[idw2s]

Originally Posted by alleyyooper

Some links on deer yarding. Seeing a group of deer in a corn field is not yarding..

Deer and Deer Hunting - Why Do Deer Starve Themselves in Winter?

Maine Fishing and Outdoor Magazine - Northwoods Sporting Journal - Maine's Outdoor Publication

Why Are Deer Yards Important? – Quality Deer Management Association (http://www.qdma.com/what-we-do/articles/deer-biologymanagement/deer-yards/ - broken link)

Al

Al, thanks, that was fascinating. Gives me a lot to think about.

I want to plant some more trees for windbreaks and to have a few trails meandering through my property.... I figure if I'm going to do all that work, may as well make it functional as well as pretty, right? Since I spend significant amounts of my life confined in/near my home, I love watching wildlife. Making the windbreaks/trails wildlife friendly if I can is kind of a win/win/win.

There are some great resources up here between the forestry service, DNR, and USDA.... I have a lot of research to do. Every year we will be working on more fence, and planting more trees. Probably stick to food and ornamentals and windbreaks this year, but if I can figure out a basic plan for some good habitat supporting trees, next year we'll work on those. Spring seems to be springing faster than I can handle to get plans in place this year. One step at a time....

[alleyyooper]

How long have you lived in Michigan? If you think this thaw is a end to winter don't be a holding your breath. Up there (I lived there till I was 16 then was home every week end just about till I was 20.) you can count on at least another month of snow, freezing rain and such. Then you get the mud season for about another month because of the thawing snow and rains.

Check with our county extention also ours has tree sales in the early spring where you can buy hundreds of trees for next to nothing, well used to be that way. Now on a fixed income next to nothing is even a lot. But you could get some thing like 50 white spruce trees for $15.00 they were small and some just don't make it with out care but make great wind breaks and habitat for the rabbits and deer. Birds also use them a lot. We were able to buy nut tree packages, habitat packages, fast growing packages (hybred Poulur). we took many of the small trees grew them in pots. Had a fellow at work that always asked me for seedlings when they came in in the spring. He would get 10 to raise for a year in pots and give them to me the next spring really nice trees.
they even started a fall tree sale but I never had time then to fool with them.

Al

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by alleyyooper

How long have you lived in Michigan? If you think this thaw is a end to winter don't be a holding your breath. Up there (I lived there till I was 16 then was home every week end just about till I was 20.) you can count on at least another month of snow, freezing rain and such. Then you get the mud season for about another month because of the thawing snow and rains.

Check with our county extention also ours has tree sales in the early spring where you can buy hundreds of trees for next to nothing, well used to be that way. Now on a fixed income next to nothing is even a lot. But you could get some thing like 50 white spruce trees for $15.00 they were small and some just don't make it with out care but make great wind breaks and habitat for the rabbits and deer. Birds also use them a lot. We were able to buy nut tree packages, habitat packages, fast growing packages (hybred Poulur). we took many of the small trees grew them in pots. Had a fellow at work that always asked me for seedlings when they came in in the spring. He would get 10 to raise for a year in pots and give them to me the next spring really nice trees.
they even started a fall tree sale but I never had time then to fool with them.

Al

Last year we had near 90deg in April and everybody thought that was the total end of winter weather. Wrong. We got 4-6" of snow the first saturday in May.

Nopers. More coming. And later than you think or want to think.

[idw2s]

Originally Posted by alleyyooper

How long have you lived in Michigan? If you think this thaw is a end to winter don't be a holding your breath. Up there (I lived there till I was 16 then was home every week end just about till I was 20.) you can count on at least another month of snow, freezing rain and such. Then you get the mud season for about another month because of the thawing snow and rains.

Check with our county extention also ours has tree sales in the early spring where you can buy hundreds of trees for next to nothing, well used to be that way. Now on a fixed income next to nothing is even a lot. But you could get some thing like 50 white spruce trees for $15.00 they were small and some just don't make it with out care but make great wind breaks and habitat for the rabbits and deer. Birds also use them a lot. We were able to buy nut tree packages, habitat packages, fast growing packages (hybred Poulur). we took many of the small trees grew them in pots. Had a fellow at work that always asked me for seedlings when they came in in the spring. He would get 10 to raise for a year in pots and give them to me the next spring really nice trees.
they even started a fall tree sale but I never had time then to fool with them.

Al

Um... one month.

That's what I get for looking at historical weather data. Looked like next month the highs would be in the low 40s, so I figured we must be in for an early spring.

I can't get across most of my land, if we get a nice melt of some of this old crunchy snow, and a nice layer of some new snow to play in, I will be the happiest camper *ever*!

Nice to know about the trees... I'll check. Thanks!

[Coldjensens]

It is supposed ot be better to plant trees in the fall than in the spring or summer. Not sure why, but tree people consistently say that Fall is the tme to plant them.

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

It is supposed ot be better to plant trees in the fall than in the spring or summer. Not sure why, but tree people consistently say that Fall is the tme to plant them.

I've heard that, too. Something to do with dormancy and the added moisture in the ground.

[alleyyooper]

It gets dry in the summer and many people do not water enough to provide the moisture a growing tree needs.
But success can be had planting in the spring as long as the trees are watered enough and then mulched to slow down the evaporation. Is also a ghood Idea to keep weeds at by so they do not rob moisture either. Just visit a applince store and get card board boxes applinces come in and use it it keep the weeds back. By fall the card board will have broken down enough it can be composted with the leaves and other yard waste.
Planting in the fall gives the trees a much needed time to grow roots with enough moisture in most cases and no weeds so they get a 4 month jump at least over what a spring trees would get.

Al

[idw2s]

Tried replying to this earlier but... Thanks! Awesome insights.

Y'all are the best.