need food source and cover ideas on a tough place

[Charlie Tango]

I have access to a thirty acre hill that is an old landfill.  The landfill was closed about thirty years ago, covered with a foot or so of soil and left alone. The operation at the time was to cover the days garbage with soil, so there is a layer of trash then soil all the way up to the top.  There are a few pockets of scrub trees that have grown on there own and I have actually put a couple of ladder stands up and killed a couple of deer in these little trees.  The deer always move through these little pockets of trees, but there needs to be more trees to keep the deer around. The hill has low spots from the trash settling and the grass that grows on it is usually knee high, depending on rain.  I would like to plant some trees and or shrubs that will grow on this hill with the limited soil that I have to work with, and also would like to plant some type of food source for the late fall and winter browse.  All the property around this hill are corn or soybean fields but are usually plowed under when harvested.  I am limited to the amount of tillage I can do so it will mostly be a no till operation.

Any ideas of trees, bushes and food types that will help this spot?

[deerslayer79]

You do have a tough place there Charlie,First off I would probably do a soil sample first,being a old landfill,your ph will probably be through the roof,thats what I would do first,determine your soil quality,lime fertilize if needed,then plan on what you want to do.I would warn you though I once attempted to work an area of ground that was once a old dump area,and spent more money fixin equipment than I could imagine due to old peices of metal,tree stumps,concrete blocks ect..

[The Gamemaster]

That's not so hard to do, because the only thing you have to remember is that you are not going to get a crop the first couple of years.  You have to be willing to work for the long haul to make it work.

If the land was yours to do with as you pleased.  The first thing I would do is plant Apple trees on the borders of the property.  Let's say this takes 15 years to produce a good crop of apples.  So be it.  I can show you lots of old homesteads where they were abandoned and the weeds took over - but the apple trees are still there and the deer can be found there year after year.

20 apple trees would be a lifetime investment.

Then you get pine trees, plant about 500 or so of them all around the property in the less than desirable places.  In 20 years you will have nice 20 foot tall pine trees.

Sumac is also a favorite of deer in the winter months along with devils club.

Both grows fast and is beneficial to the wildlife.

[Graybeard]

Don't think I'd spend a lot of money trying to improve the soil especially if you don't own the land. I agree with the idea of sumac it's fast growing deer like to browse it and it will live anywhere. Others to consider are honey suckle, kudzu if where it can live, blackberry briars, greenbiar and any type of tall weeds or such that will grow head high to deer. Privet is another fast growing hedge that provided good cover and some food value.

It seems to me what you need most is bedding cover for deer more so than food if the areas surrounding it are crop lands and mostly clear. Give them a hiding place and deer will come. If there is food mixed in here and there that's a plus but it sounds like cover is the main need.