Land Clearing

[deerdown]

I have 7.8a of expired crp that has grown up in prickly ash, dogwoods, plum thickets, evergreen, cherry, etc...

I'm thinking about hiring someone to get it cleared, but whenever I've hired these things out in the past, it's always been on an hourly basis.

Anyone have any luck getting a bid/price on a job like this, as opposed to an estimate and an hourly rate? It's getting cost shared so I'd prefer to know a fixed price as opposed to a guestimate.

 

[Sligh1]

I have 7.8a of expired crp that has grown up in prickly ash, dogwoods, plum thickets, evergreen, cherry, etc...

I'm thinking about hiring someone to get it cleared, but whenever I've hired these things out in the past, it's always been on an hourly basis.

Anyone have any luck getting a bid/price on a job like this, as opposed to an estimate and an hourly rate? It's getting cost shared so I'd prefer to know a fixed price as opposed to a guestimate.

Do u wanna row crop it? Or re-enroll?
Either way- that’s super easy. Ur best options are a dozer guy who is super careful & puts top soil back in place OR a mulcher on a skid steer. Small stuff with dozer hardly touches top soil but I’d still get it back on. If it’s re-enrolled CRP where trees need gone- u could spray them dead.
7.8 acres of small stuff …. That’s a days work. Travel, hassle, equipment, fuel, I gotta think this is like <$2500. Probably a decent bit less but most folks are pry gonna bid it a touch up since it’s a job to get to the job & hassle around it. In any case- not a huge amount of $. Unless it’s much bigger trees than I’m thinking. If super big- maybe $5k-ish. Broad range, guess: $1500-5k depending on how do it and how many & size of trees.

 

[Hardwood11]

I have 7.8a of expired crp that has grown up in prickly ash, dogwoods, plum thickets, evergreen, cherry, etc...

I'm thinking about hiring someone to get it cleared, but whenever I've hired these things out in the past, it's always been on an hourly basis.

Anyone have any luck getting a bid/price on a job like this, as opposed to an estimate and an hourly rate? It's getting cost shared so I'd prefer to know a fixed price as opposed to a guestimate.

That sounds like a deer and pheasant haven!!

 

[deerdown]

Do u wanna row crop it? Or re-enroll?
Either way- that’s super easy. Ur best options are a dozer guy who is super careful & puts top soil back in place OR a mulcher on a skid steer. Small stuff with dozer hardly touches top soil but I’d still get it back on. If it’s re-enrolled CRP where trees need gone- u could spray them dead.
7.8 acres of small stuff …. That’s a days work. Travel, hassle, equipment, fuel, I gotta think this is like <$2500. Probably a decent bit less but most folks are pry gonna bid it a touch up since it’s a job to get to the job & hassle around it. In any case- not a huge amount of $. Unless it’s much bigger trees than I’m thinking. If super big- maybe $5k-ish. Broad range, guess: $1500-5k depending on how do it and how many & size of trees.

That's the problem I've had, previously I've had contractors come out and give me a range they think it will run and then bid the job by the hour. In the end it has always ended up exceeding the top of the range they estimated. Are there contractors that will give a set bid for clearing land?
I'm going to put it into a warm season grass/pollinator.

 

[Hardwood11]

That's the problem I've had, previously I've had contractors come out and give me a range they think it will run and then bid the job by the hour. In the end it has always ended up exceeding the top of the range they estimated. Are there contractors that will give a set bid for clearing land?
I'm going to put it into a warm season grass/pollinator.

New CRP plan, the old cover wouldn’t qualify?… or you just want to clean it up ?

 

[deerdown]

That sounds like a deer and pheasant haven!!

Never kicked any birds out and never found any sheds, few tracks.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

I hard bid jobs all the time so it's def possible to have that arrangement. 7 acres of above..... dozer work imo. That would take forever with a skid loader. That is really grown up.

 

[deerdown]

I hard bid jobs all the time so it's def possible to have that arrangement. 7 acres of above..... dozer work imo. That would take forever with a skid loader. That is really grown up.

I was hoping you'd chime in with your thoughts. Thanks for the guidance.

 

[Huntinguy]

I have 7.8a of expired crp that has grown up in prickly ash, dogwoods, plum thickets, evergreen, cherry, etc...

I'm thinking about hiring someone to get it cleared, but whenever I've hired these things out in the past, it's always been on an hourly basis.

Anyone have any luck getting a bid/price on a job like this, as opposed to an estimate and an hourly rate? It's getting cost shared so I'd prefer to know a fixed price as opposed to a guestimate.

Where is the area at. I know a good cheap dozer guy around osceola

 

[deerdown]

It's in NW MO, hour west of Bethany, Mo

 

[Sligh1]

Ahhh. A little thicker & bigger than I imagined . Ya- that’s gonna take a while! Hopefully u find someone to give u a bid. I personally would be ok with “by the hour” if I found trusted good operator but doesn’t mean u can get what u want. Fire back on how much this costs. Now my wild guess… $5-7k.

 

[Hardwood11]

Never kicked any birds out and never found any sheds, few tracks. View attachment 127898View attachment 127899View attachment 127900View attachment 127901

I’m going to play devils advocate just for the fun of it . Not my land, so go for it ..

This type of cover is usually a magnet for a big buck . Maybe the location is not ideal . I’d go hinge some of it, make trails ? Unless you want additional income, I’d be shocked if bucks do not use it ?

Either way, good luck . I have a stud buck using this type of cover in Minnesota every year …. It’s cedar, spruce, pine, plum, dogwood etc..

Maybe the geographical difference, makes your area less attractive? Hard to say .

 

[Bassattackr]

That second photo looks like great cover.. buck paradise. The others look fairly open once the leaves fall.

A mulcher head would be nice to create some trails and pockets of new growth. Decent amount of time if you want to remove all 8 acres though..

 

[deerdown]

I’m going to play devils advocate just for the fun of it . Not my land, so go for it ..

This type of cover is usually a magnet for a big buck . Maybe the location is not ideal . I’d go hinge some of it, make trails ? Unless you want additional income, I’d be shocked if bucks do not use it ?

Either way, good luck . I have a stud buck using this type of cover in Minnesota every year …. It’s cedar, spruce, pine, plum, dogwood etc..

Maybe the geographical difference, makes your area less attractive? Hard to say .

You're probably right, I try to stay out of it because I assumed it's being used as it's the narliest ground around. I have been thru it a time or 2 tho and never found any sheds or much sign.
I'm not looking for income from it so maybe you have a better idea than I had and I should do some hinge cutting and make some trails. I'll have to mull that around. Thanks for willing to speak up, that's why I come on here and ask. Lots of ideas on here I don't think of.

 

[hans1]

I have an equip contract with 8-10 acres to clear like that. Mine is mostly cedars and locust the cost share is really low about 250-275 an acre for the clearing.
The Cedars are full canopy in spots and 12-16 inch dbh. Thought about renting a shear for my skidloader but may just get them with the Excavator/dozer combo. Either way will keep track of hours per acre and report back. Hoping to
Release some natives from the seed bank

 

[Hardwood11]

You're probably right, I try to stay out of it because I assumed it's being used as it's the narliest ground around. I have been thru it a time or 2 tho and never found any sheds or much sign.
I'm not looking for income from it so maybe you have a better idea than I had and I should do some hinge cutting and make some trails. I'll have to mull that around. Thanks for willing to speak up, that's why I come on here and ask. Lots of ideas on here I don't think of.

I am very surprised you have not found sheds in there . Can you post an aerial map of that block of cover ?

 

[deerdown]

It's part of the 9.55a in the SW corner.

Sheds have been found multiple times in the ravine that runs on the north side of the area, but none in the area itself. Is it just coincidence that we find them in the hardwoods of the ravine but the reason the deer are there is that they're coming in and out of that 9.55a? Or they know they have that as an escape route? I've only walked into that area probably less than 10 times in the more than 10 years I've owned it, but never found a shed and I never noticed any rubs, few tracks, few beds..... Maybe I'm missing a bunch of sign? I usually run trail cameras on the south side of the ravine and get some pretty decent deer every year I do.... It's a puzzle to me, so I was going to clear it, but now I'm leaning to Hardwoods/Bassattackrs suggestions....

 

[Daver]

Is someone possibly slipping in the backside and scooping sheds on you? Looking at your photos...to me, you could rent a skidsteer with a mulching head for a day and somewhat randomly whack pockets here and there and create multiple "zones" where sunlight can get to the ground and leave other brush/timber. A mosaic of nature, if you will. Unless someone is bumping them out, etc, I can't see how you wouldn't have good utilization of such an area.

I suspect you could get that done for a thousand dollars'ish. If you aren't happy with it...really whack it in a future year.

 

[deerdown]

you could rent a skidsteer with a mulching head for a day and somewhat randomly whack pockets here and there and create multiple "zones" where sunlight can get to the ground and leave other brush/timber. A mosaic of nature, if you will. Unless someone is bumping them out, etc, I can't see how you wouldn't have good utilization of such an area.

I suspect you could get that done for a thousand dollars'ish. If you aren't happy with it...really whack it in a future year.

That's another good idea, because once I clear it, it's cleared for another 15-20 years to your point. Baby steps is a good idea, otherwise, I might be screwing something up that's really good and I just don't realize it. Appreciate the input.

 

[Daver]

That's another good idea, because once I clear it, it's cleared for another 15-20 years to your point. Baby steps is a good idea, otherwise, I might be screwing something up that's really good and I just don't realize it. Appreciate the input.

Skid it for a day, use a regular chain saw for another day or two, plant AND fence some potted oaks for the future and see how it goes for a year or two.