I know the season isn’t over quite yet, but I’m already looking forward to next year once December comes around. Not that I don’t have big plans most years for late season hunting, but because I’m always looking forward to improve for next year. It’s the exciting thing about being a hunter/landowner type whitetail hunter in that you can literally enjoy the sport all year long to a very high degree.
When it comes to my equipment, I try to put myself in a position where I can get the work I need to get done in the most efficient and cost-effective manner that I can. I don’t always choose the best method or equipment simply because the best is not always affordable. Sometimes quite literally “good enough” takes precedence over being perfect. Time is always a big concern so I need equipment that works when I need it to, and is reliable so I’m not wasting time. And at the same time, money is not unlimited.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve more or less settled in on a group of tools I use and that I think are essential in making my habitat and hunting projects a reality. Going into the new year is a great time to start thinking about what things you might need to help you with your hunts and habitat improvements. Here’s my list!
Food Plot Equipment
I think the most important part of any food plot strategy you have is the location of those food plots. I have to start by saying that; but once you decide that adding food to your hunting grounds is a next step, some tools are needed to get the job done.
Seeding Equipment-For years I just literally threw seed out by hand. Larger seed like soybeans, corn, and cereal grains like winter rye, can pretty easily be tossed out by hand and worked into the ground. But as I started to put more and more food plots in across multiple farms, time and efficiency became an issue. Now, I use basically two seeders…a hand seeder and a 12volt seeder mounted to my utv. The hand seeder is an Earthway nylon bag seeder that will hold more seed than your shoulders like, is simple to use, and efficient enough to put in acres of food plots in a single day. The cost is around $50 making it pretty affordable. I’ve had mine as long as I can remember so the quality must be pretty good.
For bigger jobs I’ve used 12volt atv and utv mounted seeder/spreaders that will handle more weight and is more efficient since you aren’t using your legs and arms to do all the work. I’ve also used an Earthway 12volt seeder years ago, but about 5 years ago switched to a Fimco seeder that I mounted to the box of my Polaris Ranger. The Fimco ATV dry material spreader works great for all larger seeds and fertilizer but costs upwards of $500. The hopper holds 145 pounds of material, and the motor that disperses the seed or fertilizer is controlled by a variable speed drive so that you can control how far the product gets spread. This works great when planting a small plot and then heading over to a large plot. I custom mounted mine to the top of my Ranger, but mounting options come right from Fimco.
There are other spreaders out there for sure. But these two by Earthway and Fimco get all my plots planted efficiently and under reasonable costs. A more economical 12volt seeder might only cost $100-$250. Oh, how I would love to have a no-till drill in my arsenal, but I just can’t justify the cost at this time.
Spraying Equipment-I use my spraying equipment to prepare and spray food plots, keep access trails clean of vegetation, and helps to keep the ground clear under my mock scrapes. I’ve found that no sprayer setup is ideal for every condition. So, I have four sprayers that I use on my farms. It’s not that I went out and bought all four, but accumulated them over a long time and just never parted ways with one when I upgraded.
A hand pump sprayer you can get just about anywhere. They are cheap, basically throwaway inexpensive but can literally do anything if you have enough time and patience. A slight upgrade would be a backpack hand pump sprayer that makes it just a little easier to walk and spray at the same time. Both can do every small job you want. I used to spray a two-acre soybean plot entirely with a 2-gallon hand pump sprayer. I had to refill that thing 20 times to get the job done, and it took a long time. The point is, if you have more time than money, an affordable hand sprayer can do everything.
Years ago, I upgraded to a 25-gallon 12-volt pump type atv mounted sprayer. This sprayer allowed me to spray an acre food plot in about 10 minutes. For almost 15 years this was all I needed…until I started traveling to distant farms and started putting in larger plots with more acreage. At that point I made a 55-gallon sprayer with a custom foldable boom that mounts inside and to the back of my utv. Now, I can spray 3 acres at a time without filling the tank. If you can’t make your own custom sprayer, there are a bunch of sprayer manufacturers that can sell you a sprayer to fit your needs. Again, Fimco has been a brand I’ve turned to in the past and they carry models ranging from about $250 all the way up to the thousands. Other manufacturers offer similar and quite frankly equally as good models.
One final thought on sprayers. A boom-less model offers ease of use and is great if you spray a lot of smaller plots or trails in timber, while a boom model probably does a better job on larger plots and has a more precise application of the herbicide. I have both a boom-less and boom type sprayer. If you are starting out and want just one, the Fimco boom-less sprayer is my choice!
Cutting Equipment-The last area I’ll cover in this installment is wood cutting equipment that I find essential for habitat improvements and hunting. I have four pieces of equipment that I find are essential for all the habitat and hunting stuff I do. A simple hand saw and pruning type shears are great packable items I keep in my pack every time I go into the field to hunt. They allow me to quietly snip and cut smaller branches and samplings if I need to trim a branch or two while on stand, or make a last-minute mock scrape at one of my sets. Gerber and Fiskars are brands that come to mind and I have used quite a bit. I have two pairs of a saw and shears; one I keep with my tree standing hanging gear, and another smaller set I pack with me with my hunting gear.
When it comes to hanging stands, a pole type saw is almost as essential as the stand itself. It allows me to snip and cut branches of most sizes to make entry into the stand quiet, and to make shooting lanes. I’ve been using a pole type saw for as long as I’ve been hanging tree stands. I currently have a 16-foot extendable manual pole saw made by Fiskars that I love. I’ve thought about upgrading to a gas powered or battery powered pole saw for years, but my Fiskars works so well I can’t see the need. Every time I go into the field to hang a stand, my pole saw goes along with! This is one example where I wouldn’t necessarily buy off of price. A strong and lightweight pole saw with a very sharp saw blade is more than worth the money. I’ve had mine so long the price I paid is no longer relevant, but a new one is about $110.
The final piece of equipment I use almost as much as my bow are my chain saws. I have three. I don’t need three, it’s just that I’ve accumulated three over the years. The one saw I would recommend that could get all the work done you would ever need to do (short of major timber harvests) would be a smaller gas saw like the Stihl ms170. I bought mine about 8 years ago when I was doing some hinge cutting during the late muzzleloader season. I was using my bigger Stihl 034av and my son wanted to do some hinge cutting himself. The local hardware store also dealt in Stihl, and the ms170 was only $180. I was shocked at the power this little saw had. It is now my saw of choice when I go to hang stands or hinge cut pockets of cover in the timber. It is not a great saw for timber harvests, or making a lot of firewood, but works great for most other habitat work on the farm.
If you are looking at getting into food plots, habitat improvements, or just upgrading what you already have, take a look at what I consider essential equipment for next year. Oh, and don’t forget another important tool in your arsenal…your subscription to Iowa Sportsman Magazine!