Food Plots Getting in the mood

[JBell]

This warm weather has me itching to turn some ground and plant my food plots again. The drought absolutely demolished my hopes of a good winter plot this year. Hoping rain and weather cooperates a little better this year.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

SAME! The drought killed us and our food plots didn't make it over 3" tall. Can't wait for this spring. Already getting the ball rolling for 2020 projects here

 

[DoubleRidge]

Glad to know I'm not only one sitting around in late December thinking about planting food plots and making other habitat improvements.....waiting on dozer operator to arrive to clear stumps from two new plot locations....rain last week delayed starting....hoping to pull soil samples and lime all plot locations in January....I agree this weather really gets the wheels turning.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Glad to know I'm not only one sitting around in late December thinking about planting food plots and making other habitat improvements.....waiting on dozer operator to arrive to clear stumps from two new plot locations....rain last week delayed starting....hoping to pull soil samples and lime all plot locations in January....I agree this weather really gets the wheels turning.

You are ahead of me. We are hoping to have ours logged by the end of March.

Were your stumps left a couple feet high for the dozer to get leverage to push out? I was thinking about getting a crew with a trackhoe and a dozer, so they could easily dig up with the trackhoe, then push / pile / level with the dozer. I would think a dozer would have a fit getting stumps/roots out.....unless it had leverage

How many acres of new food plots will you have?

 

[JBell]

In case any of y'all use them, tractor supply had the whitetail institute soil tests on sale for $5 the other day. I grabbed a few

 

[DoubleRidge]

Glad to know I'm not only one sitting around in late December thinking about planting food plots and making other habitat improvements.....waiting on dozer operator to arrive to clear stumps from two new plot locations....rain last week delayed starting....hoping to pull soil samples and lime all plot locations in January....I agree this weather really gets the wheels turning.

You are ahead of me. We are hoping to have ours logged by the end of March.

Were your stumps left a couple feet high for the dozer to get leverage to push out? I was thinking about getting a crew with a trackhoe and a dozer, so they could easily dig up with the trackhoe, then push / pile / level with the dozer. I would think a dozer would have a fit getting stumps/roots out.....unless it had leverage

How many acres of new food plots will you have?

Hey...March will be here before you know it!! No we did not leave stumps tall for leverage. But I had the same concerns you did about a dozer getting them out....met with dozer operator (he also has large trackhoe)....he looked at the job and said his dozer would do the job....I asked about trackhoe and he said he could bring it too but that I would be paying both machines to run!! I passed on that offer......I should have mentioned his dozer is a D6....he said the poplar stumps and smaller stumps were no problem at all....the larger red oak stumps he said we're tougher but not an issue for him to remove.....doing two new plots....one is 2 acre....the other is 3 to 3.5 acre.

Hoping with this sunshine he can get started soon....I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[DoubleRidge]

In case any of y'all use them, tractor supply had the whitetail institute soil tests on sale for $5 the other day. I grabbed a few

Thanks for heads up....I'll check our TSC.....I've been studying on the imperial whitetail clover....a buddy of mine did 2 acre in it years ago....he did follow guidelines for lime and fertilizer and he sprayed annually....but the plot lasted 4 or 5 years as advertised....the plot was impressive.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Glad to know I'm not only one sitting around in late December thinking about planting food plots and making other habitat improvements.....waiting on dozer operator to arrive to clear stumps from two new plot locations....rain last week delayed starting....hoping to pull soil samples and lime all plot locations in January....I agree this weather really gets the wheels turning.

You are ahead of me. We are hoping to have ours logged by the end of March.

Were your stumps left a couple feet high for the dozer to get leverage to push out? I was thinking about getting a crew with a trackhoe and a dozer, so they could easily dig up with the trackhoe, then push / pile / level with the dozer. I would think a dozer would have a fit getting stumps/roots out.....unless it had leverage

How many acres of new food plots will you have?

Hey...March will be here before you know it!! No we did not leave stumps tall for leverage. But I had the same concerns you did about a dozer getting them out....met with dozer operator (he also has large trackhoe)....he looked at the job and said his dozer would do the job....I asked about trackhoe and he said he could bring it too but that I would be paying both machines to run!! I passed on that offer......I should have mentioned his dozer is a D6....he said the poplar stumps and smaller stumps were no problem at all....the larger red oak stumps he said we're tougher but not an issue for him to remove.....doing two new plots....one is 2 acre....the other is 3 to 3.5 acre.

Hoping with this sunshine he can get started soon....I'll let you know how it goes.

I'd love to hear the progress of your project and with the D6. Our project involves close to 18 acres in total, ranging in 2-4 acre plots. So, as you can imagine, we will be full steam ahead trying to get these ready for spring plantings. The equipment and crew we choose will be key when the logging is completed (hopefully by March). Time will be of essence for sure. As far fetched as it sounds, we are hoping to go from hardwoods to soybeans in a 5 month period.

 

[garnermtn]

I bought a couple of those at TSC last week. Thought it covered postage but it doesn't. For the $5 you spent on the sample and the $5 to mail it you can have your local Co-op do for $9 if you're close to one. They will email you result

 

[MickThompson]

This warm, wet weather should give the plots a good bump of growth though

 

[DoubleRidge]

I'd love to hear the progress of your project and with the D6. Our project involves close to 18 acres in total, ranging in 2-4 acre plots. So, as you can imagine, we will be full steam ahead trying to get these ready for spring plantings. The equipment and crew we choose will be key when the logging is completed (hopefully by March). Time will be of essence for sure. As far fetched as it sounds, we are hoping to go from hardwoods to soybeans in a 5 month period.

Hope to have progress to share in next week or two.....there's no doubt having a trackhoe and dozer going at the same time would speed up the process....but obviously cost more.....but in reality it's all time and hourly rate.....bigger equipment will get done quicker but cost more per hour to operate..... smaller equipment less per hour but will take longer.... expensive either way.....but in your case wanting / needing to get done quickly I'd say the bigger the equipment the better.

Also...the dozer operator asked if I wanted the plots perfectly smooth and ready to seed....or "disk-able".....after further conversation I realized "ready to seed" equals more hours of run time so I passed on that....told him I had tractor and 8 foot disk and cultipactor....he said I'd have no problem prepping plots when he's done....so he's going to push stumps out...fill holes....push debris off......and I'll do finish work with tractor, disk & cultipactor..... my tractor cost allot less to operate than his D6. (And I enjoy the time on tractor).

 

[DoubleRidge]

I bought a couple of those at TSC last week. Thought it covered postage but it doesn't. For the $5 you spent on the sample and the $5 to mail it you can have your local Co-op do for $9 if you're close to one. They will email you result

Dang....there's always a catch....still cheaper than ordering directly from whitetail institute though....online it's listed as $13.95 ......thanks for the heads up.

 

[JBell]

I think you can mail a few of them together though. I will be sending in 3 this spring. Although it's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of fertilizer, it is a few bucks saved

 

[DoubleRidge]

I think you can mail a few of them together though. I will be sending in 3 this spring. Although it's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of fertilizer, it is a few bucks saved

Hey......that's good to know.....any savings adds up....thanks.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I'd love to hear the progress of your project and with the D6. Our project involves close to 18 acres in total, ranging in 2-4 acre plots. So, as you can imagine, we will be full steam ahead trying to get these ready for spring plantings. The equipment and crew we choose will be key when the logging is completed (hopefully by March). Time will be of essence for sure. As far fetched as it sounds, we are hoping to go from hardwoods to soybeans in a 5 month period.

Also...the dozer operator asked if I wanted the plots perfectly smooth and ready to seed....or "disk-able".....after further conversation I realized "ready to seed" equals more hours of run time so I passed on that....told him I had tractor and 8 foot disk and cultipactor....he said I'd have no problem prepping plots when he's done....so he's going to push stumps out...fill holes....push debris off......and I'll do finish work with tractor, disk & cultipactor..... my tractor cost allot less to operate than his D6. (And I enjoy the time on tractor).

I enjoy tractor time too. We will do the last bit of leg work with our equipment as well.

Only thing different we will be doing is not having anything pushed off to the sides. Everything will be pushed into piles and burned. Our existing fields have root balls, stumps and dirt mounds off the side of the fields. I believe this is why we see an abundance of armadillos in our fields. Whoever created our existing fields also inadvertently created dens for armadillos, groundhogs, bobcats, foxes, etc......Critters I don't want to den close to the fields.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I enjoy tractor time too. We will do the last bit of leg work with our equipment as well.

Only thing different we will be doing is not having anything pushed off to the sides. Everything will be pushed into piles and burned. Our existing fields have root balls, stumps and dirt mounds off the side of the fields. I believe this is why we see an abundance of armadillos in our fields. Whoever created our existing fields also inadvertently created dens for armadillos, groundhogs, bobcats, foxes, etc......Critters I don't want to den close to the fields.

Yea....we discussed him piling and burning....but to effectively do that he said he'd have to bring his trackhoe...push up tree laps...set stumps on top....burn for a while...then take trackhoe and bang dirt out of burned stumps....pile up and burn again....he estimated another day or two work.... couldn't afford that.

So with both new plot locations being near small hollows our plan is to push stumps into small hollow nearby..... predators can still den in the piles...but they won't be lined up down edge of plot.... honestly I don't wanna look at stumps lined up down edge of plot either....so his instructions are to push them out of the line of sight into hollow.....I know some people line up stumps and tree laps in strategic locations to funnel deer into plots....but again I don't wanna look at it for years.....I'd rather them be outta sight outta mind.

 

[RobbyW]

What is the hourly rate for a dozer? Do you know if there is a minimum number of hours?

 

[DoubleRidge]

What is the hourly rate for a dozer? Do you know if there is a minimum number of hours?

The ones I've talked to in our area run between 100 to 150 per hour....you may find a smaller dozer for 85 to 90.
I've found trackhoe rates to be the same.

For minimum hours....some say 4 hours minimum but I'd guess they would be more motivated to take a job if it was a full day's work.

The operator we're working with says a "day" is 9½ to 10 hours.

 

[TNTreeman]

If you've got someone in your area with a big stump grinder and the terrain isn't crazy I'd get a price from them for the stumps.