Bedding areas and food plot creation

[heartbuster]

I live in a small area of wooded timber in between urban areas and would like to do something to improve the deer habitat in my area. I only have about two acres of timber to work with, but was thinking of planting a food plot. The area is a creek bottom with sort of sandy soils and a lot of large trees with lots of junk brush below. Would it be a good idea to clear out a half acre in the center and push all of the cut brush to the edges? It would give a food plot better chances with more sunlight since it is extremely shaded right now. Also, would leaving the old brush along the edges provide good cover and protection? Any suggestions or pictures of what other people have done? This is my first attempt at this sort of thing.

 

[petherss]

For what it's worth.......I have a similar situation (1.5 acre woodlot). My only advice is that if you want a 1/2 acre of foodplot, you'll need to open up the south side to let in enough light to grow 1/2 acre worth of food plot. so....it would end up needing to be 3/4 of an acre or else half your plot will be shaded out. I dedided to thicken up my wooded area for a bedding area and plant my foodplot on the edge of the woods and then hunt the transition to/from each. Your situation may be different though. Good luck!

 

[Sligh1]

Only part that struck me was clearing half an acre when you only have 2 acres. If it were me I would rethink that, maybe plant some apple trees instead and make the cover there better. Maybe more like a 1/4 acre AND improving the timber with Timber Stand Improvement and making in more brushy. Just my random thoughts.

 

[heartbuster]

Due to the position of my ground, I cannot place the foodplot on the southern edge and have it be less shaded as another property owner has timber to my south. There is a total of about 30 acres of timber in the area, but no one else does any deer management or seeds any food plots. I thought if I did plant a food plot my chances of harvesting good deer would increase drastically.