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This Summer Make Edges a Priority

June 13, 2017/0 Comments/in Got Game Blog /by Stone Road

Deer Hunting Management | Edge Feathering Strategies

As deer hunting enthusiasts, it is easy for us to become stuck in only thinking about the hunt. Many of us will spend countless hours daydreaming about sitting in our favorite deer stand or blind, watching one of our hit list whitetails appear in view. While that is certainly the more attractive aspect of deer hunting, having that dream actually turn into a reality is an entirely different story. Much like any sport, success in the deer woods is often predicated on the amount of work you put into being prepared. Ensuring that your gear and equipment is ready to go is one thing, but ensuring that your property is ready in quite another. This summer’s preparation should have you pondering what can be done in terms of property management. This year making edges a priority through edge feathering strategies, might just be your ticket to success this year!

Edges and Edge Feathering

Deer management is starting to evolve well beyond the thought that all you need to be successful is a couple of food plots here and there. Rather, sportsmen and women are beginning to see deer management in much broader sense, and understanding how they can address the nutritional and habitat requirements of white-tailed deer throughout the year and through this approach, have been able to hold more deer and grow larger deer than ever before.

Deer management is all about taking advantage of what you have to work with, and maximizing it to the fullest extent possible, and deploying management practices such as edge feathering certainly checks that box. Before we dive right into the practice of edge feathering, it is important to understand what exactly constitutes and “edge” and why they are important to white-tailed deer and deer hunting.

Edge Habitat – White-tailed deer, along with many other wildlife species are often classified as “edge” species. So what does “edge” species really mean? It means that white-tailed deer will seek out and utilize transitional areas between certain habitat types as travel areas and safety zones. If you stop and think about it, chances are that most of your deer stand locations are centered on these types of areas. Areas like crop field edges, or a transitional area within the timber such as where a creek bottom and ridge come together. These are all considered edge habitats, and when it comes to deer hunting and putting a mature whitetail on the ground, is certainly something that you cannot have enough of.

Types of Edge

Edge habitats can generally be broken down into two main categories, “Hard Edge” and “Soft Edge”. Hard edges are just like they sound, it is typically classified by an abrupt change from one habitat type to another. A great example of this would be where a CRP field or hay field falls right next to a crop field or woodlot, with no transitional area separating the two.

Hard Edges

Hard edges are all too common in today’s landscape and are generally not as beneficial for wildlife such as white-tailed deer. The natural world, hard edges are very uncommon. Mother Nature prefers to gradually change between habitat types, which is why having a soft edge can be far more beneficial when it comes to deer hunting and your overall management strategy.

Soft Edges

Soft edges are the exact opposite of hard edges. Soft edges are the transitional areas between habitat types and are widely favored by a wide array of wildlife species. Soft edges not only provide safety and cover, but they often provide an abundance of forage in the form of green browse and mast for wildlife to forage on throughout the year. Utilizing a practice like edge feathering to help increase your soft edge habitat can be one of the easiest was to increase the amount of forage and cover on your property with very little effort.

Edge Feathering “How To’s”

Deer management often comes down to economics. Most deer hunters have the best of intentions and will do all they can to help provide as much habitat on their property as possible. At the end of the day, however, when the money runs out the management stops.

Within the list of deer management practices that someone can complete on their property, edge feathering is one of the most economical by far. In order to complete this practice all you really need is a chainsaw, some fuel, a pair of chainsaw chaps, a helmet, some work gloves, safety glasses and some stump killing herbicide (In some cases, depending upon your management objectives you may elect not to utilize the herbicide, although it is generally recommended) most of which, many deer hunters are likely to already possess.

Areas to Look For

Before you declare a Jihad on all trees, it is important to go into your edge feathering project with your areas already identified. Some excellent areas to key in on area the woodlot edges, especially in areas where the wood lots meet open grassland habitats such as CRP fields. In and around your existing food plots area also excellent locations to implement your edge feathering practices as well. Additionally, wood draws or fingers that fall out into the interior of a field can also be excellent locations to complete your edge feathering project.

What are the Goals?

When it comes to edge feathering, the goal is really quite simple. As we have already covered, the first objective or goal is to create a transitional area between habitat types, but in addition you hoping to allow the sunlight to reach bare mineral soil, which will stimulate the germination of native grasses, forbs and shrubs which will provide forage and nutrition for white-tailed deer and other wildlife. Also, by felling the trees loosely, you are hoping to create bedding and escape cover for adult white-tailed deer and fawns, as well as many other wildlife species.

How to Edge Feather

First and foremost, edge feathering is not hinge-cutting. Edge feathering involves felling the tree completely to the ground. Many deer hunters will mistake this concept, and the results will not be as beneficial. There are two methods for deploying the edge feathering practice. This first is what is referred to as linear edge feathering. Linear edge feathering can be conducted on wooded draws and fingers as well as woodlot edges. With the wooded draw scenario, most habitat managers would recommend felling most trees within the draw or finger, electing to leave any mast producing trees or deer stand locations. In the woodlot scenario, the objective should be to fell every tree at 30ft back from the edge and continue along the length of the wood lot. Stumps should be treated within both scenarios unless your objective is to greatly increase woody cover. Trees should be felled and stacking loosely (a good rule of thumb is if a volleyball can fall through the top of the tree pile and still reach the ground, it is suitable). Felling the trees too tightly only helps to create dens for predators.

The benefits of edge feathering are often realized almost immediately and certainly within the first growing season. Although you can complete edge feathering at any time during the year, the best time would be following the completion of deer season during the colder part of the year.

Other Edge Feathering Tips

In addition to providing an excellent source of cover and habitat, edge feathering can also be a great way to increase your trail camera surveillance. White-tailed deer will utilize trail camera locations for travel, to and from food and bedding locations. While this fact alone is advantageous, edge feathering can also be utilized to help funnel white-tailed deer too, and through specific locations allowing you, a means to increase your trail camera photo library. Leaving an opening in a strategic location such as next to a food source will certainly provide a white-tailed deer with an easy entrance and exit point, and is an excellent location for your trail camera set. Keep this as you begin your edge feathering project and you might just be surprised how fast your cards fills up!

Clover Food Plot and Tree Stand Placement Tips

Hunting Clover Plots | Tree Stand Strategies

Spring is in the air and chasing white-tailed deer is likely the last thing on your mind, however, the spring months offer those who have a passion for deer hunting an opportunity to fine-tune the placement and positions of their deer stands. Deer hunting is a sport that requires a “trial and error” approach in order to be successful. Just about the time you think you have checked all the boxes, and you have your tree stand placed perfectly, and you have done your due diligence to address all of the variables, something unforeseen arises and it is back to the drawing board. Though it may seem frustrating, the constant grind that comes with punching a tag only helps to make success even sweeter and often teaches us a thing or two that we can apply to future hunts.

Tree stand placement is often a product of two things, the type of area you are hunting (funnel, bedding area, food source, etc.) and the available cover that you have to place a tree stand. These are certainly the “big bucket” concepts that most white-tailed deer hunters tend to adhere to, however, not taking the time to truly analyze the circumstances can often lead to mistakes being made. Often, tree stand placement along with other aspects of your overall hunting strategy can be fine-tuned if you are willing to take the time to dive a little deeper into the “when” and “where”.

Tree Stand Placement Tips

Spring is food plot season, and as such, clover food plots are usually the first thing on hunter’s minds. For good reason! Clover plots, if placed and hunted correctly can serve as perfected kill plots. Take this tree stand placement and clover plot tips into consideration.

Not Every Set Is Created Equal

Would ever you wear football pads to a baseball game? Hopefully, the answer is no! The point is that both football and baseball are competitive sports that are very similar. They both involve a team, they both occur on a field, and they both utilize a ball. Though they are similar, they couldn’t be any more different. The same can be said for each of your tree stand sets. Though you are hunting white-tailed deer from each location and set, each location and set are different in its own way. If you make the mistake of treating each of your tree stands as if they are exactly like the other, then chances are you are missing opportunities to fine tune your tree stand placement and add to add a few more tally marks to your harvest totals at the end of the year.

The Devil is in the Details

Sometimes, identifying the differences between tree stand sets can be tough. For example, if you have tree stands placed in a wooded draw on one side of the property, and a tree stand placed in a wooded draw on the other side of the property, you might argue that there is nothing that separates the two from each other, and in some cases you would likely be correct. That said, the devil is often in the details so before you make your assumptions that all tree stands sets placed in similar cover types are the same, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind.

Timing

The old saying “timing is everything” is certainly true when it comes to how you place and when you hunt your tree stand. Certain sets may see very little activity during the early part of the season, but turn on during the rut or late season. Likewise, you may have certain areas of your property that deer do not specifically use all the time, however, will pass through during certain periods of the year. It is scenarios such as these that separate the wooded draw on the east side of the farm from the wooded draw on the west.

Cover

Placing a tree stand is one thing, and hunting from it is certainly another. Understanding the timing in regards to when certain tree stands sets will likely have the most activity and when food plots are attractive can help you understand what your needs will be in terms of concealment. For example, if you are hunting a travel lane food plot such as a funnel or wooded draw staging area, that is exposed between crop or CRP, then the overhead cover is likely at a premium. Additionally, of you have an area like this that you tend to spend more time in after leaf drop, then you may want to keep the saw in the pack and resist the urge to cut too many branches out of the way. It is important to have a shooting lane, however, concealment is equally so.

On the other hand, if you find yourself hunting an early season set when the trees are still in full canopy, then you can likely get away with far more trimming and even a little more movement while in the stand than you could later in the year. Though many white-tailed deer hunters will say that they consider these points while placing their tree stands, it is important to spend some time to really consider them. If you slow down and spend some time truly evaluate your surroundings and understand the “big picture”, you just be surprised at how your original location will slide to the back seat and something new will jump out in front.

Placement over Clover Plots

Deer hunting over a green browse plot such as a clover plot is truly a special thing. There is just something about seeing a white-tailed deer cast against the lush, green vegetation of a clover plot that can get the blood pumping in the chest of any deer hunter. Clover plots provide an excellent opportunity to not only see a lot of deer during the early part of the deer season but to also catch a big mature buck prior to the rut. Green browse such as clovers provide white-tailed deer with an unbelievable source of nutrition, and with little effort on the part of the hunter, can produce an immense amount of biomass, most clovers reaching from 2,000- 3,000 lbs per acre, to help feed a large number of deer on any given farm.

Hunting over a food source such as a clover plot may seem fairly straightforward, however, when it comes to tree stand placement over these areas it can be a little trickier than you might it might appear.

Is it Early Season Hunting?

Hunting over a clover plot is typically early to mid-season activity. These areas can still produce white-tailed deer activity at all times of the year, however, once the season turns colder deer will begin to seek out forages that are more suitable for the conditions. It is important to keep in mind the conditions that you will be faced with when hunting during the early season as you begin to identify potential tree stand locations. As was mentioned previously, the foliage during the early to middle part of the season tends to be fuller. This is both a positive and a negative. It is a positive in that you should have plenty of covers to help you stay hidden and concealed, however, keep your shooting lanes clear and open can sometimes be very problematic and require attention many times throughout the offseason. The spring months are an excellent time to get out and begin considering tree stand locations and evaluating your shooting lanes.

Entry and Exit

One of the positive aspects of hunting a food plot that consists of forages like clover is that while mornings and evenings are likely the most active feeding times, white-tailed deer can and will literally utilize these areas at almost any point during the day. This unpredictability can also be a negative, as it can put extra emphasis on your entry and exit strategy. It is always important to have a way in and a way out of your stand that will keep you quiet and concealed. With a food plot such as a clover plot, this certainly the case, and then some. White-tailed deer will not only utilize these areas at any given point during the day but often will bed close by if suitable cover exists. It can be very challenging to make your way into these areas without bumping deer if you have neglected to do your legwork up front. Additionally, if and when you find yourself enjoying an evening hunt over a clover plot, be prepared to stay until last light. White-tailed deer, especially if they are unpressured, will tend to spend the majority of the evening in these plots, which can make it exceptionally difficult to exit without being seen. This helps to further emphasize the importance of an entry and exit strategy when hunting over your clover plot.

Scent Control

When placing a tree stand, a good rule of thumb is to not be any higher than you absolutely need to be. The height of tree stand is often a result of the location, the time of year it will be hunting and the concealment that is available. During the early season months, temperatures will often still be on the warm side. These humid conditions can greatly increase even the slightest odor, and can quickly cause you to be pinpointed. Early season food plots such as clover plots are areas where you may consider increasing the height of your set if that is an option. Increasing the height of your tree stand will help you with your scent control efforts, in addition to increasing your visibility. Just remember that there is no second chance for safety first, so always use a harness no matter if you are hunting from 10’ or 25’, a fall from a tree stand is serious so treat it as such.

Edge Effect

When it comes to deer hunting over clover plots, there is no question about where the deer prefer to be, and that is often the center of the plot. This is often the result of a couple of factors, the first being what is known as the “edge effect”. The edge effect is a term that applies the edges of a food plot or crop field being less productive than they middle or center of the plot. This is typically caused by either a fertility issue or as a result of the nearby trees either shading out the clover or simply outcompeting the clover for nutrients. The key factor here is that this, ensuring that you have your tree stand set within shooting distance of the major entry and/or exit point of the plot is important. Often, white-tailed deer will head straight for the most productive area of the clover plot, and if you are not ready to strike quickly, you may have to result to simply watching deer rather than shooting one.

If you take a few these tips into consideration it will likely help you to not only recognize factors variables related to tree stand placement that perhaps you had not in the past, but they will certainly help you to be more successful in the white-tailed deer woods this fall.

The Unsung Heros of Hunting| Hunting Accessories

April 4, 2017/0 Comments/in Got Game Blog /by Stone Road

Hunting Accessories | Critical Items You Need While Hunting

Feature Photo Credit: Joe Diestel

There is nothing better than enjoying an April sunrise from the comfort and seclusion of your favorite ground blind or tree, just as spending a November morning nestled in your best deer stand is also a magical experience. Whether you are chasing spring turkeys or white-tailed deer hunting, taking to the woods in search of wild game requires you to be prepared for any situation. These hunting accessories are the unsung heroes of the woods, critical to making your hunting experience top notch.

Shop Hunting Accessories

Talkin’ Turkey | Turkey Hunting Accessories

Spring is well underway and soon it will be time to dust off the shotgun and hit the woods to do some turkey hunting. Anyone who has chased spring turkeys will quickly tell you that turkey hunting is a gear-intensive activity that can often require one hunter to carry multiple hunting accessories with them on a daily basis. The reason is simple, you want to be prepared. Turkey hunting can sometimes be a game of seconds, so when success is on the line you need to ensure that you have what it takes to get the job done.

There is no doubt that hunting from a ground blind is effective when it comes to turkey hunting. That said, many turkey hunters much prefer to “run and gun” which makes hunting from a pop-up blind difficult to accomplish. If you fall into this category, you have no doubt found yourself in a situation where the elements have felt as though they are stacked against you. Springtime often means frequent rain events, and there is nothing worse than finally getting close to a gobbler only to have the rain set in. When this occurs, you really have two options. You can either wait him out and get soaked in the process, or you can leave. Neither sounds all that appealing. Luckily, you can do something about it!

A pop-up umbrella system is not only effective in the deer stand, but it is also effective in the turkey woods. The umbrella can quickly attach to your tree and can be set up with little sound and movement required. The umbrella system in combination with one of our ground seats will be the ultimate small and compact combination that can easily fit into any pack or vest and should always be part of your turkey hunting accessory list!

Deer Hunting Accessories

Whether bow hunting or rifle hunting, the modern day deer stand has features to not only keep you comfortable and concealed but can also help improve your chances of punching a tag on your hit list buck. Today, deer stands come in all shapes and all sizes. What once consisted of a few 2 x 4’s, nails and a few railroad spikes now consists of ladder stands, hang-on stands, two-man ladder stands, climbing stands and this list goes on from there. Today’s deer stand is generally lighter, stronger and more durable than deer stands of even two years ago. As a group, hunters a generally not given the credit they deserve in terms of innovation and improvements that they continue to make in the field of deer stands and hunting products.

Pack Fillers

Selecting a deer stand in like selecting a car, it’s a personal decision that is based upon your needs and desires. While the type of deer stand that a hunter might choose may vary, the list of accessories that typically fills their pack will certainly vary from deer hunter to deer hunter. Who ever said that deer hunting was not and accessory driven activity was mistaken, as today’s deer hunter typically has enough equipment and gear to fill almost any field pack on the market.

Although there are certainly a number of items that a deer hunter can carry in their packs to help them attract a mature buck to their location, often there are the additional “pack fillers” that also add to the overall success of the trip. These items are the unsung heroes of most deer hunting experiences, and while these items may often be overlooked make no mistake, these items can greatly improve your hunting experience while in the deer stand and can ensure that you are ready to go when the opportunity arises.

An Extra Hand

Unlike buying a house or a new truck, there is only so much storage that a deer stand can offer. That said, regardless if you are archery hunting or rifle hunting, white-tailed deer hunting generally requires the hunter to have plenty of gear on hand. Here in lies the problem, as there is only so much room on the deer stand platform.

Whether it is an extra tow rope, a multi-hook accessory holder or a multi-hanger, having the ability to have those critical pieces of deer hunting hardware out and available at arm’s reach is important. Sometimes we can all use an extra hand, and each of these items can provide you with just that. The best feature that each of these items can offer the deer hunter is they are light and can be neatly tucked away in any hunting pack. They take up very little space, but can really save the day when called upon. If you don’t have at least one of these items in your hunting pack, then you’re missing the boat.

Clearing the Path

Maybe you are hunting a new piece of property, public land or maybe you are just hunting a deer stand that you haven’t hunted in a while, regardless of the circumstances having a limb right in the way of your best shooting lane is a problem. While a multi-tool can tackle the small stuff, they are typically outmatched for limbs that are much larger than your pinky finger.

Having a reliable pair of pruning shears at your disposal is nothing short of a life saver. A set of ratcheting shears can enable you to tackle a problematic limb that is large in size while to remaining concealed and quite. A good set of shears can also be critical in helping you freshen up that old ground blind or ground set, and the best part, they take up about the same amount of room as two decks of playing cards. Having a folding saw is better than nothing, but having a good set of shears will trump almost any alternative, and should find their way into your deer hunting pack before next season.

Marking the Way Home

Everything looks different in the dark. No matter if you have hunted the same area a hundred times, or if you are looking at a brand new property, heading to your deer stand before daylight or making your way to the truck after sunset can sometimes be a challenge. The last thing that any white-tailed deer hunter wants to do, especially if there is a big buck in the area, is go beating through the brush trying to find their way.

Having a clearly marked trail is an excellent way to ensure that scenario doesn’t occur, and utilizing reflective trail markers or trail marking tacks in certainly one way to accomplish this goal. These reflectors will shine with even the lowest of light, allowing you to remain silent and move quickly to your location. In addition to helping you find your way to and from your stand, utilizing these reflectors when blood trailing a deer after daylight can also pay great dividends in determining the path of the animal while also allowing you to easily retrace your steps if you happen to lose the trail. Best of all, these reflectors take up virtually no room, but can certainly be a lifesaver when in the field.

Before you take out to the deer stand on your next deer hunting adventure, be sure to take inventory of your hunting pack. If you happen to find that these three items are absent, hit the store and rectify the situation. You’ll be glad you did!