farm hunter

Dan O. posted a great link to some information fornorthern deer recently.The paper he referenced discussedmany aspects of deer management - one in particularwas the yardingof northern deer and the importance of thermal cover.

I thought I'd post some examples from our property. This year the deer have hardly needed it - but just as often, a good thermal cover is the difference between life and death for the deer herd.

On my walk last weekend - I thought to take some pictures. - One thing you will notice is the lack of browse/brush in these woods - this is not uncommon - and it isn't because the deer eat it all - but because its a VERY DARK woods most of the year. After a good wind - or Ice storm though (or as the snow melts) - many thousands of fallen - small green hemlock bows become a winter staple for the deer. I've seen where deer never leave woods like this in the really bad winters. The thermal cover and hemlock branches are a special habitat that should not be cut-away - in northern climates. We have 3 Hemplock based woods- 10-20 acres each that are each a little different - This is one of them:











FH

Dan O.

farm hunter; I didn't realize that you had a deer winter yard on your property. That explains a lot about the heavy brousing and the high deer numbers that you have feeding on your corn over the winter. It must be a honey hole for deer if the snow falls early.

I actually have few hemlocks on my property. In place of them I have very dense areas of cedars. Some are so thick that you can't walk through. If you manage to half crawl into them you find small 6' x 6' beds that the deer are using.

Dan O.

farm hunter

Dan - the yarding deer has been our biggest issue - the can destroy a young woodlot - or small plot. That is why we plant between 10 and 20 acres of food plots - and leave lots of corn standing.

We've seen the difference the food plots make in our woods - by not being browsed to the ground every winter - here's a look at an aspen/maple woods -this month. Not too many years ago - it was open through this woods. - the plots take a HUGE amount of pressure off the woods bordering them.