347: Understanding Different Soil Types, How Soil Impacts Tree Plantings, and Creating Bulletproof Access with Jake Hofer

Habitat Podcast

Jared Van Hees

Sports, Wilderness

4.9 • 584 Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Habitat Podcast #347 - In today’s episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with my good friend and repeat guest Jake Hofer. We discuss: Jake Hofer is a land agent and passionate whitetail enthusiast in Illinois Trail cam activity is picking up as fall approaches, exciting hunters Land sales are slower, with limited inventory available in the market Jake emphasizes the importance of soil quality for planting trees and food plots He has planted around 4,000 trees on his property, seeing significant growth Food plots are crucial for deer health; Jake uses sorghum for cover and grain Access to hunting areas is vital; staying off the land until the right time is key Auctions can be an effective way to buy land, but require careful preparation Measuring success includes tracking mature bucks and shed antler counts Jake believes having multiple hunting spots improves deer management and success And So Much More! Shop the new Amendment Collection from Vitalize Seed here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/new-natural-amendments ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PATREON - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brand new HP Patreon for those who want to support the Habitat Podcast. Good luck this Fall and if you have a question yourself, just email us @ info@habitatpodcast.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Latitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/hplatitude⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Midwest Lifestyle Properties - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3OeFhrm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/vitalizeseed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Down Burst Seeders - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/downburstseeders⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% code: HP10 Morse Nursery - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/MorseTrees⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% off w/code: HABITAT10 Packer Maxx - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ $25 off with code: HPC25 First Lite - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3EDbG6P⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LAND PLANS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave us a review for a FREE DECAL - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/2uhoqOO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Morse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – info@habitatpodcast.com Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: info@habitatpodcast.com habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	redeem your lab bucks on free bet spins or even cash you in for real money
0:04.4	that's satisfaction from lab brooks and for extra satisfaction here's the t's and sees
0:08.5	let's rock eighteen buss participates in selected promotions to get lab bucks
0:15.0	go get lab bucks with a man for offers or rewards lap bucks expire for teases and prize My first is all rewards.
0:21.3	Life bucks expire for decenties are bright.
0:25.2	Take time to think.
0:26.9	Yeah, but where I thought of planning?
0:31.1	I made a mistake.
0:31.8	I was pretty green to it.
0:32.9	And so it was an old 10-acre field that has been used and abused.
0:36.1	I'm sure I hasn't seen any NPK in a super long time. And so those trees are getting bigger. And the soil is like 114 PI. So it's considered average. It's not great. It's not bad. But I guarantee like I probably needed to add two tons of lime per acre. I probably needed to add a lot of different nutrients. And I didn't do that. And the trees are getting bigger, but they're not getting as big as fast. In comparison to a part of my creek that runs through here, it's like, man, it's like the good dirt. It's black. It's 131 PI. It's considered good soil. And those trees caught up faster than the trees I planted beforehand because the soil is so much better. I went and sprayed and killed all the fescue. And so I've learned to pay attention to that. You know, and even just like what varieties of oaks to plant wear based off of soils. And even once you start auguring them in, like, okay, this is a little bit more sandy than I think. This variety of oak does better in this type of setting. So like I have become more in tune with that. And it really doesn't take that much extra work to be in tune with it. I just think most people don't think about it. And they're like, oh, so-and-so said, this is the best tree. That's where I'm going to plant it here. And it's like, well, it might be the best tree for that certain soil type, but it might not do very well here.
1:55.1	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast, the podcast for wildlife habitat management, hunting strategy, and land stewardship.
1:57.8	And now your host, Jared Van Heads.
2:03.9	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast. What's up guys? Jared here, the Habitat podcast. It is Labor Day.
2:09.8	We can have a great episode for you here today. We have my good friend, Mr. Jay Kouffer,
2:14.3	from Illinois. And we get into all kinds of stuff you should be covering right now.
2:18.3	And then we talk about pressure and hunting strategy, how you should, you know, achieve
2:23.3	your goals this year.
2:24.3	Think a little more.
2:26.3	Here we go.
2:27.3	Jake Hofer.
2:28.3	All right, guys.
	...

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