Bought my first farm!

[whitetailjunky]

Hey guys I've finally bought my first farm! We bought my wife's grandparents 30 acre farm that is directly across from my main hunting spot here in Ohio. I have so many ideas I would like to do to make it a better hunting spot but last where to start. I figured this would be the best place to get solid advice to get some plans together on what I can do this year to make the upcoming season the best one yet. The property lay out is 14 acres tillable was in wheat that just was harvested yesterday. 12 acres timber a mix of hickory, maple, red oak, and white oak. the house sits in the middle of the property with a 3/4 acre pond out front. The deer seem to be every where right now which is awesome but as soon as the fall shift occurs most bucks vanish. I have meet with a timber burner to sell possibly 10 of the 30 white oak I do have in the woods this winter to help open up the woods for more natural light. I don't have access to much big equipment at the moment so most work will need to be done with basic tools (chainsaw, garden tractor, 4 wheeler). I look forward to any advice you can offer. The first picture is my property imagine a square with a straight line thru the back of the woods. The second is all the property I have permission for inside the red line.

 

[deerdown]

Congrats!

 

[Steve-O]

First off congratulations! Now the addiction starts.

What I would say is...keep all the row crops you can to get that cash rent.

Looks like if you keep some year around food in/near that big block of timber you might be do alright. Use the tree tops from your timber harvest to create some bedding areas.

"Small" properties like this are going to be a create the does home and get a buck cruising through. That close to a home and with north winds majority of time in fall... going to be tough to hold. I'd use that place as a sanctuary (hunt maybe once or twice a year) and use your other places to hunt if you can do that.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Inside corner of timber on south side will be best spot id bet. Id def be buying back crops in that corner and making a big loop around the timber to hunt it on northly winds. I would only hunt the edges of the timber. After you do your logging/TSI, i'd never go in there. ever.

 

[Bucksnbears]

Huge congratulations.
I'll bet you are feeling quite proud.

Bucks in the summer but leave in the fall usually means it's an open canopy area. Thicken it up biggly so more does summer on it and bucks will most likely come back in the fall.

If you can swing the $$$ part, I'd work with those 14 acres of tillable and make foodplots and more good habitat.
Best of luck!

 

[Hardwood11]

Congratulations, looks nice ! A huge key would be to not be in there all the time. It’s tempting, but lack of human intrusion really helps.

Hopefully a good rut spot !

 

[Trapshooter1]

I just completed a logging project on 25 acres and we took 175-200 big maples. In my opinion, if it is open underneath i would cut more and try to transform it to a nasty think bedding area. Your going to want to stay out. (In hindsight I'd wished we cut more. I plan to in the future)

If you don't need the rent money from the tillable and really want to transform I'd take that 14 acres of tillable and make it a mecca, Shield the whole property from the road.(Switchgrass temporarily, and eventually pine trees) I'd have a variety of food plots. Soybeans, Corn, Brassicas, the works. Use tall grasses to shield your entry and exit where your going to be hunting.
To prepare for this fall, I'd think Beans and Brassicas would be good for this year.

On a small property the key is to stay out. Don't be in there all the time.
And have more food than your neighbors.
You will have the deer.

 

[Pops]

Congratulations!
I’ve been fortunate to receive excellent advice from two very good friends over the 18 years I’ve had some property. I just got lucky stumbling up on 2 people that made their living working with and improving wildlife habitat. Only one is living now and he is an Iowa Private Lands Biologist. I’ve taken much of his their advice as well as biologists and foresters with Pheasants Forever and the Iowa DNR.
Addressing a white oak stand is interesting and in my opinion needs to be handled carefully.
Advice and helpful programs are yours for the asking!
Have fun and please keep us updated!

 

[Sligh1]

Agree with above. Get forester in and get state or federal funding if you can for Tsi. EQIP likely still has funds, I think. With trumps desires on our forestry sustainability- I don’t see that $ going away. Tsi is game changer!!!!!
Tsi, the right plots & other cover plantings…. Entrances & exits to strategic spots done right - u r in the top 10% for land if u can pull all that off. Congrats & keep posted on how it goes!

 

[NextBuk]

good advice above...pay for standing crops and get familiar with a chainsaw...limit your intrusions, play the wind... you'll be off on the right road! Congrats!

 

[whitetailjunky]

Thanks everybody for the input. I have a predominately west wind so I am hoping to hunt the east end of the woods this fall. As far as food plots go what is the best thing to establish as an inside edge of timber plot? I need to have some kind of food my neighbors behind me have 3 different plots so I need to make my place a destination as well. I want to keep the cash flow coming in from the crops so the tillable is out of the question till the crops come off. I can brodacst into the soybeans toward the end of season and I may even leave an acre for late season. This year I had wheat which is off so I plan to plant something in an acre or 2 later this summer. Any suggestions?