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Post by snowracerh on Jun 1, 2020 11:03:40 GMT -6
I've pondered this question for some time and Im guessing it depends on the situation, but would like to hear your perspective and experiences with this. Does it make sense to mow trails like you would a field road or let them grow up and become more natural in appearance? I have logging roads thru the woods that continue thru open grassy areas. I use them to direct deer while hunting as well as for habitat work via atv in the off season only. I have seperate hunting access trails which arent part of the question above. Picture of "freshly" maintained trail and debating if left alone would be better for hunting purposes...
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Post by smsmith on Jun 1, 2020 11:12:36 GMT -6
I mow my trails for me, not the deer. That said, deer use my mowed trails off and on every day (verified via trail cam pics). Would it be better for hunting to not keep them mowed? I don't know. Probably
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Post by badgerfowl on Jun 1, 2020 11:18:41 GMT -6
You get off the mowed trails on our place and you get every sticker, burr, etc all over you. It's nice to get around without having to pick all that shit off you every time you want to do something. Plus the deer use them just fine. The buck I shot last year came down the hill on an un-mowed part of the trail and walked right to me on the mowed part. After the shot he kept running on the mowed trail and died about 30 yards off it. Nice easy recovery They won't all be like that. Waiting for the first one to fall in the lowest part of our new place. That will be fun getting it out when it happens.
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Post by Sandbur on Jun 1, 2020 11:18:42 GMT -6
A mowed trail that is green might be a food source. Dry standing grass could just be cover or a covered travel lane.
You need to look at each section of the trail and it’s relationship to deer stands to decide the best use.
A third option could be a mowed and glyco sprayed lane that would then strictly be fore travel with no green to munch on.
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Post by snowracerh on Jun 1, 2020 11:21:29 GMT -6
A mowed trail that is green might be a food source. Dry standing grass could just be cover or a covered travel lane. You need to look at each section of the trail and it’s relationship to deer stands to decide the best use. A third option could be a mowed and glyco sprayed lane that would then strictly be fore travel with no green to munch on. I do the spray route thru some areas but have had issues with washing on the hilly stuff so that adds some complexity to it.
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 1, 2020 11:21:53 GMT -6
I have several mowed trails by the house. Deer use them. Probably every trailcam pic I've ever posted were on one of those mowed trails. I don't hunt my plots or trails though. I don't even hunt main trails, always downwind of a main trail in a pinch point that looks like a it "could" have a trail. Most of the bigger bucks I've seen were on trails that were to small to tell they were trails. But sometime I see a nice one just rambling right down the middle of a deer highway. They do whatever they want.
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Post by wiscwhip on Jun 1, 2020 12:03:41 GMT -6
For you guys who like that perennial ryegrass, trails are the ideal place to plant that stuff. I would never use it in a plot, since I have never seen it as a preferred browse, only really "starvation" food. The deer won't likely hang around eating on your trail like they would with clover planted there, but when things get tough for them food wise, they will have another option besides bark and twigs. As far as mowing...meh...whatever...
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Post by biglakebass on Jun 1, 2020 12:46:56 GMT -6
I like mowing the trails for me. But I dont manicure mow them. I just mow one time mid summer to knock stuff down.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 1, 2020 14:56:52 GMT -6
For you guys who like that perennial ryegrass, trails are the ideal place to plant that stuff. I would never use it in a plot, since I have never seen it as a preferred browse, only really "starvation" food. The deer won't likely hang around eating on your trail like they would with clover planted there, but when things get tough for them food wise, they will have another option besides bark and twigs. As far as mowing...meh...whatever... I had a section of trail that was too shady and wouldn't grow much, even weeds. I opened the canopy a bit and put down a mix of perennial rye and red fescue. It took a couple years, but that area has filled in nicely now.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Jun 1, 2020 15:25:04 GMT -6
Trails get ripped up and scraped in my area, if I clean them up (mow) or trim.
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Post by Freeborn on Jun 1, 2020 16:57:02 GMT -6
I would not mow anywhere near where you hunt. Less intrusion the better. If you have one primary trail with access spurs off of it that would be fine but stay away from where your deer bed and their travel corridors. The only deer I see on the 1 mowed trail I have is does and young bucks. The larger bucks never travel on my mowed trail.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 1, 2020 18:28:19 GMT -6
Trails get ripped up and scraped in my area, if I clean them up (mow) or trim. Good point, I get lots of scrapes and rubs along/on my mowed trails as well.
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Post by batman on Jun 1, 2020 18:43:28 GMT -6
I would not mow anywhere near where you hunt. Less intrusion the better. If you have one primary trail with access spurs off of it that would be fine but stay away from where your deer bed and their travel corridors. The only deer I see on the 1 mowed trail I have is does and young bucks. The larger bucks never travel on my mowed trail. We used mowed trails on plans through CRP etc to connect doe bedding areas and the bucks follow those mowed paths nicely. Deer like easy trails through cover.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 1, 2020 18:50:55 GMT -6
I would not mow anywhere near where you hunt. Less intrusion the better. If you have one primary trail with access spurs off of it that would be fine but stay away from where your deer bed and their travel corridors. The only deer I see on the 1 mowed trail I have is does and young bucks. The larger bucks never travel on my mowed trail. We used mowed trails on plans through CRP etc to connect doe bedding areas and the bucks follow those mowed paths nicely. Deer like easy trails through cover. Deer are just as lazy as humans. Conserving calories when it is safe to do so only makes sense in the world of survival of the fittest.
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Post by snowracerh on Jun 1, 2020 19:47:23 GMT -6
Trails get ripped up and scraped in my area, if I clean them up (mow) or trim. That makes me wonder if the open trails get more doe usage, hence why the bucks scrape there??
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