Turning a clear cut into a food plot

[GatorHeuss]

I want to convert 15 acres of volunteer pine clear cut from this last spring into food plots. The clear cut pines were 6"-10" diameter average with a few larger ones mixed in. I have a high flow skid steer and was thinking of buying or renting a mulching head. Figured it would be a great addition to the farm for cutting trails, fire breaks, etc. and I could clear all the plots I wanted. Would this work or am I wasting time and $$? Would it be better to use a D3 bulldozer with a root rake and trackhoe?

 

[Triple C]

I'll give you my up-close and personal experience for what it's worth. My son runs a high flow JD 333 in his business so I get quite a bit of use on the farm from him and his equipment. He runs a high-end mulcher when he's clearing land. That is one deadly combination on land clearing and interior road maintenance. It is a beast when taking out brush and small trees down to ground level.

With that said, if you have 15 acres of pine stumps ranging in size from 6" to 10", I'd get a trackhoe and dozer in to completely remove the stumps and roots. Nothing more aggravating that trying to plant amongst stumps. 3 years is a long time to wait for them to rot in the ground and some of those pine stumps may never rot if they have lots of resin in em. I can't imagine too much worse than having to plant 15 acres among pine stumps. I'd have em removed.