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4K views 16 replies 15 participants last post by  Hunters Edge 
#1 ·
Ecoregion Map Green Rectangle Line


I've been watching a bunch of the videos Jeff Sturgis puts out and I've come up with the plan above for the 40 Acres I just purchased. I'd really appreciate any feedback or thoughts you all have. If I'm off the mark I'd rather find out now, before I spend a bunch of time/money clearing a couple acres of land for food plots! Also, if I cut out pockets in the over grown conifers on the NE, will deer bed in those areas since it will be close to food?

Property info:
About 30 acres is maple/hardwoods. The 10 acres in the NE corner are conifers, looks like an old Xmas tree farm that never got harvested. There is no ag. to speak of in the area for miles. It is located in the north west part of the lower peninsula in X-mas tree country. The south west side of the property is pretty hilly (see the 3D image below). From the SW to the NE the elevation drops about 130'. No water on the property. There is hunting pressure from the east, not much from the north, and I'm not sure about the west. Directly to the south is a big field that was winter wheat/rye last year, but I believe is going to be planted with X-mas trees this year.

Key:
White tear drop w/X-Cabin
Orange-food plots
Green around orange-switch grass
Blue dots-bedding areas to create
Red lines-travel corridors
Pink dots w/tails-tree stands and access
Blue x -water hole
Red X on SE corner-neighbor's tree stand and ground blind (yes, they're right on the prop. line)
Dark Green tear drops/lines-nothing, just covering up way points from OnX

Green Terrestrial plant Land lot Plant Map


Green Ecoregion Map Terrestrial plant Slope


Thanks!
 
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#3 ·
I like the conifers for winters worst blows and snow events as bedding.
I'd be delighted with a couple acres of them...

Your neighbor can move the stand /site location. As it is in your plan it could be decent hunting there .

I'm not saying don't , but I'd revisit the many bedding sites planned. Beyond just South of the cabin the potential to bump deer seems good with the scattered bedding.
The "hilly" /contoured ground S.W. I'd want bedding on. Then stay off it for the most part.
While keeping the concept of connected scattered plots , I'd be tempted to put the biggest on your green waypoint below the 1300 on your first picture and leave it for the deer till near end of season if you get skunked.
That would give them a destination plot for evenings /after dark.

Your conifer plot will take a lot of soil amendments. But then till soil sampled your others may too.

Planting select corridors that get sunlight might give you odds for an ambush.
And spread the risk of too much pressure elsewhere in the event of a failed or played out plot .
Corridor trail plantings are of course different that a more open/exposed plot and certainly are not destinations.
But sure can get used as browse.
With hunting pressure , I watch deer browse trails for a while before approaching open areas. And seek out or encounter other deer doing similar things.

Complimenting open areas deer use for the security of having distance around them and for sighting each other and potential threats ; trails offer edges. Seldom a bad thing.
And with browse on them adds to tonnage of forage , places for deer that don't want other deer finding them easy (or a disturbance experienced in/on a plot to reoccur before dark) , and can keep a buck busy searching.
My buck initial siting's seldom are in open ground. But rather on trails cut truck width intersecting near secure cover.
Where one can bed unmolested but still note deer activity in the area , on or near trails. Leave a bed and within roughly twenty yards study traffic , and work a tree or branch before poking around nearby on other most used traffic areas checking scent where he couldn't keep tabs on it from his bed.
 
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#4 ·
I don't like it for several reasons. One is you even realize one shortcomings on the parcel (water). Yet the placement is not conveniently placed to hunt over or to increase deer activity to them. Second bucks like high stem count = cover so unless the pines do not offer any ground cover I wouldn't be cutting them. Once shooting starts it may become a go to spot, especially if there is water and food in it as well offering daylight activity. Third if the food plots are to close to neighboring property bucks will stay out 30-50 yards or further depending on stem count on the easterly and use the west wind for detecting does and go north to south crossing runways as well checking for hot does. Fourth if similar to Michigan prevailing winds are majority from the West if so your stands will throw sent to your plots and their bedding areas. I would also look into stands on the off days the wind is from the East. Then again what do I know?

Lastly I hunt 99.9% evening hunts and besides wind you need to be aware of thermal currents depending on if stands are on a hill or ravine. It will take 20 years if the neighbor is in a raised stand but now is the time to plànt a screen of white spruce to block neighbors view.

Just a few things to think about. Congratulations on the new parcel. Best of luck on your habitat also you didn't mention mast trees. Now is also the time to plan and add both hard and soft mast trees and decide on there locations. Keep in mind areas of acidity may help choose what and where to plant them.
 
#5 · (Edited)
(Edit , ooops , wrong thread.)
 
#7 ·
My original property plan looked real similar. I've learned a lot since then. My suggestions:

-Remove stands from property interior and only hunt the edges. I might keep the stands closest to cabin, maybe even move them a little closer to the cabin and hunt them when wind blows at the cabin.

-Fewer and larger bedding areas. Even better would be to just select cut the entire interior of your property inside of the food plots and travel corridors. Consider it all sanctuary.

-Eliminate your central and south waterholes. I don't want to have 1/3 of a chance a buck will visit the waterhole I'm sitting when he gets thirsty. More than likely a buck will visit the waterhole that sets up best in his favor for wind direction, which will be the worst for your hunting. Your north waterhole stand is the most bulletproof for prevailing wind directions, could add another stand to that waterhole that sets up to blow at the cabin in a NW wind.
 
#13 ·
Good info from gunFun.
I put stands on 3 sides of my camp, they are all within 75 yards and I hunt them when the wind blows my scent back to the camp area.
Last year I killed a 4+ year old buck not 75 yards from camp.
You have a very good base layout, much better than mine was, with regards to access. IMO anytime you can get North or East access your off to a great start, then decide if you want an inside out or outside in. Set it up to hunt your best stands, North and East.
As GunFun says, stay out of the center, except around the camp area where you can hunt south on a South wind but dont go in too far from camp.
The food plots look pretty large on the east side, since those are your best stands I would not want them big as you dont want it to be a destination plot where your spooking deer entering stands.
If it were me I think I would make the center and south all sanctuary / bedding, put food plot trails and small kill plots around the edges.
And as i dont agree with all of Sturgis stuff, I do also like having a major food source on one end and giving the deer the other end and hunting them between sanctuary and food but still around the perimeter.
Since my property is surrounded by AG I get an outside / in travel starting in October when summer paterns shift so I have my major food source in the middle.
In your case, I would think an Inside out approach would be better with lots of bedding in the middle and staying completely out of the middle (Unless your neighbor has some really good bedding areas). Setting up a perimeter food plot trail (8-10ft wide) interconnecting kill plots at stand locations no bigger than 1/8-1/4 acre would be ideal keeping them circling your property by your stands.
PS, love the elevation changes, jealous :)
 
#9 ·
Do you have history with the property during season? If not you'll learn a lot about their natural movements the first couple years.
I'd have a stand (or 2) rather close to the neighbor hunting the line. Obviously you want to get along, but don't give a wide berth on your property for him. With prevailing west winds he's in a curious location.
 
#11 ·
If it was me:
First step get it surveyed.
Rent or hire a Fecon forestry mulcher to cut the perimeter for access and clear your cabin location as long as he is on site.
Scout heavily this spring once the snow melts.
Use that information to develop a hunting strategy for the first fall using your new perimeter trail access system.
The second spring rescout the property with the knowledge gained from your first season and edit your plan.
By this point some obvious food plot locations may appear. Soil test and amend soils to optimum level.
Bring the Fecon back in for more clearing of plot locations, stand locations and shooting lanes.
when making your plan include a financial and estimated time budget for each item you want to accomplish. A few hundred hours of actual work annually goes a long ways in accomplishing your goals. Soil is the most expensive thing to change in a piece of land.

Good luck it’s a great thing to start out with a blank slate. Those budgets come in handy because it’s better to have completed items vs a bunch of just started items.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
What county ? Any discussions with new neighbors ? About how many homes per square mile in the area ? At least in my area, you can plan on about 3 hunters per smaller home and property. Hunting pressure & success from past owner ? They may have inflated sightings and success some to help inflated property value.


L & O
 
#14 ·
Just echoing the good advice already offered…..

move plots away from neighbors

Hunt the edges-stand placement

Hunt the wind-stand placement

More/bigger bedding and consider location based on food plots and your stand. IE -beds, you, food - not necessarily in that order. Wait, no. exactly I’m that order.

Consider planned undetected access - access plus stand placement.

select cut a portion is a great move

Cut a leaner right overtop that dude’s blind. Wait did someone say that yet? Well at least make a tree top mess right next to it. 30’ high! New ideas - outside the box…..

and maybe go slow and observe existing deer movement before making some of the big moves. Except select cutting. That’s a no brainer.
 
#15 ·
I think I'd be hunting it for a year to try and figure it out just a bit before making many changes. The one thing that I would do is make a total perimeter trail system, regardless of what you ultimately do elsewhere, that trail will be great to have.
 
#16 ·
I second this advice, intel can be your best friend when designing property. Intel will also provide info on surrounding pressure, better understanding potential food-plot/bedding areas. Perimeter trail system priority #1. Good Luck
 
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#17 ·
Intel is easy to see in the winter because those runways usually are the same used in the fall. Also the reason for habitat improvement besides the welfare or benefit to wildlife is to pattern and change structure, food, water source thereby changing bedding and patterns. When it comes to planting trees for cover, bedding, screens, travel corridors or mast trees for food draw the sooner the better because your not going to see significant changes for 10 or hard mast 20 years.

Also he mentioned a neighboring wheat field being converted to Christmas trees this will contribute to significant change especially if he has food plots producing needed forage. Also the tree farm will change bedding patterns as well as runways. I think also many do not realize the impact of the availability of water. Many runways change in time as a forest ages or rejuvenates because food source and daytime concealment changes naturally as well. Then again my opinions or views may not agree with others but wanted to express my view and also the benefit of planting trees today not years later. Even later is an advantage and never to late except you could have been enjoying the benefit 10 to 20 years earlier.
 
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