Brents piece

July 13, 2013

Member Brent’s piece of land is a little over 100 acres. His cabin is in the NE corner, and there is a gravel road that runs along the east boundary. Movement was fairly random, and he had carved out 4 food plots for archery hunting.

food plots for deer — Before picture. The random and unpredictable deer bed to feed patterns had Brent bumping and educating deer quickly every fall.

Initial consult revealed they were bumping quite a few deer accessing these 4 food plots, and we knew we had to start dictating some deer movement to keep the small parcel huntable all season long for him, his brother, and father.

The long term plan will focus on using the eastern road for access, with a huntable destination plot established near the road. Bedding layers will be created around this plot to dictate 2 distinct layers of doe bedding, and a outer series of buck bedding sites along the swamp.

Brents after — Proposed changes. By locating bedding in preferred designed areas west of his new east edge plot, we can predict deer movement and set up to hunt without the deer knowing we are there. Piled brush on the east edge of the new plot forms a barrier to screen our entrance and exit and keep the deer on our plot until dark.

July 26, 2013

We cut out the big eastern plot in July to be prepped and planted in August, and will be back in January to begin specifying bedding based upon what we find being utilized in December.

Brents property has limited quality access for hunting, but this 100 will be producing a lot more deer activity for his family, and hunting much larger in the coming years as we define movement and stop bumping deer. Brent has his work cut out for him as we supply him with the information to execute a big picture plan for his land, and his is one of the pieces we have chosen to highlight over time, and is going to be an exciting piece to work in the years to come.

Keep checking back as we implement and video more and more of the proposed work to Brent’s property, and the results he sees from all the hard work.

July 31, 2013

2 tons of ag lime and 300 lbs of pel lime applied on the new plot to try raise its 5.3 ph up closer to 6. The pel will react immediately for first year results while the ag lime will be active for 4 to 5 years.

August 2, 2013

Brent had the family up picking rocks in the new plot, as he ran a disk with a drag behind it to level the plot and help work in the 2 ton of ag lime he had spread the week before. A drag or bobcat with a leveling bar is a great tool to make sure your plot drains when the rain comes. Any pools that form in this loamy soil will be dead spots that drown out any seed he will put down. He picked up an old Farmall M for $900 to save wear and tear on his ATV.

Our plans call for a mix of cereal rye, clover, and brassica this fall to be planted 30 – 45 days before the first average frost. We will fertilize according to soil sample recommendations and plant the same day just before a nice fall rain. The clover and rye will green up nicely next spring, and help us maintain year round food in this plot so the deer use the same patterns more of the year letting us pattern them, and helping form a social atmosphere with less uprise, more consistency, and less stress on our growing deer herd.