Land improvement

[tree_ghost]

I have my 128 acre farm that I'm finally getting around to making some habitat improvements on for the deer and turkey. I have my food plots and flatter, more "tillable" land, pretty well mapped out but I'd like to make improvements for bedding in my steeper parts of the farm where it's just forested. We have a lot of cedar and locust and I could hinge cut some of those which should help get light to the forest floor. Are there any other effective tools that you all are aware of that could help with my situation in hill country?

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Hack and squirt. Fire would be awesome but I know it's such a challenge in steep stuff. A hatchet and chemical or chainsaw will be your biggest help. Just beware that in good fast growing timber areas, that work will grow out of good cover pretty darn fast if you don't keep at it. Fire can help with that if possible.

 

[deerhunter10]

Chainsaw is your best friend.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Instead of hinge cut em I'd CUT cut em if you want light on the ground. You won't have to worry about cedar resprouting, but paint the stump with chemical on those locust trees or else you'll have a mess in no time.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Yep, hack-n-squirt and girdle-n-spray will open it up with also downing undesirable trees. I'd definitely have fire in the future years.

I'd also do some fruit and nut tree planting in some of your openings. We plant 5-20 trees each year on our place

 

[ttf909]

Have you signed up for any of the nrcs programs ?

 

[Snake]

Seen a lease I was on in Cumberland Co. that planted some kind of bush for the quail they raised but it got real thick and the deer bedded in some of them . What about Honey suckle and Blackberry...food and cover for the thick areas ?

 

[tree_ghost]

Have you signed up for any of the nrcs programs ?

No I haven't. Can you elaborate?

 

[tree_ghost]

Seen a lease I was on in Cumberland Co. that planted some kind of bush for the quail they raised but it got real thick and the deer bedded in some of them . What about Honey suckle and Blackberry...food and cover for the thick areas ?

I have about 5 acres of gnarly blackberry. I plan to rotate that area in sections with the brush hog so there are varying stages of growth year after year without it getting away from me. That area is currently the most used by the majority of deer on our place.