Feb. 26: I Made the Perfect Buck Trap | Dream Farm w/ Bill Winke

[@gsquared2394]

I find the TSI work very rewarding, I’ve tried double girdling this year. Cheers Bill, appreciate you highlighting this part of land management.

[@rubenroyer9488]

Same here on the double girdling. Last year I single girdled and some died while others did not..

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the comment and the insight. I have not done much girdling, I like them on the ground, but it would sure be a lot safer on the bigger trees especially in spots where finding a place to drop them without hanging up or damaging other trees is difficult.

[@daveschreier6019]

Another great video Bill! I love habitat management for deer. I look forward to the next video!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Dave. I appreciate the support and the comment. Have a great day.

[@TravisLillyOutdoors]

Bill, great video as always! I have had tremendous success looking for morel mushrooms after removing elm trees from some of our hillsides. In that relationship between the fungus and the roots of certain trees, stressing the tree can cause the fungus to fruit. We have seen a strong relationship between morels and elm trees. Something to maybe look at this spring. Cheers!

[@bill-winke]

That is a very good point. We will look for them this spring. We cut elm on all 70+ acres but there were areas where they were more populated (the lower, moister areas). Thanks for the tip.

[@davidblake7998]

Thanks for letting us tag along on your projects have a blessed day.

[@artbrennhofer8283]

Can't wait for the burning. Thanks for sharing.

[@bill-winke]

I will be honest Art. Cutting down 15,000 trees feels so much easier to me than lighting this place on fire. I need to gain experience to feel comfortable with burning. The local biologist comes by regularly and he laughs at me when I express my fear of torching this place. He has enough experience that he sees the future, but I just see the questions. A month from now, I will likely feel a lot better about it having burned hundreds of acres (I hope). You have to start small. I remember my first TSI project. It was very small and I was very cautious about what I cut. Now, I have a way better feel for it. I suppose fire will be like that too. Have a great day.

[@christhole7775]

Thanks for the episode. The drone footage really shows the sweat you put into your farm!

[@bill-winke]

Yes sir. Man, we cut a lot of trees - lost a lot of sweat and a few pounds (which was good). Have a great day.

[@coleromine3905]

Looking forward to seeing some burns in the future. Great work everyone

[@bill-winke]

It will be interesting. That is for sure. I am sure I will get more comfortable with it in time. I appreciate the comment.

[@woodardcsw]

Thanks Bill , always look forward to the next Video. Learning a lot on so many levels

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the comment Woodard. Much appreciated.

[@tickfisher721]

Growing up, we used to grouse hunt at Yellow River, haven’t seen one since I was in my teens. Nice job on the TSI, hoping your work pays off👍

[@bill-winke]

Thanks. I hope it pays off too. There were three drumming grouse on the farm last spring so hopefully there is a nucleus we can build on to restore them. I grew up hunting them too. Have a great day.

[@takurghar1621]

Very interesting, learning a lot from you channel

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Takur. I appreciate the support.

[@troybrake5686]

The place we're I got my biggest buck on camera this yr caught on fire a couple different times yrs ago when my cousin lived on the property, he would burn trash and not watch it, they had to bring a dozer in a fight some of it, but after that it grew up thick and I killed a huge body mature buck in that thicket! The buck even had black on his horns somehow from the burnt saplings! I think that's why I always get good deer on camera every yr I run cameras over there

[@deanl4193]

Lovin the off season content. Keep it coming.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Dean. Much appreciated.

[@shawnmoore7841]

Great advice about the walnut trees/oak trees too, $$ later on

[@bill-winke]

Our oaks aren't the greatest. A few good ones here and there but most are bent and leaning and really crooked so they aren't really very marketable. The walnut are another story though! Lots of really nice ones.

[@shawnmoore7841]

@@bill-winke looks like it for sure nice and straight, cya in the next one

[@thomassykes6985]

Great series.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Thomas. Much appreciated.

[@barryklein6521]

Its great to have such a diverse amount of trees on a property that can be rare and Id try to leave some thoes cedars cause the deer eat the bark and leaves on them and rub them,thermal cover. Mature cedars are High value. The micro plot on the ridge point is a steller Idea I might try that somehow. I always learn something here or there from Master Winke either through vids or mag articles over the years 😄

[@patrickdeclerk4424]

Absolutely.bees butterfly.birds.bucks thank you for the content.

[@alexpinnow6509]

Great summary episode on the work done so far and what's on the horizon! Excited to see you utilize fire in this terrain (and want to apologize on behalf of everyone early for the nonsensical comments that will follow similar to the chainsaw videos...). The habitat side is so very interesting to learn from and follow along with!!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Alex. I learned a lot about cutting trees. The main thing I learned was when to walk away. There are some trees that are just not worth cutting and sometimes a tree hangs up despite your best efforts to direct it to the ground and it is not worth trying to get it down. The risk is very real, every single time you touch the chain to wood. There is not a tree out there worth taking any risk to drop. That is my final message about TSI. Have a great day.

[@alexpinnow6509]

@@bill-winke Great summary message on cutting! Enjoy the mild weather!!

[@PAKraig]

Great content, Bill. Thanks for the quick, less than 10 minute videos that get to the point...my short attention span appreciates it! I've been told that root sprout might not occur if cutting trees in sub-freezing temps. Any truth to that? I usually try to wait til later in March to do any hinge cutting or full cutting.

[@bill-winke]

The biologist I talked to said that as long as the tree was holding "energy" in the root system (prior to sap flowing up) the trees likely to root or stump sprout will. It more likely to kill the stump by cutting the tree off after the sap is up in the top, but I don't know that for sure. As I said, it is second hand information. If you are having good luck doing it your way, I would not change. Good luck.

[@PAKraig]

@@bill-winke Thanks for the reply, that certainly makes sense. If I could start doing it now, I'd have more time to do more cutting before working on food plots......and my daughter's softball season 😁 Keep up the great work, and thanks again for the info.

[@lonniechartrand]

I am in the process of doing the same thing. It is a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

[@alexfrazier88]

Boy, I sure do love some high stem count

[@bill-winke]

This place is going to have it in spades Alex. There are at least three grouse on it now (based on drumming count from last spring). I hope to drive that number way higher over the next five to ten years. Have a great day.

[@alexfrazier88]

@@bill-winke Out here in VA around where I hunt the grouse are few and far between. Cool when you see one it’s like seeing an endangered species

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Good stuff. Glad you incorporated crop tree release or at least crop tree perspective with the wildlife TSI. Do you utilize the down timber for firewood or sawmill lumber? I speak mainly of the hickory & maple.

[@bill-winke]

The terrain is so steep it hard to even walk in many spots so getting trees out is a huge undertaking. I have a few neighbors that burn wood so I will invite them to take what they want but the challenges of getting it out is too great to consider a commercial firewood harvest.

[@elikuhns5860]

Opening up around a tree is okay but the walnut that was shown there as long as it’s taller then the one’s around it, I wouldn’t cut to much. I had them sprout out down the main log therefore it no longer made vaneer. More critical around a white oak

[@bill-winke]

I asked about that. I was told that once a walnut gets past a certain age/size it won't put out any more side branches when you open up around it. Oak, as you mention, is another story. Unfortunately, though we have a lot of oak on the farm very, very little is high lumber quality and maybe none would be considered veneer for white oak. For some reason, this farm just doesn't have them. Good point, though.

[@motel1-gg2qb]

Great info on the bedding TSI work. What brand is that brown jacket with black on shoulder area?

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support. That hoodie is made by Kuhl. looked for it online on their website but it is possible it is discontinued. Jordan bought me that from Scheel's around Christmas time.

[@motel1-gg2qb]

Thank you, I thought I might be seeing their logo on the sleeve. 👍🏻

[@stevesly1285]

Thanks again Bill for an awesome video. Yes I think the burn will help out a lot. What kind of drone do you guys have?

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Steve. I appreciate it. We have the DJI Mini 3 Pro. It does a great job for the size and cost.

[@DawsonGore-gr4dj]

Great TSI info would love to see this burn when it’s ready I have timber stands so thick I feel like burning is the only answer but I’m kinda scared to burn in timber honestly I’m not very experienced with burns but it makes sense

[@bill-winke]

I am with you. I am not experienced and I am scared too, but it has to be done - at least here - for this property to reach its potential. The local state biologists laughs at me when I tell him I am afraid to light this place on fire, but he is not the one that has to deal with the consequences if I do it wrong. I will start small and learn and then slowly expand my size. That is basically what I did when I started doing TSI many years back. Start small. Good luck.

[@robertfmccarthy2360]

Dreaming big

[@tomvichlach8038]

Are you guys going to the deer classic in Des Moines this weekend?. We're headed down Friday and grab som Jethros bbq. Take care

[@bill-winke]

Jordan and I will be in the Code of Silence booth Saturday starting at 1:00 for a while. Stop by. You can't beat Jethro's. Awesome barbecue.

[@Kanook99]

Are you leaving the cut trees just lay or are you going to remove them for fire wood or???

[@ronmacdougall9612]

Door ways work awesome

[@bill-winke]

We didn't drop enough to create a really good funnels with the downed trees, but I am sure I could make easy trails with some cutting and the deer would use them heavily. Some of this is now a snag filled jumble and a cut trail would be adopted immediately by all the deer. Have a great day.

[@edwardclark5211]

Dream Big brother 🙏

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Edward. Same to you.

[@dwbowhunterable]

TSI looks fantastic. Cant want to see the results from RX Fire.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks. I am starting to gear up for the burning season now. It will be interesting. Have a great day.

[@iowareddneck]

Dang I see your old farm is back up for sale!

[@bill-winke]

Man, that price makes my stomach hurt. I didn't sell it for anywhere near that price!

[@iowareddneck]

Lol I know but that's the way with everything in today's world anyway keep the videos coming

[@tommyhunter1817]

Black Walnuts are the pigs of the plant world. Like you can eat every part of the pig but the squeal, every bit of a walnut has value from the husks, to the shells, to the stump.

[@bill-winke]

I only wish I had a couple thousand more of them on the farm!

[@tommyhunter1817]

@@bill-winke do like I do, collect the nuts and plant them (and protect from squirrels).

[@mikehenthorn976]

Where can we purchase your coat? Keep it going!

[@bill-winke]

That is made by a company named Kuhl. I believe you can find them online. Here is a link: www.kuhl.com/ Looks like they may have discontinued the one I am wearing. I got that at Scheel's.

[@isaacchadwick5913]

Done son!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support Isaac.

[@roberthancock7055]

Having too much ground cover caused by downed trees caused our deer to maneuver to other areas until the cut trees were removed.

[@bill-winke]

I might make a few trails through the worst spots with my saw. I think that would help.

[@jimpowers2047]

bring Grant Woods up to do a combined video!!!