Management help?

[TheMadCatter]

Well, I've talked it over with my Cousin and Dad and they have a place that's about 740 acres combined (500 crop 220 timber, 3 ponds, creek 20 CRP) they gave me the go ahead that I can plant food plots in the CRP and plant after harvest. There's also a small area with little trees (I'll ID them later for you guys) and I think it'd make a ideal bedding area and some locust trees are included in the area. Should I cut and take the locust trees out? The smaller trees I saw some posts about cutting them off so they don't die but keep them for bedding area and I was wondering should I do this? What food plots should I start with? I can get my hands on RUP Corn/Soybeans or should I put it into some other winter mix? Are mineral licks ideal? What mixes should I use if so? I'm not really worried about hunting it too much this year, but I might. What invasive trees should I most worry about or should I? Is there a way I can get deer to bed more often?

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[eiowaarcher]

Well, I've talked it over with my Cousin and Dad and they have a place that's about 740 acres combined (500 crop 220 timber, 3 ponds, creek 20 CRP) they gave me the go ahead that I can plant food plots in the CRP and plant after harvest. There's also a small area with little trees (I'll ID them later for you guys) and I think it'd make a ideal bedding area and some locust trees are included in the area. Should I cut and take the locust trees out? The smaller trees I saw some posts about cutting them off so they don't die but keep them for bedding area and I was wondering should I do this? What food plots should I start with? I can get my hands on RUP Corn/Soybeans or should I put it into some other winter mix? Are mineral licks ideal? What mixes should I use if so? I'm not really worried about hunting it too much this year, but I might. What invasive trees should I most worry about or should I? Is there a way I can get deer to bed more often?

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Cutting the trees and keeping them alive is called hinge cutting and it works great!! If your going to plant food plots you have to see what's around. If there's a lot of corn/soybean within a few couple hundred yards I wouldn't bother. Another thing with plots is keep it diverse. Don't just plant one thing but multiple. Multiple of each spring/summer and fall/winter plots to see what the deer like and don't like if you have room and/or can afford to. I also have great luck with weaving a pathS 8-15ft wide through CRP from timber edge(bedding areas) to the major plot(s). I often plant those paths with clover. They tend to come out and feed much earlier than you would normally see them on the big major plots. I also run mineral from late march-first of sept. I use Lucky Buck and BB squared. Have great luck with mineral and after a few years I think it does help the deer. I'm sure others will argue that though. I would start with some hinge cutting to thicken up/create more bedding, mowing paths, and figuring out where that plot(s) will be located. Mow some trails weaving through the CRP from bedding to food. And when mowing those paths use the lay of the land to your advantage. Pintch points, low spots(hidden/comfortable feeling for deer). And if at all possible run paths from bedding to water and then to food. And in the major plot(s) plant multiple food sources (spring/summer/fall/winter all in the same plot), do this either in strips or blocks and you should have great luck.

 

[6x6]

Cutting the trees and keeping them alive is called hinge cutting and it works great!! If your going to plant food plots you have to see what's around. If there's a lot of corn/soybean within a few couple hundred yards I wouldn't bother. Another thing with plots is keep it diverse. Don't just plant one thing but multiple. Multiple of each spring/summer and fall/winter plots to see what the deer like and don't like if you have room and/or can afford to. I also have great luck with weaving a pathS 8-15ft wide through CRP from timber edge(bedding areas) to the major plot(s). I often plant those paths with clover. They tend to come out and feed much earlier than you would normally see them on the big major plots. I also run mineral from late march-first of sept. I use Lucky Buck and BB squared. Have great luck with mineral and after a few years I think it does help the deer. I'm sure others will argue that though. I would start with some hinge cutting to thicken up/create more bedding, mowing paths, and figuring out where that plot(s) will be located. Mow some trails weaving through the CRP from bedding to food. And when mowing those paths use the lay of the land to your advantage. Pintch points, low spots(hidden/comfortable feeling for deer). And if at all possible run paths from bedding to water and then to food. And in the major plot(s) plant multiple food sources (spring/summer/fall/winter all in the same plot), do this either in strips or blocks and you should have great luck.

Very good advise. Idk what to tell you about the honey locust. When things are tough late winter they eat the pods and love to rub them. Not sure why but I find ALOT of sheds in my areas that are honey locust, brome grass and cedars here and there. I would plan on another dry year, so the Dbltree fall mix of brassicas/radishes in july and then the rye, radish, clover mix in august.Rotate them yearly. Definately a clover mix on your trails and partially shaded areas. I think you have alot of corn/beans in your area but if you can leave a few acres standing it will be well worth it. Hinge cut some bedding areas and you will be set.

 

[GOARMY]

If you plant cedars in the timber will they grow? I never tried in timber and would love to plant some exactly where I want.

 

[6x6]

If you plant cedars in the timber will they grow? I never tried in timber and would love to plant some exactly where I want.

If they have at least a couple hours of sunlight they should grow. Transplant the ones under 24 inches and they will do way better than larger ones. If no sunlight girdle or hingecut some junk trees and transplant small cedars there.

 

[TheMadCatter]

What about planting other trees? Cedars are a pain sometimes, what others would be good?

 

[eiowaarcher]

What about planting other trees? Cedars are a pain sometimes, what others would be good?

Depends on what you want the trees for. For bedding/fast growing I know willows work very well. The deer also love to rub on willows

 

[eiowaarcher]

If your wanting more food something to consider would be fruit trees. Either apple or pears. Takes awhile to get established but a have a farm that's got 4 pear trees and 6 apple trees and the deer hammer them!

 

[TheMadCatter]

If your wanting more food something to consider would be fruit trees. Either apple or pears. Takes awhile to get established but a have a farm that's got 4 pear trees and 6 apple trees and the deer hammer them!

How often do they need to be watered during the summer and how long? I did this with pines and it was a pain! :thrwrck:

Willows wouldn't be a problem but I'd think it'd be hard because the deer would rub them to nothing.

 

[6x6]

Willows, fruit and pine trees will need to be watered often and tubed or fenced the 1st year, especially if it is another dry summer. If its an area you can disc up, you can seed acorns and walnuts by just broadcasting them and covering them. Cedars are great because they can get by with less watering, easy to transplant and deer and rabbits wont eat them.

 

[TheMadCatter]

Willows, fruit and pine trees will need to be watered often and tubed or fenced the 1st year, especially if it is another dry summer. If its an area you can disc up, you can seed acorns and walnuts by just broadcasting them and covering them. Cedars are great because they can get by with less watering, easy to transplant and deer and rabbits wont eat them.

Now should I put willows away from the food plot so they don't ruin them? I was planning on putting mock rubs/scrapes in the food plots.

 

[grizzleyw10]

There is a limit to how much and what you can plant for food plots in CRP fyi, and i wouldnt just go mowing paths through it until you get an ok.

 

[hoosierhunter]

There is a limit to how much and what you can plant for food plots in CRP fyi, and i wouldnt just go mowing paths through it until you get an ok.

Yes I believe 10 percent is usually the max but sometimes less. That means standing crops in this area would not work because there isn't enough to last until late season.

 

[6x6]

Yes, be carefull with the crp. Everything needs to be ok'd. No mowing during nesting season april-aug 15th I think. You can get the ok for 10 percent for a foodplot. You can also get permission to put a 20-50 ft wide firebreak on the edges for burning, which I put in a clover mix. Dont do anything to it without permission or big trouble. As for mineral/salt either put your sites in a sanctuary that you will not hunt anywhere near, or you will need to dig up all the dirt and remove it every fall before season, very tough to get it all, then cover with fresh dirt. Willows need wetter ground, but if you have a low wet area you can get them started with just cuttings off of trees. Your grassy area with the locust trees will be a good area to experiment and go crazy with. Any water around there?

 

[TheMadCatter]

Sorry, should have cleared this up. It's not actual CRP it's brome grasses we have there. We're not enrolled in the program, I just call it CRP (habbit). 6x6, it's pretty wet in the area. The old landowner used to have this area in pasture and we just never farmed it.

For right now I just want to worry about this 160-200 acre spot. You can see the pasture/brome stuff.

We're going to clean up the tresspassing as you can tell google thinks there's a road here because so many people have gone back to the pond.

What I was thinking about for this year...
Yellow = Crops/Food plots leave standing/put in
Green = Trees
Blue = Bedding area

 

[6x6]

That looks great! Clean up the tresspassers and that place will be rockin. Lets figure out your stand/blind locations that you can get in and out of clean first, then landscape your feeding and bedding areas around them. Can you access the area from other sides or just where the trail to the pond is?

 

[TheMadCatter]

That looks great! Clean up the tresspassers and that place will be rockin. Lets figure out your stand/blind locations that you can get in and out of clean first, then landscape your feeding and bedding areas around them. Can you access the area from other sides or just where the trail to the pond is?

We own all the yellow and I have permission to shed hunt the blue.

Btw, I can make ground blinds really easy now. Plus, I know how to make long lasting no hunting signs

 

[6x6]

That does setup nice. Is it a gravel road along the west side, that would allow you to walkin from any part of the west line? How hard is it gonna be shutting down the tresspassers? Do you live close enough by to keep an eye on it? About the only way will be to lock the gate, post it and call the sherriff/CO on everyone. Which may piss some neighbors off that have let you shed hunt in the past. The old you can come on mine if I can come on yours thing.

 

[horn hawk]

keep the locust trees! deer in feb. hammer them when food is scarce, I agree with all the ideas above as well, make it a buffet for them!

 

[eiowaarcher]

Looks good! If it were mine I might try to create some more bedding but otherwise looks good. Only other advice I can give is what I mentioned earlier and that is to plant multiple food sources so that way there is year around found in each and every plot. Good plan so far and should work great. Good luck!