If you owned 1,000 acres and could cut/clear/ plant timber at your own discretion, what would it look like? Would any be in pines? (Aside from the money, we're only talking deer/wildlife here). I'm thinking a rotation of clear- cuts, re-planting and some permanent fields. The young clear cuts get grown up and hold good deer and provide browse year-round.

it would look like a patchwork quilt of mixed habitats, with well thought out shooting lanes and greenfields.

I would like to have some wide hardwood SMZ's, a few well-placed, large, food plots, some long, narrow strips that could be maintained/mowed in strategic areas. The remaindeer, I would plant in Longleaf pine and begin a burn rotoation as early and often as possible!

I am probably just dreaming.....but, I am planning to own this in the future!

I'd do something very similar to this in that most of the property would be very thin longleaf on a burn rotation. Something I think I would add to mine would be to cut out several 25 acre squares and plant some orchards of various nut and fruit producing tree around a main food plot. Wrap a fire break around the area and cut it out of the fire.

I would love to have about 100 acres of this patchwork quilt border a swamp with 100 year old oaks surrounding it. The rest I would like described above. This way they would have all they could ever ask for whenever they wanted it. Talk about a deer Heaven.

I'd love to take old farm land and create what I want, I'd have 30-50 acre blocks of hardwoods, mixed with the same size Crp mixed with small 5-10 acre ag fields, and small killing plots. Basically, I'd want a patchwork of 40% thick head high briars, 40% mature hardwoods, and 10% food sources. All mixed together in small chunks

I like y'all's ideas kind of what I've tried to do at the house except on 40 acres.

Cutovers that can be burned on a 3-5 year rotation, with well thought out foodplots. Pines give good thermal cover, but down here we don't need it. I would have a large sanctuary in the middle, as thick as i could get it, and never go into it during hunting season. Access, to stands are the most important thing.

Most folks that see my place say it's ideal, so I guess I'll hold pat.

Just thinking out loud here.

As there anyway to maintain a pine clearcut where it is continually like a 2-4 year old clearcut. I guess I'm asking is there anyway to limit the tree and bush growth?

Gobbler needs to post some pictures.

I'd have a mix of it all.

Using cattle as a tool to set back succession in an area is very interesting way to do it as well.

Hardwood ridges, CRP, some young planted pines for bedding areas, a swamp border with a duck pond on my side and some more CRP.

What's the draw of CRP?? All I've seen was just sage grass.
How about some good CRP pics?

There is a ton of browse out in most CRP. It gives them cover too where they feel very safe. I will see if I can find some pics of our place

A couple of videos
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/muzziehead/hunting/th_new8pt.mp4[/img]

I've been googling it all day. Gonna clearcut 20-25 acres and burn it. Try to turn it into a bedding area and was looking at crp grasses vs longleaf crp vs just keep it burned. Looks like there is some crp grass that deer may browse too. What kind do you have and how do you manage it every year? Mow,burn, etc.?
I was looking at eastern gamagrass for crp. Ever heard of it?
You have an awesome looking place btw.

Look at Google earth and look at western KY between a town called Marion and the Ohio river. The patchwork of hardwood creek bottoms, pastures, crop land, and CRP fields is the most perfect deer habitat I have ever seen.

Globe i have longleaf and love it , its on a 2 year burn rotation currently and it has tons of browse sage etc