and I to get out and work together. Extremely rewarding, also a learning process. I am planting in the stripped white area on the top of the powerline, well I plan on spraying and reseeding for a thicker stand. The very front two fields are crops and the third or farthest east field is where I plan on planting the switch. I planted muscanthius grass last year to start a barrier in the far field where I'm thinking about the switch. I'm guessing on a scale the last field is approximately 100 yards wide from north to south and 300 yards long, so I think with 5-6 foot switch in it, I can quietly walk the bottom of it undetected. Especially once that muscanthius is fully grown. Thoughts?

 

[tlh2865]

The concern that immediately jumped out at me is that you would be putting bedding on the property line. If there is no natural barrier to keep deer from moving off, or to keep neighbors out/away, then I would be leery of that. Not knowing your neighbors of course.
Looking at your drawing, do you have a hinge cut in between your access and the proposed bedding area? How thick is that hinge cut and how far are you laterally from the edge of that southern field if you're walking that trail?
My only other concern would be putting bedding so close to a four wheeler path. Like Mennoniteman said, deer don't want to be bumped from their beds too often.
I love bedding improvements. They can be a great draw, especially if you can provide the best in the neighborhood, and it seems like you've already had success with this strategy.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I'd give it a try, you've got nothing to lose except your seed and your time, food and bedding cover is what deer management is all about, and open pasture and open timber has very little of either. After the first several years of managing a property for wildlife are under your belt you get settled into a rotating program and instead of making major changes you should be getting to the stage of just tweaking and fine tuning your habitat for maximum success. It sounds to me like you are just coming over that hump, with what you've done thus far the next several years should be really good for you as far as carrying quality deer to maturity.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The concern that immediately jumped out at me is that you would be putting bedding on the property line. If there is no natural barrier to keep deer from moving off, or to keep neighbors out/away, then I would be leery of that. Not knowing your neighbors of course.
Looking at your drawing, do you have a hinge cut in between your access and the proposed bedding area? How thick is that hinge cut and how far are you laterally from the edge of that southern field if you're walking that trail?
My only other concern would be putting bedding so close to a four wheeler path. Like Mennoniteman said, deer don't want to be bumped from their beds too often.
I love bedding improvements. They can be a great draw, especially if you can provide the best in the neighborhood, and it seems like you've already had success with this strategy.

He said he has MG grass planted along the path as a screen. I also don't like bedding close to a property line, but I'm ok with it here because it's not very huntable land across the line, it looks like mostly open land.

 

[SteveK]

The concern that immediately jumped out at me is that you would be putting bedding on the property line. If there is no natural barrier to keep deer from moving off, or to keep neighbors out/away, then I would be leery of that. Not knowing your neighbors of course.
Looking at your drawing, do you have a hinge cut in between your access and the proposed bedding area? How thick is that hinge cut and how far are you laterally from the edge of that southern field if you're walking that trail?
My only other concern would be putting bedding so close to a four wheeler path. Like Mennoniteman said, deer don't want to be bumped from their beds too often.
I love bedding improvements. They can be a great draw, especially if you can provide the best in the neighborhood, and it seems like you've already had success with this strategy.

Thanks for the reply...I do not have a hinge cut between the access in the bedding maybe what you seeing is on the south side of my fields are early successional growth and cedars lining the fields...It’s probably 60-70 yds wide below the first field, and about 10 on the second, but the seconds is basically a wall of cedars where there is an old fence row...I definitely get that big deer won’t tolerate any intrusion. The big thing for me is if I don’t put switch in that back field and either put crops in it or let it grow I have a bigger problem with the deer being in the field and visually being able to see me if they are feeding there. My neighbors don’t really hunt on the south side of me they are more cattle farmers and might hunt a day or two here or there but very limited pressure. Mennoniteman...I am working to get there and finally feel like I am rounding that corner as well! We killed one mature buck, and I’ve gotten 3 of my 5 good 3.5-5.5 yr old bucks on camera since the first gun season...they make it through.

 

[SteveK]

And I can use my neighbors pasture for access, very nice people, but I’d prefer to get away from that.

 

[tlh2865]

I have a bigger problem with the deer being in the field and visually being able to see me if they are feeding there.

That alone is a heck of a justification for doing it. If neighbors aren't a big concern I agree with ya'll

 

[buckdeer1]

They might bed in the switch and once in a while you might sneak by but most of the time they may lay there but know you went by.I would cut a trail to help quiet things down.I have a powerline R/W that is divided between my neighbor and I but we agreed to plant switch there and leave as we have an agreement with power co that as long as we keep the trees out we can do whatever

 

[SteveK]

Another thought I had maybe you guy could give your opinion was most of the bucks are going to bed in the woods in my opinion (south slope cut 2 years ago)...the does most likely would lay in the switch close to the food. If noise close to the bed is a concern, maybe I plant the top half in switch and the bottom in sorghum. It will provide cover for both me and them and they will feed on it some, but bed closer to the top side of the field in the switch?

 

[j-bird]

All I can say is that you will need to take extra steps to ensure your movements along that orange strip is as silent as possible. That cover the switch will provide doesn't appear that it will be very deep and even if the deer don't spook, it doesn't mean they don't hear you. If you need a visual screen and the deer are bedding at a higher elevation....you may want to consider a few strings of MG as well to help create some layers for your visual screen as well. I would want that path to be bare ground if at all possible. I also would not add any sort of food to the cover in that area. I think the does will bed along the edge between the switch and the woods. Adding a possible food source in there simply increase the chance of the deer being closer to your access path and thus increases your odds of them hearing you.

 

[SteveK]

They might bed in the switch and once in a while you might sneak by but most of the time they may lay there but know you went by.I would cut a trail to help quiet things down.I have a powerline R/W that is divided between my neighbor and I but we agreed to plant switch there and leave as we have an agreement with power co that as long as we keep the trees out we can do whatever

I have about a 10 foot wide path on bottom of the field...

All I can say is that you will need to take extra steps to ensure your movements along that orange strip is as silent as possible. That cover the switch will provide doesn't appear that it will be very deep and even if the deer don't spook, it doesn't mean they don't hear you. If you need a visual screen and the deer are bedding at a higher elevation....you may want to consider a few strings of MG as well to help create some layers for your visual screen as well. I would want that path to be bare ground if at all possible. I also would not add any sort of food to the cover in that area. I think the does will bed along the edge between the switch and the woods. Adding a possible food source in there simply increase the chance of the deer being closer to your access path and thus increases your odds of them hearing you.

That is exactly what I am thinking...My only other option is if my Muscanthuis grass isn't enough for the screening will be to plant conifers.

 

[j-bird]

I am thinking that if the MG at your access path isn't enough for one reason or another (height or density). You could consider several screens that run essentially east/west and simply put one every 30 yards (or whatever distance you feel is needed) as you work your way up the slope....in layers so to speak. My thinking is that come fall/winter the actual switch will be 4 or 5 feet tall. And that isn't hiding many of us. It will hide the deer. So some additional screens of MG to get that height and to remove that elevation advantage the deer may have may be important.