- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Winter Olympics
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: ISO Deer Biologist
Posted on 12/20/22 at 2:32 pm to GABCommenter
Posted on 12/20/22 at 2:32 pm to GABCommenter
The LDWF or NRCS biologist is a good recommendation. Also, Google “Craig Harper Old Field Management “. Dr Harper is an Extension Biologist with UT.
Basically you need to let the field grow up. Park your bush hog. Use a combination of disking and fire to periodically set back succession. Do 1/3 each year. Spring fire/disking promotes grasses. Fall/winter promotes forbs.
Create a mosaic of blocks in the 80 acres, 5-10 acres each. Not just cut into thirds. You can disk lanes throughout and plant with clovers as a transition between blocks. Box blinds overlooking this will provide excellent hunting.
Your deer and turkey will use this area heavily
Basically you need to let the field grow up. Park your bush hog. Use a combination of disking and fire to periodically set back succession. Do 1/3 each year. Spring fire/disking promotes grasses. Fall/winter promotes forbs.
Create a mosaic of blocks in the 80 acres, 5-10 acres each. Not just cut into thirds. You can disk lanes throughout and plant with clovers as a transition between blocks. Box blinds overlooking this will provide excellent hunting.
Your deer and turkey will use this area heavily
0
Posted on 12/20/22 at 2:50 pm to GABCommenter
quote:
On the other two sides we are neighbored by small 150 acre tracts that are hunter by 20+ hunters each. As you can imagine they shoot everything that walks
Between this and your family, you aren't going to see massive results, regardless of the work you put in. 220 acres is plenty enough to provide all the resources a deer needs, but the deer aren't going to stay on your 220 all year. They are going to venture onto those other properties, and if 2 of your 4 sides are bordered by the "if it's brown, it's down" crew, there's a good chance they are going to get shot by someone other than you.
Building the habitat is doable. Having quality deer to shoot, however, is going to be difficult. You've either got to take that land out from under those other guys, or get them on-board with your management goals. The former is more likely than the latter.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 4:10 pm to Cowboyfan89
The thing is the deer are in here. There are 140” deer on camera. Just 100% nocturnal. Never a single picture in daylight
Posted on 12/20/22 at 4:12 pm to GABCommenter
quote:walk as much as you can (no atvs, etc.), play the wind, imo both of these are extremely important with mature buck no matter the time of year.
The thing is the deer are in here. There are 140” deer on camera. Just 100% nocturnal. Never a single picture in daylight
This post was edited on 12/20/22 at 4:13 pm
Posted on 12/20/22 at 5:02 pm to GABCommenter
quote:
Just 100% nocturnal.
Complete myth. Unless you have cameras all over the property, it's likely that you just aren't catching them on their feet because they aren't moving very far from their bed during the day. Either that, or they aren't bedding on your property (unlikely, though).
If there is as much hunting pressure as you've alluded to, then it's very likely they have found a "fortress of solitude" and are holding tight to it during the day.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 5:07 pm to Cowboyfan89
I'm running 8 camera ls over 2 years
Posted on 12/20/22 at 5:51 pm to GABCommenter
quote:
I'm running 8 camera ls over 2 years
And only covering a tiny fraction of the acreage.
Not being an arse about it--its just the truth. There was a guy on The Southern Outdoorsmen Podcast talking about a trail camera study he's doing. He's running 170 cameras on 800 acres. Still can't pick up every movement, and he has a 1 camera to every 4.7 acres.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 9:28 am to GABCommenter
GAB, can you provide an update? Did you hire anyone to provide a plan or consultation?
Posted on 9/3/24 at 9:35 am to turkish
Weird bump of a 2 year old thread.
Posted on 9/3/24 at 9:57 am to TigerDeacon
Is it though? Should I have started a new thread asking the OP for feedback??
Posted on 9/3/24 at 3:16 pm to turkish
quote:
Is it though?
Yeah, it is.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:23 pm to GABCommenter
With 200 acres, you don’t need 80 acres of browse and future bedding area. Here are what I’ve done for 30 years on 400 acres that I own in SW MS, and based on general land and WL management.
If you have pines, prescribe burn every other year. Stop feeding corn immediately. Plant approx 3-4 acres of plots for every 100 acres. No rye grass ever. Take soil tests prior to fall planting. Deer want forage that tastes good and proper nutrients are the key to taste and nutrients.
Buy a cellular electronic mass trapping hog trapping system if you have any hogs….which I’m guessing you do.
Starting in Oct, thru Jan, don’t joy ride in the woods. Don’t shoot bucks unless 4.5 yo. Learn how to age. Shoot does every year, and guage sex ratio from camera and observations. You want as close to a 1:1 as possible, but if you can get close to 2:1 that’s not bad.
You may want to plant 10-20 acres of saw tooth oaks, maybe some soft mass (fruit trees), and maybe a large summer bean plot within that 80 acres. Then either plant pines and/or oaks on the balance.
Contrary to the belief of many, pine plantation is a great habitat/food source for deer after about 15 years if you prescribe burn.
After saying all of this, it’s almost impossible to manage a deer herd on 200 acres. It largely depends on your neighbors, and their management strategy. If you do everything right, and they’re brown it’s down, it will be tough to have much success.
If you have pines, prescribe burn every other year. Stop feeding corn immediately. Plant approx 3-4 acres of plots for every 100 acres. No rye grass ever. Take soil tests prior to fall planting. Deer want forage that tastes good and proper nutrients are the key to taste and nutrients.
Buy a cellular electronic mass trapping hog trapping system if you have any hogs….which I’m guessing you do.
Starting in Oct, thru Jan, don’t joy ride in the woods. Don’t shoot bucks unless 4.5 yo. Learn how to age. Shoot does every year, and guage sex ratio from camera and observations. You want as close to a 1:1 as possible, but if you can get close to 2:1 that’s not bad.
You may want to plant 10-20 acres of saw tooth oaks, maybe some soft mass (fruit trees), and maybe a large summer bean plot within that 80 acres. Then either plant pines and/or oaks on the balance.
Contrary to the belief of many, pine plantation is a great habitat/food source for deer after about 15 years if you prescribe burn.
After saying all of this, it’s almost impossible to manage a deer herd on 200 acres. It largely depends on your neighbors, and their management strategy. If you do everything right, and they’re brown it’s down, it will be tough to have much success.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:54 pm to PlaySomeHonk
Pretty spot on.
Page 2 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News