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Post by Catscratch on Dec 9, 2018 14:40:07 GMT -6
What would you do to hold more older age class bucks? Bedding is linear with breaks in-between. Food is almost completely towards the west. Deer travel to and from the east/west either to eat, or check bedding for does during the rut. Lots of grass and rolling hills which makes cover somewhat important. Deer have a few bedding area's with trees and brush, but it's mostly sparse for any cover over knee high.
Circled bedding areas are 3-5 acres each.
Red squares are area's I'm considering adding either food plots, or shrubs and trees to make more cover.
As it sits I like that deer have to travel a predicable path to food and bedding. If I add plots it might cut down on travel but could possibly hold more deer. Extra plots could hold more does and get bucks on their feet more during the rut. If I add cover it could make the place more appealing to older age class bucks. Less open area's they have to cross to get somewhere, and maybe another spot or two that an old buck could bed. Idea's?
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 9, 2018 14:41:46 GMT -6
Pics.   |
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Post by Sandbur on Dec 9, 2018 14:51:54 GMT -6
My first consideration would be stand access before planting anything.
You want access to funnels between the bedding areas.
Perhaps the pond would allow access to one point with a NE wind. You probably have good access for north or south winds.
Study that dog leg thoroughly to create places to hunt funnels with an east or west wind.
Figure it out and then plant.
Maybe plum and red cedar in your area?
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 9, 2018 15:06:26 GMT -6
Orange is parking, access, and stand sites. I can almost always get in, hunt, and leave without alerting any deer whatsoever. Plum and cedar are exactly what I was considering. Good call!  |
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Post by benmnwi on Dec 9, 2018 19:53:16 GMT -6
Based on your aerial photo I'd say cover is the limiting factor in the neighborhood.
You just need to add 40 acres of the thickest cover in the neighborhood and you are set - you will probably shoot a 200" buck in no time.
But even adding a couple acres of thick stuff would likely make a big difference.
Is your whole property pastured? Would it be as simple as fencing off a few acres to keep the cows out and the deer in? Maybe you wouldn't need to plant anything. When we hunt sd, Nd and Wyoming it seems like any area without cattle has thicker cover and way more wildlife.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 9, 2018 20:21:51 GMT -6
I think you are right that cover is the way to go. Deer here can be comfortable in just about anything (a 20x20 sumac thicket on a hillside will often be a buck bedding site). I'm sure that extra heavy cover would help a lot. Probably not going to fence cattle off anything yet though. Will have to find something I can plant that the cattle won't bother.
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Post by nhmountains on Dec 9, 2018 20:41:45 GMT -6
Cat,
Where on the map do you think the big deer are bedding now? Are they there and spread out or on other property and you’re hoping to pull them in?
Here in the northeast, the deer and cattle do not mix well. Cattle will chase them off.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 9, 2018 20:51:41 GMT -6
Cat, Where on the map do you think the big deer are bedding now? Are they there and spread out or on other property and you’re hoping to pull them in? Here in the northeast, the deer and cattle do not mix well. Cattle will chase them off. Both. I have a fair number of bucks stay on my place and a fair number that pass through for either food or does. The circled spots of cover on the maps generally produce one set of sheds each. The neighbors and I share trailcam pics and for the most part we all have about the same class of bucks. I wouldn't mind have a spot better than the neighbors though... |
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Post by jbird on Dec 10, 2018 14:11:27 GMT -6
The places in my area that I know hold the better bucks is defined by one thing...security. Security in the form of cover, thick nasty cover, rough ground, and often times even protection from intrusion and hunting. The 2 places I can think of off the top of my head in my area that I know hold big deer on a year in and year out basis have this. One is a neighbors place that was converted from a crappy corn field into a tree planting (mostly oaks) it's about 15 years old now and thick with oaks and cedars and goldenrod and all sorts of stuff. The area also has some steep areas as well as a high water table and the neighbor tends to not go real deep into it, if at all. The other place is similar but is fairly flat. It's a 20 acre block of cedar and nasty stuff surrounded by crop filed and the land owner who lives there doesn't mess with it and allow no hunting. A big deer is seen or killed in that area (hunter or car) almost every year. it's a "dead end" as far as cover is concerned so its a great place for a buck to get some peace and quiet.
Every habitat has a limiting factor...in my area it's cover, no doubt about it. I would love to convert some crop field to deer cover, but I just can't justify the annual income loss (here it's about $200/acre).
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Post by chummer16 on Dec 10, 2018 15:20:00 GMT -6
How many acres do you have? I had the pleasure to hunt a guy from the old forums place this year and is amazing how far his property has come in just 3-4 years. He is holding many older bucks where before there were typically 1-2 before. The quick answer is he made enough of his place so thick that you couldn’t hunt it if you wanted to. That has pulled the bucks in and they are hunted when they come out looking for does. He had multiple big bucks out daily during the rut which was the first time he saw this in 30 years. He did this through heavy logging that ended about three years ago. He knows of a couple nice ones the neighbors got crossing his line but he is heavily hunted on all sides and as of the end of the season a good number of bucks were still up right.
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Post by mnaaron on Dec 10, 2018 15:27:01 GMT -6
Can you fence the cattle out of some of the creek bottom in strategic areas and hunt the travel corridors in between these fenced thick cover areas? Cedars were always hot where I hunted in KS...
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 10, 2018 18:11:48 GMT -6
Not going to be able to fence just yet, like jbird said it isn't financially doable right now. I can plant trees and shrubs though with the hope that the cattle won't destroy them. Selection would be important to find something the cattle won't mess with... maybe some native plum, cedar, or sumac could be established and get growing until I can build some fence and let the grasses and forbs catch up at that time.
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Post by nhmountains on Dec 10, 2018 19:26:09 GMT -6
Not going to be able to fence just yet, like jbird said it isn't financially doable right now. I can plant trees and shrubs though with the hope that the cattle won't destroy them. Selection would be important to find something the cattle won't mess with... maybe some native plum, cedar, or sumac could be established and get growing until I can build some fence and let the grasses and forbs catch up at that time. I think you’ll find the cattle will destroy or at least setback any trees you plant if they’re not protected. Any chance of setting up solar efence in that area ? I had asked where you thought the big bucks were living? Do you think enhancing these areas will pull them to your land even if the cattle are going to be roaming there? Do your larger deer group up year round or are they loners most of the year? |
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 10, 2018 19:52:26 GMT -6
NH, the bucks group up most of the year. They feed together in the summer, break apart in October, and then group back after the rut to hit winter food sources.
I've always felt that it helps to have the little blocks of bedding separated for social reasons, but I also know that extra cover is always good. I really don't know if connecting the blocks will add more bedding but it might add travel security.... which might bring in older bucks to take over the bedding.
Efence is possible but not likely. When that creek floods it destroys regular fence... I would completely loose my setup a couple times a year.
Bedding on these open pastures can be really random. I kind of picture it being analogous to big woods deer in that they can be anywhere. Stop on top of a hill with binoculars and a big buck is just as likely to stand up in knee high grass in the middle of a 300 acre block of grass as they are to step out of the creekbottom. Cover is a relative thing and it seems dependent on the deers mood where it beds on any given day. Maybe I should approach this as improving travel corridors instead of bedding.?.
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Post by benmnwi on Dec 10, 2018 20:07:00 GMT -6
Around here red cedar is the one thing I see that survives in cattle pastures, so that would be a good option. I don't know many cattle guys who would like cedar in their pastures though, so that idea might not be looked at any more favorably than fencing off an area.
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