Stump removal

[chas0218]

So I am getting a late start on clearing trees from my food plots. I was planning on having it all done by march but don't have a ton of time left and no way I'll have the stumps out in time. So how do you guys get the stumps out after felling the trees? I don't have a tractor and/or backhoe, I don't have enough time to dig them all out by hand so that is out of the question. I can wait until next year but really wanted to have them ready to plant come april. Any suggestions would be great. I will have around 20-30 stumps to get out. Also I can't get a grinder back to the plots either.

Edited February 21, 2018 by chas0218

[moog5050]

Can you get your truck back there?  Maybe a chain and your truck.

[Bionic]

I have seen guys burn them on youtube after saturating them in veggy oil...

Also heard of drilling them, and filling with salt, but thats a multi-year process if i understand right

Maybe some of the smaller stump can be pulled with a come-a-long? 

Edited February 21, 2018 by Bionic

[chas0218]

3 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Can you get your truck back there?  Maybe a chain and your truck.

No dice, Just getting the ATV back there is a bit of chore with no real trail. I was thinking about that opening up a trail but just getting up the hill will be tough with as wet as it is. I was thinking maybe a come-along winch and a pulley system from one tree to the other tree stump about 10'-15' off the ground. I just don't like dropping trees from a ladder (no where to run).

[turkeyfeathers]

Lots and lots of tannerite     and legal to boot

[chas0218]

5 minutes ago, Bionic said:

I have seen guys burn them on youtube after saturating them in veggy oil...

Also heard of drilling them, and filling with salt, but thats a multi-year process if i understand right

Maybe some of the smaller stump can be pulled with a come-a-long? 

Yeah I might try the veggie oil, didn't think about that. 

[Robhuntandfish]

without power equipment - I would either blow them up or hire summer help!  You can burn them but that wont get rid of the big roots right there if you plan to til it. 

I would prob rent some equipment to get them out.  Thats a lot of stumps esp if they are large trees.  If you dont have equipment or are able to dig them out then thats about the only option, short of hiring stump removal.   

[Steuben Jerry]

20 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Lots and lots of tannerite     and legal to boot

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Pulling stumps is hard. Tannerite makes it fun!

[Bionic]

28 minutes ago, chas0218 said:

Yeah I might try the veggie oil, didn't think about that. 

Let me know how it goes, seems like a last resort option, but sounds like a difficult area to access 

[Robhuntandfish]

Tannerite for that many stumps will prob put you on a watch list!  lol 

[chas0218]

20 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

without power equipment - I would either blow them up or hire summer help!  You can burn them but that wont get rid of the big roots right there if you plan to til it. 

I would prob rent some equipment to get them out.  Thats a lot of stumps esp if they are large trees.  If you dont have equipment or are able to dig them out then thats about the only option, short of hiring stump removal.   

Trees range in size but nothing over 18" across, most in the 12"-14" range.

[Steuben Jerry]

Rocky ground? A lot of the root systems in my immediate area are pretty shallow, but I would think you'd still need some kind of equipment.

Any chance you can hire a smaller dozer? That's probably only a couple of hours work.

[Robhuntandfish]

hollow them out and fill them with seed.... for the birds! 

[grampy]

7 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Rocky ground? A lot of the root systems in my immediate area are pretty shallow, but I would think you'd still need some kind of equipment.

Any chance you can hire a smaller dozer? That's probably only a couple of hours work.

Yup. A couple hours with a small dozer will get it all done nicely.

[dbHunterNY]

that's not too big. try to dig out and cut feeder roots you see on the surface with an old bar and chain on the saw. that way they'll work themselves out of ground with freeze and thaw, and rain. cut stumps as close to ground as possible to eliminate material.  drill holes from top and sides to make a "v" around it towards center where depth is deepest. then use stump chemicals like you get at TC, lowe's , etc that help the stump break down faster.  you'll need some water.  second hand plastic barrels are cheap. the stump might still be there but roots will break down and pop out enough to get them out of the way. if you keep applying the stuff they'll be broken down in a little over a year depending on what the tree are. sometimes they work up enough you can get them out before then. more surface area and air the better.  deer attractants and minerals poured on and into it work well too if you're an out law as you're here in NY.

[dbHunterNY]

if he can barely get a wheeler to it he's not getting heavy equipment there.

[grampy]

8 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

if he can barely get a wheeler to it he's not getting heavy equipment there.

We have used our small dozer to pull the wheelers out of the muck. And the dozer will not only get the stumps out but almost prepare the plot for planting.  Just run a disk over it, for most plots. 

[Robhuntandfish]

put a bounty on them!  each stump has a 12 pack under it!  seriously though a lot of big jobs have gotten done with a keg of beer and some food on the grill.  If you got a few buddies and a decent weekend might get a lot of the work done there and have a decent time doing it. (by the way I am busy that weekend lol) Other than that its equipment or take one stump out every weekend by hand for the summer.   

[Doc]

Well, you may not be able to get large equipment back there, but there are damn few places that a dozer can't get to. Also, when he is heading in, he can build a rough road for future access and maybe even stir around and open up some other areas for you.....or even make your prime plot larger to open up more sunlight. You would be amazed at what these guys can do for a small amount of money. At any rate, it doesn't hurt to have a guy come in and offer an estimate.

[Merlot]

1 hour ago, chas0218 said:

So I am getting a late start on clearing trees from my food plots. I was planning on having it all done by march but don't have a ton of time left and no way I'll have the stumps out in time. So how do you guys get the stumps out after felling the trees? I don't have a tractor and/or backhoe, I don't have enough time to dig them all out by hand so that is out of the question. I can wait until next year but really wanted to have them ready to plant come april. Any suggestions would be great. I will have around 20-30 stumps to get out. Also I can't get a grinder back to the plots either.

Any chance you can abandon the difficult to access location for a more favorable, equipment friendly spot? 

[dbHunterNY]

6 minutes ago, grampy said:

We have used our small dozer to pull the wheelers out of the muck. And the dozer will not only get the stumps out but almost prepare the plot for planting.  Just run a disk over it, for most plots. 

yea we've got a CAT D3 wide track that's been used to build ponds and can get just about anywhere.  he mentioned a hill though. any hill i can't make it up with an atv isn't exactly something i'm screwing with on a dozer.

[philoshop]

I would suggest you work around the stumps with your planting. The deer don't really care if the rows are all straight. Just a suggestion.

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, Steuben Jerry said:

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Pulling stumps is hard. Tannerite makes it fun!

 

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Tannerite for that many stumps will prob put you on a watch list!  lol 

If you go that way DO NOT USE an AR or you will probably be on more than a watch list.

[b3h]

I would suggest you work around the stumps with your planting. The deer don't really care if the rows are all straight. Just a suggestion.

This rite here. Kick the can down the road. In a few yrs they will be gone


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[corydd7]

I think I'm going to do just that in an area I'm clearing this year. What is the downside to having stumps in a plot? Just makes it harder to till? Couldn't I just throw WW around the stumps if I had bald spots? Maples should grow shoots and provide winter feed.