Shallow pockets acres

[Mstains]

I bought my meesely 10 acres in 2013. Been lurking here and other forums since then. I've read a few other property tours trying to figure out what might work for me. So far I have 3 dunstan chestnuts 5 Chinese chestnuts 1 Walmart apple 1 walmart pear 20 hazel nuts and 6 apples and crabs from NWC planted. Tried to get some clover growing the first couple of years but summers were to dry to get it established. Tried planting in spring and fall both but my if i'm lucky inch of top soil before turning to sand got too dry. Not to say I won't try clover again. But for now trees and shrubs is what i'm focusing on. I don't have enough ground to hold any deer but hopefully I can get them to stop by more often. here some maps of what I'm working with yellow area is on state gamelands was burt and pines planted roughly 5 years ago red is approx. property lines clearing is what birch maple and sassafras was cut year one.

 

[Mstains]

As I get photos resized and figured out what I'm doing I'll post more. Any suggestion welcome. I'm on top of a mountain, hill to some. My ground is approx. 50/50 woods to mountain laurel. So is everyone elses. Some years there is lots of acorns some years none. That's why I also have 10 potted Chinese chestnuts sitting at home leafed out from wildlife group that I got last week hopeing they'd still be dormant. I don't see much use trying to make better bedding with only 10 acres to play with and thick laurel all around. My plan is to try and fill food gap with the best snack bar I can. I also planted 12 SWO last year.

 

[Mstains]

Build a box blind in 2013 and planted some trees in 2015 apple pear from Walmart approx. 20 yards from blind and dunstan chestnuts approx. 30 yards from blind and some red and white oaks which they gave away at work that year. Thought I'd be pretty well set by now. But in Feb. 2017 God had other plans blind blew over backwards which is pretty well due south. Yes it was concreted in though not enough, steps were sitting on top of ground there was no drag marks just clear mark were they set and blind on its back two feet away. It had to have pick up and then fell over. There were quite a few barns and house roofs and a motel roof lost in county that night. Some of the wood cut 2014

 

[Mstains]

2013 built box blind 2015 planted 1 Walmart apple 2 Walmart pears one died from southwest spring of 2017 by time I noticed bark was split the whole way around trunk. planted approx. 20 yards from blind. dunstan chest nuts planted approx. 30 yards from stand. But feb 2017 box blind got blew over no longer there.

Sorry for double pic Some of wood cut 2014

 

[Mstains]

I think same buck but he disappeared in 2017 hope he shows back up but might have got shot

 

[Zeek]

Good to have another mirco manager here. I can relate to them. Looking forward to following along.

 

[Sampson]

I think focusing on food and it being your main draw is a good plan. With 10 acres to work with you have to offer something better then everyone else. What is the hunting pressure like in your area?

I also am looking forward to following along as I have a small farm we hunt and run cattle on. It is 60 acres but it’s broke up into small wood lots and mostly open pasture for the cattle. So, I really only hunt one 8-10 acre wood lot and another one about 20 acres the rest is cow pasture. Micro hunting areas can still produce some great bucks.


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[suburbhunter]

I agree with Sampson. Perhaps adding something the neighbors don't have will help. How about a watering hole/source?

 

[Mstains]

I think focusing on food and it being your main draw is a good plan. With 10 acres to work with you have to offer something better then everyone else. What is the hunting pressure like in your area?

I also am looking forward to following along as I have a small farm we hunt and run cattle on. It is 60 acres but it’s broke up into small wood lots and mostly open pasture for the cattle. So, I really only hunt one 8-10 acre wood lot and another one about 20 acres the rest is cow pasture. Micro hunting areas can still produce some great bucks.


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Hunting pressure is low archery maybe a handful of guys. After Thanksgiving lots of pressure for first couple of days of rifle. Then nobody other than road hunters till Saturday then a few hunters. Half the people after Thanksgiving just come up to party and don't hunt, but they have to walk around which I feel drives the deer elsewhere for a few days.

 

[Mstains]

With so many land owners even the guy three properties away walking his own ground can screw up your hunting for the day. I have three out five neighbors that hunt one that I haven't seen in 6 years and one that's only been up in summer. Of the three that hunt only one has been there for more than a day or two. Out of approx. 100 different properties there are only two with any mature chestnuts, one guy has several but they are shaded and don't produce the other guy has one and most burrs are empty. Four properties have seedling chestnuts planted in 2016 if they planted them on mountain I order and to get bulk discount took orders from other land owners. I only know of two properties with apples one has one dwarf tree and the other I think has ten. One of the guys that got chestnuts from me has two pear trees also and this guy does not hunt. I have 10 Chinese chestnuts from wildlife group waiting to be planted they arrived buds opening and since they're in pots I'll wait another week or two until I see some life from chestnuts on the mountain.

 

[Mstains]

A little background on property was developed mid 70's no electric only public utility is hand pump water from spring. My dad built some of the first cabins just basic 20/30 shells nothing finished on inside. At the time and still do n't fully understand why he wouldn't buy a lot back then as he always wanted hunting ground. I guess North American Refractories keeping rights to ganister rock worried him they might open the old quarry up was why he never did. About 60 percent of lots are owned by hunters 30 percent are summer get aways and 10 percentI haven't seen anyone at in the five and half years I've owned my place. Development has been gated a couple different times currently not. Hopeful it will be again as more new owners are interested in gate. Older land owners have to many buddys that they don't want to be bothered to have to let them in. I live approx. two and half miles from property which is a twenty minute drive. One way in unless your on atv which you can ride on development roads and some properties others don't want atv's on them. Ground was bought to enjoy first and foremost camping in summer and a place me and grandson can hunt. Going to build cabin in next couple years just have to decide what type of structure I want leaning toward some type of steel building. I know of three forest fires on the mountain in my lifetime and access for fire response isn't the best depending on time of year. There's no winter matainance on road so if we get a lot of snow the steep northern exsposed which I''ll get picture posted later can be ice for a long time.

 

[Mstains]

In 2016 I started to get a few rabbits then cats on camera
More cats in 2018
A patch of wild blueberries which deer and turkeys love . Top of ol d box blind in background

 

[Sampson]

I really like the Bobcat photos, I don’t know much about the NE states but maybe someone with more experience growing foot plots up there can chime in and offer advise.



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[Mstains]

My Biggest worry is my trees start producing and these guys destroy them. The bears don't eat the blueberries as much as you think they would. I've been giving thought to solar fence run horizontal about 4ft high under trees with wires spaced a foot and half apart if bears do become a problem. Has anyone else tried this before?

 

[Mstains]

Finally got some pictures of ice damage that happen to one of my dunstan chestnuts the day after thanksgiving last year.
Lost six or seven foot of growth this tree grew taller than others planted at same time and always flimsy leaned one way so bad had to stake and tie up fist two years. Think I did the right thing just cutting it off clean rather than trying to tie in back together.

 

[Mstains]

This is what the back half of my ground looks The gypsy moths destroyed most of the oaks in the 80's some still standing dead most laying on ground and there may be 20 or so living oaks in this appox four and half acres. This will be opened up and wg chestnuts planted. This planting will be behind last years planting of 4 nwc trees.I plan on leaving approx. 20 yards of mountain laurel between the two plantings with a trail connecting them.

 

[Mstains]

What's the best thing that I can do to get clover to establish on soil like this. Top soil is only a inch or two before turning to sand with lots of rocks mixed in. I could get clover to grow the first couple of years but couldn't keep enough water on it too survive summer. I'm guessing lime from what others have said on other threads would be a start. Will buckwheat grow in this type of soil?

 

[Mstains]

I agree with Sampson. Perhaps adding something the neighbors don't have will help. How about a watering hole/source?

I've thot about water holes since I bought the ground. But with no run off I don't want to have to carry water all the time. Sandy soil won't hold water. Buried bucket will freeze and break. That being said if I find different soil in back half of ground much of witch I haven't been though yet I do still plan on putting some water holes in at some point. May get a couple of the rubber feed bowls for horses and bury and use a v'd out log for a gutter with a couple pieces of tin to keep full of water.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Your thread is bringing back many memories. I started on a place exactly like that 30 years ago. On top of shade mountain in Juniata county west of Milllintown, the same rocks trees bears and everything. The only way that we could get anything to grow in that environment was to haul in topsoil, after we picked and leveled the rocks, we covered it with several inches of soil and then we could grow nice stuff. For water, maybe drill a well and get the belleville amish to put up a windmill, then put a water tank down over the hill below your food plot?

 

[Mstains]

Got a little therapy in today. If I can get a couple of evenings in this week should get chestnuts in the ground next weekend. Small pine will probably stay in my chestnut planting as it's on the north side and won't shade out anything. Next time I'll try to remember to get camera out of vehicle to take picture before I start.