Mega Plot Update my kids inheritance…

Nice legs Dean

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Can’t you get a better model???

Dean you have sparked my interest with the 14 footer.

How would these do with pulling boards.

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Well at least I wasnt wearing a bikinni…

Boards you ask…..they will handle boards just fine…but one of these rods will be coming up your way to find out for yourself.

Well,
The biggest phase of my land project is just about done. Over 13,500 trees, 4,000 acorns, 3,000 walnuts, and a few hundred hazelnut shrubs are in the ground. I most likely will never live long enough to see the full maturity of my project…but it’s rewarding to know what I will leave behind for my daughters.

I have read a lot of articles, a few books, consulted with a lot of so called experts, and finally developed my own plan. Too much of everything I read, dealt with “drawing them into” a food plot. I disagree with this theory, and have been experimenting over the last 18 years with my own.

Enhance what is there, and the will stay and multiply. This is what I firmly believe in. As a trapper, I see time and time again how animals are all creatures of habit. Some are much more weary than others, and the closer a set is made to an appropriate location, the better it is. As we rotated crop fields around my farm, I quickly discovered how few deer changed their travel patterns. In fact, many deer would travel further down and existing trail to a different corn plot – just because it was closer to their natural route.

One significant change in travel patterns I learned, was to bedding areas for mature bucks. A small area that I watched bucks bed in for a few years suddenly had less bucks bedding in the area. The canopy had finally closed and the under growth was thinning out noticeably. That was truely my first real major experiment. I did a 9 acre harvest on every mature tree, and did ZERO restoration in this area. The only exception was the black cherry tree tops and a few oak tops I took for firewood. Normally, all the tops would have been cut for firewood, branches placed into piles and cut up for quick decay. The result was in 3 years, the under growth of prick ash, junk, and raspberry brush was so thick, you couldn’t see 20′. But the mature bucks shown immediate interest and the increased signs of narrow trails was all the proof I needed.

So, from there, I have documented every main travel route deer use for bedding, eating, and danger. In 18 years of study and 19 years of owning this land, I found the main routes never change. I have found that they do change what I call wind routes. I have noticed deer will walk different trails based on wind direction.

The first pic is a segment of my farm. Hopefully the colors show… To the extreme south, off of the map, is the area I cleared all the mature trees. That is my 15 year plan for bedding area. To the North East, I have a Forest restoration project going to remove invasive species. That started 6 years ago, and soon will be a tall stand of woods for selective harvest. It will also be an open woods, with little cover. To the east, is a mature segment of hardwoods that is considered a NO TOUCH area. It also has a 400′ elevation drop. The coulee to the central/west was storm damaged in 2007 and has all the tree tops remaining. This area is a heavy bedding area for does. The front portion of field is still active ag land with rotating crops. The rear field is now segmented for 6 food plots (each subdivided) and the remaining in a long term forestry program. I have a 50′ wide lane of white clove for about 1500′ down the center, and the tree and food plots segment off of that. The remaining few acres at the end of the field will be the largest plot and also directly next to the largest buck bedding area which will provide very well for bucks in the late season as breeding comes to a end and food sources are difficult to find.

The rest are just radom pics of my project so far…

Forgot to mention a couple things – Red lines are the documented main deer routes. Blue squares are tree stands, the white circle on a fence row between phase 5 and 9 is very unique. Deer like to hide in this little thicket. I gave it a minor enhancement. I am removing a tree stand that is in it, planted about 15 swamp oak in the center, and 2 rows of pine are now circling the entire thicket. In about 8 years, 10 deer can bed in here and never be bothered

Here is a panoramic view from this thicket (old tree stand I had in there)

Looks great Randy ! Just wish your deer numbers were better as your taking good care of them

It is obvious you have put a lot of time, effort and thought into your land and it makes sense to me I really hope it comes together and develops the way you think it will. Do you walk the deer trails with a gps path and then transfer it to the computer or just draw it in? Deer will have no choice but to live there, why would they go anywhere else
can’t wait to see some of the pictures throughout the year. Thanks for sharing.

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Do you walk the deer trails with a gps path and then transfer it to the computer or just draw it in? Deer will have no choice but to live there, why would they go anywhere else

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I don’t use a GPS for marking the trails anymore. I know every square inch of this property, and get my documentation pretty darn close. I have a Satalite pic I bought that is framed and I grease pen the plexi-glass on it. The pic I had on here is just a jpeg that I use in Paint” for quick mock ups to send electronically.

Its fun! Just the small subtle things that I tweeked so far has made a huge positive impact on what few deer that are around. I figure if I can complete a habitat that is so complete, they won’t leave…for very long

I can’t really describe how awesome this is. Don’t get me wrong, the effort and work you put into it is amazing. However, the fact you are doing this for your kids is what really struck me.

I hope they shoot booners for many years to come!

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I can’t really describe how awesome this is. Don’t get me wrong, the effort and work you put into it is amazing. However, the fact you are doing this for your kids is what really struck me.

I hope they shoot booners for many years to come!

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Randy – will you adopt me???

Thanks Kooty. I appreciate the recognition for the legacy I want to leave for my kids. I feel I was very fortunate to have learned a very important life lesson while I was still young enough; yet old enough to understand.

From Dorothy Rosenlof “…make all the memories you can…when your old, and everyone else has died before you, all you will have are your memories”

I think that has motivated me more than anything else I have ever been told (other than my Dad threatening to kick my ) My friends and family all think I’m nuts, I burn the candle at both ends, and I never feel like I got enough done. I watched friends and family never give their kids the exposure to so much good things that were available to them. Then to see how they are turning out is very scary. When I had kids, I vowed to put them first. Not spoil them, but to give them the exposure and opportunity to succeed. I’m lucky. My kids get it, they work for it, they enjoy what they earn, and respect where it comes from. That drives me to do more. OK, enough bragging

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Randy – will you adopt me???

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Depends….I have a 16 year old daughter that looks like 24. I would need to give you a vasectomy with a rusty pocket knife…….still interested ?

Ummmmm…

Very, very happily married, thank you. Working on exposing my own sons to much of the life lessons you are providing for your family.

Thank you Randy for sharing your insight and your vision on what one can do to improve deer habitat. We can all learn from you in that we should all leave our hunting properties better than we found it! I wish you many fond memories as your vision becomes a reality.