stevetheforester

This landowner called me to do a Forest Management Plan for his small hunting property. The main goal was to take care of heavy invasive shrubs (mulitflora rose and barberry) as well as some bad stiltgrass infestation. I saw the potential to install food plots in two level areas. We cleared and planted a big 2-acre plot on the ridge and a half acre plot down low where deer traveled to some ag fields. I also designated a sanctuary area where deer will likely spend the daylight hours on the property. If they take care of the food plots and hunt the tract carefully, they should have excellent hunting for years to come. Check out my website, social media and courses in this link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

The last of the warm weather this week gave us the opportunity to get some cool season plants into a plot that was mowed by the landowner a week earlier. We Applied glyphosate to the existing grasses and forbs and drilled in a mixture of cereal grains, brassicas, annual clovers. They won't get tall until spring, but they will germinate in the warm, wet soils and grow lush forage that will attract deer for hunting season. In spring, this will green up early and provide plenty of food for deer when they are growing antlers and fawns. Check out these links to more great info on hunting land management, food plots, courses and social media: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

In this video, we are taking a look at our new food plots planted last spring. One of them was cleared out of the woods and the other was a grass hay field. These plots were planted with a diverse cover crop of legumes, grain and brassicas to build up the soil and feed deer. Deer have chewed these plants down and weeds have established themselves, so the plots don't look great, but are still feeding deer. By drilling trough the current plants and not destroying the plants with tillage, we will have continuous food at these locations. By never clearing the table, and having highly preferred deer forage, we will own the deer in the neighborhood. They will visit these food plots every day. The regenerated forest adjacent will house deer during the day. So, there is not reason for a deer to leave the property. And, we may collect more as hunting season progresses. If you want to contact me, or take a look at my website and food plot course, social media click on this linktree link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

Foxtail and Japanese Stiltgrass must be sprayed out of your clover food plots or it will take over and shade out your clover. They are prolific seeders and once they go to seed, you will have to deal with them for 3 more years. Don't neglect clover food plots - if you do they will disappear and all the time and effort you put into planting them will be wasted.

Gypsy moth defoliation and drought are a deadly combination in oak stands. This oak forest has been mostly killed but there are some live trees to work with and there are many oak seedlings on the forest floor. I will mark the dead and dying timber plus a few poorly formed trees to open up the stand to more sunlight. After the harvest, we will get this landowner a Management Plan and get them some funding to kill some of the birch in the stand as well as stiltgrass and ferns. I new stand of oak along with several other hardwoods and white pine will develop quickly. If you need some advice on your timber or wildlife habitat, give me a call. *14-360-4510

Whitetail habitat improvement takes investment, work and maintenance. When you put money, time and effort into food plots, it makes sense to put a little effort into maintaining them. Food plots must provide forage every day of the year and be a reliable source of food. If they aren't, you won't have deer staying on your property and they'll go somewhere else to find feed. You wont be able to control deer movement and grow your herd. Don't get ripped off by deer habitat consultants who don't live in your region. It makes no sense to hire a consultant from the Mid West to come here and advise you. We live in a completely different soil, forest and hunting situation here in the Northeast. To get in touch will me, go to the website click the Linktree link https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

To get maximum hunting season attraction, plant food plots around Labor Day in the Northeast. Later below the Mason Dixon. You want the plants to be at their most palatable and tasty when you are out hunting. Planting brassicas too early will make the leaves less palatable in October. Oats planted too early will bolt and not be desirable until there is nothing else to eat. Winter wheat and rye can be planted anytime in September. For the best root system development and leaf forage, early September is a good time to plant.

A seed drill is the most efficient and effective tool for planting food plot seeds. Recognizing the market for small drills for food plotters, manufacturers have engineered some fantastic small drills that plant diverse food plot mixes very well. If you want better deer hunting and wildlife habitat, you need food plots. Wildlife needs food, cover, water every day. The most important part of your wildlife habitat plan is to install high quality food plots. Compared with tilling and broadcasting seed, a drill is the best way to plant food plots. I have used the Genesis drills as well as Esch, Tye and Truax. While the big ten foot drills can be prohibitively expensive, the smaller ones designed for small acreage are more affordable. Though expensive, a drill will allow you to plant using regenerative ag techniques, be more efficient with your seed, and get the job done fast and easy. In this video, we show how to calibrate and set up a small drill to plant 5 food plots in a half day without disturbing soil and planted a diverse mix of fall/winter/spring plants that will feed deer through winter into spring. A seed drill is expensive but if you are serious about whitetail deer habitat improvement, a drill can be an investment that will pay off in the long run. FOR MORE INFORMATION on courses, my blog site and social media click this link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

In this video we are planting green through our summer food plots. We planted a summer mix in the spring then did a burn down spray and planted sunflowers and soybeans after the drought subsided in July. This mix will provide deer plenty of food and attraction for this hunting season and feed deer through the winter months and into the critical early spring. By habituating deer with summer food and providing safe thickets for sanctuary, we have attracted many young bucks as well as a couple of older age class bucks that hang around on this 70 acre property full time. Even if some of the bucks start to roam, they will be back when food sources dwindle. They now know where there is food and safety, so we should collect bucks during hunting season. This is a new property I am working on so I expect to collect more of the older age class bucks as the years go by. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK THIS LINK: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

A July growing season Rx fire transformed this forest from having old worn out blueberry and birch saplings to a thinned, vibrant stand with new, fresh growth and a more open oak forest. Too much birch in the midstory is a problem in most of Pennsylvania forests after high-grade harvesting. We thinned the timber down to 20 basal area, leaving the quality oaks and maples to grow and reproduce. The result was an open, huntable stand of timber with plenty of acorns and browse. There was still a substantial amount of birch and new birch coming up after the harvest, so burning was used to take out the saplings. The new blueberries will populate the area and provide much better fruit crops into the future. Blueberry and oak are fire adapted so a prescribed fire will regenerate the oak-heath forest type and get rid of thin-barked trees such as birch and beech. Prescribed fire is an important part of forest management and can be used to improve timber stand composition, regenerate oak and provide food and cover for wildlife. Check out my courses, website and social media here: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

Ailanthus Altissima is another aggressive invasive from Asia. Here's how to identify it and kill it. This tree is associated with Spotted Lantern Fly and can be used to kill this insect as well. Lantern fly moths like to feed on and lay eggs on the Ailanthus tree. By using "bait trees" and attracting the moths to it, you can use systemic pesticides to kill the feeding pests. Once the egg laying is done, you can cut the tree down and burn it to get rid of the eggs. Check out my website, courses and other content wit this link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote Contact me to discuss your goals for improving your timber and hunting land and see if how my services can help you achieve your goals for your property.

This location was cleared for an industrial lot. We take a tour of this clearcut to show how it transformed itself into a vibrant and diverse young forest wildlife habitat. One thing I forgot to mention is that this result was possible because this location has almost no deer and no invasive plants. Clearcutting stimulates regrowth right away. Trees and shrubs need full sun, especially oaks. "Select" harvesting AKA high-grading takes timber without stimulating regrowth, so the timber and wildlife habitat goes downhill. Hunting land management should always include timber management. Your timber management should always be done using sustainable timber management tactics. Sustainable timber management must include regeneration work. If you would like to jump on a call to discuss your property and how I may be able to help you improve timber and wildlife habitat, give me a call at 814-360-4510 For more content click this link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

Why do I do forestry and wildlife habitat work? Some of us feel called to do something out of the ordinary with our lives. This happened to me after I worked for 20 years trying to conform and work jobs like my father did. That didnt work for me so I sought guidance from God and listened to Tony Robbins tapes. This led me to talk to a college professor who happened to know another PhD at Penn State and he set me to work studying for my Master of Forest Resources degree. This gave me the tools to go out and create a consulting practice. It hasn't been very lucrative but it has been very fulfilling. Clients who work their Plan - follow the principals of planting forage and managing their timber, get fantastic results. The land is healed and is productive. Game and life is increased. Beauty of nature is increased. The enjoyment people get from their land is increased. Best of all, we are able to ensure that future generations will be able to have natural resources to enjoy. if you want to follow some projects and read some of my blog posts or take a look at my Expert Food Plot Course, click this link to access all of my content:

Just a few arrows each week is all it takes to make sure your equipment and your body is ready for bow season. Get your bow shooting bullseyes well before hunting season so you can correct any problems that show up. Check out my content here: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote #habitat #deerhabitat #forestmanagement #deer #deerhabitat #grousehabitat #bowhunting #archery #archeryranges

This State Game Lands has been on burn rotations for decades. It was burned a couple springs ago and the aspen and oak has flourished as well as wild flowers. Aspen is probably the most important food and cover source for grouse and it responds well to clearcut/burn treatments. Oak is also very fire adapted and will dominate a stand that is burned repeatedly. Check out my other content here: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote #habitat #deerhabitat #forestmanagement #deer #deerhabitat #grousehabitat

In this video I am overseeding a new food plot that was transformed from invasive brush to a thriving food plot. We ground a patch of invasive Honeysuckle and Autumn Olive and broadcast clovers, oats, wheat on the ground up land without any tillage. It struggled at first but I put an electric fence around it and it really recovered well with the summer rains. I am overseeding brassicas and annual clover. here is a link to the video on how to create your own food plot mixes https://tr.ee/wO1qvtLTbI Here is the link to my website and other social media as well as my food plot course. Take the course and become a food plot expert: https://tr.ee/wO1qvtLTbI

Its time to order Fall Food Plot Seeds. In this video, I go over what I am putting in my fall food plot seed mix and describe all the plants and their benefits. #habitat #deerhabitat #chilcote forestry For my food plot seed mixing tutorial go to this link: https://tr.ee/wO1qvtLTbI For my website, food plot course click this link: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

Red oaks take 3 years total to create an acorn. Along the way, any unfavorable weather event can derail the process. Late Frost, heavy rain during pollination, drought stress, defoliation can all contribute to the loss of an acorn crop. That is why there are often many years of low production between bumper crops. Everything has to be just right to get that. You cannot rely on acorns to feed wildlife. To provide for wildlife, you need forage (food plots) and to become a food plot expert, take my course. You can check it out here: https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote Call me for a free consultation on managing your land for better timber and wildlife production #shorts #deerhabitat #acornsfordeer #acorns

laying out a food plot to be cleared during a regeneration harvest

THis is a yard edge with a steep ditch. I didnt want to mow grass here so I killed the grass and planted a pollinator mix. Unfortunately the Township sent me a nasty letter about "weeds" and "vermin" I ended up running it in with a tiller. But, some of the flowers survived and the morons stopped bothering me about it so its a nice patch of flowers for bees, butterflies and rabbits

We're excited to announce the latest Johnson Su bioreactor update! This bioreactor offers improved performance in a smaller footprint, meaning it can be used in more places across the globe. This update is just the beginning of what Johnson Su has in store for making compost teas and extracts. Find out more about wildlife habitat, food plots and Forestry https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote

#brassicafoodplots #habitat #deerhabitat #foodplots

I was asked by a Township to remove an old pine plantation and convert the land to a native hardwood forest. Converting pine plantation to productive deer habitat is something I am often hired to do. In this case, we removed all the planted pines. There was enough profit to pay for us to spray invasives and to plant native trees and shrubs to add to the oaks that had seeded into the sunny openings. Once the pines were gone and sunlight allowed to hit the forest floor, the area greened up with grass, shrubs, forbs and new hardwood and native pine trees. There is heavy use of the area by deer coming from the State Game Land property next door to the park. Links to my website, courses and social media https://linktr.ee/stevechilcote Who is Stephen Chilcote? Certified Forester Wildlife Habitat Biologist Land & Farm Realtor