I have a skilled dozer operator at my disposal this winter. I'm wanting to improve my habitat for mature bucks. We have plenty of food plots to support our deer herd. I have about 1500 hundred acres of mountainous country.
What would you be focusing on improving with the use of a dozer to hold mature bucks?
With this in mind, most of our hill sides were logged over 5 years ago and are grown up and nasty. Almost too nasty. I'm going to clean up some of the old logging roads the loggers left behind because these are main travel corridors in hill country. I'm also going to push brush and trees into cuts to make them bottle neck the deer more.
Should I clear off ridge tops and benches and let natural forage grow back or just clear off patches?
Our main road system is on the tops of these hills with fairly step drop offs on the sides. There are several logging roads running around the hills that the deer use. However, the sides are so overgrown it is nearly impossible to hunt. Any suggestions?
Dozin' for mature bucks
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Re: Dozin' for mature bucks
I would put water holes in prime positions near bedding points at the tops of draws.
- Spysar
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Re: Dozin' for mature bucks
And I wouldn't go dozing all the thick stuff. Deer find sanctuary there. Maybe create a small food plot in a hidden corner near thick stuff, just don't go crazy with the dozer.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Dozin' for mature bucks
Spysar wrote:And I wouldn't go dozing all the thick stuff. Deer find sanctuary there. Maybe create a small food plot in a hidden corner near thick stuff, just don't go crazy with the dozer.
I was thinking the same thing...
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Re: Dozin' for mature bucks
I don't plan to remove all the thick stuff. Trust me, it would take years to remove all the thick stuff. I am more interested in making benches and a little more huntable. I think I will just brush crush these areas. Lift the blade up about 2 or 3 feet and just run over the stuff. This should give more shooting lanes but still have a thick look.
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Re: Dozin' for mature bucks
water holes, higher spots for bedding, a berm to keep spotlights/vision limited (both ways)
Green and growing... Or red and rotting
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