Breaking The News...Don't Expect Deer Where You Shouldn't
Mar 10, 2017 12:21:00 GMT -5
Woody Williams, whitetaildave24, and 7 more like this
Post by tynimiller on Mar 10, 2017 12:21:00 GMT -5
I'll try to keep this as brief of a lead up story as possible...but I noticed I'd received an email to my Small Acre Hunting account the other day which means most likely it is a hunting colleague, potential client or a follower. So I bring it up and the gentleman goes on about how his family has owned a about 40 acres ever since he was a kid (he is now in his 40's) and has seen a steady and lately sharp decline in the deer activity on the parcel. All of this despite less disruptions occurring on the place since he and his siblings have grown up and now just he and one other really ever spend time there (hunting). A portion of the property maybe 8 acres or so is leased to a farmer for bean/corn rotation every year but besides that the rest is mildly rolling Indiana terrain with one small creek which only the deeper holes are sure things for water year round.
Sounds amazing...but he is stating hardly any deer use is occurring. I send him back a list of questions to better understand the whole picture, which some were:
-Known hunting pressure on surrounding properties?
-Trespassing issues present or suspected?
-Coyote population?
-Style of hunting? (Ground, ladder, box blinds, hang-ons...and typical height)
-Do you utilize calls? (How often?)
-Do you rattle? (How often?)
-What food is present during summer? During hunting season? Right this minute?
Also asked for some map related items:
-Hunting locations and entrance/exits labeled on a map
-Aerial map zoomed out so I can see the development around as well as a property specific aerial as recent as possible.
The pressure pointed towards only a couple known other hunters in the surrounding mixed ag/woods properties...low yote population but present and guy hunted a lot out of ladders and primarily during gun season.
Everything pointed towards pressure and predators or trespassing NOT being the issue. I also knew this general part of the state and knew it wasn't a deer desert so delve deeper down his responses to my questions and came to the final question I had asked; what food is currently present on the property? NONE
Then I looked at his aerials and noticed instantly the issue. I've shared multiple times here, on my blog/website about the danger of having a park like habitat in your woods. Outside of downfalls and the rolling terrain of the property I would bet money you could stand on one end of this 40 acres and if unobstructed see entirely to the other side.
I hated to answer how I did, but I told him I wouldn't expect to see deer there personally....once the crops are gone and the nut trees are dry there is zero habitat conducive for deer survival.
See like many he saw water (creek), food (crop fields for miles) and a pocket of woods for cover...but once the crop fields are bare and the nuts are gone the water does them no good and the woods offer next to zero cover with no under-story. The property when he was younger was much thicker and better hunting because more food was present in the under-story and such. Now...a deer desert but for very good reason.
He is contacting a forester to set forth a timber plan and is most likely going to tackle the property in 7-10 acre chunks...aggressively logging a 10 acre chunk this season...selective cutting the other sections and then doing the same similar thing ever 3-5 years until every section has been thinned of anything of value, selected trees for future harvest protected and canopy cleared. He is also hopeful to install a 6-10 acre chunk where he is going to clear completely and strip rows of norway spruce and pines with strips of switchgrass.
Cannot wait to hear back from him in 1-3 years as I don't suspect it will take long for him to see the property start becoming what he desires...and long term become the whitetail sweet spot he's hoping.
Thought was a worth sharing....as many out there it seems expect more from the property they have to offer the deer.
(For the haters....charged this guy zilch....really unless I go in depth or place boots on the ground I don't charge for Q&A's if time allows to answer. THIS DISCLAIMER IS DUE TO SOME HAVE ACCUSED ME OF ALL KINDS OF NONSENSE WHEN DISCUSSING DEER IN INDIANA)
Sounds amazing...but he is stating hardly any deer use is occurring. I send him back a list of questions to better understand the whole picture, which some were:
-Known hunting pressure on surrounding properties?
-Trespassing issues present or suspected?
-Coyote population?
-Style of hunting? (Ground, ladder, box blinds, hang-ons...and typical height)
-Do you utilize calls? (How often?)
-Do you rattle? (How often?)
-What food is present during summer? During hunting season? Right this minute?
Also asked for some map related items:
-Hunting locations and entrance/exits labeled on a map
-Aerial map zoomed out so I can see the development around as well as a property specific aerial as recent as possible.
The pressure pointed towards only a couple known other hunters in the surrounding mixed ag/woods properties...low yote population but present and guy hunted a lot out of ladders and primarily during gun season.
Everything pointed towards pressure and predators or trespassing NOT being the issue. I also knew this general part of the state and knew it wasn't a deer desert so delve deeper down his responses to my questions and came to the final question I had asked; what food is currently present on the property? NONE
Then I looked at his aerials and noticed instantly the issue. I've shared multiple times here, on my blog/website about the danger of having a park like habitat in your woods. Outside of downfalls and the rolling terrain of the property I would bet money you could stand on one end of this 40 acres and if unobstructed see entirely to the other side.
I hated to answer how I did, but I told him I wouldn't expect to see deer there personally....once the crops are gone and the nut trees are dry there is zero habitat conducive for deer survival.
See like many he saw water (creek), food (crop fields for miles) and a pocket of woods for cover...but once the crop fields are bare and the nuts are gone the water does them no good and the woods offer next to zero cover with no under-story. The property when he was younger was much thicker and better hunting because more food was present in the under-story and such. Now...a deer desert but for very good reason.
He is contacting a forester to set forth a timber plan and is most likely going to tackle the property in 7-10 acre chunks...aggressively logging a 10 acre chunk this season...selective cutting the other sections and then doing the same similar thing ever 3-5 years until every section has been thinned of anything of value, selected trees for future harvest protected and canopy cleared. He is also hopeful to install a 6-10 acre chunk where he is going to clear completely and strip rows of norway spruce and pines with strips of switchgrass.
Cannot wait to hear back from him in 1-3 years as I don't suspect it will take long for him to see the property start becoming what he desires...and long term become the whitetail sweet spot he's hoping.
Thought was a worth sharing....as many out there it seems expect more from the property they have to offer the deer.
(For the haters....charged this guy zilch....really unless I go in depth or place boots on the ground I don't charge for Q&A's if time allows to answer. THIS DISCLAIMER IS DUE TO SOME HAVE ACCUSED ME OF ALL KINDS OF NONSENSE WHEN DISCUSSING DEER IN INDIANA)