My Lil Slice...

[Hoyt63]

Newbie here on the site.I replied to a post the other day on here with a picture attached of some habitat improvement i am currently doing on my land. It was suggested I start a new post explaining what i was doing with lots of pics..lol..which i don't mind doing if you don't..I am from Wisconsin and have been bow hunting 38 yrs this year..I Live on a 200 acre farm and have been here 13 yrs. About 130 is tillable,45 wetlands,and 25 uplands and woods. I have dug 2 ponds 1 is an acre and 10-12 ft deep. The 2nd is 1/2 acre and 3-4 feet deep. The 2nd was dug bordering cattails and marsh grass.The 1 acre pond is use to create a funnel. I have approximately 5 acres of year round food plots. This is farm country here and not big woods. I am in the flyway zone and wetlands abundant. The 130 tillable is always cash crop soybeans and corn 50/50 rotated yearly. So it's a major factor here in temporary food and cover.Once it's gone if you dont have a reason for them to stay they wont. Wether it be food source or cover.I'll throw some pictures up and if it is received well i'll continue..I am not a pro just a old farm boy who rides a harley and loves the outdoors. Dave..1 acre pond. 1/2 acre pond Home food plot

[PLB]

Looks awesome Dave!! Welcome to the Beast again!! I love seeing habitat improvements!! Keep those pics coming!!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

I think it would be really interesting to see some map mark ups where you have killed some of your better bucks, what the wind was doing, where they came from, and what time of year it was...

[Hoyt63]

I can do that Dan. Red is current stands orange is stands i killed my 3 best out of. #1 i took a 10 pntr wind was N/E. Actually N/E is mt best wind . They come out of the cattails nose to wind heading for corn. I took #1 Nov.3 in the morning about 9am walking straight down the fence line scent checking. #2 is my biggest buck and made P&Y with the hoyt. I took him November 14th 2 years ago. I watched him for half an hour walk completely around the marsh and up to me to get a drink out of the drainage ditch NE wind. 35 yard shot. #3 i took at 3pm november4. I was coming home and he was standing in the soybean field. I got showered and dressed and was in the tree by 1:30 pm. Around 2:15 a nub fawn comes out of the corn and decides to spend his afternoon keeping me company. At about 3:00pm he stops milling around and freezes staring at something..I look and see legs coming towards me but body is blocked by trees. This 10 pointer sees the nubber and makes a scrape and works a licking branch. The nubber cant take his eyes off him..They buck finishes his scrape walks up to the nubber nose to nose it was an incredible experience..Almost like he was teaching him..Then i took him..15 paces..broadside..I dont go near Sanctuary or hunt much of the east side due to 2 reasons..1 nearly impossible to get to a stand without being busted. It's all ag fields and in fall that means barren land. neighbors live on the east sideabout 1/4 mile away both have unleashed dogs and the deer know it so they stay away from the east side beyond the upper marsh in open fields..

[dan]

Thanks for sharing!

[Jackson Marsh]

Looks like a great farm, thanks for posting! Any kill pics?

[ Post made via Android ]

[U.P. MAN]

Nice !

[DEERSLAYER]

I would like to see a detailed map markup of all the different types of habitat. I wouldn't be surprised if were some opportunities to add/improve habitat.

[Hoyt63]

Your spot on DS. I will be planting 2000 spruce,500 hybrid poplar,150 hybrid willow, 100 SWO's, 100 eldeberry and 25 persimmons this year. My start so far this spring. Spruce come on the 25th of April

[Jackson Marsh]

Your farm is a little slice of heaven! Very cool, thanks for posting.

[ Post made via Android ]

[C&T Archery]

Very Nice! Thanks for sharing!

[DEERSLAYER]

Your spot on DS. I will be planting 2000 spruce,500 hybrid poplar,150 hybrid willow, 100 SWO's, 100 eldeberry and 25 persimmons this year.

I'm just curious if you have a plan mapped out? I like to do a detailed plan online. Then I use a GPS and colored flags to lay everything out precisely. This way I can maximize land use, make precise pinch points and bedding areas for all winds. It can help you maximize the number of deer you can hold on your property while creating the maximum number of stands and the optimum stealth approach and exit routes to and from your stands. Sometimes allowing you to sneak past deer at very close range to get to a good stand due to precise planting. I also normally tell people to first "secure the boarders" by planting a thick wide strip of nasty stuff like prickly ash around the borders to discourage trespassers.

Have you considered using a shrub like dogwoods that produce a good winter food source that will double as good cover and will stay thick permanently? Then you could strategically place fast growing hybrid trees like popples (for stands) and Green Giants (for cover while in your stand) in all the possible hunting locations thereby reducing the area with trees and allowing for more thick food producing cover. I don't know enough details to say anything for sure, but I just thought I would throw a few idea's out there. Like I said, I mean no disrespect regarding your decisions.

I like Norway spruce because they grow fairly fast and you don't need many rows to create a windbreak to get your thermal cover. Are you using Norway's? What kind of hybrid willow are you getting? Trees or something real thick like Streamco's? What do you have planted in the wire enclosures? Also, what kind of persimmons are you getting? It's hard to get them to ripen in the north. Sorry for all the questions, but I really enjoy talking about this stuff.

[Chris Conroy]

Welcome to the Beast Dave! That's some nice land you have there.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Hoyt63]

D.S. I do have a plan mapped out. This is year 2 of a 3 year project on the Habitat Improvement. I planted 200 red twig dogwood and 100 yellow twig last year. I have a ton of it growing naturally also. I am planting 3 yr old white and black spruce at 12ft intervals. I have about 50% percent of borders finished. I been planting Egyptian Wheat on the unfinished til they are completed. I have 100 weeping willow 100 Austree willow 100 black willow. Swamp white oaks are in fenced enclosures. I buy my Persimmons and SWO's from another QDMA member and other members in wisconsin have planted them with great success.The Persimmons are Hybrid American Persimmon. Just received another 300 hybrid poplar op-367 yesterday.Your comments are not a bother bring em on..lol

[DEERSLAYER]

I like that you planted the yellow twig. Some people give me a confused look when I mention it. Are you going to plant more using cutting's or is that all your planting?