Here's one for discussion.

Location: A few miles West of I-45 in Freestone County


We had a gas well drilled on our property many years ago, and along with it they dug two ponds. One they left for us uphill of the well pad, the other was a settling pond (or something) that had a liner it downhill from the pad. Once they were done drilling they removed the liner and filled in the lower pond. Now, the uphill pond drains around one side of the pad and into the area where the lower pond was, and the pad drains there too. On top of all that, there's a creek less than 50yds further downhill of there that will flood that area during heavy rains. At times the area in question will have a few inches of standing water for extended periods. What we're left with is a patch of open ground, maybe 1.5-2acres, that is going to grow right back into dense creek bottom land pretty soon.

I can get in there with a tractor in the summertime after extended dry periods, but even then the soil retains great moisture.

I see I have two choices; 1) Figure out something to plant there but it must benefit the deer. 2) Call XTO, complain, and see if they'll come out and try to reroute/divert the drainage. We are going to be asking them to address other drainage issues this yr that were caused by the road they put in, and exaggerated this year when the re-graded it.

I'd rather go with option 1 here, and the only thing I've come up with that would thrive in a swampy environment and provide a seasonal food source for wildlife would be Mayhaw trees (who doesn't like Mayhaw Jelly?). Obviously I'm thinking longer term on this. We do food plots on the property already, so I'm not looking for more area to cultivate seasonally.

What are y'alls thoughts on this? Any plant/tree/bush I'm overlooking?

Thanks,

Always option 2. I make sure to call the oil companies every so often to complain about something

With that said, what ive done:

I like having heavy cover around most of our water holes.
Animals feel safer instead of being in the wide open.

I feed protein nearby the water. I can set up a cornfeeder by the water too, it makes for some cool hunting opportunities.

If the level of the water stays somewhat consistent you can plant anything you want on the banks. Ive grown sunflowers the last couple of years. They provide tons of cover but also attract bunches of birds.

I have no idea what tree or bush you can grow that will be partially submerged some time of the year, especially if the water is flowing.
If youre deadset on growing a tree, have to considered trying to make a mound of dirt to plant on top of?

I believe I would contact them. The last thing they want is bad relations with landowners.

cattail

If there is good cover, consider leaving it as a safe zone. Many stories have been told of old "swamp bucks" who found their favorite bed on small, isolated knolls in swampy areas. Give him a sense of security along with a source for food, water, and cover and he won't wander too far.