Replacing Ag Field...

[BenAllgood]

How much acreage is that in ag that surrounds the barn? If you go much at all to that barn, deer around it are going to know it. Each time you go to it, you're pressuring it. It's basically like a barn in the middle of a food plot. Personally, if I had to park or spend much time at all at the barn, I wouldn't have food around it during deer season. But, I also wouldn't have bedding cover that I had to drive into the middle of either. That's a tough spot to do anything with deer related if you're visiting the barn much.

 

[George]

Farmer no longer wants to farm any ag. Does that change anyone's thoughts?

I would feather edge, manage 2 good acres of clover, let some good stuff grow, and put in pollinators. If you are blowing deer out of corn every time you are probably blowing out every deer on your property also as you move about. This is something people don't realize, they'll say things like, no way, I sneak in and out, but then go on to not kill a good buck let alone the target buck.

G

 

[yukon]

How much acreage is that in ag that surrounds the barn? If you go much at all to that barn, deer around it are going to know it. Each time you go to it, you're pressuring it. It's basically like a barn in the middle of a food plot. Personally, if I had to park or spend much time at all at the barn, I wouldn't have food around it during deer season. But, I also wouldn't have bedding cover that I had to drive into the middle of either. That's a tough spot to do anything with deer related if you're visiting the barn much

6 acres. You've described my dilemma to a T. The short drive north of the barn is basically only access and I hate to give up the 6 acres with only 77 total. In any case I can improve my screening on property border as I'll lose my natural corn screen. Maybe I'll split the 6 acres into another 1/2 acre of clover near stand #1; then a 2.5 acre strip of thick screening/bushes and remaining 3 acres place into pollinators around the barn.

 

[yukon]

I would feather edge, manage 2 good acres of clover, let some good stuff grow, and put in pollinators. If you are blowing deer out of corn every time you are probably blowing out every deer on your property also as you move about. This is something people don't realize, they'll say things like, no way, I sneak in and out, but then go on to not kill a good buck let alone the target buck.

G

Thanks George! I like the feathering and clover plot idea! I wonder if 2 acres is a bit large if my destination plot is, say 3 acres, in middle of property. Clover does get picked pretty clean though in other areas, though. Need to kill some more doe. I do wonder how many additional deer I bump for every deer I realize that I've blow out of corn! Luckily the barn location is great for prevailing winds but I agree the deer know more than we ever admit.

 

[yoderjac]

Perhaps a 2-3 year setback of weed management. It will produce good native summer foods, but they will senesce come fall. Sort rotation will keep height and bedding to a minimum. Just a thought. Put is to productive use in summer but reduces use in fall/winter.

 

[BenAllgood]

You mentioned a pond early on. You could dig out most of the area to the right (I'm guessing that's east), of the barn, and use the dirt to put a berm on the other side of the barn to block it and your access. Put a blind on the top of the berm and a kill plot on the other side.

 

[Native Hunter]

Here is you another solution:

1. Turn the barn into an elevated scent proof blind with enough luxuries to spend the night.
2. Turn the field into a food plot.
3. Drive in at noon and go into the luxurious blind and have a blast watching Trump sign executive orders until afternoon hunting time.
4. Hunt the afternoon and spend the night in the blind if the afternoon hunt is unsuccessful.
5. That night watch Trump sign more executive orders and put stupid reporters in their place.
6. Wake up before daylight the next morning and hunt again.
7. If unsuccessful, leave at noon or earlier if the deer have gone back into cover.
8, Repeat same process in a few days when you are ready to do it again.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Here is you another solution:

1. Turn the barn into an elevated scent proof blind with enough luxuries to spend the night.
2. Turn the field into a food plot.
3. Drive in at noon and go into the luxurious blind and have a blast watching Trump sign executive orders until afternoon hunting time.
4. Hunt the afternoon and spend the night in the blind if the afternoon hunt is unsuccessful.
5. That night watch Trump sign more executive orders and put stupid reporters in their place.
6. Wake up before daylight the next morning and hunt again.
7. If unsuccessful, leave at noon or earlier if the deer have gone back into cover.
8, Repeat same process in a few days when you are ready to do it again.

Maybe add a power lift recliner to that stand in the barn?

 

[Native Hunter]

Maybe add a power lift recliner to that stand in the barn?

Mine is not a power lift, but I can see the advantages of that.

 

[George]

Don't forget Kiefer pears. When I owned 80 acres in Iowa I hunted in a 5 acre rectangle.

G

 

[Native Hunter]

Don't forget Kiefer pears. When I owned 80 acres in Iowa I hunted in a 5 acre rectangle.

G

Kieffer is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m also very fond of many late apples and persimmons.

 

[MarkDarvin]

You mentioned a pond early on. You could dig out most of the area to the right (I'm guessing that's east), of the barn, and use the dirt to put a berm on the other side of the barn to block it and your access. Put a blind on the top of the berm and a kill plot on the other side.

100% this. I sorta skimmed this whole thread, so forgive me if I missed a point or two.

I didn't catch if you stay near that barn when you're there, but I'd make a camp there and put a big fish pond in there. The hardest part of a fish pond is having a place that will hold water, and something to do with all the dirt. You could perhaps kill 7 birds with one stone here:

*Fishing activity in the pond on a regular basis conditions the deer to stay away, or at least learn to live with human presence.
*You remove the food source near your access point.
*The dirt berm gives you absolute cover to sneak past whatever is on the other side of the berm.
*Having this in the NE corner of your property gives you a great place to enter with prevailing winds.
*Fishing gives you a whole lot more utility to the same property, and you can manage a pond to whatever fishing you want to have. Just make sure to understand the need to harvest and keep your fish growing, and how to adjust your management to fix crowding problems.
*All the topsoil could be stacked up to be kept in reserve for projects.
*Who doesn't love having a sustainable source of fish on their own property?

 

[Mennoniteman]

100% this. I sorta skimmed this whole thread, so forgive me if I missed a point or two.

I didn't catch if you stay near that barn when you're there, but I'd make a camp there and put a big fish pond in there. The hardest part of a fish pond is having a place that will hold water, and something to do with all the dirt. You could perhaps kill 7 birds with one stone here:

*Fishing activity in the pond on a regular basis conditions the deer to stay away, or at least learn to live with human presence.
*You remove the food source near your access point.
*The dirt berm gives you absolute cover to sneak past whatever is on the other side of the berm.
*Having this in the NE corner of your property gives you a great place to enter with prevailing winds.
*Fishing gives you a whole lot more utility to the same property, and you can manage a pond to whatever fishing you want to have. Just make sure to understand the need to harvest and keep your fish growing, and how to adjust your management to fix crowding problems.
*All the topsoil could be stacked up to be kept in reserve for projects.
*Who doesn't love having a sustainable source of fish on their own property?

And add another bonus, "my dad always said you can't worry and fish at the same time".

 

[yukon]

100% this. I sorta skimmed this whole thread, so forgive me if I missed a point or two.

I didn't catch if you stay near that barn when you're there, but I'd make a camp there and put a big fish pond in there. The hardest part of a fish pond is having a place that will hold water, and something to do with all the dirt. You could perhaps kill 7 birds with one stone here:

*Fishing activity in the pond on a regular basis conditions the deer to stay away, or at least learn to live with human presence.
*You remove the food source near your access point.
*The dirt berm gives you absolute cover to sneak past whatever is on the other side of the berm.
*Having this in the NE corner of your property gives you a great place to enter with prevailing winds.
*Fishing gives you a whole lot more utility to the same property, and you can manage a pond to whatever fishing you want to have. Just make sure to understand the need to harvest and keep your fish growing, and how to adjust your management to fix crowding problems.
*All the topsoil could be stacked up to be kept in reserve for projects.
*Who doesn't love having a sustainable source of fish on their own property?

Great breakdown! Starting to lean hard this direction. I love the berm idea. Gotta do something with the dirt anyhow! Lots to learn!

 

[yukon]

Updated image and plan: I planted about an acre with 40+ fruit trees this spring in the now labeled 2ac orchard. I'm leaning towards expanding that 1acre orchard to be the 2 acres shown with clover/rye/chicory and become the destination plot. Parking is now labeled in NE corner of property (adjacent to horse farm with accompanying sounds) which would be about 200 yards from future food. Walk in paths might be as close as 80 yards to food and looking to set up two stealthy 1/4 acre archery kill plots (shown in neon green).

I do want to fix up the 1940s bank barn but it's huge at 40'x70' and needs some major TLC with snake and rodent control. I have hunted from there so it could certainly serve as my gun season blind and future lodging

Winds are typically from SW or W so concentrating hunts in NE corner of property should work "most of the time" and allow me to manage my previous centrally located destination food plot as more fallow field bedding, etc That central part of the property is strip mine ground that had previously been mowed for years so need to manage grasses and autumn olive. I haven't fully tackled the autumn olive because the state is actively investigating filling in my longwall mine below stands 8 and 10 which would transform this area of the property. Basically much of the autumn olive dirt and woods? to the south would be pushed into the highwall. Currently, western neighbor hasn't allowed access and the 8 acres of bedding at stands at 8 & 10 connects to the road and not my property. This highwall project would conceivably connect this bedding with my future orchard and kill plot while also opening up access from NW, too.

Potential projects:
Expand orchard to 2 acres? Establish clover with chicory/rye.
Screen in orchard and access paths. Better screen neighbor and road.
The maple tree stand south of the orchard is wide open so leaning towards thickening it up.
I still love the idea of a pond (with appropriately placed berms) but I haven't talked to the right contractor or anyone with true experience in my rural county. I'm admittedly naive to the pond excavation process but feels like a lot can go wrong. Maybe OH has a traveling pond crew. Location east of barn ok?

Any insight? What am I missing? Anything you'd change?