Serving Jackson, Union & Williamson counties · based in Cobden, IL
Free Estimates (618) 697-5190
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Our Services

Hunting Property Improvement in Cobden, IL

Hunting Property · Cobden, IL

Cut lanes and trails before season

Hunting property improvement is the work that makes a tract easier to hunt. We do it across Southern Illinois with a tracked skid steer and a forestry mulching head. The head grinds standing brush and saplings into wood chip mulch. Small trees go the same way, and stumps come down to grade. The mulch stays on site and breaks down where it falls. We open shooting lanes from your stand or blind. We cut quiet access trails in and out. We clear field edges and knock back the thickets that took over good ground. The oaks and hickories that hold deer stay standing.

Southern Illinois is serious deer country. The Shawnee National Forest region holds river bottom timber and steep hill ground. Much of it grows thick, and thick ground is hard to hunt. Autumn olive and multiflora rose take the edges. Bush honeysuckle fills the understory behind them. Left alone, that mess swallows the edge you used to hunt. Our work is selective. We pick what gets ground and what stays, then run the head around the keepers. Blackburn Land Service is owner operated and locally owned. We are fully insured, and estimates are free. Small jobs are welcome, down to a single lane. Call (618) 697-5190.

What We Handle

  • Shooting lane clearing from stand or blind
  • Quiet access trails in and out
  • Ground cleared for a future food plot
  • Field edges cleared and opened up
  • Autumn olive and honeysuckle knocked back
  • Oaks and hickories left standing
  • Tree shear for tight spots between keepers
  • No burn piles or open burning

Free Hunting Property Quote

Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.

Shooting lanes cut to fit your setup

A shooting lane works when it matches your stand and the wind you hunt. We start at the stand or blind and cut out from there. The mulching head takes brush and saplings down to a flat chip surface. The limb saw cuts low limbs clean so the lane stays open overhead. You get a clear sight line without a raw dirt scar down the middle.

Lane width and length are your call. Some hunters want a narrow slot to one corner. Others want a wider lane that covers a whole draw. A lane cut too wide is hard to take back, so we start where you point. In tight spots the tree shear snips a single sapling between keeper trees. That lets us take one stem without bumping the trees you want left alone. Tell us where you sit and we set the lanes from there.

Access trails and future food plot ground

An access trail gets you to the stand without crashing through brush. We mulch a path wide enough to walk or to run a side by side. Width is your call. Some want a foot path and some want room for equipment. The chip surface underfoot is quiet, and it stays quiet. We can route a trail along cover so you slip in downwind. Trails built mainly for riding or walking fall under trail cutting.

Clearing ground for a food plot is part of the job. We grind the brush and small trees off the spot and take stumps down to grade. What is left is a clean surface ready for your tillage work. We do not till or plant, and we do not shape dirt. The seed work stays on your side. Pick the spot you want opened and we clear it to the lines you mark.

Will clearing strip the cover that holds deer?

The cover is the reason a tract holds deer, so we work around it. We leave oaks and hickories standing, along with the bedding cover you point out. The head goes after autumn olive and multiflora rose along the edges. Bush honeysuckle in the understory gets the same treatment. Deer use edges and cover, and clean lanes give you a clear look. You end up with more edge and more sight lines, and the timber stays.

We set the plan before the machine moves. You show us the stands and the spots to leave alone. Then we cut to that plan. There are no burn piles and no open burning, so nothing sits smoldering on your ground. Soil disturbance stays low because the machine runs on tracks and the material stays where it falls. The grapple can stack material when you want it piled somewhere. Bigger field and pasture reclamation falls under brush clearing.

Cleared lane on a Southern Illinois hunting property opening access through the timber Park-like woods after selective clearing on a rural Southern Illinois property

Ready to get started?

Free, no-obligation estimates across Jackson, Union & Williamson counties.

(618) 697-5190
How We Work

How a Job With Blackburn Runs

From the first phone call to the finished ground, here is how it goes.

1

Tell Us About Your Land

Call, text or send the form. We talk through what is growing, how much ground it covers, and what you want it to become, then set a time to come see it.

2

Free Estimate

We look at the property with you, flag the trees and spots that stay, and give you a clear price. You know exactly what gets cleared and what it costs before anything starts.

3

We Clear

The machine shows up when we said it would. Brush, saplings and small trees get ground into mulch in place, with no burn piles, no haul-off and no torn-up topsoil.

4

You Take It Back

Look over the finished ground with us. Open, walkable, usable land, ready to mow, fence, hunt or plant. From trails to tracts, it is yours again.

FAQ

Hunting Property Questions, Answered

Common questions about hunting property across Jackson, Union & Williamson counties. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.

Call (618) 697-5190

When is the best time of year to cut shooting lanes and trails?
Late winter through summer works best. Cutting well before season gives the ground time to settle and the deer time to go back to normal. Winter and early spring are easy months because the brush is bare and the machine can see the stems. Summer work is fine too, as long as it is done well ahead of opening day.
Will the machine pressure deer off my property?
There is real disturbance while we are running. Machine noise and activity move deer around for a while. That is why we cut lanes and trails well before season. Deer generally settle back in once the ground is quiet again. Booking the work in late winter or summer keeps the pressure far from your hunting dates.
Can you clear a spot for a food plot?
Yes. We clear the ground and take the standing brush and small trees down to mulch, with stumps taken down to grade. That leaves a clean spot you can work. We do not till or plant, so that part stays on your side. Mark the spot you want opened and we clear it to the size you want.
Do you take small jobs like a single shooting lane?
Yes. Small jobs are welcome. One lane or a short trail to a stand is a normal call for us. Blackburn Land Service is owner operated, so a small job gets the same attention as a big one. We work Jackson, Union and Williamson counties plus nearby Southern Illinois. Call (618) 697-5190 and tell us what you want cut.
What does hunting property improvement cost?
It depends on the work. Price follows the number of lanes and how thick the material is. Access matters too, since the machine has to get in there. Trail length factors in as well. Pricing is fair and quoted up front. Estimates are free, so call (618) 697-5190 and we will look at the tract with you.
More From Blackburn Land Service

Explore Our Other Services

Forestry Mulching in Cobden, IL

Forestry Mulching

Forestry mulching turns brush, saplings and small trees into a layer of wood chip mulch on site. We cover Jackson, Union and Williamson counties from our base in Cobden.

Learn More
Brush Clearing in Cobden, IL

Brush Clearing

Brush clearing for overgrown fields, fence lines, old lots and invasive thickets across Southern Illinois. Our tracked skid steer grinds the brush into mulch on the spot, so the ground is usable the same day.

Learn More
Trail Cutting in Cobden, IL

Trail Cutting

We cut new ATV and UTV trails through wooded ground, and reopen old paths that grew shut. The mulcher leaves a chip surface you can walk or drive the same day.

Learn More
Why Choose Blackburn Land Service

From Trails to Tracts.

Locally Owned in Cobden

Blackburn Land Service is owner operated out of Cobden. The person who looks at your ground is the person who runs the machine, and the plan gets set with you before any work starts.

The Right Machine

A tracked skid steer with a forestry mulching head, backed by a limb saw, grapple and tree shear. Brush gets ground into mulch where it stands, not piled and burned.

Free On-Site Estimates

We come look at the ground, talk through what opens up and what stays, and give you a clear price before the machine moves. Small jobs are welcome, down to a single lane.

Fully Insured

Blackburn Land Service LLC is fully insured. Careful, selective work around the trees, fences and buildings you keep, with minimal soil disturbance and nothing left smoldering.

Guides & Resources

Hunting Property Guides

Take Back Your Land

Get In Touch With Blackburn Land Service

Overgrown field, a fence line you cannot find, a trail that grew shut, or hunting ground that needs lanes? Call or text, or send the form. We will come look at the ground and give you a free estimate.

Get a Free Quote

Tell us about your land. We will get right back to you.