huntingson

It sounds like you know a heck of a lot more about timber management than I do. I am in kind of a weird/lucky situation in that my farm (70 acres)is bordered on the east by my parent's (35 acres), my gradparents' (65 acres) to the south, and a large creek to the west. My farm has 46 acres currently in production. The SE corner of is about 15 (guesstimate) acres that used to be pasture that have been growing in with autumn almond (I think that is the name it is basically a bush), cedar pines, weeds and grasses.The NW corner is a stand of sycamore trees, hedge apples, and a bunch of large walnut trees($). I am thinking of continuing to let the pasture reforest, except I am going to limit the growth of large deciduous trees to mast producing trees and I want them sparse so that the undergrowth is thick.I want to put about 25 acres in blue stem long grass (4'-6' tall), let 10 or so more acres in the NW to reforest like I mentioned before, and put in food sources (alfalfa on someand rotating corn/soybeans)on the rest. The alfalfa won't be a problem as I know a horse farm that would love to have some more field to plant, but I will have to plant the corn and soybeans. Those will stand all year just as feed for the wildlife. That is what I am thinking right now anyway. I will let you know if that changes drastically after talking with someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

My parents' place has a 5 acre pond, 20 acres in woods of varying age and density, and 8 acres in alfalfa (the rest is yard and house). Eventually I would love to create much more habitat on my grandparents' farm as well. I just don't know if I could convince them to do anything. They are old and stubborn.

MNpurple

My grandparents farm is 225 acres and when he quit farming he thought about CRP (encouraged by me), trees (encouraged by me), or just letting it go (encouraged by me). Nope, out of all the damn things he could have done with it, he planted the 100 acres of tillable in some damn kind of horse grass that the deer dont touch.

I too know about old and stubborn.

The one thing I would really encourage you to do is after your meeting step back and really get an overall game plan down and a game plan that has plenty of insight into what you want it to be in 20 years. When we got ours we just started the work, an idea came and we did it. Looking back we should have planned more as I wouldnt have done some of the things now that we did then. We have slowed since then and the results are better. The hardest part is that you want so much and want it now, but take a deep breathe and realize, god willing, it will be your hunting area for years to come.

drhntr178

Sorry guys. No luck this week. We saw a lot of does and yearlings but only one antlered buck.I always have trouble finding the bucks come winter unless theyre hitting a particular food source.

The next couple of weeks I will split time between duck hunting and bowhunting. The bowhunting will be over my winter food plots which can produce a nice buck any time of the year but especially come winter. I just need a nice 122" inch buck to walk by

Wheatley

amen to that. Although I just posted that you were going to shoot a 140 incher. 122 would be absolutely fine though.

ron3775

Well Friday started out great, snow on the ground and tracks everywhere. At around 10 the deer started moving. I had three doe come by at 10 ft. Each one weighed no more the 40 pounds. I noticed that when 1 stopped to pee, she was bleeding. I thought excellent, she's in heat. Well 30-40 minutes later, I see another deer coming. Its a buck and he is legal. He walked right past the stand, and sniffed where the doe pee'd. I pulled back and smack, great hit. He kicked and ran about 75 yards. I can see him standing there starting to woble when "BANG". Some other hunter down below shoot him. I tried to plea my case, but he didn't want to here it. I had a single lung pass through and knicked to other. To add injury to insult, as I was walking out I slipped and may have sprained my left knee. He would have scored 100 - 105".

huntingson

Oh my goodness Ron! That is terrible luck![:@]That is simply amazing. Truly, freakishly amazing.

Wheatley

What the heck Ron, You didn't beat him with your bow? That truly sucks! That guy must be a complete idiot. Hope your knee feels better soon.

Greg / MO

That sucks, Ron... unfortunately, it seems as if I've heard that story too many times in PA. Really sad.

MNpurple

BS Ron! I assume you were on public land then?

Man that is a bunch of crap, did you know that guy was even close to you. Isnt there an unwritten rule of first blood or even first mortal hit of which you had both. I'm not sure hwo I woulda handled myself.

Dang.

ron3775

MNpurple,
The unwritten rule here is how ever it dropped infront of, gets it I guess. I don't even know why I bother rifle hunting past the first two days. I only rifle hunt to go with my father. A few years back, my cousin was out hunting public land also, well he shot an eight point. As he was gutting it, a guy walked up with his buddy, pointed his rifle at my cousin and said " why are you gutting my deer". My cousin looked up and said excuse me.Then he saw what was going on and walked away. He went to find a game warden, but by the time he tracked one down, the guys where gone. Its just very said that people have to resort to those tactics just for some antlers. Some real proud people out there I tell you.