Koggie

I'm strating to think about next year and what I need to do to make my property better for Whitetail hunting.

I live in Jackson County Michigan and have 11 acres, half marsh, half hardwoods. The deer love the Marsh but the hardwoods are a bit open and make them skidish. There is a 90 acre alfalfa field behind the hardwoods.

What I'd liek to do is plant something along the edge of the field that will extend the cover and make the deer feel a bit safer in the hardwoods.

I'm looking for ideas on something I can plant in the spring that would be ideal for cover by October.

Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

timbercruiser

Maybe something like switch grass. I don't think tree seedlings would grow that quick. Your local county agriculture agent may know of other tall grasses that would grow quickly and work in your area. Red Cedars, if they will grow there, make a good thicket and will establish in a couple of years.

mauser06

maybe even drop some of the hardwood trees and thin the woods up...sunlight hits the forest floor and itll be thick in short time. plus deer will browse on the saplings. most people object to logging..but for deer i think its a good tool when used correctly. (man this college chits gettin to my head and makin me too smart!) but i did a project on logging just recently..even creating a few small openings will open the canopy and permit growth...then you can let nature take its course and hope trees grow..or even put in some mini food plots or something else...little apple thickets or something..

Phil from Maine

Cedar trees along the edge of the marsh would help you out a few years later. As long as the deer do not eat them while they are young. Also find a spot near the hardwood and plant some fur trees. They will also take a few years but, grow rather quickly compared with hardwood. Deer here like to bed down around young fur thickets and can disappear rather quickly in them. Good Luck on what you decide.

Dan O.

Possibly tall grass (Pompous Plume) as TimberCruiser suggested or quick growing shrubs (Osier Dogwoods, Autumn Olive). Maybe tightly planted Willows or Poplars. Or you could just plant a strip of giant sunflowers and corn. Jerusalem Artichokes grow fast and are a perennial.

Dan O.

Bob S

I agree with mauser06. Too often hunters want to plant something. Cut some of the hardwoods and open the canopy. I own 42 acres in Michigan's Missaukee county. I spend more days on my property Jan-March with a chainsaw than I do Oct-Dec with a weapon. On a small property cover is key.

Koggie

Thanks guys. All good ideas. I might do a little of all of it.

drhntr178

Native grasses such as swtichgrass woud work well as they grow to over 6' in height. The only draw back is it will take at least 3 years to get established. It sounds like you are looking for a quick fix. A forest opening/s as others have suggested will work very well. I am getting ready to do several on my property. Basically, you cut down every tree in a area roughly 1/3 of an acre. You can get by with 1/4 if its a south facing slope. Then kill all the undesirable trees by applying a chemical to their stump. Leave only the trees that benefit the wildlife significantly, such as oaks andpersimmons. In the spring, the sunlight will help the opening fill up with cover. These openings make great bedding cover for whitetails.

Good Luck!!!

BooneAndCrockett

Biologic Green Patch Plus!

yeoman

Ideally, depending on equipment you have, I'd plant about 8-10 rows of corn parallel to the hardwoods and 50-100 yards out and leave the area between the corn and the woods fallow. The corn will likely be eaten before the season. The stalks will remain 4-6 feet tall and provide immediate screening. The fallow ground will grow weeds some of which will be chest high, many of which will be eaten by the deer, and draw does like a magnet during the rut. At least my fallow ground does.You'll only have to bushhog the weeds late winter, and the second year will be even better with grasses becoming a larger part of the mix and offering more screening. Thinning the woods is a fine idea but major work. I'd maybe limb up the trees along the field to allow more sunlight to reach the ground and generate new plant growth. Good luck!