Being retired this past year I've been researching all the ways to improve habitat for deer on my property. With winter being a slow season for most hunting wise, it's a good time to research and make some improvments. Holy crap, I've been missing a lot by simply putting in a food plot here and there. The's ton of information online and videos showing things you can do and ways to create bedding areas, move deer where you want to, and tie it all together for the best patterns of movement to your stand positions, even from off your property to onto your property. I'm sure lots of people do it and many have missed some things, and I'm equally sure that lots of people just do what they've always done.

Planting loads of cedar trees, and blackberries will make a nice thick bedding areas and offer a food source. the bedding helps year round, you need to keep out of bedding areas though as much as humanly possible, they wont tolerate you messing with them in a bedding area.  food plots offer extra food that gives deer a reason to want to be on your property in the first place.

I have two food plots, I will be redoing both of them next month, nothing fancy, just clover and probably a wildlife mix, or perhaps strips of corn. tall plants like corn offer food, and concealment for the deer which makes them feed more comfortably in daylight. deer love cover.

Yep.  It looks like I'll finally have some time to get back into habitat work.  I have treestands (are they still there?) that I haven't been to in 4 years because I couldn't find the time to trim lanes, etc.  Whitetail Habitat Solutions is an excellent source of information... Jeff is top notch.  Youtube has a ton on his videos.  Don't forget your chainsaw to do a bunch of hinge cutting!  Instant food and cover.

I ran across the below book on Food Plots.  It's kind of long, but some really good information.

I haven't really implemented anything from it, but it helped me come up with a plan for this year.

First recommendation in the book is to get your soil tested - probably through your county ag extension.

PDF on Food Plots

Yep. His channel has recently helped me realize a lot of the mistakes I've made and confirmed a few things I was doing right. Highly recommended if you're setting up a property, particularly up north.

I have some time off next week -- going to be working on bedding areas, releasing some apple trees, and possibly doing an aspen clear cut. That one is probably not going to happen. I will post some video of whatever I do have some time to do.

I had a contractor lined up to do another locust clear cut, but he backed out, so that is not going to happen anytime soon. He was also going to skid some logs for me that I have already dropped - trying to line up a friend with a tractor and winch to do that.

Its going to be a busy week!

I watched a number of videos on the various ways to use hinge cutting for bedding areas, funneling deer movement, etc. and have started on that already. Since there hasn't been any timber cut on my 125 acres since 1974, I'll be meeting with a state forester to discuss having some timber cut. Habitat improvement will be the sole focus, rather than maximizing the money aspect of it. Unless he says there is a good reason to cut some of the oak trees I won't have them cut.

This isn't relevant for much of the USA.  However, for the Adirondacks, Northern VT, NH ME, the UP in Michigan, etc....  Around here winters can be SEVERE and winter kill is a huge problem some  years.  Food plots and the usual stuff doesn't do much for your herd when its end of Feb or Mar, the deer are on the ragged edge of survival and you get another  24 inch snowfall.

I've convinced theist single thing I can do is selective cutting of some mature trees. Simply walk out into the woods where trees are becoming mature, and cover is thin, find a couple Poplar or cedar trees, and hinge cut them. I achieve three or more objectives.... 1) I have provided an all- natural supplemental feed that, unlike corn or hay, doesn't interrupt natural gut flora.  I'm simply taking food they already eat, but cannot reach, and bringing it down to deer level.  These trees will be STRIPPED in 24 hours.  2) I'm letting light down to the forest floor where I can start the forest cycle again.  More young food next summer 3)the hinge cutting creates cover and bedding area

No tractor.  No plow.  No tiller.  No fertilizer, lime or seed.  Slap the snowshoes on, grab the small chainsaw and take a walk in the woods.  In and done in 30 minutes.  Repeat next week....

I heard an interesting idea on Wired to Hunt. A habitat guy was talking about cutting strips in brush/grown up fields and then lightly disking it. Supposedly disking encourages broadleaf growth that deer love. Some of those native plants are very nutrient and protein dense. He was talking 19-30% protein.

I need to continue to clear out some spots for food plots.  Last year I got a 3/4 acre spot cleared and planted.
Hoping to do 2 one acre plots this spring if it stops raining.

I also have been hinging my maple trees so they grow as a bush.  The state forester told me this will bring lots of deer in to the property.  Hinging is just snapping the small trees over like a hinge. Just be sure the outside bark layer is still connected on at least half the tree where it breaks.

Going to put down about 2 acres of clover on my existing trails in the next month or so.  I will disk them up a bit and throw seed down.

Right now the rain is killing me.

Think I can hook a disk harrow to the back of my pontoon boat??

The guys I hunt with and I spend our winter hinge cutting areas to promote bedding and create ground-level browse.  We also hinge cut or otherwise block entrance trails to food plots that aren't favorable to our stand locations.

Good idea, I had not thought of hinging areas to create pattern flows for deer.

Have you noticed this works or do the deer just eat/walk thru the same trails.  Like when a tree falls on a trail they just walk around the tree and continue down the same trail.

Good idea, I had not thought of hinging areas to create pattern flows for deer.

Have you noticed this works or do the deer just eat/walk thru the same trails.  Like when a tree falls on a trail they just walk around the tree and continue down the same trail.

Have them leave the tops of the trees laying intact on where they fell them.  I had a select cut done about 5 years ago and did this.  It's my sanctuary that I only enter in the winter after season.  It's nearly impossible to walk through, and if you try you will lose blood due to the thorns and briars. They are 8' tall in some areas.  Mixed in with the new undergrowth the tree tops really gave it the final touch.  Really shot up the stem count in an otherwise park like stand of woods.

I like the strip idea as deer normally feel safer in an area like that rather than an open field.  I'd still plant what I wanted to grow there.  Seems like way to much competition from the non-desirable plants to just plow it and let it do whatever.

I was thinking about cutting a strips, disking them, and letting them go for the summer. Then later in the year, disking again and planting something like winter wheat.

I started disking some of my trail cuts yesterday.

But parts of them are under water so didn't get much done.

Gonna rain until Sunday this week, so not much getting doen this week I guess.