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Interior woods plot

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StucknAz

Active Member
I have a high point on my property that is full of oaks and maples, it has a military crest with significant drop on three sides and the property line is against a 400 acre 15 year old clear cut jungle that the neighbors can’t effectively hunt. There’s some flat ground on the point and a slight elevation change leading to the military crest. Has solid access and plenty of trees to hunt out of.

Question is, do any of you create small woods plots with minimal equipment? I can’t afford a dozer and it’s unlikely I could get any large equipment to it. Anyone do poor man’s plot in these secluded areas? I can do some timber cuts to open the canopy and move the logs but I wouldn’t be able to dig out stumps.

If so, what would be a good year one seed for fall? I’d likely use some plot start or similar product to amend soil if this works. Also would fruit trees grow if I killed off some of the stumps?

I could also add water hole. Just curious what you all think, I put on a couple pics, the highlighted portion in 2nd pic is the neighbor clear cut.

The military crest has a slight bench and it’s very Bucky!
 

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From what I'm hearing, a white clover usually do ok in a small,shaded plot but being
On a crest, not sure?,
Oats,rye may be an option also.
 
Dont know your situation or goals, but at quick glance you might end up doing more harm to your hunting than good.

Oats and some clovers should do well, you still need SOME sunlight if you do it though. Most likely going to need lime as well
 
StucknAz said:
I have a high point on my property that is full of oaks and maples, it has a military crest with significant drop on three sides and the property line is against a 400 acre 15 year old clear cut jungle that the neighbors can’t effectively hunt. There’s some flat ground on the point and a slight elevation change leading to the military crest. Has solid access and plenty of trees to hunt out of.

Question is, do any of you create small woods plots with minimal equipment? I can’t afford a dozer and it’s unlikely I could get any large equipment to it. Anyone do poor man’s plot in these secluded areas? I can do some timber cuts to open the canopy and move the logs but I wouldn’t be able to dig out stumps.

If so, what would be a good year one seed for fall? I’d likely use some plot start or similar product to amend soil if this works. Also would fruit trees grow if I killed off some of the stumps?

I could also add water hole. Just curious what you all think, I put on a couple pics, the highlighted portion in 2nd pic is the neighbor clear cut.

The military crest has a slight bench and it’s very Bucky!
Click to expand...
Your situation sounds fairly similar to one of mine. Nowadays, I have access and equipment to the similar area, but when I started it I didn't. We call the area Highpoint, because it is the highest point on our farm. I manually cut down almost all of the trees in about a .6 acre high point and literally drug them off by hand, leaving the 3' tall stumps still standing. (A few years later I had a bulldozer take the stumps out, but they stood for 2-3 years before that happened.

As someone else said...you will need lime almost for sure on soil that has had decaying leaves on it for years. If you can't get equipment to it then I would definitely go with clover. Even though you can't get a mower to it, it will work, just not optimally. You mention you can't get large equipment to it...can you get an ATV with a pull behind mower to it? If so, then you could mow the clover 2-4 times per year and be in good shape.

For this fall...seed it to rye and clover. Then mow the rye next year and let the clover take off.
 
Daver said:
Your situation sounds fairly similar to one of mine. Nowadays, I have access and equipment to the similar area, but when I started it I didn't. We call the area Highpoint, because it is the highest point on our farm. I manually cut down almost all of the trees in about a .6 acre high point and literally drug them off by hand, leaving the 3' tall stumps still standing. (A few years later I had a bulldozer take the stumps out, but they stood for 2-3 years before that happened.

As someone else said...you will need lime almost for sure on soil that has had decaying leaves on it for years. If you can't get equipment to it then I would definitely go with clover. Even though you can't get a mower to it, it will work, just not optimally. You mention you can't get large equipment to it...can you get an ATV with a pull behind mower to it? If so, then you could mow the clover 2-4 times per year and be in good shape.

For this fall...seed it to rye and clover. Then mow the rye next year and let the clover take off.
Click to expand...
What would you do with your stumps, allow them to sprout or use herbicide?
 
Have you ever walked this in the offseason to see how much this is being utilized as a bedding point?

Could be displacing some deer or a nice buck by doing this project. From personal experience, if there is a buck using this bedding point, he will be replaced by other deer. IE - by does bedding tight to this plot.
 
I’ve not seen much sign as far as bucks on the flat. Ran a cam and feeder there about 10 years ago, it was so so. Since the clear cut border has turned into a jungle and not passable for hunters on neighbors to access, I anticipate food with some tsi on the bench/military and tsi surrounding the food on the upper end should pull some deer out of that clear cut toward me. I could be all wrong. My other section of my 70 acres has a couple acres of food.
 
Bassattackr said:
Have you ever walked this in the offseason to see how much this is being utilized as a bedding point?

Could be displacing some deer or a nice buck by doing this project. From personal experience, if there is a buck using this bedding point, he will be replaced by other deer. IE - by does bedding tight to this plot.
Click to expand...
I’ll have to walk it when I arrive at the farm and determine how much room I have. I’m thinking I can get a good half acre of food, layer some doe bedding leading to the point and isolate some cuts for buck at the drop. It will require boots on ground to see if this is workable. Should be noted, no one within a mile give or take has food, this was my reasoning to add it
 
StucknAz said:
I’ll have to walk it when I arrive at the farm and determine how much room I have. I’m thinking I can get a good half acre of food, layer some doe bedding leading to the point and isolate some cuts for buck at the drop. It will require boots on ground to see if this is workable. Should be noted, no one within a mile give or take has food, this was my reasoning to add it
Click to expand...

In my experience (hill country), if the buck can’t have the preferred bedding (first 30 - 50 yards as it starts to taper off), they will leave. They won’t bed further downhill. They’ll just find another bedding point(s) with less intrusion.
 
StucknAz said:
I’ll have to walk it when I arrive at the farm and determine how much room I have. I’m thinking I can get a good half acre of food, layer some doe bedding leading to the point and isolate some cuts for buck at the drop. It will require boots on ground to see if this is workable. Should be noted, no one within a mile give or take has food, this was my reasoning to add it
Click to expand...
If you’re the only one with food- they will just eat it all and be gone if it’s only a half acre (obviously I don’t know deer density but it would never last here)
 
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