the brush pile fences...

[msbadger]

I've mentioned these in the past...and have been adding to them...they are the product of cleaning up the wood lots....and tree tops from fire wood ...areas not used as bedding specific....and they are used to prevent the road poaching and steer deer to stand sites..... they also use them as bedding wind blocks during the winter.... It cleans up the woods to make it easier for turkey scratching....this has increased my turkey sightings and rabbits......

[Ohio farms]

I envy your energy...nice work. Did you come up with any poison ivy working around a field edge? I'd be covered with it.
Nice to hear from you, by the way.

[msbadger]

Thanks....We are actually sick with the stuff...but ...knock...knock...knock...it doesn't bother me...don't know why ...when I was a kid they called me pinky....I was always plastered in Calamine lotion..

[DEER30]

This idea makes sense Badger. Deer are edge habitat animals and creating thicker fencelines like this promotes this type of environment. On some of the small farms that I hunt, we have always left the branches from trees cut for firewood piled up. The opening from the tree removal allows denser underbrush to grow and the branches add to the cover and deer pile into those areas. But I have also found that when hunting open woods, deer do not like to travel through them as much. Have you noticed the same? As a fellow turkey hunter, your tactics are appealing but I would be careful about cleaning up the woods too much. Love the idea of preventing road "hunters", damn poachers really, from shooting your deer with this method.

[msbadger]

Thanks...to be honest some of my best areas for both deer and turkey are the wide open sections of mature maple we have.....I maintain a very diverse set of growth zones on our little 73 acres from wide open mature woods to over grown acres of bramble and lots of ground clutter in most places...The open mature woods is home to a growth of elder brush that is a preferred food here ...it is also situated on a ledge(?) flat area on the side of our hill...lower section streams and swamp and above open farm fields...to the north a deep ravine on neighbors land ...here are some various pics of the place...