Top 5 High Impact Deer Habitat Improvements

[@davekaisler309]

Used your grape vine mock scrape advise for first time over last few weeks. Have always just used perennial overhanging oak branch scrapes for getting good buck pictures. Removed the horizontal branches and condensed to one vine per spot. Amazing use within a few days. Thanks for the free advice-you are appreciated

[@tylerviegut7160]

New land last year. Spruce being planted to screen road and access. Next year will be the pine. Working on getting the open area clear to plant switch in the future. Just planted 50 ROD yesterday to connect a bedding area to a hunting plot. Putting in travel corridors in a couple months to connect our food plots. Barbell food plots. These are going to be food corridors. Been doing cutting for a few weeks. Land was select cut 7yrs ago and the browse is above deer level now. Making pockets for bedding to increase bedding opportunities. Last year was first year for mock scrapes and they were awesome!!! Thanks for all of your videos!!!

[@markmasa8533]

The water tank has worked out amazing Jeff. Bears, wolves, bobcats, all use them but it doesn't seem to affect the use by the deer. They started using them just hours after they were installed and never stopped. Awesome info, Thanks Jeff

[@wisconsinwhitetail9744]

Jeff you should do a video on planting Cuttings. You talked about ROD cuttings, but I have heard willows are the easiest to grow from cuttings

[@sethhause1781]

Big Rock Trees just recently posted a video about properly planting ROD!

[@underdogoutdoors]

Watching your channel has upped my success rate more than anything else, while hunting less days! With pics & video to prove it, lol. Thanks Jeff.- Andy

[@jamesd9439]

Jeff's buck corridor, mock scrape, and 150 gallon water hole, turned my wooded edge, next to my ag field, into a big buck staging area within a year. What was once an average bow stand, is now my favorite, and I can monitor it through binoculars from my porch. Getting the consistent wind direction for that stand is another story, but if I get to hunt that stand once, with good wind, I'll be happy.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Sounds really good James!! Love hearing it. Fun, isn't it?!

[@jamesd9439]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Yes it is. Last year I watched as many as 25 bucks go by that stand in one evening. I've had to replace the licking vine twice in two years. They're wearing it out. The switchgrass isn't growing here in Wyoming though, and now I have to figure out what to do with my ag field, which thankfully isn't CRP anymore.

[@melsmith8011]

I’ve been following and using your advise for a few years. This is an Excellent video for the Beginner doing Habitat work. I think these are the best places to start developing their property, before even worrying about a food plot.

[@stevegermain1222]

Here in South Carolina I use Leyland cypress they grow crazy fast had a problem with deer eating them but the buck sure do like to polish them up with their antlers I enjoy all your videos this one's exceptional with all the inserts of the deer truly amazing shots of that buck stepping down into that almost empty tub thanks for all the time you put into these we're more stuff from your videos than anybody else

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Thank a lot Steve, I really appreciate it! Leyland Cypress..I am going to try and remember that! We have a big advantage doing what we do just because this is my night....and my day job 😊 Easy to create stuff when you live it and I hope that it all helps!

[@kurtpearson8597]

Really appreciated the tree screening advice! Conifer plantings are huge on my to-do list. I’d love a class just on this alone! I learned something today and suspect you’ve got plenty of tricks up your sleeve. Thanks for all your work-

[@suzmell1]

Love all the info especially the part on mock scrapes 👍

[@bobbryant4292]

Incredible how much knowledge you have, thanks for sharing, I've been doing a ton of habitat improvements this winter and spring

[@George-ro6bw]

This is another very enjoyable and informative video Jeff. I planted green giant arborvitae as a screen between my house and food plot because that variety of Arborvitae was breed to be a deer resistant option in USDA zone 5 NOT. Even with the tons of food in the plot that deer were hitting hard, the edge shrub has a perfectly vertical manicured edge eaten off of it lol. Thanks again Jeff.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Thanks a lot George!! Pretty funny...deer usually eat just about anything if congregated next door 👍 The opposite of picky eaters, lol

[@jeffluberto5678]

Got em all but water holes since there's a creek parallel with my plots and travel corridors! Thanks for the awesome info!!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

That's great Jeff, some really good boxes to check off 🙂

[@CobyC5]

Put in 125 trees this weekend in Indiana. Thanks Jeff!

[@jeremystanton382]

Mock scrapes are a game changer. Brought in a 6.5 year old that no one had ever seen before in a populated in area. It was just enough to make his usual travel corridor move 30 yards into visibility. He would have died of old age as a ghost buck without the scrape.

[@zackbussey9874]

Jeff - what size trees do recommend purchasing when planting spruce and pines for screening?

[@darrenturcotte7799]

I do tree planting it’s 5x-10x the cost to transplant bigger 5-10 foot trees. I’d say plant 1-2 year old seedlings if cost is a factor for you.

[@keithday5290]

This video was awesome..

[@johnmcmahon1196]

Thanks for going over conifer screening! I was just told by the nursery I can pick up my trees up this week!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

That's great John, you are very welcome!! Enjoy the time planting 👍

[@curtisbrowning4682]

Thanks for all the imformation you have shared It has helped me out so much the last few years on my property. Wish I would have known this 20 years ago!

[@thomaslist6924]

Great information Jeff I really appreciate the information you so generously share. My question is does it really pay to put in water holes if I have several creeks 10-20 feet wide that cross my land and border half of it and have water it them pretty much all year ? Thanks again

[@kvancamp84]

Great Information ! A water hole will be coming soon to my hunting area

[@joshny4766]

I cleared one plot last year on a swamp transition and left some pockets of red osier dogwood. I planted the rest in brassica. Can't say enough of how effective it was leaving those pockets of dogwood in there. Added another level of food diversity to my plot. Making a similar plot this year. Thanks Jeff!

[@raymondhoagland4976]

Thanks for all of the tips, I'll be out trying a few next month !

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

That's great to hear Raymond and you are very welcome!!

[@cowman540]

Can't wait for fall. Been doing the improvement s that you have suggested over the last 6 months . going to finish the bedding areas an travel corridors then the improvement's will be finished .lot of hard work daylight to dark seven days a week.. for three months . Know it's time to get ready for hay season.Thank you Jeff

[@danperrault2954]

Waiting patiently for your heavy arrow video.Thank you for all the videos.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

You are very welcome Dan! Ha, my anti-heavy arrow video will be out later in the Summer 😁

[@mitchellgenz1373]

Great information as always, starting my work soon.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

That's great to hear Mitchell...thank you and have fun with the deer work 😊

[@TradgerFarms]

We just put two water holes in. Unfortunately the ground water beneath pushed the tank up just above ground level but hopefully we can make it somewhat natural

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

They should still work Joe! Looking forward to hearing about it...

[@specag31]

If the water table is that high and powerful, make a pond. I made two in a 12 acre river bottom plot that had hard clay, very old East Coast river worn down to bedrock, so less digging, more putting up natural looking berms. One got big enough to attract two pair of wood ducks that breed successfully.

[@SDranchvoice]

100 lbs PLS Chipewa switchgrass are on the way. I have spent hours watching your incredible videos and will do food plots as well. OUr challenges include limited rainfall, limited cover (except for a small difficult to access creek), and lots of wide open area. We are an active cattle ranch, so several areas where switchgrass will be very helpful are areas that we cannot exclude the cattle year around.

[@SDranchvoice]

Should add that we have planted thousands of trees. Most of the ten year old conifer that were fortunate enough to survive are less than a foot tall. Thirty miles to our west, pine trees are growing out of rocks. Thirty miles to our east, conifers are considered to be a major nuisance. Thirty miles in any direction and the moisture is much greater. We differ greatly from many other areas within our state and from many other states. In Virginia, trees would grow in any gutter that was not cleaned, and grass stayed green year around. All of that aside, we have incredible deer but have had very limited archery success and have not been harvesting the best buck even with the limited amount of rifle hunting that we do. Your videos give me hope.

[@rodneywager2142]

Thanks Jeff, I think this was one of the most helpful videos yet

[@normyoder2622]

This is awsome! The hunting seasons is never over. every thing we do has to do with hunting. Thanks jeff for provoking us to good works.😊 WHS is the blessed.

[@jackbuys3711]

would it help to top off the pines/spruce around 7 to 8ft tall? There really isn't a reason to have them much taller. I am fortunate to have a lot of 3-4 ft balsam firs in the bedding areas along with briars, saplings, and grass. Working on our chainsaw trails and have to move 1 water tank, ROD is already in....check, check, check, check, check!

[@chrismacomber9727]

As always brother great info I think I'm going to go do some spraying today..have ever done any planting on pipelines?

[@kas5395]

Great video as always! On another video you talk about a flashlight that has adjustable brightness and how important it is to use as little light as possible. What flashlight do you use? Brand, etc.

[@pilingupbonesoutdoors2244]

Question- if you had to plant your travel corridors with a food source, would you suggest rye grain?

[@danding24]

Found your videos a few days ago. Now, I'm hooked. Keep the good info and good videos coming.... I'm looking to establish a plot this year and I was wondering what you do about poor drained areas and standing water? Can these areas be utilized?

[@brettfilbrun9193]

Waterhole question...... One of the properties I hunt has a creek that borders the property line. The deer typically travel 50-60 yards parallel to the creek from bedding area to food source. Would a waterhole be a benefit with the creek right there, or a waste of time?

[@randyh.6019]

Good info. Jeff . I never hear anything about fast growing hybred willows? Under ideal conditions grow 8 to 12 feet per year.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

They grow really well...but that not that great of a Fall or winter screen unless planted close and several rows deep. Lots of work. They also aren't deer browse. Good compliment to cover building projects. I would lean towards conifers, switchgrass or Miscanthus grass for screening, depending on the height needed and conditions. Same with using hybrid poplar for screening...it takes a lot of trees closely planted and several rows to make a screen of poplar that you can't see thru during the Fall.

[@mikkisprenkle7954]

Mr. Sturgis - as a new property owner would you suggest planting switchgrass on part of what will be a converted ag field or go with red pines and furs to screen it? I won't be able visit the location until 2023, and I'm looking at growing saplings from afar until I can get there and work the property. Property is Central PA, corn and soybean heavy ag area.

[@rietscheltv1446]

Water hole question: If there are a few water sources already on your property either low land swamps or maybe even a creek, would a water hole even be used by a deer if it was near your deer stand?

[@dustinpaul8968]

Love the videos Jeff. Every time I watch them I get refocused on my land and improving it. I have a lot of of privet around and a neighbor to the rear of my property near a food plot. What are your thoughts on transplanting privet for screening that food plot?

[@ronharadzin8029]

Jeff Id like to add 4 water holes to our property. There is little to no water on it. My concern is that these water holes are stagnant? What is the answer about stagnant water? Can it harm the deer? Won’t it be filled with bacteria?

[@spencerlofkvist4001]

I plan on a switchgrass planting in July after my spraying. Would you recommend Plot Start over my seed for a Summer planting of switch? Thanks Jeff!!

[@mike81399]

Thanks Jeff👍

[@daltonjones1913]

Just put a bunch of red willow stakes in the ground yesterday. Wanted to get some osier dogwood but ran out of time. The dogwood will be leafed out in the next couple weeks, but can I still cut stakes and just jam them in the ground when they're no longer dormant?

[@brianatkinson8164]

Will water holes help dictate movement on land with fresh streams or would time be best spent elsewhere?

[@exotictones1054]

The deer eat my pines of any kind from 5' tall to the ground n destroy them.where to purchase switch grass n can it take over an area .

[@thomashood3748]

Great advice!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Thank you Thomas!

[@timletourneau4323]

Thanks for the great information! How do you keep the Tics off you working in the wood all the Time? Thanks Tim

[@CM-fv2js]

Jeff, how do you keep your water tanks clean other than cleaning the leaves out once or twice a year? Do you use any chlorine tablets or anything else like it??

[@wager94]

What is your thoughts on hybrid willows?

[@7outdoors4life]

Man I was dii poop no that last week and Chiggers and ticks got me a really good 😢😢

[@johnm5579]

Any ideas for mock scrapes in open areas where I don’t have trees to hang a vine off of?

[@natebrown4330]

How do you tell the difference between good and "bad" oaks?

[@michaelmoder-wright7674]

Great info as always!! How many mock scrapes do you have on your land in Minnesota?

[@robertboston9778]

one per stand location. cut down natural scrapes that may pop up to focus them on the mock scrape and movement in front of the stand. (right Jeff? LoL)

[@kenjamison7689]

#1 - can I just use Egyptian wheat as well ???

[@johnbryant1025]

In the final steps of purchasing 77 acres of central Missouri woodland and pasture land. Hope I can transform it into killer deer habitat

[@anthonymalueg3520]

Some simple projects

[@electriceye683]

Thanks again!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Sure thing, you are very welcome!!

[@rfb7117]

Jeff, when do you spray for the first time with 2-4-D and RU, after you spray with Simazine int the spring? Thanks, Bob

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Bob...how's it going? I sprayed my Simazine about 2 weeks ago, and then will be spraying RU and 2-4D combo the last week of April, when weed growth is 10-12" high.

[@rfb7117]

Jeff, doing well, thanks for your quick response. Purchased a new sprayer and am anxious to use it. Say hello to Diane. Bob

[@stu4gbp]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Why not just RU? What additional advantage does adding 2,4-D bring to the equation? And does Simazine simply help keep weed growth at bay until you come in and wipe them out in late April?

[@tradarcher8714]

I interesting