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Post by sd51555 on Nov 27, 2019 23:16:18 GMT -6
Even though Carl, Cat, and the cheeseheads got some season left, I think we can kick this off. What changes did you try that worked out well?
Here’s what I’ve got:
Mini excavator was worth it for the output Moving off the plot made access better Having a clean access trail was quiet Barley before clover green up Chainsaw work turned out great The well Solar
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 27, 2019 23:54:17 GMT -6
What worked well in 2019? Hiring out the food plots to a farmer to plant harvested crops. WIN!!!!
My goal... less work. deer will be there if God tells them to be there. I am done with this stuff for the most part.
Buckthorn removal we are working on isn't for deer. Its for "ME". Whats cool is that we saw more deer this year during gun season than we have seen for years. Hmmmm. No bowhunting and little habitat improvement during the pre-season. I like what has happened. Even with Dad letting guys come in the weekend before gun season I saw more deer than I have for 15 years or so. Granted, I saw 4 opening weekend, but I saw 6 second weekend which is a milestone.
Maybe habitat improvement isn't the answer... maybe staying out is the improvement?
All joking aside,,,, I have said for years that having private property and not enjoying it sucks. But in the same breath staying out seems to do something.
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 28, 2019 1:10:28 GMT -6
I saw a huge leap this year in apple production due to giving them more sunlight in 2017 and 2018. They put on a lot more growth this year as well so production should be even better next year and beyond.
Same with the young red oak crowns I released in 2017 and 2018. They all produced good crops of acorns this year. Sunlight is a key player in plant growth. I’m ready to start my habitat 2020 work in 2 weeks.
One thing that didn’t work this year is the deer hit our brassicas in September during the dry spell that we had so we had very few bulbs for November. I’m not sure how to prevent that other than maybe plant areas with separate sections of turnips, radishes , and dwarf Essex rape. Maybe they’ll leave the turnips alone that way. I may solar efence a section of my main orchard area to hopefully keep the bear out. Maybe I’ll have turnips there next year as well.
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 28, 2019 1:12:33 GMT -6
Even though Carl, Cat, and the cheeseheads got some season left, I think we can kick this off. What changes did you try that worked out well? Here’s what I’ve got: Mini excavator was worth it for the output Moving off the plot made access better Having a clean access trail was quiet Barley before clover green up Chainsaw work turned out great The well Solar What about your new shitter and blinds?
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Post by Bob on Nov 28, 2019 1:55:33 GMT -6
Even though Carl, Cat, and the cheeseheads got some season left, I think we can kick this off. What changes did you try that worked out well? Here’s what I’ve got: Mini excavator was worth it for the output Moving off the plot made access better Having a clean access trail was quiet Barley before clover green up Chainsaw work turned out great The well Solar What about your new shitter and blinds? Ah shit, I'm sure I forgot even more than that. It was a good year for progress. Got a full cycle in and deprived Foggy of me giving up on solar. That was perhaps my proudest.
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Post by Bob on Nov 28, 2019 1:58:46 GMT -6
My goal... less work. deer will be there if God tells them to be there. I am done with this stuff for the most part. Buckthorn removal we are working on isn't for deer. Its for "ME". Whats cool is that we saw more deer this year during gun season than we have seen for years. Hmmmm. No bowhunting and little habitat improvement during the pre-season. I like what has happened. Even with Dad letting guys come in the weekend before gun season I saw more deer than I have for 15 years or so. Granted, I saw 4 opening weekend, but I saw 6 second weekend which is a milestone. Maybe habitat improvement isn't the answer... maybe staying out is the improvement? All joking aside,,,, I have said for years that having private property and not enjoying it sucks. But in the same breath staying out seems to do something. I 100% agree. I still wanna keep moving things ahead, but I highly scrutinize inputs and outputs. That's why my approach to native habitat and plots is about as low intervention as you can get, short of doing nothing at all. There is a lot to staying out. I have ventured in much less the past couple years, and we're starting to see horns. There have been more bucks seen here the past two years than I saw in the previous 5 at the other property.
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Post by Sandbur on Nov 28, 2019 2:49:15 GMT -6
As said, staying out is a big thing.
Crab apples have really paid off now that we have higher deer numbers. I saw a deer every day except one during the rifle season where I live.
Up north saw several slow days with not a deer seen.
The struggle now is keeping coyote hunters out who are chomping at the bit with wolf and coyote sign around.
I am looking forward to muzzleloader season and ice fishing.
Retirement has got me back into fishing and I am tapering off on the habitat work. I am just going to do a bit of trimming around the edges and enjoy what I have for habitat .
Considering not applying for Camp Ripley hunt as I just don’t really enjoy it. It is a game for younger guys. Bow hunting is just time in the woods for me. Give me a rifle to get it done!
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 28, 2019 5:33:18 GMT -6
My goal... less work. deer will be there if God tells them to be there. I am done with this stuff for the most part. Buckthorn removal we are working on isn't for deer. Its for "ME". Whats cool is that we saw more deer this year during gun season than we have seen for years. Hmmmm. No bowhunting and little habitat improvement during the pre-season. I like what has happened. Even with Dad letting guys come in the weekend before gun season I saw more deer than I have for 15 years or so. Granted, I saw 4 opening weekend, but I saw 6 second weekend which is a milestone. Maybe habitat improvement isn't the answer... maybe staying out is the improvement? All joking aside,,,, I have said for years that having private property and not enjoying it sucks. But in the same breath staying out seems to do something. I 100% agree. I still wanna keep moving things ahead, but I highly scrutinize inputs and outputs. That's why my approach to native habitat and plots is about as low intervention as you can get, short of doing nothing at all. There is a lot to staying out. I have ventured in much less the past couple years, and we're starting to see horns. There have been more bucks seen here the past two years than I saw in the previous 5 at the other property. Bob, You and SD should take a walk after season and check out the state land. If you’re willing to walk a mile (most hunters aren’t) there may be some unpressured good spots in there. You will probably find that deer are traveling from there to your food plots.
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Nov 28, 2019 6:56:30 GMT -6
Staying more off the property then on it. Not putting out as many trail cams. Not checking trail cams as often. Spraying my apple trees more often with the shit Stu recommended ended the cedar apple rust by 98% Not planting any trees in 2019 and taking care of the ones I have better. Using Nose Jammer every time going out to stand verses sometimes.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 28, 2019 8:18:20 GMT -6
Accidentally spilling a few bags of milorganite along my corner/line where the aholes to the west hunt may have saved a deer or three. They sat my line like always, but nothing came through that area this year. May have been coincidence, may have been the milorganite. I'll be accidentally spilling some more next year.
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Post by Catscratch on Nov 28, 2019 8:19:09 GMT -6
I've been a stay out hunter for a long time. No trail cams where I hunt, no stands (I hunted from the ground exclusively this season), no habitat work, etc. Works well for me.
My bean plot with electric fence was great until about 3 weeks ago. Deer still spend some time in it but they're spending more time in the wheat/clover plots now. Quail loved this plot but I haven't seen them for a couple of weeks either. Too small and nothing left.
Deer are the pumpkins this yrs. We dumped them out in a plot once they started to get soft and the deer have been hammering them.
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Post by chummer16 on Nov 28, 2019 8:38:03 GMT -6
I finally learned the staying out thing. The work of 4-6 years ago has really paid off. To shoot two 3.5yos in my area is something I never thought I could pull off. I did very little habitat work last year after April and didn’t put cameras out until September. Didn’t drive atv on property until hunting season. Same plan for next years, grafting in spring and apple maintenance and then leave it alone.
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Post by batman on Nov 28, 2019 8:40:15 GMT -6
Accidentally spilling a few bags of milorganite along my corner/line where the aholes to the west hunt may have saved a deer or three. They sat my line like always, but nothing came through that area this year. May have been coincidence, may have been the milorganite. I'll be accidentally spilling some more next year. I had east neighbors with the big ag fields years back that got the milorganite stinky ass hand treatments every Friday midday. Dog and I would try shoot grouse as we went. I could watch the mature deer stage about 70 yards from the line until 15 minutes after legal light.
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Post by Freeborn on Nov 28, 2019 8:49:33 GMT -6
Plant trees early/often. The original plan and plantings I implemented about 7 years ago are starting to bare fruit. Crabapple and evergreen plantings in particular. Corn and beans are a fantastic draw with beans out drawing corn through Minnesota's rifle season. Corn provides cover for bean field and gives deer an edge to move in and out of cover. Continue to plant trees every year, having evergreens on hand motivates you to look for and fill those holes in your plantings. With time even plugs start to grow. On my property hunt the travel corridors leading to where the does are and you will see bucks moving. Hunting over a food plot is problematic as entrance and exit is impossible. Ozonics works I need to engineer a way deer can reach apples that fall off trees but still keep the tree protected from browse. The Kasco no-till drill does not do well with trash and there is no easy way around it. I still need a hunting season shower.
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Post by mnfish on Nov 28, 2019 9:22:23 GMT -6
There is no doubt that 8' woven wire was the best land management decision ive made to date. TurkeyTown will be, when finished, a private 60 acre island. No more trespassers or no roaming dogs. No more worries about outside influences messing with my goals. Guns being sighted in 1 day before gun season, 4 wheelers in the middle of the night, fireworks, ect ect, are non impactful. The end result has been...I am ejoying my property to the fullest. Creating and enjoying my goals. All the enjoyment with zero of the frustrations I use to deal with!
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