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Your best bedding areas?

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StucknAz

Active Member
Happy Thanksgiving, wondering what your best bedding areas incorporate? Where do you bed the giants you Iowa boys are killing? Grasses, timber, etc???

If u have pics or If you are post season scouting and have a cam, snap a pic of your best tsi/grass set ups, curious what they look like.

Would you add red cedar to bedding grasses/corn plantings if there are none in the area?

I’m just looking to replicate as much as I can from you all, can never afford to have someone come to me and consult. My cousins started hunting this year and shot a 150 on the Ohio farm, so he’s all in on building the property with me, gives me some extra leverage to do projects where family was apprehensive.
 
My fav. Hedge thicket with scattered cedars and switchgrass in any openings. Consistantly holds more deer than pretty timber.

Thick, nasty, chainsaw improved timber really good too.

Draws/ditches bordered by switchgrass money as well.

Biggest thing of all is never going in it, ever.
 
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Dirty switchgrass!! What i mean is a lot like 1983 says im in process of doing this myself took a 12 acre hay field sprayed added rc big rock switch . cedar pockets . schrubs (dogwood red and grey) plum thickets . Hazel nut ect. and miscanthus strips scaterd all over ! Then let briars . saplings ect grow! 3 to 5 yrs should be awsome! My plan anyway! My 2 cents.

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IowaBowHunter1983 said:
My fav. Hedge thicket with scattered cedars and switchgrass in any openings. Consistantly holds more deer than pretty timber.

Thick, nasty, chainsaw improved timber really good too.

Draws/ditches bordered by switchgrass money as well.

Biggest thing of all is never going in it, ever.
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Rob do you shed hunt your sanctuary once a yr? Or stay out 100pct all yr?

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I mostly hunt riverbottoms.
Lower stuff, deer love to bed in log jams created by floods.
Higher ground, buckthorn and prickly ash pockets.
 
1. Cedars, shingle oaks, switchgrass is the best bedding I’ve ever had.

2. Hinge cut Boxelder trees, with mixed invasive like Buckthorn is a hot spot in Minnesota.

3. River bottom cover with tall grass/dogwoods/willows. Big buck country !
 
Thick choked out areas near ditches or drainages. Preferably on south facing hills and usually has come cedar mixed in. On my place, no one goes in these areas at all. In the summer, they also like grassy areas in ag fields or waterways in ag.
 
Interesting most of you are adding cedar. Having no experience with them are they easy to establish? What kind of spacing? I like idea of running switch/cedar/ and letting it go. Any go to planting technique for cedar?

Will cedar grow in some shade of need full sun?
 
StucknAz said:
Interesting most of you are adding cedar. Having no experience with them are they easy to establish? What kind of spacing? I like idea of running switch/cedar/ and letting it go. Any go to planting technique for cedar?

Will cedar grow in some shade of need full sun?
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A cedar will grow in a crack in your driveway! Seriously just stick some little ones in a hole and they'll take off.
 
Easy to establish.. lol thanks for the laugh :)

I believe the state of OK alone loses something like 480 acres of prairie to cedars per day.
 
Bassattackr said:
Easy to establish.. lol thanks for the laugh :)

I believe the state of OK alone loses something like 480 acres of prairie to cedars per day.
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Crazy.
I see their value for deer but I'd have a hard time willingly planting them. I spent way too many hours of my youth cutting cedars on CRP. They're like a bad disease that you can't get rid of.
 
RinggoCy said:
Crazy.
I see their value for deer but I'd have a hard time willingly planting them. I spent way too many hours of my youth cutting cedars on CRP. They're like a bad disease that you can't get rid of.
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I appreciate the cover they provide when young. Especially when mixed in with grasses, shrub growth. However, groups of "pole cedars" gotta go!

My bad, looks like its actually 762 acres per day..

 
StucknAz said:
Interesting most of you are adding cedar. Having no experience with them are they easy to establish? What kind of spacing? I like idea of running switch/cedar/ and letting it go. Any go to planting technique for cedar?

Will cedar grow in some shade of need full sun?
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One thing to think about is I believe cedars are kind've sensitive to fire while I believe switch thrives if it's burned off occasionally. Just something to keep in mind as you enact your plan
 
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