Basic Property Maintenance and deer movement?

[BackWoodsHunter]

Wondering how you guys think basic private land management and maintenance effect deer movement? The land I hunt has been up for sale for a few years with so much bickering/family issues I could write a book about it. Anyhow we have a 4acre or so field that I can't get agreement on to plant but we keep it mowed to keep the young trees and stuff from taking over in hopes one day we (grandpa and I) hang on to that piece of the land and turn it into a good food plot. The deer seem to feed on the clover and young wild flowers/grass sprouts that pop up after mowing so its the next best thing to a plot for now anyhow. We also have a network of logging roads around the property we keep maintained and if a tree falls we clear them. We have also been working on "micro plots" here and there back in the woods and one we just planted a few weeks ago. Obviously you pay taxes on a piece of land so you use it for things besides just deer season and it needs to be maintained. We also do some berry picking along the logging roads and glass deer in the summer etc etc.

I am wondering how you think all of this activity effects deer movement? I run my cameras this time of year in the areas we work/maintain and check them as we go in there but as season progresses I don't run them where we hunt. Grandpa hunts over bait (used too anyways I convinced him this yr to play the wind with the ground blinds we set up last month and no bait) so we usually have a camera over that and get nighttime pics of bucks and as the rut starts heating up the deer always work the same scrape every year so we hang a camera over that on the field edge. Nothing too intrusive. Anyways just wondering how you guys view property maintenance and its effect on big deer. Part of me is concerned that it pushes MATURE deer away but then again its been years since we have gotten a buck that I would age older than 3.5 on camera so I don't think they frequent our land anyways...

[JRM6868]

I don't think it affects them if you aren't going into their bedding we do all those things your talking about every year and the mature bucks are still there.

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[Black Squirrel]

I have a similar situation on some of the land I hunt. My father in law ownes the land. He has no intrest in hunting it, which is good for me, but he likes to ride his Gator around it. I love it when a tree falls across the logging road, and blocks his access! As far as your situation, I think your are doing the best you can. I like the idea of mowing that 4 acre field, clover will naturally fill in, keep it young and regenerating, by mowing once a month or so. time your mowing so you have some nice green up for the opener. I think the pressure from the non hunters is minimal as long as they aren't beating around all over the place. If they stay on the logging roads the deer will get somewhat use to them. Some times these properties are best for a few early season hunts and then focus on the rut, when the bucks are crusing.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Yep we try to mow it often...all these young trees are growing up so we keep cutting them back. I can't wait to get the go ahead to plant that field. Anyways I don't see the deer being to bothered but lately with some talk about staying out of your hunting property close ot season had me worried a bit. Last weekend I took the truck out to pull camera chips went back up to the house got on the atv and went out past the camera and there was a buck and doe standing where I had just been. I think as long as human activity is consistent and repetitive in nature the deer get used to it and realize there is no harm. I have an uncle who comes out to the land every night around 5pm (just off work) with a bucket of corn and dumps in front of his heated box blind. Then sometimes he will stay in his stand and watch the deer feed til dark every night the week before opener. Then gun season rolls around and he can't figure why the deer are showing up on his camera at night and he doesn't see any deer.

Anyhow I was wondering what the take of others was on this so thanks for your input guys. I don't see it being too much of a problem. I guess for it to affect "mature buck" movement we would have to have some on our land but this is the biggest buck on camera so far this summer....

[Stanley]

Have you thought about a controlled burn? Kills off the small trees and is great for the soil.

[Southern Man]

Not sure where you're at but, in the fall you might broadcast some clover by hand in a few spots. Mix it with a bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer, and mix it well. 3-4lbs of clover in a 50lb bag of fertilizer is all it takes. Don't worry about what the coverage is for the clover. As close as you're mowing that field it should take hold, especially in the fall. Everything will be dying back. Fall planting of clover is common here. In the spring it should come up good and it'll spread. It won't cost you as much doin it that way and no one will know the better. Just a quick fix until you can break the field for a proper plot.

[headgear]

I wouldn't worry about it, I hunt public but the guys I hunt with put more traffic on trails and logging roads than anyone else. The deer are use to some traffic, atv traffic is probably the best, they hear you coming a long way off and know exanctly where you are going. Foot traffic can spook them a little more but as long as its on the trails they get use to it. I think most deer just sit back and watch us walk/drive by - I have seen it a number of times as I am the only bowhunter in the group.

[Bucky]

Not sure where you're at but, in the fall you might broadcast some clover by hand in a few spots. Mix it with a bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer, and mix it well. 3-4lbs of clover in a 50lb bag of fertilizer is all it takes. Don't worry about what the coverage is for the clover. As close as you're mowing that field it should take hold, especially in the fall. Everything will be dying back. Fall planting of clover is common here. In the spring it should come up good and it'll spread. It won't cost you as much doin it that way and no one will know the better. Just a quick fix until you can break the field for a proper plot.

X2! Just get some clover and broadcast it this fall... should take! Especially in the inside corners of the field

[BackWoodsHunter]

Thanks for the tips on the clover never would have even though of that. As far as controlled burning goes its another one of those things where I'd need all 9 property owners in on it. Hopefully in the next yr grandpa will either be able to buy one of the 3 40's from everyone or we will head off in another direction and buy land elsewhere.

[Zap]

Deer love tall native grass/weed fields with small trees in them, it makes good bedding/safer travel in daylight.
That pic looks like a lawn....

It would offer a good clear shot with a gun though.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Even in years we don't mow things never grow taller than 2ft or so its strange. I want to keep it mowed so when I get the go ahead I will turn it into a big food plot. A buddy got a job selling seed and he's getting me 60 pounds of some store brand name mix. All I know is it has early and late maturing beans in it, some brassicas and oats and a bunch of other stuff. It should plant about 2 acres of the field! I am already looking forward to NEXT season now and this season isn't even here yet!