Blowing On The West Wind

The wind came in hard a couple of days ago. Straight out of the west, skipping across Lake Michigan like a flat stone, and came slamming into our woods.

Some of my timber -- just 100 trees -- had been selectively cut a few years agi, and my intention was to check things out. The wind early was about 20 miles per hour, and it kept blowing harder as the day went on.

I wanted to check things out, look for deer tracks in the snow, and start making plans for hunting sites for next fall. I know where deer bed in my area but it was not my intention to go through those spots today or to put up stands anywhere near them next year.

I need bedding cover and food plots.

Any removal of timber changes the complexion of a wood-lot. The sole purpose of cutting down some trees is to increase the amount of sunlight that hits the forest floor. The more sunlight, the greater the new growth that will spring up, including trees to be cut in the future.

New growth is what deer and grouse and wild turkeys thrive on. It increases the number of songbirds as well, and once these trails have had all vegetation killed with one or more applications of RoundUp, the soil can be tested, limed and fertilizer put down. And then, when the conditions are right, they can be planted in May or early June.

By mid-July the clover and corn would be up and the other crops will have gained a toe-hold in the soil. It doesn't take deer and grouse and wild turkeys long to find the new growth.

But the question is just how much space will I have for a new food plot back in the woods? I need an area that receives a good amount of sunlight, isn't prone to washing away in a heavy rain, and it must be located close to a bedding area. Two spots hold great promise, and I checked them out today.

Planning what I hope to accomplish.

A little trimming here and there, and the judicious use of brush-piles can help funnel deer from the bedding to the feeding area. It's my thought to stay away during most of the winter, and then look at it again after the majority of the snow has melted next spring.

I want the soil to drain well but retain some moisture. The sun has to get to the seeds and when the ground is warm enough, the seed will do its job. I want well-rooted plants, and I want this additional food source within 150 yards of the bedding area.

I expect to build two or three elevated coops in strategic locations. The coops will offer plenty of room to turn around in, and offer 15-20-yard bow shots. I'm not looking for lots of deer, but it would be nice to have one really good buck show up every year.

There have been no bucks for me this year. It's hot that I haven't had my chances, but I chose not to take a buck. I passed up bucks this season and haven't fired an arrow or a bullet. We've hunted most near home in preparation for next seasons changes.

Rather than travel we hope to hunt near home.

I love to hunt new spots, but my failing vision prevents me from driving home at night. I must depend on Kay for the driving, and once it turns cold, she rarely hunts. So ... the answer is to hunt closer to home.

We know we won't see as many deer -- bucks or does -- here as we would in other areas but we'll be able to slip away more often during the rut and hunt during mid-day. If the wind switches we'll be only  minutes from the house instead of being an hour away. When the snow falls, and icy roads become treacherous, we'll still be near the house.

It's doubtful if we'll have another timber cutting for another 10 years. It will give us plenty of opportunity to work with what we have, build our coops according, hang ladder-stands where they should do the most good, and get to know our local deer population again.

It wasn't much but that is what I did today. There will be a great deal of work to be done next spring and summer, but in the long run, we think it will be worth it after we put our sweat equity into it. Putting together a mix of good food choices in the right spot, allow plenty of room for bedding, and hunting the fringes of the heavy cover should produce for us.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors