I bet I've watched 400 of your videos and here in WV the deer season ends TODAY. I am ready to head into the woods to begin my plan. I've been picking out areas for canopy reduction and will also expand upon current good browse areas with maintenance and additional clearing/expansion plus a little hinge cutting. 2024 is going to be amazing......... and I Thank You!

Jeff! I've commented before on the knowledge you've selfishly been sharing on here which has been game changing for me in my quest to be a better mature whitetail hunter. Well that all culminated on 12/30/23 at 4:10pm. A stud 8pter came out to the field edge I was sitting in and was fortunate to drag him out of there. I firmly believe that the fundamentals of your videos contributed to my largest deer harvest to date. Focusing on my access, pressure, wind and location gave him zero clue I was there and provided a great shot. Cheers Jeff on to habitat management to improve on this season in 2024! - Corey from Central Ontario, Canada

My season here in NJ ends January 31st and then the Habitat Games begin! Enjoyed your video as always. Thank you.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Hi Cris, Happy New Year! I like that...let the Habitat Games begin 😊 Very enjoyable for sure...

Appreciate your videos i hunt a large chunk of public its unmanaged and the deer herd has suffered over the last 20 years due to overgrowth and food loss im about to do the right thing and fix those issues where i can hopefully i stay out of trouble i planted 400lb of clover last spring and i didn't hunt within a mile of that area this year others did with success i just want my hunting area to be back how it once was

Love habitat season! It’s been a great winter so far up in northern Wisconsin for doing woods without the snow cover.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

So true Peter! Can't wait to get out this week 👍 Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you.Still trying to get a logger on my land.A lot of hemlock.Get it out.But leave some for stands.Love the cover and smell of them.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year D! Definitely leave some pockets of those ..very important for your habitat.

I’ve been watching your videos for 3 years now….. 2 bucks this year…. My first actually ever this year….thx so much for this content…. Please keep them coming … all the best in the new year WHS

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

So happy for you Tom! Happy New Year!

Jeff I have alot of White Pine more so then Hard and Soft wood trees, would cutting some of them down help for establishing good bedding area, and should they be Hinge cut. Thanks for all the great information Happy New Year Everyone 👍🏻

Talk about great timing. I’m about to head out and do some sawing this morning to create more defined bedding on our hunting property. Wishing everyone a happy new year!

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Man that's great Dan!! Best of wish in the New Year and for being very safe while cutting 👍

sharing: we have a lot of eagles in our area and I have watched a large eagle try to take down a large doe on a power line...it nearly succeeded. I think a little overhead cover is a good idea in my neck of the woods.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Wow...that's crazy! Since that has never happened (reported for whitetails), definitely a reason not to have overhead cover, lol. Would be cool to see it for the first time ever! But definitely not smart to have overhead cover for deer 😉

Thank you for all the tips and guidance, i really appreciate it. Wish you were closer to deep east texas

Happy new year WHS! Hope springs eternal in the whitetail woods. Bedding is key. Thanks for the great content

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark...happy New Year! Bedding cover is critical with quality food!

Thanks Jeff

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

You are very welcome!

Not so fast Jeff! WI DNR gave some of our target bucks another month to tease and outsmart us! I have a big 10 pointer that likes to do that😄

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Nice...that's awesome...we are taking advantage of that 😊 But it's game on in MN!

Amen to side cover! I stopped myself from cutting a bunch of dead lower pine branches on ridge right before it changes to oak. I put a 300 ga water tank at a trail intersection in that thick pine and have taken two archery bucks the past couple of seasons in there. Looking forward to adding in some switchgrass and red osier dogwood in the open pockets in those pines to further thicken it up.

Happy New Year Jeff, great video. Looking forward to habitat season.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Thanks Mitchell, Happy New Year! We can't wait either 👍😊

I saw a snow flake in WNY yesterday and at first i didn't recognize what it was lol Happy New Year 🎉

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Lol! We had a covering last night...crazy Fall!

I have a property with alot of holly trees should I cut them down or hack and squirt them?

I have A LOT of Basswood canopy that needs to go away. If I drop a bunch later in the winter, is that something the deer will browse on?

Wishing you at whs and your wise followers a very happy and prosperous new year

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Norm...and you too! Thank you for always being so positive and commenting. Really appreciate you!

I watch a ton of your videos, even bought a class. It would help a ton if you talked about the pictures you post when running down the list on the board. Example in this video, you where talking about buck bedding and you showed an over head with you cutting like 6 trees. Was that the final size of that bedding or just the start? Not sure if that makes sense..

Great video

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot Scot!!

Hey Jeff, I've run into a bit of a puzzling reaction by the deer on a new property. We dropped some big crowned beach trees and did a bit of hinge cutting in pockets, keeping in mind to make plenty of escape paths as we have found the deer in this particular area do not tolerate tight spaces. Yet the deer numbers dropped by more than 50% this season. Have you ever experienced this?

I like those black hats with the small logo on the front left panel, will they ever be available again?

I have a video idea for you. I've heard you talk about checker board areas. The area I'm in I would consider extreme. How do you make depth over cover when it's 5 acres pieces with food on at least 2 sides. It's like this for miles all around my area

Hello Jeff and Team, How close/far to/from one another do you try to create your buck bedding areas?

@jaycomstock1283

6 ай бұрын

or anyone else who has experience with this...TY

What’s your opinion on beech nut? They take up so much sunlight. I don’t believe deer even need the mast crop from them. Eliminate or leave alone? Timber value is also zero. Except for firewood.

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Great firewood and the mast crop is appreciated occasionally. One of the few trees I would consider girdling to kill...or hack and squirt to kill, if big, random and mature. The problem with cutting them is that you get more beech when you cut them....and the beach brush is consuming and useless.

@bzim8968

6 ай бұрын

I got some really big ones. I think I’m going to pick and choose depending on the area. Eliminate them. Thanks for the advice

Jeff, people are saying its okay to access thru the middle of your food plot in mid day, but make sure you exit along my property line in the dark. (because alot of deer bedding along the property line, neighbors etc). their reasoning is i will spook deer along the property edge accessing during the day. your opinion?

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

I've always taught to access thru your plots during daylight...and thru bedding after dark. BUT, it depends on where the deer are. You never want to access where you will knowingly spook deer. So, if you know you will spook deer along your neighbors, then you would be accessing at the wrong time in that location. Also, tall food plot growth is bad to access thru ad it will hold scent. So as long as it is mowed or low on your rubber boots (sprayed down, clean rubber boots) you can access thru food when the deer aren't there. Often we go in 1 way to a stand and out another...

Hey Jeff what do you need a license to be a whitetail councils or not I'm thinking of starting one of these business with a friend

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Hi Dylan! You just need lots of experience and proven DIY buck hunting experience over quite a few years. Basically in order to attract clients no amount of schooling or certification will help. Instead, you have to prove that you can do it for yourself for a long time, before others will trust you to help themselves. Accomplishing your experiences across different habitats/areas/states helps greatly too.

@dylanthrall5657

6 ай бұрын

​@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751thank you so much you have taught me a lot

Always watching and trying to implement your strategies. What about in a setting where we have a cut over cedar lowland. Now filled with low shrubs, tag alder, and it’s thick as heck. How do you go about making buck bedding in there? Would you clear that thickness in pockets?

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Hi Jeff that's a tough one...it depends on how thick and for how long. If anyone else is reading this, you never want to clearcut cedar. Instead leave long irregular lines and groups of cedar within the stand for diversity. You rarely if ever get them back and they add a lot of thermal value and create openings within the thick brush that deer greatly value.

@jeffpepin5930

6 ай бұрын

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 yeah it was cut prior to our ownership

Hey Jeff I’d like you to take a look at my land and give me some tips.

@joelh3303

6 ай бұрын

If you go to the WHS website, you can submit a request. I had him come to my property a year and a half ago and it was well worth it to have him consult on my property. I got a custom plan for my specific property.

😊

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Wow you snuck that in there...

@Bow-Man

6 ай бұрын

😂👍

Build back better? 🤔🤣

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

Haha...yes, my phrase lol

@lucaswilliams1598

6 ай бұрын

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I’ve come to like you, watching over the years. This world is toast. Jesus is coming back very soon for His people. Are you a believer Jeff?

😡

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751

6 ай бұрын

You miss it?!

@Bow-Man

6 ай бұрын

Lol Happy New Year Kurt

@kurtpearson2793

6 ай бұрын

@@Bow-Man Happy New Year-👍