How do you deal with flooding

Opening morning went out to the ranch my wife and I just acquired in Hunt county. It was raining and there was no way I was going to try and "drag" a trailer down that dirt road so I ended up turning around and coming home. Sunday went back out, unloaded the 4 wheeler at the dirt road entrance 1/2 mile away from my front gate. The 4 wheeler got into some pretty deep mud on the road, but once we got to the ranch it was like we arrived at the lake. A lot of standing water and thick, sticky black clay mud was what I had to contend with all the way back to my stand. I unloaded from the 4 wheeler about half way to the stand, and nearly got my boots stuck in the mud walking in to the stand. I know that most of my property is river bottom land, and the water issue is something I will just have to deal with to some extent, but I'd like to know how y'all manage rain water on your places and if y'all have any tips for a greenhorn in dealing with this. I've already contacted the NRCS and hopefully they'll be coming out soon to offer some technical guidance.

Not much you will be able to do.. depends on river authority but you cannot direct the flow of anything.. planting grass to help with erosion and mud holes is your best bet

might get some waders and take up duck hunting

Bottoms like that though can hold some serious deer when flood water isn't up.. especially during a drought year

Did you look at flood map before buying it?

Yep, back 50 is in the flood plain but the pasture and 30+ acres closest to the road isn't. That's why I was surprised to see so much standing water.

...and I should also say, my box blind that I was hunting isn't in the flood plain, nor any of the property that I had to cross to get to it.

Navasot, that's about what it looked like at my place.

Love me some bow fishing

Mother Nature pretty much get's her way don't she? Fully understand. Our lease butt's up along the Sulphur River. Of the 1900 acre's currently only about 300 is accessible, and even then it's simply a lob lolly.

On a lighter note, there's never a shortgage of ducks.

A couple of things may help. Mow and clean the bar ditch along the road making certain the flow passes your property. Mow and clean the draw at the back of the front meadow. Cut small dikes directing water toward the draw. This may help with drainage, but not so much when it's all under 2 or 3 ft. of water...

We've got some river frontage and about 1/3 our property is under water when the Trinity comes out of its banks (like right now). By design, our cabin is on high ground.

I pig hunt more than deer hunt, but I actually like the flooding because it changes the movement pattern of all the game, pushing animals out of their preferred hides and putting more game on the remaining trails.

I have a box stand and a tree stand placed to take advantage of the water being up.

Just sell what you own and buy back west of 35. It don't rain out here.

I've got the same problem. We're out in red river county and our place is close to the river when it is high half my land is under water. We don't have a duck shortage either.

Walter

Write off the deer season and release it to duck hunters for thus season only. Get some money back.

I typically reach over and click glasses with God during our cocktail hour, and say thanks.

Yep. That's how I deal with rain at the ranch.

Mine looks like that too right now. I am also in the Red River county. Hopefully it will be down for this weekend. With all the rain weekend morning nothing moved.

Pappy always said when it rains it pours sometimes its gonna come down in buckets...rain so hard its like a skinny ol' cow pissing on a flat rock ... a real gully washer ... turd floater ... frog strangler. What are you gonna do when the big creeks up the little creeks level?You just gotta stay all night stay a little longer ... plow your corn with a double shovel.

The river has a mind of a mind of its own, hell Pappy always said the river will giveth and the river will wash it all a way. A river rat is a river rat. He ain't gonna leave that damn river its all Pappi knows.

I got cheap Colt45 posts ...

Buy a boat:)

Definitely not complaining about the rain, but I'm just trying to figure out a way that I can access the property during the rainy season. The 4 wheeler will get me where I need to go, but it's more of a hassle and mess than it seems worth. So far my experience has been that I don't see much moving around in the flooded timber or flooded senderos that the stands are over anyway. I'm thinking about building up a road by cutting ditches on both sides and using the dirt to crown the road. This should at least get me better access around the property. Anybody know any good dirt workers in Hunt county?

The dry creek running across the back of our place looks like the Mississippi River right now. I hunted there this afternoon, and here came the spike I had planned to shoot. He was on the other side. Heck, I let him walk. I'll give it 2 days to run down to a low enough water level to cross easily.

If that's the Trinity river, I feel your pain. My property is close to the Trinity and is very wet right now. For what it's worth, the river is higher now than it is most of the time. In the 25 years that we've had this property, it's only been this high a very few times. But that doesn't help you right now.

The good news is that that flooding will increase the fertility of your soil. A little flooding every now and then is good for the dirt. But that doesn't help you now.

The most you can do is either try the diversion that was mentioned earlier or try to dig a flood basin (pond or tank) that can help drain the property. Dig the pond and use the dirt to raise a spot that will stay dry. Take up fishing.

I deal with flooding by strapping on my waders

I'm not sure about deer, but for pigs, the areas on the edge of the high water get heavily traveled. I'v had pretty good luck hunting pinch points where the edge of the water intersects steep grades or open areas.

I sat in the stand and watched the ducks and listening to the acorns dropping into the water. No deer or hogs.

Move to west Texas

Beat me to it....

Where is that fine line through Texas between too much water and not enough water?

runs from dallas though college stations and down to duval then heads east into the coast from there

I own land in hunt county. Been here a long time and you learn to deal with the blackland. I dug a tank with my Dozer and ran most of the water into that. Helped alot. Then I made my roads.

Gut it,

I've been talking with NRCS. They should be coming out in December to give some ideas, and hopefully some financial assistance, but I imagine they'll suggest digging out the pond a bit. Unfortunately it's hard to do any serious dirt work without large equipment. Do you have any recommendation for local dirt workers?