Stone Branch, build it, they will come.
- Thread starter George
- Start date
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Geo - Obviously you and your neighbors will get along great. I think you make a perfect decision on what you purchased.
Your chainsaw, lighter and hard work will turn that ground in a deer magnet in a few seasons. Thanks for always posting what you have going on - 'cause many of us sure enjoy following along.
Wayne
Your chainsaw, lighter and hard work will turn that ground in a deer magnet in a few seasons. Thanks for always posting what you have going on - 'cause many of us sure enjoy following along.
Wayne
TRADEMARKTEXAN
New Member
Congratulations Geo, great to see you closed on the sale and purchase. Can’t wait to see what you do in Kentucky.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Nothing breaks the ice like offering to do something for someone else first. Are you using that
bourbon for bar& chain oil?
bourbon for bar& chain oil?
George
Well-Known Member
Thanks AC/TC, one welcome by-product of now owning the property is that sleep on demand has returned.
G
George
Well-Known Member
Good neighbors were almost as big a factor as was good ridge lines. I really do have a good feeling about these people.
The back yard food plot is 1/4 to 1/3 an acre. I'll probably be lucky to get over 1.5 acres total down in the hole. I will work to open up the edges around the bottom ground with an eye to plant some fruit trees, particularly my pear weedlings if my embryos are still viable. I will probably establish some clover in the upper most food plot and my brassicas in the back yard plot and along the road.
Thanks Wayne as I have always appreciated your support.
Thanks for checking in TT.
A very astute fellow you are Mennoniteman, I did forget my chain lube and the saw was out the next morning so I had to go back down to Adam's to borrow some and that is what got me started on his ash tree. A couple of shots of Bulleit was used to lube me.
G
George
Well-Known Member
I have approximately 10 acres of random clusters planned for my first habitat season an area about double the size of habitat seasons in Iowa. However I will not be burdened by the heavy load of invasive plants that burdened me in Iowa. I have decided to leave the food plotting per say to my limited ground down in the barn yard. I'm looking for the most bang for the buck on my less steep central highlands. My random clusters will be turned into cover and food plots of natural browse.
I will start in the middle random cluster which is an area with a scattering of nice white and red oaks, tulip poplar and sugar maple being the most numerous species. I am going select my best crop trees to remain, hinge some of the larger maple to go for structure, cut off the maple saplings to regrow as deer food, and run fire through to stimulate the seed bank.
G
I will start in the middle random cluster which is an area with a scattering of nice white and red oaks, tulip poplar and sugar maple being the most numerous species. I am going select my best crop trees to remain, hinge some of the larger maple to go for structure, cut off the maple saplings to regrow as deer food, and run fire through to stimulate the seed bank.
G
They are not random if planned...all of my hinge cuts are planned...
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Nice plan Geo. And I know technically speaking there will be cluster/clusters in the bottom as you will feather edge that food plot planting for sure knowing you.
Will you burn before hinging, or after and which do you find best? That is the one thing lacking in my workings, but just can't/won't strike the match.
Will you burn before hinging, or after and which do you find best? That is the one thing lacking in my workings, but just can't/won't strike the match.
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
My father in law is of the mind set - don't burn anything in the woods. So we honor his wishes.
My son and I were at Red Hills State Park in East Central Illinois one year when they did a controlled burn. They had racked around hundred of large trees. They used blowers and four wheelers to move around. They had two guys in fire suits but most weren't.
I was shocked are how large an area they worked in one burn. George works in a different setting than a state park with mature trees.
The Cherokee Indians used fire effectively.
I wish we could burn because I believe it would help but that is not in the cards here.
Wayne
My son and I were at Red Hills State Park in East Central Illinois one year when they did a controlled burn. They had racked around hundred of large trees. They used blowers and four wheelers to move around. They had two guys in fire suits but most weren't.
I was shocked are how large an area they worked in one burn. George works in a different setting than a state park with mature trees.
The Cherokee Indians used fire effectively.
I wish we could burn because I believe it would help but that is not in the cards here.
Wayne
My recommendation would be burn then hinge but I usually go about it ass backwards...I cut 53 trees down today and the leaf litter is horrendous...
George
Well-Known Member
Technically speaking I have a solid plan and there isn't much left for chance but we are attempting to mimic disturbance as part of a much more random natural plan. I always referred to my habitat work as a patchwork.
I do have an eye to create clusters on sunny slopes down in the bowls particularly on the less steeps and any bench areas. And you are correct in my desire to feather edge my whole bottom.
I generally like to do my work then run the fire. The burn window is short and if I miss it I will probably run the fire through then finish my work.
What I will be doing is TSI with a few hinged trees thrown in to create some visual blocking and structure. My two themes that will be carried over and be implemented here are Free Flow and now the 164 Acre Food Plot.
Looking at my root system or arteries of highland travel corridors matched with my planned Random Clusters and my food plot offerings down below it's not too hard to imagine my main kill zone up on my oak ridge.
G
Only problem with fire after the fact is I tend to drop more trees than I hinge anymore. The logs flat on the leaf bed stop the burn pretty effectively...I am a one man show just like you and if I cut everything up for firewood I would have a very small clear cut...much smaller than I would like... in the few hours I have to devote to it on the few weekends in the winter I have to work on it...having said all of that timing is of the essence and most weekends here are not good for burns and when we have a day that is I have other commitments. The chainsaw is pretty much always ready to go so my burns have to wait...not even sure if I will get any in this year even though I would love to burn the brooms hedge fields over at our 25 acre place south of here...
Where is your access going to be from?
George
Well-Known Member
The Kill Zone is roughly outlined in green.
You can see the visible utility access road that goes through one cluster then meanders over the highland bordering two other clusters. The blue arrows are marking where the access road leaves and then reenters my property. The lower half between the arrows borders the property line.
The orange line is an existing logging path up. It goes through deer territory so it probably won't be a hunting access.
The red is a proposed sneak in/out path along the rim of bowl #4 on the other side over the hill and concealed from all clusters.
I see myself accessing the Kill Zone straight up from the barn yard and taking the red path down or up in the dark.
G
Looks like the access I have here on the hollow except I don’t have to walk uphill since our property is mostly the high ground including where our house is and the ground falls away into a creek bottom and various hollows throughout our place. The issue is those shot deer can end up deep in a hollow that is only 3 feet wide at the bottom and very vertical on the sides...so far only had that happen once but it was a pain in the butt to get that deer out...
South wind will not be your friend and I foresee you awaiting a northerly version for your hunts just as I do here...
South wind will not be your friend and I foresee you awaiting a northerly version for your hunts just as I do here...
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I could see you having a good stand site for a prevailing northwest wind on the right side of the center triangle shaped random cluster right at the military crest of the ridge before it drops off into the big draw to the right.
Looking good George...I attempted to flick the buck today and slowly burnt about 5 acres or so but it was patchy. Too much humidity and it was 34 for a high. Had good wind at about 15 mph...gotta burn when I can here...
