new to site and recent landowner

[land 1]

hello all new to site, I recently bought 90acres in  7m, I hunted it this fall and did well, The land is mostly hill side with a mix of just about everything approx 50acres hard wood, 20acres brush/ golden rod/ mixed with some wild apple apple trees   and 20 acres of hemlock. The only thing ive done so far is to drop some maple trees to open the canopy and give deer winter browse , which they are really hitting hard. In the hard woods areas there is no under growth in these areas. My plan is to put in three food plots this year. But also spread some clover and rye seed in the openings that i create in the hard woods just to get some food down for deer and turkeys until new woody browse sprouts up ... I would like to get clover down  in early spring. question 1 what is the earliest u would plant clover and some type of rye mixed in?, question 2 Fall planting turnips , rapes etc what time of year? Has anybody had could results in hinge cutting, many of the trees are to big to hinge so they are getting dropped but how important do you feel it is to hinge cut smaller trees

[growalot]

Are they timber quality? If you have 20 acres of brush and golden rod...why cut down possible $$  trees?  Also soil test, soil test, soil test...lt takes up to 6 mos for lime to fully work and it is a must to incorporate into the soil....particle to particle..... soil to lime contact...

[grampy]

Welcome! Nice you decided to join us. Look forward to hearing more from ya!

[stubborn1VT]

Congrats on the new land!  Sounds like a good mix of trees/plants.

You can frost seed clover and rye right on top of a little snow in March or April.  For a brand new stand of clover, I would work the ground up a little.  You need to at least get the ground bare.  That can be as simple as raking the leaf litter and sticks off.  

I plant my rape/turnips earlier than some folks.  I shoot for mid July.  Many wait until early to mid August.

Hinge cutting can be really important in your hardwoods.  You say there is no undergrowth.  Deer don't like that.  They don't feel safe in the wide open, so areas of hinge cuts or piles tops can make a huge difference.  If hinge cutting isn't an option, patch cutting may be a better option.  Since you have the hemlocks and goldenrod for bedding, it may not be a huge deal, but the hardwoods aren't providing any browse.  Just my thoughts.

Good luck!

[land 1]

Thanks guys this is a good sight been checking it out,  Growalot The trees ive been cutting are not a big timber value twisted and croocked soft maples mostley , maybe a few bucks in fire wood $$$ but there are some problems with getting large logs out small trout stream in way to main  road $$$ for bridge, dec permit etc I do have some large straight ash trees that maybe worth a few bucks

 Stubborn yeah much of the hardwoods is useless for habitat other then deer just passing through hope to get the sunlight down to ground and improve some areas, the only thing nice is all i will need is to rake leaves to get to soil for glover seeds

[growalot]

That's good and bad....We have a combo as well..I have many V Splits I'm hinging and dropping. Look for acid tolerant clovers until you find out just how much lime you will need...Without a decent ph your throwing good money away...because the plants can't meet their own nutrient needs, let alone those of your deer.

Congrats on what sounds like a great place,enjoy project you start.

[wolc123]

Are there any oaks in your woods?  Apples are good,  but white oak acorns are best when it comes to attracting deer.   If you can cut ash, maple, poplar, etc, and make more room for the oaks, that would be good.   As Grow has explained, spring planting of clover, without knowing your soil PH, would be risky (it does not do well in acidic soil, which is to be expected in cleared hardwoods).  

Dig up some soil now and get a soil test, then add lime as needed as soon as you can.   While it is working, you can plant something like buckwheat in the late spring. Deer and turkeys like buckwheat, it is cheap, does well in acidic soils, and will control weeds over the summer.  It is not frost tolerant and should not be planted before mid-June in that area. 

By late summer, the lime will have taken effect.  Then you can till up the buckwheat and plant a mix of winter wheat and white clover. Deer like wheat better that cerial rye and it is cheaper and easier to find.  People only plant cerial rye because they don't know no better.    

I also add some soybeans to that mix, which are like candy to deer when they first sprout.  That will draw deer to the plots from miles around.  The first frost will kill the soybeans, but odds are that the deer will get them first. After they are gone, the wheat will hang on to give you good attraction thru spring.  Mow it off before it goes to seed.  The wheat will also control weeds, acting as a nurse crop for the clover.  The white clover should then give you 3-5 more years of good attraction with nothing more than a mowing or two per season for maintenance.

[greg54]

Welcome!

[TACC]

Great info

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[tuckersdaddy]

Welcome! 7m has been good to me. If you dont mind me asking what neighborhood are you in?

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[GreeneHunter]

Welcome

[SplitG2]

welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new property.  If I'm creating a new clover plot I prefer not to frost seed.  I rather wait to spring and make sure weed competition has been eliminated or plant mid august with a cover crop of winter wheat or winter rye or brassica. 

[land 1]

theres only about 8 or 10 oaks and just a couple are  getting to the point where they have acorns i'm not sure if they are red or white , just north of norwich. thanks for the info. as far as planting in the clear cuts i just want something this year then im hoping natural browse will start to pop up like young maple and briars... im thinking of just some throw and grow...i have three areas where the former land owner had food plots about 5 years ago and they aren't over grown yet just some thin golden rod and misc weeds so those i hope will be my primary food plots, i plan on testing soil ive never planted plots where in the area can i get lime it would have to be in bags just not loose bulk as i got to transport it via atv to plot locations

[philoshop]

56 minutes ago, land 1 said:

theres only about 8 or 10 oaks and just a couple are  getting to the point where they have acorns i'm not sure if they are red or white , just north of norwich. thanks for the info. as far as planting in the clear cuts i just want something this year then im hoping natural browse will start to pop up like young maple and briars... im thinking of just some throw and grow...i have three areas where the former land owner had food plots about 5 years ago and they aren't over grown yet just some thin golden rod and misc weeds so those i hope will be my primary food plots, i plan on testing soil ive never planted plots where in the area can i get lime it would have to be in bags just not loose bulk as i got to transport it via atv to plot locations

Red oaks have pointy leaf lobes, and white oaks have rounded leaf lobes. I'm not a food plotter, so beyond that I won't try to give advice other than to be really careful hinge-cutting any tree much bigger than a large bush. Even a 4" or 5" tree can hurt you if you cut it wrong.

Best of luck and stay safe.

[growalot]

I do not know your area, so if it's bagged lime you are looking for and you have the $ go with a pallet buy and deal with them. Tractor supply will sell pallets at a cheaper price but that said, if you are just doing this as an initial attraction thing. I would put down what you can to get a start on the plot and then watch for their lime sales...and they usually have several from spring to fall. Usually $1 off a bag or buy 2 get third free...then see what you can get a pallet for. I personally lime each year...I started out years ago using acid tolerant plants and there are many. Each year I build the PH in the plots. I can now plant Alfalfa and grains. It doesn't take long if done right. Lime doesn't last forever anyways. If you are planting in woodland areas even a perfect PH needs to be maintained with some lime each year.

Read through some of the posts here about just mowing paths in such areas as your 20 acre fields you'd be surprised what you might find the critters are doing. Also read up on natural browse and see what is growing in your area...the right natural browse may keep your deer better than a plot or two will during hunting . Then consider winter feed plots...The golden rod could be your best buck bedding with a more open woods with some hinge cutting and shrubby growth a great staging area on the edge of that 20 acre feed/bedding. I don't know how your land is configured so these are all assumptions . Then you have those Hemlocks and a trout stream. Wow my mind is busy envisioning your place. I don't know how long you've had it  but sometimes watching what deer are doing for a time way before making changes can avoid some errors, that is in changing their usage completely.. Ff your young you have plenty of time. Enjoy the journey,most journeys are better enjoyed at a slower pace

https://www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/recognize-and-hunt-a-deer-staging-area

 

 

 

[tuckersdaddy]

If you pines are mature and look like this, this is where I would start. If you see along way through the trees, the deer can see as well and will avoid it..atleast during daylight. Leave the brush and golden rod be. at most like grow mentioned cut some paths. Open up some the Hemlock and work that area. Yep you will need alot of lime for a few years but your return will be better in the long run.

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