Youth's First Bow Kill - Cheap year round food plot - Thg season one episode two

[Intro] The legacy of the sportsman is fading, and traditions are being lost. We are not meant to just live on this earth, but we are to subdue it, and have dominion over it, to preserve the sport of hunting, and to pass on traditions to the youth. That is our legacy, the Legacy of The Huntin' Grounds. The Huntin' Grounds is brought to you by: Lucky Buck Everett Chevrolet of Northwest Arkansas SJF Productions Rhino Outdoors Eagle Seed Antler Dirt Shaebug Design and Hook Line & Sinker Outdoors Welcome back to The Huntin' Grounds! On this week's episode we're going to go with Tanner, one of our youth hunters, as he tries to go after his first deer and he's gonna try take it with a bow! And you will not want to miss this week's management moment as we talk about the most important thing you can do to keep the deer on your property year-round. On my 12th birthday I got a long bow because I've always wanted a bow and I've always liked archery. and then in a baseball game later on I hit a home run and my mom said she'd buy me a bow for it. I practice with my bow every day and I finally got the opportunity to hunt with my older brother in the fall. So, after Tanner got his bow and got in lots of practice I had faith that he could make a good shot on a deer. So we planned a day to get out in the woods and neither one of us could wait to get out there. We woke up late that morning but we decided to give it a try before we went out to church. So, we got up in the stand and we didn't have any way of knowing what time it was because both of our phones were dead. And it wasn't before too long that we saw does moving. That's when I spotted my deer! I didn't know if he was going to present a shot or not and it seemed like it took forever! And now time for the DigIn' 365 Management moment. Deer season is coming to an end and a lot of you guys are thinking about what you can do to manage your property for this upcoming season Well, I guarantee a lot of you are thinking food plots. What I want to do is to show you the most important thing you can do to your property to keep the deer there year-round. What we like to do with any one of our properties, we like to look at it and look at how we can improve that habitat overall on the property before we go in and start putting in food plots and other food sources in there. One of the most important things we like to do on our properties, whether it be big or small, is we like to have areas in there that are "sanctuaries" - areas we don't hunt and we don't disturb all year-round. That way the deer know they can feel safe there, and it's going to keep the deer on the property. The first thing we like to do is we like to go in and find these areas that we know the deer are already traveling on or they are already bedding in and we like to go in and improve the habitat in those areas. Now what you want to do when you find these areas is go in there and do a select timber cut. What you are essentially doing is you are opening up the canopy and allowing that sunlight to penetrate down through and it's going to promote a lot of growth to make that area a lot thicker for deer. The great thing about it is you are going to have a lot of lower vegetation which is pretty much a year-round food plot and you are going to have a great bedding area. Once you find these areas you can fall the whole tree itself. Just cut it down, let it lay and it promotes a lot of good bedding for the deer in that area and allows other plant species to grow up around it. But what we like to do, especially if we are going to be burning a year or two down the road, we like to top-kill them. Pretty much what you do is take the chainsaw, depending on how big the tree is, depends on how far in you cut. You are going to cut through the cork cambium and you are going to disrupt that xylem and phloem which transports the water and the nutrients up the tree. If you do this in the winter time like we do all the nutrients are stored in the roots, so you are just top killing it. When spring comes around a lot of these are pioneer species and they are going to be quick to grow you're gonna have a lot of sprouts come out of that root system especially trees like this sassafras are going to have a four-foot growth coming out of it and that's a lot of lush green leaves that's a great food source for the deer and it promotes a lot of great bedding area there as well. Now, behind us is one of these areas that we top-killed a few years ago. We went in with a chainsaw, we cut around the trees. We came in and we burned and I can't stress the importance is if you're going to burn, just top-kill the trees because if you just let them lay down on the ground and you go through and burn, you are going to have a really hot burn and do a lot more destruction than you are good. But if you just top-kill them and go through and do a cool burn you are going to promote a lot of good plant species that grow up in there again you're going to have a great food source that is there year-round. Having these thick sanctuary areas on your property I think is one of the most important things you can do to any piece of property because what you're doing is you are assuring that there is a year-round food source there and that it is an area that deer always feel safe. So be sure to find one of these areas on your property and get to work! [Scotty] Right there! [Tanner] Got him! Got him! [Tanner] Right in the shoulder! That's one dead deer! You can tell Tanner got excited because when that deer started coming in the whole tree started shaking. Alright, a deer just came in, he walked, I don't know how far away, but then he came back, then he went away again then he came back, and he came in between those two trees over there and he was only like 15 yards away. He let me take a really good shot, I shot him, and it looks like it hit pretty low right behind the shoulder but, all we know is he is dead. We're going to go look for him in a few minutes. This will be my first deer too. It's been a good hunt. Now, we normally wouldn't take a button buck, but our goal is to get kids out and get their first deer and get them hooked on hunting. [Scotty] Hey Tanner, look right there. [Tanner] Obviously I was just a little excited but I was thankful that I had the opportunity to take my first deer and I was happy that I got that under my belt and I'm ready for next year! Well, wasn't it great to see a youth get out there, get his first deer, let alone with a bow! Hats off to you, Tanner. Well that's it for this week's episode, hope you guys enjoyed it! Until next time be sure to go out of your way to get a new youth or a new hunter involved in the outdoors, and as always, have a better than average day! To learn more about The Huntin' Grounds be sure to check out our Facebook page and our website at www.thehuntingrounds.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter @THGtv Music for The Huntin' Grounds is provided by Bryan Matthew Ellis What now? Haha Will that work? Not again! We woke up late that morning... [Steve] Phone, I heard it! One of the most important things that you can [Kyle] Phone, I heard it! So, rad uh... rad? [Steve] RAD! [Scotty] Can you use any of that? Now you wanna be careful because you are [Kyle sneezes...LOUDLY] [Inaudible...] Are you recording me!? Shut it off!!