IRL

Hunting Trips of a Ranchman. Aldo Leopold is also a good read. He was also one of the 1900s influential hunters and conservations. He was the first to recoginize/realize that eliminating predators was a huge mistake.

Agreed on no wide brushes in land management. It is site specific and goals are personalized. Regarding beech, we have located small stands (2-3) of larger trees that do not appear to have beech bark disease and some individual medium size trees that are now flagged and protected. We have used mechanical cutting of diseased beech root suckers under closed canopy conditions (July-August) with cutting or girdling of larger trees. Some of the larger disease-free trees dropped nuts last fall which we collected for propagation. Genetically they have a 50% chance of being disease free. One of my management goals is to remediate a beech-hemlock stand. It's a lofty goal but we are trying.

I have 33 acres surrounded by 5,000 acres of state land. The locals are wondering where/how I am shooting these 3.5/4.5 year old bucks.

I started forest management in 2008 and experiencing similar results to Berniez. Timber stand improvement, hinge cut near a wetland, invasive plant removal, releasing white and red oaks, planting a variety of soft mast (apples, elderberry, winterberry, serviceberry, highbush cranberry), removal/control of beech root suckers and learning the land in the process. Very limited use of herbicides; only applied to cut stumps of buckthorn, privet and really nasty multi-flora rose that could not be pulled out. Lots of help from hunting partners and some assistance from the NRCS EQIP program. Jersey Guy there is a new EQIP funding cycle (not 480 program) and you may be eligible for assistance. They now pay for the management plan and there is short list of qualified plan writers (the bad guys have been "weeded" out). http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/ny/programs/financial/eqip/ My other recommendations: http://newleafenvironmental.com/ http://whiteoaknursery.biz/restore/index.shtml http://www.twisted-tree.net/

Loggers come last and not first, and should always be managed by a Professional Forester who comes with great references. You sound frustrated and want quick results so you can shoot deer. Never too late to rethink your strategy. My forester is also a wildlife biologist and told me if that if I wanted to shoot deer for the next 5 years make a food plot (most abandon after 5 years and they revert to low quality scrub brush). If you want to shoot deer for the rest of your life then implement a forest management plan. Manage your land for all wildlife habitat and not just a plot of annual plants for deer to eat.

As a forest owner/manager, I respectfully challenge the use of glyphosate and other herbicides for this purposes. Targeted use of herbicides for invasive plant removal/control has value but spraying for food plots, in my opinion, is not sound management of wildlife habitat. It all starts with healthy soil and lots of pollinators. I encourage hunters to focus on long term forest management and habitat improvement. NY Forest Owners Association, Cornell, Syracuse U and Penn State are good resources.

No data from the Tompkins DMFA in this report or the 2013 report. I have emailed the DEC for the data.

As stated, the Dunstan and other hybrid varieties are best suited for an orchard style planting and will not do well in a forest. I have a number of Americans on my land, mostly stump sprouts but also several 40+ ft straight stems that we are watching closely. I was very enthused about the ESF/ACF restoration efforts and had hopes to bring the giants back to my woods. I remain optimistic but I have removed chestnut planting from my current management plan as the "ready in 5 years after FDA approval" is a moving target and the press releases of the past year were premature (or to raise money).

Shots at Whitetails by Larry Koller

Coyotes have filled a niche. With a predator on the landscape again, all the game is hunted. The 100+ year period of no predators and abandoned pasture slowly reverting to forest is over. That period had an unsustainable density of game populations, which in some cases, have shifted to the suburbs and villages. Many hunters fondly recall their best year(s) afield and set this benchmark as normal. The only thing normal in nature is fluctuations. As hunters we should be most concerned on habitat/ecosystems as killing predators will not increase game populations. Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold have written extensively on this subject.

Good archery season in 7R with the lots of deer activity in the apples and oaks. Once the acorns stopped falling around the Nov full moon the deer activity dropped. Slowest regular season in 24 years of hunting. Some of our hunters did not see a deer. They shifted to nightime feeding in the fields and once an area was pushed the sign disappeared for days. A puzzling season to say the least.

Similair story here. Lots of deer sightings, cam pics and bowhunting action in Oct and early Nov when deer where feeding on apples and acorns. Then with the full moon and high winds of gun season everything changed. Deer shifted out of fhe hardwoods and fed mostly at night. Our sightings and deer kill are below average for gun season. Archery kills had stomachs full of apples and nuts. Gun kills are all corn.

Very slow in 7R compared to previous seasons. Deer appear to be feeding at night and hanging near standing corn. During archery they were feeding in the oaks.

Whiteoaknursery.biz Finger Lakes grown native plants and good consultation

That is a local problem not a rifle problem.

You are a true sportsmen. Cheers.

Depends on location as backtags are not required to be displayed in the NZ.

It sure looks like liver and deer behavior also says liver. You should be able to sneak up on him in a couple more hours. Good luck.

That is a good buck and awesome for your first.

Hello from Southern Tompkins. We hunt Dryden and Caroline. Are any of you participating in the Tompkins Deer Focus Area? I signed up but not have hunted in the Focus Area yet. Most of my hunting lands are south of the boundary.

Good story and happy ending.

A successful plan is contingent upon good habitat. Look at the entire ecosystem and not just the deer as nature is complex and very dynamic. I worked with the DEC Forester on a forest stewardship plan and recently retained a private forester to take the plan to the next level which includes improving habitat for wildlife. Have fun, get professional advice and stay for the long run.

West shore of Cayuga Lake (rt 89) has cabins; north end I believe is Cayuga Lake State Park and further south is Taughannock Falls State Park.

Ted's hunting shows on TV are embarassing. There is not an ounce of woodsman in the guy. He is a ranch hunter.

I am a member of NYFOA and use the Forest Connect site. I recommend both.