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Topic Started: Jan 23 2014, 04:55 PM (372 Views)
Donnie7
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Taking the plung this year to try and increase the area deer heard and hunting opportunities.

Hopefully I have done this correctly. Above is a topo pic of our property, located in central Ontario. As a hunt group we are interested in getting into some QDM advancements on the property. The exact boundaries (don't know how to draw or markup picture) are the 2 100 acre blocks to the left of the crown land (white block) and the 100 acre block directly below the crown and to the left of that block. The entire property is really hilly and rocky. We have estabilished a 2 acre plot directly north west of the tip of the large swamp. We have another 1 acre plot established about an inch up the map from the word Bagot. These will be "destination plots that we will not hunt. Imediately west of the 1 acre plot there is a swamp that we know has good bedding. We will lilely try to increase that. I am looking at putting in a couple of other kill plots. The two main spots I am looking at are the far east end of the large swamp, there is a small hole that is bordered by another pond. Should act as a natual funnel. The second is ontop of the ridge (almost in middle of the 200 acre block to the east of the crown. Have had good buck sign there for the last few years, but not coming in to feed early enough. I think I am going to move back further to the heavy stuff to see if I can pull them out earlier.

It should be noted that all the surrounding properties are hunted. Some of our neighbours have done some logging in the last few years. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks

Donnie
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Friggs
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Looks like your S.W. of Renfrew and I tried to go to Goolge Earth but their is some cloud cover over your property, but you already knew that. Looks like hilly and swampy country from your topo and is probably great deer country.
Sounds like you have a plan and are eager to start working. I guess it all depends on a few things. First, how much money are you willing to spend and what type of equipment you have to prepare your plots. First thing have trails made to your plots and do a soil test on your plots and see what you need in lime and fertilizer. If your PH is low you'll be wasting money on fertilizer and seed and you won't get much of a crop. Start off slow and build your soil by growing winter rye grain, oats and red clover see how that does the first year and then go from there.

Friggs
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Donnie7
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Hey Friggs, have to love the internet eh! You are correct on both locaton and the darn cloud cover. lol))) We have had the soil tested and apparently need lime and lots of it, but non domolite for some reason. The soil seems a little sandy to me but I am not a farmer, I think we are going to plant buckwheat this spring and then till under and try some strip planting late summer for a fall attempt. We will need to add fertilizer as well but I am not sure how much and when. The area is very hilly as there is likely only about three places on the entire property where you are not either going down hill or up. There are a lot of oak trees but they are on everyone's property around here so that wont set us appart. We also want to increase the cover as there really isn't anywhere on the property that I would honestly say is too thick to go into. The property was logged about 35 years ago and never regenerated properly. There is a boat load of ironwood trees, that as far as I am concerned are good for nothing. Any other suggestions welcomed.

Thanks again


Donnie
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Friggs
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If your soil test suggests not dolomite lime then your soil has loads of Magnesium and I would look for ag-lime that just has calcium. You have roughly the same soil as I do sandy loam and you can grow some decent crops depending if your soil nutrients are medium to high and you get some good rain during germination and early growth.
Thats good that your starting with Buckwheat it grows in poor soil and will smother weed and scavenge nutrients and add matter. Just don't plant it to early and kill/mow/disc it just as it starts to flower or it will go to seed and you will have a volunteer crop. Regarding adding fertilizer, it depends on what your growing but in the mean time slowing build your P and K and organic matter which will take several years. Grow winter rye, oats and red clover for several years before trying brassica's.
Just read as much as you can on soil building, cover crops and food plots and take your time and enjoy what your doing.
Thats good that your increasing cover for your deer and don't put your bedding areas to close to your foodplots because you want to hunt in between bedding and foodplots.

Friggs
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Ikantski
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This site has pretty good aerials for your property. It's actually pretty close to where I bird hunt a lot, the crown block off Fraser Rd. How are you planning on increasing cover? I agree with the ironwood trees, they don't do much good for deer and they're a pain to remove.

http://www.giscoeapp.lrc.gov.on.ca/web/mnr/gib/basedata/viewer/viewer.html
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Donnie7
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Hey Ikantski, I know where that crown is located, i believe it is a farily decent sized chunk in there that heads back towards Chamberlain Lake? Ironwood trees are just annoying, they are about 3 inches in diameter and 25 feet tall. Must have cleared a thousand of those when we were making a clearing for a plot. I have a couple of areas that are really high in ironwood that I am thinking of cutting for bedding and letting the sun light in. Any other suggestions on making things thicker or increasing cover?

Donnie
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Ikantski
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Yep, that's the chunk. I feel your pain on the ironwoods, they're all over our house lot. Cutting 1000 of those would be a chainsaw's worst nightmare. I'm not too sure about creating cover, that's one thing I haven't had to worry about on mine. You could try hinging a bunch, similar to http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471814 but I'm not sure if the deer would prefer that when they have the evergreens and swamp edges nearby.
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Donnie7
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The problem is that the swamp edges are not really that thick and big. The largest swamp is really all water. I have been playing around with your previous link that is a lot of fun. Thanks. I will try to take a look at the other link later.

Donnie
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